Term:
Syllabus-Winter 2004
Class: Psy
310, Psychology of Women
Time: Wednesday 5:30 pm- 9:10 pm
Place: PSU
Main Campus
Instructor: L. McCabe
Office: Cramer Hall 365, 361
Telephone:
(503) 617-0869
Email:
psu24883@pdx.edu, auto110346@yahoo.com
Web: http://psych34.tripod.com
Office
Hours: After Class or By Appointment
Course Overview
This course
addresses issues related to the Psychology of Women. This is an overview of the
major theories and issues involved in understanding the impact of gender on thinking
and behaving. We examine gender roles associated with being female, and view
their impact on areas such as human development, health, relationships, work,
and education. In addition, while much
of what is presented in class focuses on the USA/European cultural aspect of
Psychology of Women, a multi-cultural approach will be taken.
Personal
Teaching Philosophy
My personal teaching philosophy may be
different than what you as a student might expect, or have experienced. I think
that what occurs in the classroom should be a learning experience that is based
upon the foundation of what you learn within the text. For that reason I may
choose to only cover part of a chapter as presented within the Lips text, and
augment your learning experience with in class activities or other lecture
items.
In addition, I feel that learning doesn’t
stop when you leave the classroom. Modern technology allows us to explore this
aspect of learning with greater depth. This is why I heavily emphasize the
World Wide Web as a mean for exploring topics, and as a means of communication
with the instructor (myself), as well as your fellow students.
Thus my philosophy can be summarized in the
following sentences.
1. The classroom is more than a venue for
lectures.
2. Learning does not end when one is out of
the classroom.
University
Policies
By enrolling in
this class you agree to abide by Portland State University’s academic policies
as well as their student codes of conduct.
If you would like a copy of these policies to review, either visit the
course web page or I can provide one for you.
Given these
University policies, and the level of the course, I work under the following
assumptions:
1. Every student in this course understands
what constitutes plagiarism and/or cheating (for more information on what
constitutes plagiarism, please see course web page).
A. Use quotation marks or
other formatting to show the reader that your writing is quoted.
B. Cite the quotation
and/or idea, including both date and author.
C. Only use quotations to
explain a point or provide an example.
2. Every student understands classroom
etiquette.
A. Be attentive to those
who are speaking, both the instructor and fellow classmates.
B. Limit private
conversation. While a couple of people
whispering may not be that disruptive, whispering tends to spread to other
groups.
C. Be on time, or quietly
enter the room if one is late.
3. That the classroom environment is one of
respect towards the diversity of beliefs that exist.
A.
Realize that you won’t agree with everything I present in this course.
B.
Realize that you won’t agree with what others say in this course.
C. Realize that while I
may not agree with you, I respect your individual experience and value it in
the classroom dynamic.
As college students, these assumptions can
be seen at the very least as redundant with other classroom experiences. However, some of the issues we discuss in
this course are quite sensitive and/or controversial in nature. Individuals may get upset with either the
course material, or with fellow student’s beliefs. In rare instances I, as the instructor, must enforce University
policies.
These policies can be found at http://www.ess.pdx.edu/osa/policies-codes.htm . If
a student is found to be in violation of these policies, I am authorized by the
university to take certain courses of action based upon any given behavior.
The most common violation is that of
plagiarism on the final group project. Plagiarism is completely
unacceptable. If an individual is
caught plagiarizing their final project they will receive a score of a
‘zero’. If you receive a zero for the
final project, then that means that the highest score you can receive in the
class is a D [barring any extra credit].
Course Policies
Read your syllabus carefully as it
constitutes an agreement between you (the student) and myself (the
instructor). Occasionally, I have
students that make comments about certain aspects of this course that were well
described within the syllabus.
1.
This course has a somewhat heavy workload. The standard rule, is that for every credit hour in class you
spend a minimum of two to three hours outside of class studying. That means that each week you should be
spending 8-12 hours outside of class studying for this course. Assignment load reflects this ratio.
2.
