WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES 102: WOMEN’S WORLDS

Montclair State University

Fall 2008

Sect. 4: UN 2012, Mon-Thurs 1:00-2:15 p.m.

Professor Julia Landweber

Office: Dickson Hall 412

Office Hrs: Mon and Thurs 11:45 am - 12:45 pm, Thurs 4:00-5:00 pm.

E-mail: landweberj@mail.montclair.edu

Course website: http://chss.montclair.edu/~landwebj/ww/index.htm

“I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.”

—Rebecca West, 1913.

“I Have A Mind.”

—Banner held by a woman protesting the Toronto Miss Winter Bikini beauty contest, 1969.

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Women’s Studies. We will explore many topics pertaining to women’s lives and the female experience, being careful always to recognize that all women’s experiences are historically and culturally specific, meaning that nothing is timeless or universal. Key concepts to discuss this semester include feminism (the lightening rod around which many stereotypes and myths have been built); varieties of bigotry that have had a heavy impact upon women, such as misogyny (hatred of women), sexism, heterosexism, racism, and classism; and positive and negative issues surrounding gender including sexuality, health, the law, work, and the family. Through a combination of readings, films, discussion, and student presentations, we will learn to think carefully, talk openly, and listen fairly about all of these topics.

Required Texts

The textbook is available for purchase at the campus bookstore:

A. Kesselman, L. McNair, and N. Schniedewind, eds., Women: Images and Realities, A Multicultural Anthology 4^th Ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008).

Additional readings, marked “Internet” in the syllabus, are located via links on the course website.

These are also required. It is the student’s responsibility to acquire and read each one in advance of the scheduled discussion date.

Grades and Assignments

Final grades will be weighted as follows:

PARTICIPATION 20% INDIVID. ORAL PRESENTATION 15%

1 GENERAL ESSAY 20% DISCUSSION GP. CLASS DISC. 10%

FINAL EXAM 20% DISCUSSION GP. ESSAY 15%

Communication

Class meetings, the MSU e-mail system, and the course website will all be used as means of communication between student and professor in this course. I expect you to check both the course website and your MSU email account (yourname@mail.montclair.edu) regularly, or otherwise have it forwarded to the email account you use most often. (OIT Tech Support can help you create a .fwd file.). It is your responsibility to continuously ensure your MSU email in-box has enough room to receive new messages. Professor assumes no responsibility for informing individuals when messages bounce back.

Course Schedule

WIR……………… Women: Images and Realities. Read pages listed. All pages refer to 4^th Edition (2008).

