SOC 344
SYLLABUS: MEN, WOMEN, & SOCIETY
Spring Semester 2015
Location:BH 120
MWF, 2:00-2:50
Matthew S. Vos – Instructor
Work Phone: 419-1419
Cell Phone: 423-314-8790
e-mail: vos@covenant.edu
Office: BH 107
Office Hours: TBA
Required Texts:
Ryle, R. (2012). Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Pine Forge Press.
James, C. C. (2011). Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Each student must have the required texts to continue in the course.
Introduction
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male
and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).
We cannot escape gender. When our parents first glimpse our barely discernible
fetal bodies on the ultrasound screen, the main thing they want to know is whether we are
male or female. And that bit of knowledge determines everything that follows. Once
identified as one sex or the other, a social script is invoked – a script with narrow
tolerances and which we will most likely follow quite carefully until the day we die. The
early stages of our gendered scripts commonly involve pink or blue bedrooms stocked
with cheerleader outfits or football helmets. And from there we imagine even the deepest
parts of ourselves in gendered terms. Across the lifespan, to step outside of these very
specific and mostly inflexible gender distinctions invariably means sanctions—some
quite cruel. When it comes to gender, the pressures toward normalcy are, perhaps, more
intense than for any other social category. But where does gender come from? Is the
way we act out “male” and “female” natural, social, or some combination of both? And
for Christians, how do we discern how God would have us act out these social
categorizations? Do we accept masculinity as the world around us defines it? Are we
content with the sexualized, domesticated images of women that pervade our
consciousness? Are men and women, “the opposite sex,” or does sexual dimorphism
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prevent us from seeing that men and women are more alike than they are different?
Furthermore, what are we to make of the profound inequality between men and women
that is found virtually everywhere and at every stage of the lifecycle?
This course is designed to help the student critically evaluate the “Men are from
Mars; Women are from Venus” way of thinking about gender that pervades popular
thought. The emphasis will be on understanding gender as a socially constructed and
reified category. In this effort we will examine gender as a system of inequality, and
consider what the scriptures tell us about men, women, and living together in a society
that unilaterally distorts from God’s good intention for our lives in gendered bodies.
Course Objectives
 1. To define and distinguish between sex and gender and to help the student
understand the various ways in which gender – the meaning of our identities and
roles as men and women – is socially constructed. A major focus will be on
challenging and deconstructing our generally simplistic way of understanding
gendered behavior as “natural.”
A. Instructional activities include: Lecture, Discussion, Videos, Readings.
B. Primary means of assessment include: Exams, Research Paper, Gender Reflection
Paper.
 2. To identify and critically evaluate gender as a system of inequality.
A. Instructional activities include: Lecture, Discussion, Videos, Readings, Panel
Discussion.
B. Primary means of assessment include: Exams, Research Paper.
 3. To debunk the “Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus” myth, to understand the
scientific flaws informing this perspective, and to understand how this way of
understanding sexual identity can be harmful to both women and men.
A. Instructional activities include: Lecture, Discussion, Readings, Panel Discussion.
B. Primary means of assessment include: Exams, Research Paper, Quizzes, Gender
Reflection Paper.
 4. To examine how disciplines outside sociology study gender, with particular focus on
how brain research has impacted our understanding of men and women.
A. Instructional activities include: Lecture, Readings.
B. Primary means of assessment include: Exams, Gender Reflection Paper.
 5. To understand how we learn gender and to examine how gender influences our
experiences in everyday life.
A. Instructional activities include: Lecture, Discussion, Readings, Panel Discussion.
B. Primary means of assessment include: Exams, Research Paper, Quizzes, Gender
Reflection Paper.
 6. To understand how gender impacts us institutionally in our families, work, religion,
leisure, and politics.
A. Instructional activities include: Lecture, Discussion, Readings, Panel Discussion,
Videos.
SOC 344
B.
