1 Sociology 301:B1
Sociology of Gender Winter 2021
Instructor: Dr Amy Kaler
Office Hours: I will be in the eClass chat room for this course on Tuesdays between 13h00 and 14h00. You can also email me and we can set a time to meet.
Email: [email protected]. Please put “Soc 301” in the subject line. I will do my best to respond to email within 48 hours. I may not respond after 17h00 or on weekends, and I do not expect student to respond to my emails during those times either.
Teaching Assistant:
Lorielle Giffin ([email protected]). See above concerning response times.
Course Delivery:
This course is delivered through eClass and is mainly asynchronous. The BearTracks time and day is Tuesday and Thursday, 14h00-15h20. All lectures will be recorded in advance and links posted on the eClass site as described below.
Table of Contents
BASIC INFORMATION 2
COURSE PREREQUISITE: 2
COURSE DESCRIPTION: 2
COURSE OBJECTIVES: 2
COURSE FORMAT: 2
CLASSROOM POLICIES/ATMOSPHERE: 3
COURSE MATERIALS: 3
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 3
HOW IT WILL WORK: 3
Quizzes: 3
Forums: Presentations 4
Forums: Participation 6
Reflective Essay: 6
2
GRADING: 7
LECTURE SCHEDULE: 8
ATTENDANCE, ABSENCES, AND MISSED GRADE COMPONENTS: 9
Absence from Term Work 9
Policy for Missed Term Exams: 9
Policy for Late Assignments: 10
STUDENT RESOURCES: 10
Accessibility Resources(1-80SUB) 10
Learning and Working Environment: 10
FAQ: 11
BASIC INFORMATION COURSE PREREQUISITE:
Soc 100 or consent of instructor COURSE DESCRIPTION:
We will study the social construction of gender and gender inequality, with an emphasis on Canada.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
● Students will acquire an understanding of how sociologists study and talk about gender.
● Students will appreciate the diverse ways in which gender intersects with other forms of identity and social categorization.
● Students will learn how gender identities, gender relations and gender dynamics are different under different political, economic and cultural circumstances.
● Students will acquire knowledge of some of the most important patterns of gender stratification in Canada today.
COURSE FORMAT:
This course will be mainly asynchronous. Lectures will be recorded and posted to Dr Kaler’s YouTube channel. Each lecture will be posted in several parts of about 15-20 minutes, so make sure that you watch all the parts of the week’s lecture. Links to these lectures will be posted weekly on eClass according the schedule below. This class has a substantial participation component, which can be completed asynchronously.
3 CLASSROOM POLICIES/ATMOSPHERE:
Some of the material we will be discussing is potentially volatile or sensitive. I expect all students to show appropriate respect for the well-being of their classmates in all activities related to this course.
COURSE MATERIALS:
There is one textbook available through the university bookstore: The Gendered Society, 2nd Canadian edition (2017), Kimmel and Holler. Please do not purchase the first edition.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Quizzes: 4 non-cumulative multiple-choice quizzes worth 10% each, for a total of 40%. See
“How It Will Work” for details.
Forum presentations: One forum presentation in a designated week worth 15%. See “How It Will Work” for details.
Forum participation: A record of consistent and meaningful participation in your assigned forum discussions, worth 20%. See “How It Will Work” for details.
Reflective essay: An essay on a book chosen from the list provided, worth 25%. See “How It Will Work” for details.
HOW IT WILL WORK:
Quizzes:
Each quiz consists of 20 multiple choice questions drawn from the text and lecture material for the weeks stated below. There is one correct answer per question. The quiz will be open on eClass for 24 hours, with a 30-minute time limit. This means that you may begin the quiz any time in the 24 hours but you must complete it within 30 minutes of beginning it. You may use your text and notes. Exam monitoring software will not be used. You may not write your quiz outside the designated 24 hour period and you may not attempt a quiz more than once. You will be able to see your quiz mark on eClass once the 24 hours for the quiz have expired, not during the quiz period.
It is your responsibility to ensure you have access to wifi and an appropriate device for the quiz during the period that it is open (doing this on your phone is not recommended).