Internet…………. Course website: http://chss.montclair.edu/~landwebj/ww/index.htm

Sept. 4 (Thurs)	Course Overview NOTE: Starting Monday 9/10, bring Women: Images and Realities to every class meeting. Assign groups (initial interest).
Sept. 8 (Mon)	Introduction to Women’s Studies READ: (WIR pp. 7-40) “What is Women’s Studies?” Lecture/Discussion: What is Feminism? What is Women’s Studies? Assign groups (commitment for Group 1 / serious interest for Groups 2-6).
Sept. 11 (Thurs)	Introduction to Feminism READ: (WIR 540-595) Feminism as a Social Movement Lecture: Feminism’s Historical Back-story Finalize group assignments (commitment for Groups 2-6).
Sept. 15 (Mon)	Learning Gender, Learning Sexism READ: (WIR 41-46) “Becoming a Woman in Our Society/Dominant Ideas About Women” (WIR 46-49) “The Problem That Has No Name” (WIR 61-62) “Brideland” (WIR 69) “not a pretty girl” (WIR 432-433) “Courage From Necessity” VIEW (unless noted otherwise, all viewings occur in class): The Gender Tango (47 min.)
Sept. 18 (Thurs)	READ: (WIR 70-71) “Learning Gender” (WIR 72-75) “klaus barbie” (WIR 75-81) “An Educator’s Primer on the Gender War” (WIR 82-83) “Reality vs. Perception” and “Checklist for Inclusive Teaching” (WIR 84-93) “The Sexual Politics of Interpersonal Behavior”
Sept. 22 (Mon)	Constructing Gender through Culture READ: (WIR, 50-54) “Purification” (WIR 54-57) “To Be Real” (WIR 57-60) “Blazes of Truth” & “JAP: The New Antisemitic Code Word” (WIR 60-61) “In Search of Liberation” (WIR 63-67) “On Being a ‘Good Girl’” (WIR 280-281) “Reactions to a Woman Rabbi” (WIR 287-294) “The Black Church: What’s the Word?” (WIR 295-298) “Rethinking Women’s Issues in Muslim Communities”
Sept. 25 (Thurs)	Discussion Group #1: Constructing Gender in the Family (Oral Presentations) READ: (WIR 169-178) “Institutions that Shape Women’s Lives” (WIR 243-244) “Women and the Family” (WIR 108-113) “X: A Fabulous Child’s Story” (WIR 244-250) “Family and Women’s Lives” (WIR 261) “Elena” (WIR 261-265) “Don’t You Talk About My Mama!” (WIR 265-271) “Working at Single Bliss” (WIR 271-274) “A Marriage Agreement” (WIR 274-275) “Why We’re Not Getting Married” (WIR 281-286) “Christian Fundamentalism: Patriarchy, Sexuality, and Human Rights”
Sept. 29 (Mon)	Continue Group #1 (Class Discussion) Base discussion on Thursday’s readings and group presentations. (FYI: 11:30-12:45 in Cohen Lounge, Dickson Hall: “Get Out Her Vote”)

Oct. 2 (Thurs)	Women, Mothers, and Work READ: (WIR 179-212) “Women and Work” (read all selections within pages listed) (WIR 180-184) “An Overview of Women and Work” (WIR 220-225) “How to Bring Children Up Without Putting Women Down” (WIR 226) “European Child-Care” Homework (due in class today): 1-2 page writing assignment: Define “pay equity”. Define “wage gap”. Give an example from a personal experience or an experience of someone you know where pay equity or the wage gap has been an issue.
Oct. 6 (Mon)	Can Legislation Fix Inequality? (WIR 213-214) “Women, the Law, and Social Policy” (WIR 226-231) “Exploding the Stereotypes: Welfare” (WIR 237-240) “If I Survive” (WIR 394) “The Legacy of Class” (WIR 394-398) “Tired of Playing Monopoly?”
Oct. 9 (Thurs)	Women, Gender, and Electoral Politics VIEW INDEPENDENTLY, IN LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER: Running in High Heels (90 min) NO CLASS MEETING TODAY
Oct. 13 (Mon)	*GENERAL ESSAY Due Today in Prof. Landweber’s History Dept. mailbox, #427 Dickson Hall (open 8:30-noon, 1:00-4:30 p.m.) NO CLASS MEETING TODAY NEW NEW NEW Feminist activism and revolution in Africa and Ltn American, Cohen Lounge, 1pm (SEND ROSTER TO ALICIA, FOR EXTRA CREDIT) (FYI: 10:00-11:15 in Cohen Lounge, Dickson Hall: Diana Salas from Women of Color Policy Network)
Oct. 16 (Thurs)	Women’s and Gender Studies Open House, Student Ballroom ABC, 11:30-2:30 p.m. Required attendance during class time; optional to arrive earlier (sign in on class sheet near entrance). (11:30-12:45 is GLQS period. Exercise: “given voice”
Oct. 20 (Mon)	Discussion Group #2: Constructing Gender in the Workplace (Oral Presentations) READ: (Internet) “The Problem of the Pregnant Pause,” The Christian Science Monitor 7/31/06 (Internet) Lisa Belkin, “The Opt-Out Revolution,” New York Times Magazine 10/26/03 (Internet) Susan Douglas, “Mommas in the Marketplace,” In These Times 11/17/03 (WIR 84-93) “The Sexual Politics of Interpersonal Behavior”
Oct. 23 (Thurs)	Continue Group #2 (Class Discussion) Base discussion on Monday’s readings and group presentations.
Oct. 27 (Mon)	Body Image READ: (WIR 115-119) “Gender and Women’s Bodies” and “Female Beauty” (WIR 108) “Video” (WIR 130-134) “The Body Politic” (WIR 134-138) “Breaking the Model” VIEW: Slim Hopes (30 min.) (FYI: 11:30-12:45, location TBA: Film screening of “Freeheld”)
Oct. 30 (Thurs)	READ: (WIR 120-125) “The Beauty Myth” (WIR 125-126) “When I Was Growing Up” (WIR 129) “Our Crown, Our Glory, Our Roots” (WIR 129, 139) “Homage to My Hair” & “Homage to My Hips” Homework (due in class today): Bring an advertisement or picture from a magazine or newspaper that depicts female “beauty”. 1 page writing assignment (typed): Explain Naomi Wolf’s concept of the “Beauty Myth” and use her idea and the ideas in Monday’s video to analyze the image you chose. Staple picture and written statement together.

