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Gender Activities and Exercises
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have got
my students to mark the same essay, but alter the gender of -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In-Class
Exercises
Option 1: After showing a recording of a 20/20 show by John Stossel ("Men, women, and the sex difference: Boys and girls are different"), students break into groups of 3-4 and, using the research terms they have just learned, compile a list of criticisms and perceived strengths of the research presented by Stossel. Students are also asked to list any evidence of bias seen in the program. Each group presents their conclusions to the class to facilitate class discussion. Option 2: Students break into groups of 3-4. Each group is asked to come up with a way in which they believe men and women are different or similar. Their task is to design a study to test their hypothesis. Groups must explain their research design, how variables will be operationalized, and any confounds or potential sources of bias. Hormones, Chromosomes, and The Brain Option 1: After reading the article "Domestic Disputes" from Time Magazine, students break into groups of 3-4. This article covers two court cases involving transsexuals who married partners who were technically "same sex" (if the transsexuals' original sex is used as the criterion). Students are instructed to imagine that they are the judges deciding the two cases in question. They must summarize their judgment and their reasons for deciding as they did. These decisions are incorporated into a broader discussion on what it is that makes people male or female. Cognitive Abilities Option 1: After being introduced to research findings suggesting that gender differences in math skills do not emerge until junior high, students break into groups of 3-4 and create a list of potential hypotheses to explain this finding. They must rank their hypotheses according to how plausible they are and how much variance they are likely to account for. Gender Development - Psychoanalysis Option 1: After an overview of Freud's general theories and his specific theories regarding sex/gender differences, students break into groups of 3-4 and compile any examples they can think of suggesting that Freud's theories still influence how women and men are perceived today. Option 2: Students read the "Heinz dilemma." (A man breaks into a drug store to steal a drug that he cannot afford but is needed to save his wife's life.) Students individually write what choice they feel Heinz should have made and why. They then work in groups to evaluate whether their responses provide support for Kohlberg's theory of moral development, Carol Gilligan's theory ("A Different Voice"), both, or neither. Gender Development - Social Theories Option 1: After watching the 20/20 documentary "The Secret Life of Boys," students break into groups and evaluate whether the story shown in this film provides support for social learning theory, gender schema/script theory, or cognitive developmental theory. All pieces of evidence are evaluated in terms of their likely validity. Potential sources of bias in the film are also identified. Stereotypes Option 1:
Students are each handed a piece of paper at the beginning of class. They
are instructed not to look at what is on the papers others have. They
are given one of the following tasks: Lists of the characteristics they come up with for each three categories are written on the board. Students discuss and evaluate the degree of overlap between perceptions of the ideal person and the male and female stereotypes. This discussion is then extended to include the ideal characteristics of people with certain jobs (e.g. president, teacher, accountant) to look for degree of overlap with the lists of ideal characteristics for men/women. Option 2: Students are asked to bring copies of men's and women's magazines to class (e.g. Vogue, Cosmo, GQ etc.) After watching Jean Kilbourne's "Still Killing Us Softly" (about images of women in the media), students break into groups and look for images that support or fail to support Kilbourne's findings. Each group then reports their findings back to the class. Emotion and Aggression Option 1: Students watch the film "Tough Guise" (about media images of masculinity). Students then break into groups and compile of list of the most and least persuasive arguments made in the film and their reasons for these choices. Option 2: Students read the article "Girls Just Want to be Mean" from The New York Times Magazine (about relational aggression in junior high and high school age girls). Students are then asked to come to their own conclusions about whether there are differences in aggression between male and female teenagers and, if so, what the nature of these differences is. Relationships Option 1: Students watch the documentary "Defending Our Lives." This is a highly emotional and disturbing portrait of domestic violence from the perspective of four women who killed their abusers. Students are then given a list of domestic violence myths and are asked to work in groups to determine how the documentary addressed each of the myths (e.g. supported or failed to support a myth, didn't address a myth). Option 2: Students bring in "relationship advice" obtained from advice columns/articles in popular men's or women's magazines. Working in groups, students look for stereotypes of men or women in the articles, evidence that is consistent or inconsistent with research on gender differences in relationships, and are then asked to determine whether these articles discourage healthy psychological development of men and women and the success of heterosexual relationships. Option 3: I play a 20 minute recording from the Chicago Public Radio program "This American Life". The program interviews several psychologists who are researching what makes relationships work - studying both heterosexual couples and gay/lesbian couples. The researchers interviewed during the course of the program are cited multiple times within the relationship chapter in the textbook. The program includes recordings of interactions between couples and researchers' comments on how these interactions may or may not predict the likelihood of divorce. The impact of gender differences in communication styles and the impact of these differences on relationships are also discussed. This recording is used to launch into a broader discussion of what makes relationships "work", and how/why gay and lesbian relationships might be different from heterosexual relationships. Sexuality Option 1: Speakers from Loyola's student group, "The Rainbow Connection," come to class and speak on issues surrounding the development of gender identity among GLBT youth. Specifically, they address how being gay/lesbian has altered their perceptions of what it means to be masculine or feminine. They also speak to students about the heterosexist bias they often encounter. Students are encouraged to turn in anonymous questions for me to give to the speakers before the presentation. Of course, they are also encouraged to ask questions during the presentation. I give students the opportunity to complete an alternative assignment should they have serious objections to attending this discussion. However, I have never had anyone take me up on this offer. Instead, attendance is usually perfect or near perfect on this day, and some students even bring friends or roommates. Option 2: I play a recent MTV documentary: "Fight for your rights: The double standard in sexuality". This is a very modern, pop-culture infused take on how a double standard still exists in this culture when it comes to sexual behavior. After showing the video, the class works in groups to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the documentary, and any biases it appeared to have. Careers Option 1: Students are shown an advertisement from a recent technology magazine. This ad shows a woman pushing a man (sexually) down onto a desk in an office. The copy reads "Our new LCD monitor gives you more room to work" (implying that one's desktop can now be used for alternative activities). Students are asked to discuss the following questions: Whose office is this? Who is the boss? How can you tell? How do you think most men respond to this ad? Most women? Why the difference? What would you think of this ad if the roles were reversed (i.e. a man was pushing a woman onto a desk)? These questions are used to launch into a broader discussion of sexual harassment in the workplace and gender differences in terms of defining harassment. Option 2: Wal-Mart stores are now being sued for gender-based discrimination in hiring practices, promotions, and pay. Students are shown a chart from a recent newspaper article comparing the salaries of men and women at Wal-Mart in different occupational categories along with the percentage of each job category that is male or female. Students discuss whether they believe this chart is evidence of gender-based discrimination. (If they do not, they are asked what type of evidence they would need to see to be convinced that a company was practicing illegal discrimination against women.) This discussion often leads to many students suggesting that the women at Wal-Mart just weren't working as hard or were not as smart as the male employees. This is used to launch into an exploration of research-based findings about gender differences and careers along with myths about working women. Mental Health Option 1: Students are asked to work in groups to compile a list of hypotheses to explain the consistent finding that women are more often diagnosed with depression than men. They are asked to evaluate and rank their hypotheses in terms of plausibility. Physical Health Option 1:
Students are given a chart detailing the top ten causes of death for both
men and women in the U.S. They work in groups to generate hypotheses explaining
any differences or similarities seen between these two lists. This leads
to a discussion of how lifestyle and behavioral factors, along with gender-role
socialization, have an impact on the health-related behaviors of men and
women. |