4 Quiz 1: covers material from Weeks 1, 2 and 3. Opens at 09h00 on January 28
Quiz 2: covers material from Weeks 4, 5 and 6. Opens at 09h00 on February 25 Quiz 3: covers material from Weeks 7, 8 and 9. Opens at 09h00 on March 18 Quiz 4: covers material from Weeks 10, 11, 12 and 13. Opens at 09h00 on April 15
Forums: Presentations
In order to allow for more student-to-student interaction, this class is divided into six forums (groups, in eClass language). Students have been randomly assigned to one of these forums.
You are in either Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, Group 4, Group 5, or Group 6. Each group has its own forum every week.
Within your groups, you will take turns posting a presentation to the forum on the topic for the week, based on the last number of your student ID. Note that presentations do not begin until Week 3.
ID ending in: Your Week:
1 Week 3
2 Week 4
3 Week 5
4 Week 6
5 Week 7
6 Week 8
7 Week 9
8 Week 10
9 Week 11
0 Week 12
What should your presentation contain? Your presentation should develop an idea or a concept that you have encountered in the reading or the lecture for the week. This means you should be reading ahead so that you’re ready to post your presentation at the beginning of the week. Please do not summarize the content of the reading or lecture – your task is to go beyond it and explore an issue that is relevant to the theme of the week, but not dealt with in depth.
5 For example:
● If your presentation week is on The Gendered Classroom (Week 7), you could focus your presentation on the outcomes of single-gender schools.
● If your presentation week is on The Gendered Body (Week 11), you could focus your presentation on the proliferation of masculinized cosmetic surgery.
● If your presentation week is on Gendered Media (Week 9) you could focus your presentation on representations of transgender people on TikTok.
Your presentation can take several formats, including:
● Written document: minimum of 300 words, Word or PDF format
● Video: minimum length of 3 minutes, maximum of 250 MB
● Audio: minimum length of 4 minutes, maximum of 250 MB
● TikTok, Prezi, MapTive, Vimeo, other modalities: just check with me, and check with eClass support to make sure that you’re able to upload it to a forum on the class site ([email protected]).
Your presentation should be uploaded to your forum in the form of an attachment to a post.
Please give your post a title which reflects the content of your presentation (i.e. not just “Week 4 Presentation”). Your presentation should be uploaded by 09h00 on the Thursday of the week that you present.
You should use at least three reputable sources for your presentation, in addition to your own knowledge and ideas. A “reputable source” can be something you find in an internet source, but remember that not everything on the internet is equally credible. You can use
scholar.google.com to find peer-reviewed academic articles about your topic, or you can go to non-peer-reviewed articles which are from high-quality investigative journalism sites, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic or the Guardian (Wikipedia is not a reputable source, but Wikipedia articles can point you in the direction of good sources).
If you aren’t sure what counts as a reputable or credible online source, please check these guides:
https://sites.umgc.edu/library/libhow/credibility.cfm
https://www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/credible-sources/
https://guides.lib.byu.edu/c.php?g=216340&p=1428399 How your presentation will be evaluated:
● How clear and well-organized is your presentation? (5 marks)
● How well does your presentation connect to the themes of the week, as found in either the readings or the lecture? (5 marks)
● How much evidence of original or creative thought is in your presentation? (5 marks)
6 Forums: Participation
You are expected to participate in forum discussions through comments and responses to presentation threads by other students. You can also start your own thread in a forum if there’s something really interesting in the week’s topic that you would like to talk about, even if it isn’t your presentation week, and you can respond to other students’ threads.