Primary means of assessment include: Exams, Research Paper, Quizzes, Gender
Reflection Paper.
 7. To explore various ways in which ideas about gender impact the church, with an
emphasis on social justice.
A. Instructional activities include: Lecture, Discussion, Readings.
B. Primary means of assessment include: Exams, Quizzes, Gender Reflection Paper.
Course Requirements/Assessments
Midterm Examination: 15% (Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Final Examination: 20% (Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Genderography: 13% (Objectives 1, 2, 3, 5, 6)
Research Paper (Social Issue Analysis or Content Analysis): 36% (1, 2, 5, 6)
Readings Quizzes (Half the Church): 6% (3 x 2%) (5, 6, 7)
Gender Reflection Paper: 10% (1,3,4, 5, 6, 7)
There are several readings I have placed on electronic reserve. I will point them
out to you as the class progresses.
Attendance and Class Policy
Much of the learning planned for you depends on your being here and cannot be gained
simply by reading the course texts. Furthermore, your participation in class activities
adds to the richness of the experience for other members of the class. You are permitted
three absences (a full week of school) during this course. Beyond the allowed misses,
every additional absence will result in a 3% reduction of your final grade for the course.
In general, absences should be used for emergencies. For example, if a student missed
three classes for personal reasons (leaving early for break, etc.) and then was sick for two
classes later in the semester, those two absences would result in a 6% reduction in the
student’s final grade (irrespective of their legitimacy). In other words, you are wise to
plan on the unexpected coming up in the latter part of the semester, and not use up
excused absences early on.
Students are counted “present” if marked on the instructor’s attendance sheet and
“absent” if they are not. It is the student’s responsibility to be present when the class
roll is called. If you come in late and fail to alert me immediately after class, the
omission will count as an absence.
You may not be absent during test periods (unless you have a documented
medical/family emergency). Any student found cheating on any portion of an
SOC 344
assignment or test, fabricating any data for an assignment, or helping any other student
cheat on any portion of the course will fail the course and may be withdrawn from the
college. Please consult the 2014/15 Academic Bulletin before engaging in any cheating
or plagiarism, so you can properly understand the penalties which may bear down on you.
Technology use policy: To be decided as a class…
Work that is late or exams that are missed due to a disciplinary action against a student
may not be made up.
I expect to be able to communicate with you using your college email address. For you
to remain in this course, I require that you reply to any email I send you within a 24 hour
period. Accordingly, you must check your college email every day. It also requires that
you notify me if and when your email is down. Failing to reply to a communication that I
initiate constitutes a lack of serious intent in the course, and may result in your being
withdrawn.
Students must submit assignments in hard copy. I do not print out and read e-mailed
assignments except in extenuating circumstances such as a medical or family emergency.
Assignments
The instructor will provide ample notice before assignments (or exams) are due/given.
The following may be used to record exam and assignment turn-in dates. Students
should keep all graded assignments until after the course is completed.
Assignment
Due Date
Grade
Midterm Exam
________________
______
Final Exam
________________
______
Genderography
________________
______
Paper
________________
______
Readings Quizzes
________________
______
Reflection Paper
________________
______
As we work through the text and other course materials, I hope to use a variety of
approaches to help you understand the concepts presented. However, although we may
not specifically address all concepts presented in the text, please remember that you are
still expected to read all of the material outlined in the following class schedule.
SOC 344
Class Schedule
Topic/Class Activities
Reading
Intro
Introduction to the course
Essentialism and Constructionism
Syllabus/Student intros
Chapter 1
Sociology & Gender
Theoretical approaches to gender
Feminist theories, Sociological theories, etc.
Chapter 2
James Intro/Ch. 1
Video: Half the Sky
Voices outside Sociology Psychology, Anthropology, Sociobiology, etc.
Chapter 3
James Ch. 2
Video: It’s a Girl
Eliot Chapter/Reserve
Paris Chapter/Reserve
Learning Gender
Theories of Gender Socialization
Learning Gender never ends
Peer Groups, etc.
