Johnson State College
External Degree Program
PSY-3230-JYA01 Psychology of Gender
Syllabus – Fall 2016
Instructor: Valerie Skinner Welter
PO Box 23
Waitsfield, VT 05673
(802) 279-4611
[email protected] (preferred method of communication)
Dates: Accelerated Online Section (7 weeks)
August 29 to October 17
Location: Online using Moodle (http://myjsc.jsc.edu)
ADA Statement: Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in
this class are encouraged to contact JSC’s Learning Specialist in Academic Services, as soon as
possible to ensure that accommodations, if needed, are implemented in a timely fashion. Please
call 802-635-1264.
Academic Honesty: (from JSC Catalog) Students are expected to conform to the highest
standards of academic honesty in all of their academic work at Johnson State College. Academic
dishonesty in any form is prohibited and unacceptable. Acts of dishonesty for which a student
may be disciplined include, but are not limited to, receiving or providing unauthorized assistance
on an examination and plagiarizing the work of others in writing assignments. The American
Heritage Dictionary defines plagiarism in the following way: “To steal or use (the ideas or
writings of another) as one’s own.” Students are responsible for knowing what specific acts
constitute plagiarism; if students are uncertain as to whether a particular act constitutes
plagiarism, they should consult with their instructors before turning in assigned work.
Texts: Texts are available through the JSC bookstore. Call 802-635-2503 or go to
www.jsc.bkstr.com.

Spade and Valentine, The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities,
4th ed., (2014), Pine Forge Press

Brannon, L., Gender: Psychological Perspectives, 6th ed., (2011), Pearson
It is the responsibility of students to have texts prior to the start of the course. This is
especially important due to the Accelerated course format.
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Weekly reading assignments will be posted online in the course; however, prior to the
course opening please complete the assigned reading below. This reading will be used to
complete the Week 1 assignments.
Spade & Valentine:
Introduction pp. xiii-xxiii
Part 1-Prisms p. 1-9
Reading 1 (including Intro): Gender as a Social Structure by Barbara Risman
Reading 2 (including Intro): What it Means to Be Gendered Me by Betsy Lucal
Reading 3 (including Intro): Beyond Pink and Blue by Sharon Preves
Reading 6 (including Intro): Multiple Genders Among North American Indians by Serena Nanda
Brannon:
Chapters 1, 2, and 3
A detailed weekly syllabus that includes assigned readings, supplementary resources, and
weekly discussion forums and assignments will be available in the course page in Moodle.
Course Description: This course explores the psychological aspects of gender, particularly the
process of gender socialization in childhood, and the psychological significance of gender
throughout the life-span, with a focus on the feelings, attitudes, and belief systems inherent in
gender roles. The course explores research on both similarities and differences between males
and females, as well as transgender issues. Topics regarding sexual orientation and the
continuum of gender constructs will also be addressed. The influence of culture on gender roles
will also be explored.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Identify and understand the biological and social psychological theories of gender
socialization throughout the life span.
2. Understand some of the current theories on the biological and psychological differences
between women and men.
3. Identify some of the ways that culturally appropriate gender behavior is learned and some of
the mechanisms by which cultures presently deal with gender differences.
4. Discuss the influence that race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, and
other cultural variables have on developing and maintaining gender identity and on perceptions
of gender appropriateness.
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Attendance Policy/Expectations: Although this course takes place entirely in an online
environment, students are expected to dedicate as much time completing reading, participating in
discussions, asking questions, and responding to both the instructor’s and other students’
postings as they would in the traditional classroom environment. Students will need access to a
computer with a stable Internet connection, and be willing to check into the “online classroom”
at least THREE different days per week responding thoughtfully with comments, questions, and
observations. Absences will affect your grade. Having computer problems will not excuse you
from the weekly discussions. You can access the course from any computer with Internet access.
If you anticipate a lengthy medical problem or other emergent personal issues that will result in
missing weekly discussions, please contact me proactively. This is an Accelerated section of
Psychology of Gender; if a student misses one week of discussion over the semester, it may
not be possible to pass the course.
The instructor will facilitate the online discussion; however my teaching philosophy is centered
upon students being active participants in the learning process, essentially learning from one
another as well as from the instructor. Assignments and posts should demonstrate critical
thinking. Students’ thoughts and opinions should be supported with references to our readings
cited appropriately.