If you are here, but arrive too late to engage in a group activity or if
you leave early, this counts the same as not attending class.
3.
All papers, except assignment #4 must be typed, and double-spaced.
4.
Your name should be placed on the very back of the last page of any
assignment you turn in. This helps
eliminate bias in grading.
5.
It is common, especially with a long format course, for students to come
talk to me with a variety of concerns during the break. Sometimes, I will personally ask you to hold
your questions until I myself take a short break. I have had students take this personally, when I have asked them
to wait. Just like you, I too sometimes
need to “collect” myself before engaging in another hour or so of teaching.
6.
If you have to miss class, it is unnecessary for you to call me. Call a member of your group to see what you
missed. If you are going to miss an exam, please call be prior to the class
meeting of the following week. As
Mondays are very hectic, I may not be able to return any calls until Tuesday.
Required Materials
Text: The New Psychology
of Women: Gender, Culture, and
Ethnicity (2nd Edition), by Hillary Lips
Access to the school computer lab
Optional Materials
Email account
Points Possible
Attendance 25
Assignment 1 25
Assignment 2 25
Assignment 3 25
Assignment 4 25
Assignment 5 25
Exam 50
Final Project 100
Total 300
points
Extra Credit
In addition to the total points offered in
this class I will count an addition 25 points worth of extra credit. Usually I
offer many ways for you to earn this "extra credit", but all extra
credit opportunities will ONLY be posted on the course web page or mentioned in
class.
Attendance
Assignment (25 points)
Attendance is vitally
important in this class. There are many things discussed in class that one
cannot learn from the book.
Participation in group activities will be used as the method for
obtaining attendance points. You can receive
5 points per class, for a total of 25 points.
Group activities will be announced in class.
The Exam
The Exam is in multiple-choice format, is
comprehensive, and consists of 50 questions.
You will need to bring a scantron for this exam. As this is the only exam for the term, it
will be very important for you to not miss this. In case of emergency, I will allow you to make-up this exam up my
leisure. You may have to travel to the
Main Portland State Campus to do this.
The Final Group
Project
The Final Project is a take home group project and
involves incorporating everything you learned in the course. It is worth 100
points. The final project is comprised
of two distinct parts, the poster presentation and the final 5-6 page paper.
Individuals will be grade solely on their unique contribution to the group
project. Thus, if a member of your
group fails to show up for the final poster presentation, you will NOT
be graded down for it. You will
receive more information on this as the term progresses.
Policies for Late
Assignments
As I clearly post the assignments WELL
before they are due, I don't accept them. In case of documented emergency, I
will accept them late contingent on you providing me official documentation
(example doctor's note). In addition, I will grade these late assignments at my
leisure. Late assignments will not have points deducted from them.
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DOWNLOADING the ASSIGNMENTS from the web page
In addition, there is more than sufficient
extra credit available to cover a missed assignment.
Weeks in Detail
Week 1: The Week of January 5
Unit 1: Introduction to
Psychology of Women (Chapter 1 and 2)
History, Research Methods etc.
Week 2: The week of January 11
Unit 2: Social Cognition and
Women [Chapters 5 & 6]
Assignment
1: The Portrayal of Women in
the Media [Due January 21, 2004]
Write a 2-2 ˝ page, typed double spaced
paper on the portrayal of women in a specific movie or television show. The
first section should summarize one to two key issues you are going to examine
based upon information in the book. The second section should be a brief
paragraph summarizing the TV show or movie. The third section should involve
explaining how the movie or TV show relates back to the aforementioned issues
in the first section.
Week
3/4: The Weeks of January 19, and January 26
Unit 3: Developmental
Psychology & The Psychology of Women (Chapters 3, 4, & 11)
Assignment 2: Women's Developmental Issues on the WWW [Due January 28, 2004]
Write a 2-2 ˝ page, typed
double spaced paper examining a web page that relates to developmental issues
covered in this unit. The first section should summarize one to two key issues
you are going to examine based upon information in the book or in class. The
second section should be a brief paragraph summarizing the web page you have
found. The third section should involve explaining how the web page relates
back to the aforementioned issues in the first section. PLEASE INCLUDE A COPY
OF THE WEB PAGE.
