SOC 4460: Women in Society
Winter 2014
CRN 20164, Section 001
0114 State Hall
Monday 3-5:45
Instructor: Victoria Velding
Office Hours: M 2-3, W- 10:30-11:30
Office Location: 2264 FAB
Email: dw1974@wayne.edu
Course Description:This course offers an in-depth investigation of the living and
working conditions of women in the world today, with a particular emphasis on the
impact of socio-economic changes on the lives of women (including their relationships
with men).
Required Text:
Feminist Frontiers, 9th edition, by Verta Taylor, Nancy Whittier, and Leila J. Rupp,
Boston: McGraw Hill, 2012
*Select readings will also be posted on Blackboard
Course Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, you should be able to
analyze contemporary issues affecting women, identify social and cultural influences
related to gender and gender hierarchy, discuss how systems of power, privilege, and
oppression affect our experiences, understand the intersection of multiple forms of
oppression in the lived experiences of women, and think critically about gender as a
whole.
Course Policies:
Participation and Attendance:Class participation is a requirement of your grade. You
can get participation points by attending class regularly, asking and/or answering
questions, and participating in class discussions. I understand circumstances may
arise which require you to be absent. Absence due to religious observation will be
excused if I am given notification. Please notify me via email within 24 hours of the
class you intend to miss for the opportunity to receive attendance points. Note: email
notification does not guarantee attendance credit. Habitual tardiness will result in the
loss of attendance points. Continually leaving class early will also result in the loss of
attendance points.
Withdrawals: The last day to withdraw from a course is March 22. Per WSU policy
effective Fall 2013, students wishing to withdraw from a course will be required to
complete a SMART Check.
Cellphones and Electronics: The use of cellphonesis prohibited during class time.
Phones should be turned to vibrate or silent. Laptops and tablets may be used for note
taking purposes only. If I find these items to be a consistent distraction, the privilege
of using them in class will be revoked.
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Classroom decorum: We will be talking about subjects for which there may be varying
opinions. Respect the views of your classmates, even though they may differ from
your own.
Plagiarism and Cheating: Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated and you will
lose total credit for any assignment where either is suspected. For more information
about plagiarism and cheating, please review WSU’s Academic Integrity Brochure,
http://www.otl.wayne.edu/pdf/plagiarism/AIB07Print.pdf .
Challenging Grades:It is your responsibility to keep track of your grades. Grades will
be posted on Blackboard and will be available for your review. If you feel there is a
discrepancy or that you were improperly graded, your first course of action is to bring
it to my attention as soon as possible. You may do this before or after class, during
office hours, or via an email. Waiting until final course grades have been posted to
dispute a grade is unacceptable and the grade will stand as is.
Student Disability Services:If you feel that you may need an accommodation based on
the impact of a disability, please feel free to contact me privately to discuss your
specific needs. Additionally, Student Disability Services (SDS) coordinates reasonable
accommodations for students with documented disabilities. The Office is located in
1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library, 313-577-1851.
Late Assignments: Late assignments will be deducted half a grade for every day late.
Assignments:
Midterm Exam:There will be 1 midterm exam worth 40 points. It will consist of short
answer questions that you will be provided with beforehand. This will be a closedbook, closed-note exam. Missing the exam will result in a 0 unless instructor approval
is given before the exam date.
Discussion Leader: You will be required to lead the class in discussion on one of the
week’s readings. Additionally, you will be turning in a paper about your selected
reading. This assignment is worth 25 points total and consists of the following two
parts:
 Presentation: To elicit class discussion you must prepare 2 questions about the
reading to pose to the class. The presentation is worth 10 of the 25 total points.
 Paper: You must turn in a 2 to 3 page paper (double-spaced) the day of your
presentation that includes the following: 1) a summary of the reading, 2) a
discussion of how this reading relates to one other reading from class, and 3)
how this reading informs our knowledge of gender issues.Note: I am more
concerned with your responses to parts 2 and 3 than I am with part 1.
Therefore, your summary should not comprise the majority of your paper. The
paper is worth 15 of the 25 total points.
Activism Project and Reaction Paper:You will be required to participate in 1
activism activity and write a reaction paper about your experience. You must also
present your experience in class. This assignment is worth 25 points. Failing to
complete any or all parts of this assignment will result in the loss of points. More
information about the specifics of this activity will be provided later in the semester.
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Literature Review Paper:A literature review is a crucial component of an academic
paper. Your final paper is a literature review on a gender-related topic of your choice.
You may focus on one of the topics we discussed in class or choose one we did not
cover. Examples of possible topics include: female college athletes, stay-at-home
moms, an analysis of a gender-related social movement organization, eating disorders
and adolescent girls, media portrayal of women, etc. This paper is intentionally broad
in scope so that you can choose a topic that interests you. It must be a minimum of
10 pages double-spaced and include at least 8 academic references. You may only
include one quotation from a reference in your paper. Do not simply summarize each
of your references, but rather comprise a detailed record of research on your topic. All
papers must adhere to APA formatting. This paper is worth 50 points. An additional
5 points will be earned by turning in a document on March 3 indicating your chosen
topic and 3 academic sources you will be using. We will discuss this assignment in
more detail in class.