With the exception of the first week, our weeks will begin on Sundays and end on Saturdays
(11:59 pm). The assignments/topics of discussion for the week will be posted on Sunday and the
weekly Discussion Forum opened. Your initial posting in response to the assignments is due by
Tuesday midnight, with a second assignment due by Thursday midnight. NOTE: The Tuesday
and Thursday due dates are deadlines; you are welcome to post prior to these days as your
schedule allows. Please do not post to a week's discussion after Saturday midnight (11:59
pm); it will not be graded (without prior arrangement/approval). The weekly Discussion
Forum is closed Saturday prior to midnight (11:59 pm). The substantive posts in response to
me or others can be posted on any day of your choice. We do not meet as a full group at
particular times, as in a traditional class. You are free to participate during the week at times and
days of your choosing, as long as you comply with the participation guidelines below.
Participation: To earn full participation points for the week, you must:
1. Read the assigned material and reference it in your postings. Citations are to follow APA
guidelines.
2. Contribute quality topical information to the discussion submitted in college-level writing.
The first posting (assignment) should be entered by Tuesday midnight, the second by Thursday
midnight. All required postings for the week must be made by Saturday prior to midnight (11:59
pm).
3. Participate on three different days throughout the week.
4. Ask at least one pertinent question of the class regarding our weekly topic(s). A separate
discussion thread will be established each week for student questions that are to address the
weekly topical material.
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5. Respond to at least three questions or postings made by other students and/or myself with a
substantive post, which references our readings. A substantive post for the purpose of this
course is a well-developed post a minimum 100-150 words that references our readings or
other appropriate source. A substantive post is NOT one or two sentences of general
statements or unsupported opinion. Students are welcome to reply to one another with general
statements in addition to the guidelines outlined above; however these posts do not meet the
criteria of a substantive post.
You will lose a minimum of 1 point for the week for each late posting. Assignments and posts
are graded on both academic quality and quantity; a Grading Rubric is included on the course
page in Moodle. If you are not present for a week, you will not earn any discussion points for
that week. Accommodations can be arranged privately with the Instructor if students experience
family emergencies, illness, or other circumstances that interfere with the ability to participate in
the course.
Grading Criteria:
Assignments will be evaluated on some or all of the following criteria, depending upon the
nature of the assignment:
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COMPLETENESS: Did you cover all aspects of the assignment?
ELABORATION: Did you provide examples, detail any generalized statements, and
substantiate with concrete explanations?
CONSTRUCTION: Did you use complete sentences, proper grammar, accurate spelling,
good paragraph structure, and logical organization in your work?
ANALYSIS: Did you think critically and challenge yourself and the material to the best of
your ability?
APPLICATION: Did you connect the subject matter (readings/websites) to the assigned
work?
You will automatically lose points if you do not integrate the reading in your assignments.
You will gain points if you challenge yourself to go beyond the basic information required
for the assignment. Lower grade points are given for assignments which provide only the
minimum information. Please note that students’ assignments and posts in the weekly
discussion are of utmost importance to the grading process. Being an Accelerated section
of Psychology of Gender, we have only 7 weeks of discussion.
7 weeks@ 10 points each
70 points
Final Paper
30 points
Total
100 points
The completion of the Final Paper is a requirement of passing the course. The Final Paper (1012 pages), will involve an in depth research paper exploring a topical subject that is gender
related. This is a topic area that could cover most anything from birth until death...for instance;
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culture specific rites of passage or coming of age ceremonies, marriage, childbirth/child care,
circumcision, same-sex marriage, "coming out" by a gay or lesbian individual, sex change
surgery, intersex individuals, menopause, sexual harassment, gender disparities in education,
employment, home life, birth control, pornography, domestic abuse, etc...be creative. The
major theme of the paper is to be gender related.
More information about the specifics of the papers will be posted online in the course. Please
know that all papers are expected to adhere to APA formatting guidelines. Students are
responsible for familiarizing themselves with APA formatting. Resources will be available to
students when the course opens to assist with APA formatting.
GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS WITH STUDENTS:
Students are expected to use their JSC email account as an official means of communication.
Course announcements and others important information are sent to students’ JSC e-mail. It is
students’ responsibility to regularly check their JSC e-mail for the purpose of this course,
as well as for administrative communication.
This Syllabus can be changed during the course of the semester at the discretion of the
Instructor.