Sociology 367 – Sociology of Gender
Winter 2012
MWF, 12:00 to 12:50, B032 JFSB
Instructor Information
Catherine Jeppsen
Office: 2047 JFSB, 801-422-3461
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 or by appointment
Email: catherinejeppsen@gmail.com
Teaching Assistant
Alison Holdaway
Email: alholdaway@gmail.com
Required Text
There is not a textbook assigned for this class. Readings not available on the Internet will be posted on
Blackboard.
Course Objectives
Through course readings, lectures, and student participation, this Sociology of Gender course will
provide an overview of ways in which gender is considered within the discipline of sociology.
Specifically, course participants will explore the answers to four main questions: First, what is gender?
Second, what are the main theoretical perspectives within the sociology of gender? Third, how are
these perspectives related to the questions we ask about gender? Fourth, what do we do with this
information?
Course Requirements
EVALUATION: Your course grade will be based on two exams, discussion board participation,
weekly response papers, and a final research paper. I do not allow late work except in cases of
extreme emergency (e.g, hospitalization), so please keep track of assignment deadlines.
PARTICIPATION: Participation in class discussions can be a valuable way to ensure your familiarity
with the course material, be introduced to new ideas, and make conclusions of your own. You are not
graded on participation, but you are expected to come to class each day having read the assigned
readings and with your own questions, insights, etc.
EXAMS: There are two exams during the semester. The first exam will cover material from the first
half of the semester, and the second exam will primarily (2/3) cover material from the second half of
the semester. These exams will contain multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
DISCUSSION BOARD PARTICIPATION: At the beginning of most weeks, due before midnight
Sunday night, you will create a post on the Blackboard discussion board that can consist of any of your
thoughts about the upcoming week’s readings. You will be given credit for these posts as long as they
are on time and you demonstrate that you have read at least some of the week’s material.
WEEKLY RESPONSE PAPERS: At the end of most weeks, due before midnight Saturday night, you
will submit a response paper that includes (1) a summary of the week’s readings, (2) a summary of the
week’s in-class discussions, and (3) your conclusions/thoughts based on the covered material. These
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response papers should be typed, double-spaced, appropriately proofread, and no longer than 2 doublespaced pages (there is not a minimum length requirement). These papers are an opportunity for you to
reflect on what the week’s content means for you and how it relates to what you think about gender.
FINAL PAPER: I will give you more information about the research paper assignment during the
second week of class, but you will choose one or more topics covered in class as a starting point for an
academic research paper. There will be several stages and deadlines throughout the semester, and the
final paper should be between 8 and 10 double-spaced pages (not including references).
EXTRA CREDIT: You can earn up to 40 points of extra credit throughout the semester by attending
an approved gender-related event and writing a 2-page paper discussing the event and how it relates to
our class. These events will be posted on Blackboard and may include Women’s Studies Colloquium
lectures, other campus lectures, and meetings of the same-gender attraction group that meets on
campus. Each event/paper is worth 10 points.
All written assignments should be submitted via email to sociology367@gmail.com in .doc, .docx,
or .odt format.
Grades
Assignment
Exams
Discussion board participation (10)
Weekly response papers (10)
Final paper (1)
Total
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DE
Points
200 points each
10 points each
20 points each
350 points
1000 points
Percent of Grade
40%
10%
20%
30%
100%
Percent
93% - 100%
90% - 92.9%
87% - 89.9%
83% - 86.9%
80% - 82.9%
77% - 79.9%
73% - 76.9%
70% - 72.9%
67% - 69.9%
63% - 66.9%
60% - 62.9%
59.9% or lower
Assigned Readings and Class Discussions
Study of the sociology of gender could (and does) take a lifetime. I’ve chosen the readings for this
class based on what I think will provide the most helpful information, be the easiest to understand, and
provoke thoughtful discussions. They do not represent everything within the sociology of gender, and
at times you may not agree with what you read. Please approach the reading assignments with an open
mind and a willingness to at least understand what the author is saying, and please be respectful when
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discussing these readings in class. You are always welcome to express disagreement, but sexist,
homophobic, or otherwise discriminatory comments are absolutely unacceptable.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Students are expected to adhere to all aspects of the BYU Honor Code. Please review the Honor Code
at http://saas.byu.edu/catalog/2010-2011ucat/GeneralInfo/HonorCode.php.
I have a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism, even if it occurs accidentally, so please make sure you
know what it is so you can avoid it. Plagiarism can include the following (from
http://saas.byu.edu/catalog/2010-2011ucat/GeneralInfo/HonorCode.php):
Direct Plagiarism—The verbatim copying of an original source without acknowledging the
source.
Paraphrased Plagiarism—The paraphrasing, without acknowledgment, of ideas from another
that the reader might mistake for your own.
Plagiarism Mosaic—The borrowing of words, ideas, or data from an original source and
blending this original material with one's own without acknowledging the source.