Nov. 3 (Mon)	Discussion Group #3: Representations of Women and Sexuality in the Media (Oral Presentations) READ: (WIR 93-96) “Teen Mags: How To Get a Guy…and Lose Your Self Esteem” (WIR 96-99) “The Unreal World” (WIR 99-105) “No Respect: Gender Politics and Hip-Hop” (WIR 105-107) “Mutineers in Mainstream Music”
Nov. 6 (Thurs)	Continue Group #3 (Class Discussion) Base discussion on Thursday’s readings and group presentations.
Nov. 10 (Mon)	The Female Body and Sexuality READ: (WIR 140-141) “Sexuality and Relationships” (WIR 141-144) “Lusting for Freedom” (WIR 144-151) “’We Don’t Sleep Around Like White Girls Do’” (WIR 156-161) “Loving Another Woman” (WIR 165-167) “Bisexuality, Feminism, Men and Me” (WIR 298-303) “Revelations” (WIR 423-427) “Chicana Lesbians” (WIR 427-429) “Livin’ in a Gay Family”
Nov. 13 (Thurs)	Modern Childbirth in America VIEW: The Business of Being Born (84 min)
Nov. 17 (Mon)	Women’s Health in America READ: (WIR 309-315) “Health and Reproductive Justice” (WIR 316) “The Health Care System” (WIR 317-323) “The Politics of Women’s Health in the United States” (WIR 555-558) “The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective” (WIR 601) “The Lactivitists” (Internet) “On the Job, Nursing Mothers Find a 2-Class System,” New York Times 9/01/06
Nov. 20 (Thurs)	Discussion Group #4: Women and Healthcare (Oral Presentations) READ: (WIR 324-328) “Uninsured, Exposed and at Risk” (WIR 328-331) “Mandatory Doctor’s Visit” (WIR 334-337) “Necessity Was the Midwife of Our Politics” (WIR 343-346) “Breast Cancer Activism” and “Top 10 Breast Cancer Myths Debunked”
Nov. 24 (Mon)	Continue Group #4 (Class Discussion) Base discussion on Monday’s readings and group presentations.
Nov. 27 (Thurs)	THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY (NO CLASS TODAY)
Dec. 1 (Mon)	Reproductive Freedom READ: (WIR 347-373) Reproductive Justice (read entire section) (WIR 277-279) “My Church Threw Me Out” (Internet) “Free the Pill!” East Bay Express, 6/22/05 (Internet) “Abortion: Trouble in Numbers?” AlterNet.org, 11/21/05 (Internet) “The Pro-Life Continuum,” AlterNet.org, 12/19/05
Dec. 4 (Thurs)	Misogyny and the Abuse of Power READ: (WIR 415-419) “’Are You Some Kind of Dyke?’” & “Homophobia and Sexism” (WIR 477-481) “Violence Against Women” & “Violence…in Intimate Relationships” (WIR 495) “Violence in Intimate Relationships: A Feminist Perspective” (WIR 499-507) “Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls” & “Rape: The All-American Crime” (WIR 611-613) “Construction Workers, Subway Creeps, and Other Daily Hazards” (Internet) Byron Hurt, “Daytona Beach: Beyond Beats and Rhymes”