Grading Policy:
1 activism paper and presentation- 25 points (16%)
1 discussion leader and paper- 25 points (16%)
Midterm exam- 40 points (26%)
Paper topic and 3 sources-5 points (3%)
Final paper- 50 points (32%)
Participation- 10 points (6%)
155 possible points
A
AB+
B
B-
155-147pts
194-185pts
184-179pts
178-171pts
170-164pts
(100-95%)
(94-90%)
(89-87%)
(86-83%)
(82-80%)
C+
C
CD+
D
163-158pts
157-150pts
149-144pts
143-138pts
137-130pts
3
(79-77%)
(76-73%)
(72-70%)
(69-67%)
(66-63%)
DF
129-123pts (62-60%)
122pts or less (<60%)
Semester Schedule:
1/6
Course Overview and Introductions
1/13
Reading:
Feminist Frontiers
 Introduction, 1-3
Diversity and Difference
1/20
Readings:
Feminist Frontiers
 Springer- Being the Bridge: A Solitary Black Woman’s Studies
Classroom as a Feminist Student and Professor, 6-11
 McIntosh- White Privilege and Male Privilege, 11-17
 Lorde- The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House,
22-23
Blackboard
 Frye- Oppression
NO CLASS—MLK DAY
1/27
Theoretical Perspectives
2/3
Readings:
Feminist Frontiers
 Lorber- “Night to His Day:” The Social Construction of Gender, 33-49
 Kessler- The Medical Construction of Gender, 49-63
 Baca Zinn and Thornton Dill- Theorizing Difference From Multiracial
Feminism, 70-75
Blackboard
 West and Zimmerman- Doing Gender
Representation, Language, and Culture
2/10
Readings:
Feminist Frontiers
 Richardson- Gender Stereotyping in the English Language, 103-107
 Gimlin- Cosmetic Surgery: Paying for Your Beauty, 128-141
 Banks- Hair Still Matters, 142-150
Blackboard
 Wolf- The Beauty Myth
Growing up Boys and Girls
Readings:
Feminist Frontiers
 Martin and Kazyak- Hetero-Romantic Love and Heterosexiness in
Children’s G-Rated Films, 153-164
 Thorne- Girls and Boys Together…But Mostly Apart: Arrangements in
Elementary Schools, 167-178
 Le Espiritu- “We Don’t Sleep Around Like White Girls Do:” Family,
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2/17
Culture, and Gender in Filipina American Lives, 178-194
Blackboard
 Kimmel- What Are Little Boys Made Of?
Work and Employment
3/10
Readings:
Feminist Frontiers
 Bose and Bridges Whaley- Sex Segregation in the U.S. Labor Force,
197-205
 Kang- The Managed Hand: The Commercialization of Bodies and
Emotions in Korean Immigrant-Owned Nail Salons, 207-219
 Hondagneu-Sotelo- Maid in L.A., 219-236
 Klein and Boris- Organizing Home Care, 237-240
Flex
No Readings
MIDTERM EXAM
Assignment Due:
Paper Topic and 3 Sources
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK
3/17
Families
3/24
Readings:
Feminist Frontiers
 Gerson- Moral Dilemmas, Moral Strategies, and the Transformation of
Gender: Lessons from Two Generations of Work and Family Change,
261-270
 Thai- For Better or Worse: Gender Allures in the Vietnamese Global
Marriage Market, 271-281
Blackboard
 Hochschild- The Second Shift: Working Parents and the Revolution at
Home
 Bernard- The Two Marriages
Sexualities
3/31
Readings:
Feminist Frontiers
 Tolman- Doing Desire: Adolescent Girls’ Struggles for/with Sexuality,
284-294
 DeMasi- Shopping for Love: Online Dating and the Making of a Cyber
Culture of Romance, 295-301
 Armstrong, Hamilton, and England- Is Hooking up Bad for Young
Women, 301-305
 Rupp and Taylor- Straight Girls Kissing, 305-309
Bodies
2/24
3/3
Readings:
FeministFrontiers
 Thompson- “A Way Outa No Way:” Eating Problems Among African5
4/7
American, Latina, and White Women, 340-349
 Davis- Loose Lips Sink Ships, 349-365
 Winddance Twine- Google Babies: Race, Class, and Gestational
Surrogacy, 365-371
Blackboard
 Johnston-Robledo and Chrisler- The Menstrual Mark: Menstruation as
Social Stigma
Violence Against Women
4/14
Readings:
Feminist Frontiers
 Masters- “My Strength is Not For Hurting:” Men’s Anti-Rape Websites
and Their Construction of Masculinity and Male Sexuality, 398-404
 Martin and Hummer- Fraternities and Rape on Campus, 405-414
 Crenshaw- Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics,
and Violence Against Women of Color, 414-424
Blackboard
 Allen and Kivel- Men Changing Men
Global Politics and the State/ Social Protest and Feminist Movements
4/21
4/25
Readings:
Feminist Frontiers
 Chang- From the Third World to the “Third World Within:” Asian
Women Workers Fighting Globalization, 442-453
 Abu-Lughod- Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological
Reflections on Cultural Relativism and its Others, 486-495
 Dahl Crossley, Taylor, Whittier, and Pelak- Forever Feminism: The
Persistence of the U.S. Women’s Movement, 1960-2011, 498-516
Flex
No Readings
Assignment Due:
Activism Paper and Presentations
FINAL PAPER DUE
*I reserve the right to modify this syllabus.
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