Insufficient Acknowledgment—The partial or incomplete attribution of words, ideas, or data
from an original source.
In all of your work in this class, please be sure to give appropriate attribution for every idea, phrase,
sentence, image, etc. that does not come out of your own imagination. I will never penalize you for
citing too much, but you will earn zero points for the assignment (and possibly for the course) if you
plagiarize.
Students with Disabilities
“If you suspect or are aware that you have a disability, you are strongly encouraged to contact the
University Accessibility Center (UAC) located at 1520 WSC (422-2767) as soon as possible. The
disability will be evaluated and eligible students will receive assistance in obtaining reasonable
University approved accommodations” (from https://uac.byu.edu/content/syllabus-statement).
Preventing Sexual Discrimination and Harassment
“Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in
an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex
discrimination in education. Title IX covers discrimination in programs, admissions, activities, and
student-to-student sexual harassment. BYU's policy against sexual harassment extends not only to
employees of the university, but to students as well. If you encounter unlawful sexual harassment or
gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at
422-5895 or 367-5689 (24-hours); or contact the Honor Code Office at 422-2847” (from
http://syllabus.byu.edu).
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Class Schedule (subject to change depending on the needs of the class)
Week 1: Introduction
Wednesday, January 4
Overview of syllabus and introduction to course
Friday, January 6
Cornwall, Marie. 1997. “Please, Don’t Shoot the Messengers!” Sunstone, April.
Wharton, Amy S. 2005. “The Gendered Person.” Pp. 17-40 in The Sociology of Gender:
An Introduction to Theory and Research. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Week 2: Introduction (cont.)
Monday, January 9
Final paper assignment handed out
Wharton, Amy S. 2005. “Gender in Interactions and Institutions.” Pp. 53-70 in The
Sociology of Gender: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Malden, MA:
Blackwell Publishing.
Wednesday, January 11
Wharton 2005 (cont.)
Friday, January 13
Lucal, Betsy. 1999. “What it Means to be Gendered Me: Life on the Boundaries of a
Dichotomous Gender System.” Gender and Society 13(6):781-797.
Week 3: Biological and evolutionary theories
Monday, January 16
No class
Wednesday, January 18
Udry, J. Richard. 2000. “Biological Limits of Gender Construction.” American
Sociological Review 65(3):443-457.
Kennelly, Ivy, Sabine N. Merz, and Judith Lorber. 2001. “What Is Gender?” American
Sociological Review 66(4):598-605.
Friday, January 20
Risman, Barbara J. 2001. “Calling the Bluff of Value-Free Science.” American
Sociological Review 66(4):605-611.
Buss, David M. and David P. Schmitt. 1993. “Sexual Strategies Theory: An
Evolutionary Perspective on Human Mating.” Psychological Review
100(2):204-232.
Week 4: Socialization theories
Monday, January 23
Howard, Judith A. and Jocelyn Hollander. 2000. “Socialization Approaches.” Pp. 28-35
in Gendered Situations, Gendered Selves. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
Wednesday, January 25
Thorne, Barrie. 1994. “Creating a Sense of ‘Opposite Sides.’” Pp. 63-88 in Gender Play:
Girls and Boys in School. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Friday, January 27
Thorne, Barrie. 1994. “Lip Gloss and ‘Goin’ With’: Becoming Teens.” Pp. 135-156 in
Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University
Press.
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Week 5: Doing gender
Monday, January 30
West, Candace and Don H. Zimmerman. 1987. “Doing Gender.” Gender and Society
1(2): 125-151.
Wednesday, February 1
Lorber, Judith. 1994. “Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender.” Pp. 13-36
in Paradoxes of Gender. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Friday, February 3
Lorber 1994 (cont.)
Week 6: Gender as a structure
Monday, February 6
Ridgeway, Cecilia L. and Shelley J. Correll. 2004. “Unpacking the Gender System: A
Theoretical Perspective on Gender Beliefs and Social Relations.” Gender and
Society 18(4):510-531.
Wednesday, February 8
Risman, Barbara J. 2004. “Gender as a Social Structure: Theory Wrestling with Social
Change.” Gender and Society 18(4):429-450.
Friday, February 10
England, Paula. 2010. “The Gender Revolution: Uneven and Stalled.” Gender and
Society 24(2):149-166.
Week 7: Feminism and social research, intersectionality (Exam #1 this week)
Monday, February 13
DeVault, Marjorie. 1996. “Talking Back to Sociology: Distinctive Contributions of
Feminist Methodology.” Annual Review of Sociology 22:29-50.
Wednesday, February 15
England, Paula. 1999. “The Impact of Feminist Thought on Sociology.” Contemporary
Sociology 28(3):263-268.
Friday, February 17
West, Candace and Don H. Zimmerman. 1995. “Doing Difference.” Gender and
Society 9(1):8-37.
