PSY 364A: SEX ROLES & SEXUALITY COURSE OUTLINE SPRING 1993 NOTE: This course, Psy 364A: Sex Roles and Sexuality, generally attracts more men than other women's studies courses I teach. Although all my w.s. courses are in Psy, the majority of my students are generally from other majors. * * * * Professor Naomi B. McCormick, Ph.D. Department of Psychology, SUNY Plattsburgh Beaumont 210 Office Tel. 3382; Messages (Psy. Dept.) 3076 Electronic Mail Address: mccormnb@splava.cc.plattsburgh.edu (internet) mccormnb@snyplava (bitnet) Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday: 9-9:50 am Tuesday and Thursday: 11-11:50 am Required Books Allgeier, Elizabeth R., & Allgeier, Albert R. 1991. Sexual Interactions. 3d ed. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath. (Text is referred to as SI when reading assignments are made) Allgeier, Elizabeth R., & McCormick, Naomi B. (eds.). 1983. Changing Boundaries: Gender Roles and Sexual Behavior. Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield. (Text is referred to as CB when reading assignments are made) Nestle, Joan, & Holoch, Naomi. (eds.). 1990. Women on Women: An Anthology of American Lesbian Short Fiction. New York: Plume (Text is referred to as W when reading assignments are made) *Some supplemental articles will be provided by the instructor. ASSIGNMENTS 1/20; 1/22--Contemporary Models of Sexuality; SI Chapter 3 1/25; 1/27--Historical and Cross-Cultural Issues; SI Chapter 1 1/29--Sex Roles and Sexual Behavior; CB, Introduction; SI Chapter 4 (Sexual Differentiation - Transsexualism, pp. 110-35) 2/1--Childhood; CB Chapter 1; SI Chapter 12, pp. 397-423 2/3; 2/5--Adolescence; CB Chapter 2; SI Chapter 12, pp. 423-39 2/8; 2/10--Young Adulthood; CB Chapter 3; SI Chapter 13, pp. 441- 54 2/12--Single and Cohabiting Lifestyles; CB Chapter 9 2/15; 2/17--Midlife and Long-term Relationships; SI Chapter 13, pp. 454-69 2/19--Aging; CB Chapter 6; SI Chapter 13, pp. 469-79 2/22--Exam 1 (Bring a #2 soft-lead pencil). 2/24; 2/26--Loving Relationships; CB Chapter 5; SI Chapter 20 3/1--Sexual Orientation; SI Chapter 15; CB Chapter 10 3/3; 3/5; 3/8--Lesbian and Gay Lifestyles; Bisexuality; W Read each of the following W stories before beginning your dialogue assignment: When It Changed; In the Life; Liberties Not Taken; Don't Explain; A Long Story; A Life Speckled with Children; The Juliette Low Legacy; My Lesbian Imagination; Causes; A Letter to Harvey Milk; Our Life in Iowa; Cruz; Upstate. [Information from any of the above stories may be asked on Exam #2.] You are welcome to base your Dialogue Assignment on these or other stories in Women on Women, whichever you prefer. Please note that a few stories in this anthology contain sexually explicit content which some students might wish to avoid. Two of the more explicit stories, The Penis Story and The Swashbuckler, may nonetheless be of interest to students who are comfortable with erotic literature. The Penis Story is a clever satire on the meaning of biological sex differences (as well as being a parody of Kafka's "Metamorphis" in which a man was turned into a cockroach). The Swashbuckler, on the other hand, is a sensitive portrayal of butche/femme role playing during the 1950s (before androgyny and the rejection of sexual role playing became "politically correct" in the lesbian community). This latter story is also useful for its excellent character development and historical information; the main character is a conflicted, closeted, and confused young woman living in an era of intense homophobia in U. S. culture. 3/10 Bring a rough draft and/or preliminary printout of your Dialogue Assignment. Our entire class period will be devoted to discussing the stories. This is your opportunity to learn from other students as you analyze lesbian literature in terms of scientific and historical information you have gained in this class. Spring Break: 3/11-3/21 3/22--Conception and Infertility; SI Chapter 9 3/24--Reproductive Responsibilities, Contraception, and Parenting; CB Chapter 7; SI Chapter 10 3/24--Dialogue Assignment Due Today. Make two copies of your work: one to hand in at the beginning of class and a second to keep for your records. Your paper is due at the beginning of class. Dialogue assignments received later on 3/24 will forfeit 7 points regardless of excuse. After this, Dialogue Assignments will forfeit 15 points for each day that they are overdue. 3/26--Unplanned Parenthood and Abortion; Health and Political Issues; SI Chapter 11 3/29--Exam 2 (Bring a #2 soft-lead pencil). 