Chapter 4
James Ch. 3
Lucal Chapter/Reserve
Gender & Sexuality
Masculinity and Femininity
Chapter 5
Sexual Scripts
James Ch. 4
Sex and Society: Hist of Het and Homo Sexuality Bordo Chapter/Reserve
Youtube: Purity Balls
Midterm Exam Date: ______________________
Friendship & Dating
The Gender of Friendship and Dating
Opposite-sex Adult Friendships
Courting, Dating, and Hooking Up
Gender & our Bodies
A History of Bodies
The Beauty Myth
Body Image, Masculinity & Femininity
Gender, Marr. & Fam.
A History of Marriage
Demographics of Marriage
Gendered Division of Labor
Gender & Work
“A Man’s Job” Masculinity and Work
The Wage Gap
Gendered Organizations
Media, & Pop Culture
Gendered Images
Sexuality in Media
Masculinity and Video Games
Chapter 6
James Ch. 5
Hiebert Chapter/Reserve
Tannen 2011 Ch/Resererve
Chapter 7
James Ch. 6
Video: Killing Us Softly 4:
Advertising’s Image of
Women
Chapter 8
James Ch. 7
Coontz Reading/Reserve
Video: Honor Diaries
Chapter 9
James Ch. 8/Conclusion
Smith Reading/ Reserve
Tannen 2006/Reserve
Chapter 10
Video: The Codes of Gender
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The Masculine World of Sports:
Leisure & Gender
Gender, Politics & Power Masculinity & Power
Institutional Power (Gender & Politics, etc)
Beyond the Gender Gap
Chapter 11
FINAL EXAM schedule (Click link for exam schedule)
Additional Readings
Bordo, Susan. 2006. “Pills and Power Tools.” In The Production of Reality: Essays and
Readings on Social Interaction 4th ed., edited by Jodie O’Brien. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Pine Forge Press. (4 pages)
Coontz, Stephanie. 2006. “How History and Sociology can Help Today’s Families.” Pp.
7-17 in The practical skeptic: Readings in sociology (3rd ed.), edited by Lisa J.
McIntyre. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Eliot, Lise. 2009. Pink brain, blue brain: how small differences grow into troublesome
Gaps—and what we can do about it. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Fine, Cordelia. 2010. Delusions of gender: how our minds, society, and neurosexism
create difference. New York: W. W. Norton.
Hiebert, Dennis W. 1996. “Toward Adult Cross-Sex Friendship.” Journal of Psychology
and Theology, 24, 4:271-283. (11 pages)
Jordan-Young, Rebecca M. 2010. Brainstorm: The flaws in the science of sex differences.
Cambridge, MA: Havard University Press.
Lucal, Betsy. 2011. “What it Means to be Gendered Me: Life on the Boundaries of a
Dichotomous Gender System.” In Gender Through the Prism of Difference,
edited by Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael A.
Messner. Toronto: Oxford University Press. (11 pages)
Paris, Jenell Williams. 2011. “What is Defined as Real.” In The End of Sexual Identity:
Why Sex is Too Important to Define Who We Are. Downer’s Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press. (15 pages)
Smith, Dorothy. 2004. “Women’s Experience as a Radical Critique of Sociology.” Pp.
372-380. In Readings in social theory: the classic tradition to post-modernism
(4th ed.), edited by James Farganis. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Tannen, Deborah. 2011. “Asymmetries: Women and Men Talking at Cross-Purposes.”
SOC 344
Pp. 503-517 in Language and Gender: A Reader, 2nd edition. Edited by Jennifer
Coates and Pia Pichler. Malaysia: Wiley-Blackwell. (14 pages)
Tannen, Deborah. 2006. “Marked: Women in the Workplace.” Pp. 131-137 in The
practical skeptic: Readings in sociology (3rd ed.). edited by Lisa J.
McIntyre. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.