Week 8: Sexuality
Tuesday, February 21 (Monday instruction)
Butler, Judith. 2004. “Doing Justice to Someone: Sex Reassignment and Allegories of
Transsexuality.” Pp. 57-74 in Undoing Gender. New York, NY: Routledge.
Wednesday, February 22
Schwartz, Pepper and Virginia Rutter. 2000. “Sexual Desire and Gender.” Pp. 134 in The Gender of Sexuality. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
Friday, February 24
Schwartz and Rutter 2000 (cont.)
Week 9: Men and masculinity
Monday, February 27
Connell, R.W. 2005. “The Social Organization of Masculinity.” Pp. 67-86 in
Masculinities. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
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Wednesday, February 29
Schrock, Douglas and Michael Schwalbe. 2009. “Men, Masculinity, and Manhood Acts.”
Annual Review of Sociology 35:277-295.
Friday, March 2
Paul, Elizabeth L. 2002. “Can Fathers ‘Mother’?” Pp. 266-285 in Taking Sides:
Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Sex and Gender. Guilford, CT:
McGraw-Hill.
Week 10: Gender and religion
Monday, March 5
Wilcox, W. Bradford. 2004. “Production of Family and Gender Culture.” Pp. 52-61 in
Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands.
Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Wednesday, March 7
Hardy, Michael. “To My LDS Friends: Give Feminism a Try.” SquareTwo 2(2).
Retrieved December 29, 2010
(http://squaretwo.org/Sq2ArticleHardyFeminism.html).
Friday, March 9
Soper, Kathryn. 2010. “As Sisters in Zion: Mormon Feminism and Sisterhood.”
Retrieved December 29, 2010 (http://www.patheos.com/Resources/AdditionalResources/As-Sisters-in-Zion-Mormon-Feminism-and-Sisterhood.html).
*Also read at least one of the responses to Kathryn Soper’s post.
Week 11: Gender and the family
Monday, March 12
Hoshschild, Arlie. 2003. “Joey’s Problem: Nancy and Evan Holt.” Pp. 35-61 in The
Second Shift. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
Wednesday, March 14
Biblarz, Timothy J. and Judith Stacey. 2010. “How Does the Gender of Parents Matter?”
Journal of Marriage and Family 72(1):3-22.
Friday, March 16
Blankenhorn, David. 1995. “Fatherless Society.” Pp. 25-48 in Fatherless America:
Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem. New York, NY: HarperCollins
Publishers.
Week 12: Gender and the family
Monday, March 19
Douglas, Susan J. and Meredith W. Michaels. 2004. “Introduction: The New Momism.”
Pp. 1-27 in The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has
Undermined Women. New York, NY: Free Press.
Wednesday, March 21
Coontz, Stephanie. 2000. “Bra Burners and Family Bashers.” Pp. 149-179 in The Way
We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap. New York, NY:
Basic Books.
Friday, March 23
Coontz 2000 (cont.)
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Week 13: Violence, education
Monday, March 26
Johnson, Michael P. 2008. “Control and Violence in Intimate Relationships.” Pp. 5-24
in A Typology of Domestic Violence: Intimate Terrorism, Violent Resistance,
and Situational Couple Violence. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press.
Wednesday, March 28
Jackman, Mary R. 1999. “Gender, Violence, and Harassment.” Pp. 275-317 in
Handbook of the Sociology of Gender, edited by Janet Saltzman Chafetz. New
York: Kluwer Academic.
Friday, March 30
Buchmann, Claudia, Thomas A. DiPrete, and Anne McDaniel. 2008. “Gender
Inequalities in Education.” Annual Review of Sociology 34:319-337.
Bobbit-Zeher, Donna. 2007. “The Gender Income Gap and the Role of Education.”
Sociology of Education 80(1):1-22.
Week 14: Work and occupations
Monday, April 2
Bianchi, Suzanne M., Melissa A. Milkie, Liana C. Sayer, and John P. Robinson. 2000.
“Is Anyone Doing the Housework? Trends in the Gender Division of Household
Labor.” Social Forces 79(1):191-228.
Wednesday, April 4
Bittman, Michael, Paula England, Liana Sayer, Nancy Folbre, and George Matheson.
2003. “When Does Gender Trump Money? Bargaining and Time in Household
Work.” American Journal of Sociology 109(1):186-214.
Friday, April 6
Reskin, Barbara F. and Denise D. Bielby. 2005. “A Sociological Perspective on Gender
and Career Outcomes.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 19(1):71-86.
Van der Lippe, Tanja and Liset van Dijk. 2002. “Comparative Research on Women’s
Employment.” Annual Review of Sociology 28:221-241.
April 9, 11
Paper presentations
April 11
Final paper due by 5:00 pm
April 16
Exam #2, 2:30 to 5:30 pm (but check the final exam schedule)
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