3/31--Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sexual Health; SI Chapter 17 4/2; 4/5 --AIDS and Safer Sex; Read material provided by the instructor including: Fullilove, Mindy Thompson et al. 1990. Black Women and AIDS Prevention: A View Towards Understanding the Gender Rules, The Journal of Sex Research, 27, 47-64. 4/7--Showcase. Class is cancelled to allow students to participate in this day of scholarly activity. You are encouraged to keep a journal of talks you have attended which contain material that is relevant to this class. Your journal should be typed or word processed. Make sure to document the speakers' names, the location and time of each program, the titles of each presentation, a summary of content, and your own reactions (framed in terms of concepts from this class). Turn your journal in no later than the 4/9 class. Neatly prepared, well-written journals will earn students between 1 and 3 extra points on Exam #3 for every half hour of programming you attended and described. 4/9--Introduction to Sexual Coercion and Harassment; SI Chapter 18 4/12; 4/14; 4/16--Sexual Coercion and Harassment Continued; CB Chapters 8 & 11. 4/19--Pornography; CB Chapter 12 4/21--Pornography Continued SI Chapter 16 4/23--Class Cancelled; Instructor is attending a professional meeting. You may wish to use this time (4/23) to locate and photocopy a 1992 or 1993 journal article in the library which is relevant to how sex roles influence sexuality or better still, a feminist analysis of women's or men's sexuality. If your article fits either of these topics and you have done the work specified below, five points will be added to your Exam 3 grade providing you hand in your work in no later than 4/26. A student can submit no more than one article. To receive extra credit, attach a typed or word-processed cover sheet to the fully photocopied article that indicates your name (last, first, middle), Psy 364A, the date, and this information about your article: Authors Names (last, first, middle initial) Date (only 1991 or 1992 articles are accepted) Title Journal (underlined) Volume Number (underlined) Issue Number (inside parentheses) Page Numbers (ending with last page of references). For example: Forseith, Gloria T. 1991. Pornography: Why Men Like It More Than Women. International Journal of Sex Research 14(1):65-83. [or] Smith, Tanice, and Jones, Steven M. 1992. A Feminist Analysis of Women's Sexual Dysfunctions. Journal of Sex Therapy 25(3):342-51. At the bottom of your cover sheet, write between one and two paragraphs (single-spaced) indicating the major points of the article and your evaluation, scientifically and personally. 4/26--Prostitution: A Feminist Analysis Extra Credit Journal Article Assignment due today (4/26). 4/28--Sexual Arousal and Communication; SI Chapter 6 4/30; 5/3--Sexual Response and Pleasure; Sex and Disability; SI Chapter 7 5/3--Last Day to turn in Extra Credit Book Review! 5/5; 5/7--Sexual Dysfunctions and Therapy; CB Chapter 4; SI Chapter 8 5/12?--Exam 3 (Bring a #2 soft-lead pencil). The last exam will be held during our final exam period (to be arranged) which is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, 5/12, 12 noon - 2 pm. Students will have an opportunity to evaluate the course at this time. GRADING AND COURSE POLICIES Class Attendance Requirement The instructor realizes that some students are obliged to miss class occasionally as a result of religious observance, health problems, and personal emergencies. This has been factored into grading policies. However, prompt and regular class attendance are required. Psy 364 is not a correspondence course! An attendance roster will be passed around at the beginning of class. If you are late, it is your responsibility to alert the instructor to your presence at the end of class that day. Otherwise, it is likely that your lateness will be considered an absence. Please let the instructor know as soon as possible if chronic health problems or a personal emergency threaten to interfere with your regular attendance and required work for this class. Individuals with perfect attendance will get 5 points added to their grade. Those who missed two or fewer classes will get 3 points added to their final grade. Students who missed multiple classes will lose 3 points from their final grade for every class in excess of five that they were absent, regardless of excuse. Exams and Opportunities to Improve Exam Scores Seventy percent (70%) of your grade is based on your average on three, 50 item, multiple-choice exams. Exam questions will test your knowledge of important ideas from texts, lectures, and class discussion alike. Whenever possible, insight (not just factual knowledge) is assessed. Understanding conclusions made by researchers and their implications for women's and men's