Dec. 8 (Mon)	Discussion Group #5: Violence Against Women (Oral Presentations) READ: (WIR 482-488) “Battering: Who’s Going to Stop It?” (WIR 488-493) “Countdown” (WIR 493-496) “La Princesa” (WIR 507-510) “Whose Body Is It, Anyway?” (WIR 510) “High School Gauntlet” (WIR 511-517) “Naming and Studying Acquaintance Rape” (WIR 522-528) “Protecting Male Abusers” (WIR 618-626) “Just Sex: Students Rewrite the Rules on Sex, Violence and Equality”
Dec. 11 (Thurs)	Continue Group #5 (Class Discussion) Base discussion on Thursday’s readings and group presentations.
Dec. 14-20	FINAL EXAM: Monday, Dec. 15, 3:15-5:15 p.m., UN 2012

Assignment Guidelines

1. Class Participation: this course is primarily structured around discussion, not lecture. Your in-class active verbal engagement with the material and with your fellow students is an important measure of your progress in the course; thus participation counts as 20% of your final grade. To ensure quality participation, you need to do the assigned reading and homework in advance of each class, and attend class each week prepared to discuss the reading. You also need to be prepared to aid the group presenters by actively (=voluntarily) joining in the discussions they organize. Remember: each of you will be a presenter once during the semester, and you want your fellow classmates to help you out by participating in your discussion! Do likewise for each of them. In general, participation will be graded on a weekly basis according to how well prepared you demonstrate yourself to be, by actively and regularly sharing your questions, comments, and criticisms about the readings aloud in class discussions. The occasional homework assigned is meant to spur your thinking about the day’s discussion topic: expect to share your written thoughts with the class when asked by the professor. Be aware that mere physical presence in the classroom does not in itself constitute participation and will not earn you any credit toward this grade. If you are uncomfortable with speaking in class, please come talk to me privately.

2. Formal Essays: You are required to hand in two formal essays during the semester. One will be the General Essay on a topic assigned by the professor. Topics are posted on the course website. The other will accompany your oral presentation. Format: 2-4 double-spaced typed pages, with standard font (Times, Garamond, etc.), font size (12 pt.), and margins (1.25” left and right margins). Grade will take into equal consideration written quality, content, and ideas.

3. Discussion Groups & Discussion Essay: Each group will be assigned a topic, and each group will consist of a roughly equal number of students. On the day your group presents, you will have roughly 10-15 minutes per member to present statements about the various aspects of the topic each member has prepared (individuals taking 20 minutes each is unacceptable unless group has 4 or fewer members, and will result in a lowered grade). Total presentation time should run approximately 60-70 minutes, and there should be no input from the rest of the class during this time. Next the group will open the discussion to the rest of the class. The open discussion period should also last approximately one hour. My role during these two hours should be very minimal; I will facilitate if needed, but your goal is to create a situation where the students talk directly to you and to each other, rather than talking always to me. At the end of the session, each group member will hand in a formal essay on the topic of her or his individual contribution.

IN SUM, YOU HAVE THREE GOALS:

(A) Research and present to the class your individual and collective group thoughts, questions, and conclusions on multiple aspects of your topic.

(B) Each member separately write a brief essay on his or her individual research.

(C) Generate a substantive class-wide discussion on this topic (=be as compelling as possible).

YOU WILL BE GRADED INDIVIDUALLY ON (A) AND (B) & COLLECTIVELY ON (C).

