Seeing Gender: Using a Gender Journal and Term Paper to Teach the Sociology of Gender

Abstract

This semester-long assignment is an exercise in "seeing the unseen" as it relates to gendered norms, expectations, and representations. Students keep a "gender journal" in which they write short (1-2 pages) entries each week about their gendered experiences. These experiences are then related in class discussion and linked to class readings. Through...

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Sex and Gender

Class Level(s):

College 300

Class Size(s):

Medium

Usage Notes

This assignment is designed to cover an entire 15-week semester with 15-20 minutes of class time set aside each class meeting for discussion of journal entries. This assignment was developed for an upper-division undergraduate course, although the basic structure (weekly reactions and discussion culminating in a research paper) could be used in a...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Upon completion of this assignment students will develop an understanding of gender as a cultural force and will learn to apply various theories and concepts from a sociology of gender course to their own lives.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. Students' ability to develop this understanding and apply theories and concepts to their own lives will be assessed through regular assessment of their weekly journal entries as well as the quality of their classroom discussion and their final paper.