sexuality is far more important than remembering their names. The second exam will include some questions assessing whether or not you read the assigned stories in W. Students have the option of getting extra credit points added to any or all of their three exam scores in exchange for writing thought papers about Women's Studies Forums and other professor- approved presentations that they have attended. All thought papers must be free of spelling and grammatical problems, single spaced, and either neatly typed or word-processed on the computer. A maximum of two pages in length, each thought paper will contain two sections: (1) A brief description of the talk you attended and the major points made by the speaker or panel of speakers. (2) Your opinions about what your heard, supported by logical arguments and whenever possible, information from Psy 364A. Turning in a thought paper does not guarantee extra credit. Extra credit points, if any, will be added to your score on a forthcoming exam. An adequate paper raises a test score by 1 point; a good paper raises it by 2 points; an absolutely outstanding paper raises it by 3 points. There is no ceiling on extra credit earned in this way; students can write papers on multiple talks they have attended, considerably elevating their exam scores if they so desire. Students who can present Dr. McCormick with a well documented excuse for missing an exam are allowed one opportunity to make up an exam. In such cases, the professor will administer a rigorous essay exam on the missed material. Students are not permitted to "make-up" more than one exam under any circumstances. Another Extra Credit Opportunity Providing that a student has been absent for four or fewer classes by the end of the semester, the instructor will be happy to add up to 5 points to the student's final grade in this class if s/he prepares a well written, scholarly review of a serious book that deals with some aspect of human sexuality, especially the impact of sex-role socialization on sexual behavior. The book must be recent (1983 or later) and original and academic in content. Please do not complete book reviews on textbooks, popular (or mass market) books such as self-help books, or on psychotherapy-oriented books (e.g. a description of sex therapy cases). When in doubt about the appropriateness of the book, ask the instructor! The review should be in the style of The Women's Review of Books, Psychology of Women Quarterly, Contemporary Psychology, or the The Journal of Sex Research (copies of which are available in Feinberg Library). To maximize the possibility of earning extra credit, your review must be well written, neatly word processed or typed, and no longer than five double-spaced pages. May 3 is the last day you are allowed to turn in an extra credit assignment; earlier work is welcome. Dialogue Assignment The next thirty percent (30%) of your grade is based on the quality of your Dialogue Assignment. To receive a passing grade, students must: (1) Make sure that their full name (last name, first name, middle initial), social security number, Psy 364 A, the date of the paper, and the title: "Dialogue Assignment," is indicated on the title page. (2) Type their names (last, first) and page numbers at the top of each page, limiting the paper (excluding the cover sheet) to no longer than 7 pages. [Please note that the professor will stop reading after the seventh page so conciseness is important]. (3) Submit a neatly prepared, double spaced, paper that is either clearly and darkly typed or word-processed on the computer. Faded, handwritten, and sloppy papers will not be accepted. Margins should be wide enough for the professor to make comments. (4) Eliminate all spelling errors and obvious grammatical problems. (5) Staple the paper together before coming to class. Clipped papers, loose pages, and papers in plastic covers will not be accepted. (6) Conform to the assignment guidelines specified below. Guidelines for Dialogue Assignment After reading all of the assigned stories in W, pick between 3 and 6 stories to write about. In this assignment, you will be doing a dialogue with the text, having a conversation with the story's author and your professor about what you strongly liked or disliked and why. Most students will find it helpful to prepare a separate dialogue for each story, each numbered sequentially. Here are some suggestions on strategy. First, write the number and title of the story. Next, pick a brief passage or quote from the story that made you think or generated a strong emotional reaction. [Although your dialogue should be double spaced, the quote from W can be single spaced to conserve