Discussion-Group Instructions Continued: Assignment Format: Each individual group member is responsible for preparing remarks about a distinct aspect of the focus topic. These remarks must include specific references (cited in your essay) to at least two assigned readings and/or films. You may also include references to other research you’ve done independently. Each group must hold at least one planning session before the group’s presentation date. Groups that do not meet in advance cannot function successfully as presenters, nor can they lead an organized discussion. In your group meeting, you need to plan two things:

(A) Decide upon the format for the presentation of your prepared remarks: do you want each member to speak (not read!) straight for ~10 minutes, one after the other? Consider designating one person to play “moderator”: to introduce before, and comment after, all the others’ statements. (This is a common presentation panel format.) Alternatively, consider a “round-table” format in which you present your research in the form of a planned (but not scripted!) conversation among group members, perhaps with one member acting as a leader/moderator.

(B) Plan a method or format to engage the whole class in open discussion about the topic. As a group, try to establish how you will draw out shy and quiet students, since your goal is to get everyone to contribute to the open discussion. You might try a brainstorm period, or a role-play game, or some other exercise with the class as an ice-breaker. (Please no pop quizzes of the “were-you-listening” variety; they use up valuable time to little purpose.) Because many group topics are controversial, each group member needs to strive to create a healthy and comfortable environment for the positive exchange of ideas—and the classroom is a very safe place in which to do this. Do not try to avoid difficult issues. But do take the time to make your case clearly and honestly, do not become adversarial, do listen well to others, respect each other’s differing perspectives, and above all seek to listen and speak with clarity and maturity. If you feel that you may have misunderstood someone, a polite technique is to ask to rephrase what they said in your own words, and ask for confirmation and further clarification from the speaker.

Instructions for Discussion-Group Essay: 2-4 pages, typed. Due the day you present. Each group member must prepare a formal essay about her or his contribution to the focus topic. This must summarize your prepared remarks relating to the focus topic, and discuss the sources you researched for your presentation. Your sources must include references to relevant assigned readings and films. Non-assigned sources (e.g. outside books, articles, websites) may be used freely but only as supplements to assigned readings. Virtually every group topic and subtopic can benefit from referencing the contents of WIR. You must give full citations for all sources used, both assigned and unassigned.

Evaluative Criteria for Discussion Groups:

1) Each discussant must contribute to the presentation of the focus topic and speak during the course of the presentation and discussion alike. It is not acceptable to allow one or two group members to dominate the group.

2) Each discussant must take care to use only an appropriate amount of time (e.g. not more than 12 minutes per individual if there are five group members and you have 60 minutes total presentation time). This is especially important if you plan to share video or audio clips.

3) Each discussant must hand in their own essay on the day of discussion.

4) Each discussant must demonstrate familiarity with the assigned readings (e.g., referring to specific readings during the discussion and quoting from specific readings in your essay).

5) Each group must demonstrate that they have met at least once. All members need to attend. Group members who do not attend the group meeting and/or the presentation will not receive credit for the project.

Late Assignment Policy

All assignments are due on the date requested. Day-to-day “homework” writings will not earn top marks if received late. The oral presentation must be given in the assigned week or the individual’s presentation grade will be zero. Late policy for the general essay and the presentation essay: essays handed in after the deadline will lose one third of a letter grade for each day of lateness. Hand in all late essays via my mail box (c/o of Sue Goscinski, History Department Secretary, 427 Dickson Hall). Any paper handed in 7 or more days late will automatically receive an “F.” In case of a dire emergency, please contact me to discuss alternate arrangements for handing in your work. I reserve the right to judge what constitutes an emergency, and I reserve the right to determine what constitutes proof of said emergency. The final exam cannot be made up if missed.