Week 5: The Week of February 2
Unit 4: Women, Work &
Education (Chapter 8)
Assignment 3: Interviews, a paper of experience [Due January 11, 2004]
This assignment involves
interviewing someone (example: business owner, educator, peer, family member)
concerning four issues covered in this chapter.
Procedures involved in this
assignment: 1) Come up with four questions pertinent to this unit. 2) Interview
someone. 3) Write up the results.
The write up should be 2-2 ˝
pages, typed & SINGLE spaced. It should include all four questions, and
summaries of the person's answers. In addition, you should include how this
person is related to you. Finally, you should answer why is understanding
people's personal experiences in regards to the material covered in this unit
IMPORTANT.
Week 6: The Week of February 9
Unit 5: Women and Intimate
Relationships (Chapters 7, 12)
Assignment
4: An informational brochure [Due February 18, 2004]
Create an informational
brochure covering one of the topics covered in this unit. I will be assigning
you the topic. It should be informative, but you can be creative.
Week 7: The week of February 16th
Unit 6: Women and Physical and Mental Health
(Chapters 9 &10 )
Assignment 5: Women's Resources in the Portland Metro Community [Due February 25th, 2004]
Write a 2-2 ˝ page paper, typed and double
space on women's resources in the community regarding the topic that assign you.
This topic will relate back to something we cover within this unit (whether
book or class lecture). The first section of the paper should briefly summarize
the information presented on the topic. The second section of the paper should
highlight the resources in the community that directly addresses the issue
Week 8: The Week of February 23
The week is set asside for catch up on lectures.
Week 9: The Week of March 1 The week is set asside for catch up on lectures, and group meetings
Week 10: The Week of March 9 Final exam, and group meeting
Week 11: The Week of March 15 Group presentations
Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) 1. When will you
return our tests/assignments back to us? Given the size
of the class it takes a week minimum to correct all of them. 2. Can I do
anything to make up lost attendance points? This is what
extra credit is for. 3. Can I do
anything to make up low scores on the tests? This is what
extra credit is for. 4. Can I do anything to make up for missed
activities? This is what extra credit is for. 5. I don't know how to use the World Wide
Web, or I don't have a computer... There are several computers labs on campus
with friendly staff. One rather large one is located on the ground floor of the
PSU Library. If you need assistance in understanding how to access a web page,
please ask the individual overseeing the computer lab. If you are still having
difficulty come see me during my office hours. 6. What if I run into a problem accessing
the web page? CALL ME via my cell phone number. 7. Can I email you my assignments? NO. I do not accept assignments via email. 8. Can I fax you my
assignments? YES, but they may not get to
me on time. If you do get them in on time, I may not grade them with the
others. In addition, if I start seeing that my box is inundated with papers of
people not showing up to class, I reserve the right to axe this privilege. 10. Why won't you accept
them via these methods? So many alternatives for
turning in assignments creates general havoc with even the most well organized
individual. In addition, this also increases the probability that some how some
way something will keep the assignment from getting into my hands. For example,
the email file may be corrupted or the fax may print out in jibberish. The only
way to make sure that the assignment is in my hands on time is to place it
concretely in my hands during the time I collect them. 11. Oh yes, will I accept
assignments via the Web Board other than the web participation assignment? NO, for aforementioned reasons. 12. What if I go over the
allotted pages for each assignment or Test? I won't grade your
assignment. While an additional paragraph or page may not seem that much to
you, when all of you engage in the behavior it creates a significant amount of
extra grading. Editing is a VERY important part of writing. If you are having
problems editing down your papers, please visit the on campus writing center. 13. Is there any other
available extra credit?
NO. I do not accept assignments via fax.
9. Can I turn my assignments into your box in Cramer Hall 317?
Sometimes I add assignments if I see something important in the media or for
some other reason. However, I place a cap on how many points you can earn (see
available points).