space]. Make sure that you indicate the page numbers of any direct quotes. Now, express your own feelings or opinions. These can take any or all of the following forms: Challenges or Criticisms--Examples: What does the author mean by...? The author doesn't say enough about...I disagree with the author's point of view because...This gives an incorrect impression of...because...I was really upset by this because...This is really a disservice to the goals of activists in the Gay Lesbian Rights movement because... Affirmations--Examples: I agree with this idea because...I liked or sympathized with characters in this story because...This appeals to me because I have had similar experiences such as...I know what the author is talking about because...This reminds me of...This really tickled my sense of humor because...I was deeply moved by this since... Questions--Examples: This really puzzles me because...I think that the typical reader would be confused by this because...This doesn't make any sense for the following reasons...I am lost because this contradicts what we learned in class in the following ways... Finally, write a paragraph or two that ties the story you read to information from Psy 364A (texts or classes) and perhaps other WMS and Psy courses. What, if anything, might the story add or fail to add to sexual scientists' understanding of sex roles or lesbian sexuality? Remember, the tighter your scholarship (the more skilled you are in integrating the fictional story with academic knowledge, especially fully cited material), the higher your grade will be. There is some room for creativity here. Moving, beautifully written essays that show considerable insight into the stories and relate what was read to personal experience and observation will often earn high grades. Skilled writers may want to write about all the stories in a unified essay which focuses on shared themes, instead of discussing them one at a time. Here is your opportunity to try out your literary talents. Please note the grading penalties for late papers described above. Class Guidelines Class lectures and discussion periods will not duplicate required reading. To perform well academically, make a point of attending class regularly and promptly. If an emergency occurs, make sure a friend is present to take notes for you. Office hours are devoted to helping students study more effectively and discussing issues of substance in the class, not providing information from missed classes. Students are expected to maintain high ethical standards throughout the course. Any evidence of cheating on exams, and papers, helping other students cheat, completing another student's work for them, or plagiarizing (copying the work of others) leads to an automatic failure (E) in this course. All students are asked to leave books and papers under their seats while taking exams. Class participation is encouraged. You are welcome to ask questions, debate the issues, share personal experiences, and encourage other students to contribute to class discussion throughout the semester. To demonstrate our mutual respect, the professor and other students promise to keep personal information shared in class completely confidential. It is hoped that we will be able to continue to create the warm, accepting classroom environment that has characterized Psy 364 from the first time it was taught. Papers and exams will be returned in class on the day they are graded. Later, please pick these up during Dr. McCormick's office hours. Calculating Your Final Grade Each exam grade will be your score on a test (usually the number correct multiplied by two) plus any extra credit points. Paul Zud, for example, had a 70 on Exam 2 but a total of 6 points extra credit for papers he wrote on Women's Studies Forums. His Exam 2 grade would be changed to 76. Multiply your average exam grade by .70 and add this to your Dialogue Paper grade which has been multiplied by .30. After this, add any extra points you have received for good attendance or subtract penalty points received for poor attendance. Let's return to the example of Paul Zud. Here are his exam scores, including extra credit points: Exam 1--68; Exam 2--76; Exam 3--83. He received an 87 (B+) on his Dialogue Paper. His exam average would be (76) since 75.6 was rounded out. His raw final grade would be .70 (76) + .30 (87) = 79 or C+ (rounded down from 79.3). Here, good attendance would make all the difference. If Paul had perfect attendance, 5 points would be added to this average and he would earn a final grade of 84 (B) in Psy 364. If he missed 6 classes, 3 points would be forfeited from his average and he would earn a final grade of 76 (C).