Attendance

Attendance is required. I recognize that students may occasionally need to miss class because of a medical or family emergency, or because of a conflict with another school activity, such as a field trip, or because of a conflict with employment responsibilities, or because of a day of religious observance not recognized by the school calendar, such as Passover. For this reason, I allow each student three “free” absences. However, each absence in excess of this limit will result in a one-third of a letter grade reduction in the student’s final grade. Please bear in mind that this policy applies to all absences, regardless of their nature. A student who skips two classes early in the semester and then misses two classes because of an illness later on will still incur a reduction in his or her final grade. Athletes should consult their game schedules early in the semester to make sure that they will not have conflicts with this policy. People with jobs should discuss the requirements of this course with their employers to ensure there will be no time conflict during the semester. Students should also consult with their families early regarding travel expectations for Thanksgiving or other planned events. Traffic, and parking are well-known difficulties at MSU and you must allow time for them: except for exceptional circumstances (to be judged by me), I will not accept either as a valid excuse for absence or lateness.

Regarding late arrivals, bathroom breaks, and early departures: I expect every student to arrive on time for every class, and remain seated for the duration of the class period. Students who arrive late disturb a class already in progress, so please make every effort to be on time. Early departures are equally disruptive: by enrolling in this class, you have made a commitment to be present for the complete period of each meeting. Do not schedule other events that conflict with this prior commitment. Three late arrivals and/or early departures will count as one absence. For the same reason, bathroom breaks during class are unacceptable except for persons with special needs (if this applies to you, please discuss with me privately). Plan your time and liquid intake accordingly! If you absolutely must leave the room during class, I expect you to do so politely and quietly.

Cell Phone Policy: Out of respect for preserving a positive learning environment, all cell phones, beepers, MP3 players, and other portable noise-making devices must be SILENCED for the duration of the class period. If need be, students will be reminded and/or penalized for disrupting class with noisemaking devices (phones, etc.). If students refuse to demonstrate respect for one another and for the professor by not silencing their phones before class begins, and they do not admit to being the cause of the problem, I reserve the right to deduct points from the entire class’s grades.

Inclement Weather and other unknowns: If road conditions or other problems prevent me, the professor, from reaching campus on a class day I will notify the entire class using your MSU mail.montclair.edu e-mail account. On snowy days, please check your e-mail an hour or so before our scheduled class time.

Honor in Academia

Plagiarism (defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as “using and passing off as one’s own the ideas or writings of another”) is an extremely serious academic offense. Any evidence of plagiarism discovered in your written work will automatically result in a grade of “F” for the assignment, and potentially an “F” for the final course grade as well. How do you avoid plagiarism? Very simple: (1) put quotation marks around ALL direct quotes and cite the source of each quote; (2) cite the specific reference, including page number, when you are depending directly upon another’s ideas; (3) whenever possible, reformulate ideas into your own words and create your own independent argument; (4) if you are ever uncertain about how closely you are depending on another’s idea, cite the work in question! In short, think for yourself, while acknowledging that we all depend on others for our intellectual advancement.

DISCUSSION GROUP TOPICS

Group #1: Constructing Gender in the Family

Since the family is the first socializing institution we encounter, family members play a central role in constructing gender identities. Group 1 will assess what they have learned about gender identity from their families. They should include information about the division of household tasks (who is expected to do what kind of work, and who really does it). How did your parents and relatives shape your gender identity in terms of toys, clothing, chores, sports, expectations? Who does the care-taking work? Who keeps the extended family connected? What kinds of generational changes have occurred in your families (for example, from a stay-at-home grandmother to a working mother)? How do your answers reflect your class, cultural heritage, ethnic group, and generation? What is your vision of the family (membership, roles, functions)? How do you define “family” (using a historical, dictionary, or personal definition)? Does your idea of family include nuclear, extended, ancestral, adopted? Should there be a legal definition of “family” or is this a dangerous idea? If yes, what should it be?

Group #2: Representations of Women and Sexuality in the Media

The ways women’s bodies are perceived and depicted in the media powerfully influences women’s self-esteem, well-being, and health. Group 2 will consider this barrage of opinion, some subtle, some in-your-face, and ask what messages are being sent to women, and what to men. You might choose to assign group members to cover different forms of media, e.g., one each for magazines, television, newspapers, film, music, and radio. Printed word: What do fashion, girl’s, and women’s magazines (i.e., Seventeen, Cosmo, Vogue, Women’s Day, Jane, Bust, Ms., Bitch, etc.) teach girls and women about self-image and self-worth? Is the language used affirming? Critical? Feminist? Anti-feminist? Negative? What overt and covert messages are carried by mass newspapers, such as the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal? Is there a disjunction between news reportage about women and women’s issues and the subliminal side-matter of advertising that fills most newspaper pages? What roles do women, the female body, and fashion play in the news and magazine worlds as producers or as subjects of reportage? Film and Television: How are women typically depicted in movies and on television? What types of roles are most open for women? How different are these roles from the options for male actors? Why is there a gap? Can you identify change over time? Music and Radio: How are women depicted in popular music and on talk radio? Does the image differ if the song was written/performed by a man versus by a woman? (Please consider more than just rap, hip hop, or R&B!) General questions for Group 2: Are women and/or feminist perspectives trivialized or valuable to any or all of these forms of media production? What can be done to change male-centered depictions that marginalize or sexualize women into female-centered depictions that empower the female consumer / viewer / listener / reader?

Group #3: Women and Healthcare

Women are the majority of patients and drug consumers, while the majority of medical providers and drug developers are men. Women’s interaction with the healthcare industry is complex and has both a positive and a negative history. Group 4 should address both (a) women as patients and also (b) the healthcare industry’s relationship to women. (A) From the perspective of women as patients, discuss ways in which women’s health issues have been variously ignored, trivialized, and overlooked. Examples: Has the development of modern contraception methods been more concerned with the health of the women using them, or with placating groups opposed to contraception? Why is there a growing popularity among doctors (though not among pregnant women) for birth by cesarean delivery? Why has heart disease not been studied in women until very recently? The group may also discuss other issues surrounding women’s reproductive health and freedom, AIDS, substance abuse, mental health (depression), diet and eating disorders, cancer (breast, ovarian, cervical, uterine), and aging (youth obsession, plastic surgery, menopause, osteoporosis). (B) From the perspective of the medical establishment, research and discuss the many challenges both to doctoring women and to women doctors: how do constructions of gender affect scientific medical research? How do male-centered expectations for hospital residencies affect women who wish to train as MDs and surgeons? Why are midwives and home births viewed with suspicion by much of the doctor/hospital-run world of childbirth?

Group #4: Violence Against Women

The statistics relating to male violence against women are staggering. Group 6 will discuss the various types of violence against women including rape, domestic violence, incest, sexual abuse, and child prostitution. How is the cultural construction of masculinity and femininity linked to male violence toward women and homosexuals? How does mainstream American society and your own ethnic or religious group link sexuality with male domination and female subordination? What changes in the construction of masculinity need to be made to reduce gender violence? In other words, can we re-socialize boys to reduce violent acts against women?

Group #5: Constructing Gender in the Workplace

Group 4 will consider the cultural criteria for distinguishing between masculine and feminine work, and also consider the variety of ways in which sex discrimination and sexual harassment persist in the workplace. Why is feminine work still devalued? Why does the gap between the earnings of men and women continue? What are the ways in which a patriarchal system (one sometimes maintained by women as much as by men) still blocks women’s full integration into the workforce? Why do many men still resist women’s full integration into the workforce? Do we still need protective legislation (like the Equal Pay Act of 1963) in the new millennium? In what ways are limiting gender roles, such as women continuing to assume the majority of housework and childcare, and men feeling pressure to out-earn their wives, oppressive to both men and women? In what ways are men becoming more equal partners with their significant others in terms of parenting and household obligations, and how does this trend open up possibilities for change in both work and home life for both men and women?