You should make at least five contributions to different threads. There is no maximum number – the more active you are on the forums, the more interesting they will be for everyone! You should make your first contribution by the end of Week 5, and you should have made at least four contributions by the end of Week 111. You’re welcome to read the discussions in all the class forums, but please only comment in your own forum.2
How your participation will be evaluated:
● Did you post at least five contributions at appropriate times? (5 marks)
● Were at least five of your contributions substantive, rather than simply agreeing or disagreeing?3 (5 marks)
● Did the majority of your comments demonstrate familiarity with the content of the lecture or the reading for the week? (5 marks)
● Did the majority of your comments demonstrate original or creative thought? (5 marks) Reflective Essay:
Please choose one book from the list below. The books are all recent Canadian award-winning fiction with themes related to gender. The books can be found in the UofA library or the Edmonton Public Library (epl.ca, it’s free to get a library card), or you can order them from online stores (I recommend Glass Bookshop [https://bookmanager.com/8101124/} or Audreys [https://www.audreys.ca/] if you want to support local independent businesses.
1. Burnard, Bonnie. A Good House 2. Chariandy, David. Brother
3. Hernandez, Catherine. Scarborough 4. Lawson, Mary. Crow Lake
5. Moore, Lisa. February
6. Nawaz, Saleema. Bread and Bone 7. Robinson, Eden. Son of a Trickster 8. Toews, Miriam. Women Talking
1 This rule is to discourage people from procrastinating until the last week of class and then posting hundreds of comments at the very end.
2 This rule is to make the forums a bit more like small discussion groups, so hopefully students can get to know each other a bit.
3 It’s fine to post lots of short comments saying that you agree or disagree with other students, or random musings – just make sure that you are also posting longer, more detailed and substantive comments too. There is no word limit for a substantive comment, but I think it would be difficult to convey anything substantial in less than about 50 words.
7 9. Vermette, Katherena. The Break
10. Wagamese, Richard. Indian Horse 11. Ali, Anar. Night of Power
12. Coady, Lynn. Watching You Without Me 13. Mandel, Emily St John. The Glass Hotel 14. Heti, Sheila. Motherhood
15. Thuy, Kim. Vi
After reading these books, you will write a reflective essay of 500-750 words in which you relate the accounts in the novels to themes in the course. This essay is due to be submitted through eClass by 23h59 on April 15. Please do not email your essay to me or Lorielle.
Here is how your essay will be evaluated:
● A brief synopsis of the book (note that this is not meant to be an exhaustive summary).
You should focus on the elements of the book or movie that touch on relations of care, intimacy or responsibility. Your synopsis should not be more than 200 words (5 points).
● At least three points of connection between the book and material covered in class. These points of connection are the ways that the book illustrates, complicates, or adds nuance to at least three different concepts from 301.You can draw from assigned reading, or supplementary material embedded in the lectures (15 points).
● Your own speculation about how this book or movie adds to the sociological study of gender. This is where you go beyond what we have covered in class and talk about how this book adds to your understanding of gender (10 points)
GRADING:
Marks for graded course requirements are given in percentages, to which letter grades are also assigned, according to the table below. The percentage mark resulting from all graded
components produces the final letter grade for the course. Marks for grades are not curved or scaled.
Letter % Pts Descriptor
A+ 90-100 4.0
Excellent
A 86-89 4.0
A- 82-85 3.7
8
B+ 78-81 3.3
Good
B 74-77 3.0
B- 70-73 2.7
C+ 66-69 2.3
Satisfactory
C 62-65 2.0
C- 58-61 1.7
D+ 54-57 1.3 Poor
D 50-53 1.0 Minimal Pass
F 0-49 0.0 Fail
LECTURE SCHEDULE:
Week Date by which link to the recorded lecture will be posted on eClass at 14h00
Readings in Kimmel and Holler
1 January 12 Introduction (Chapter 1)
2 January 19 Chapter 2
3 January 26 Chapter 3
4 February 2 Chapter 4
5 February 9 Chapter 5
6 February 23 Chapter 6
7 March 2 Chapter 7
8 March 9 Chapter 8
9 March 16 Chapter 9
10 March 23 Chapter 10
11 March 30 Chapter 11
12 April 6 Chapter 12
13 April 13 Chapter 13
Other Important Dates:
Course withdrawal with 50% fee refund: February 10
9 Course withdrawal with no refund: April 9
Spring break, no classes: February 16-19
ATTENDANCE, ABSENCES, AND MISSED GRADE COMPONENTS:
Regular attendance is essential for optimal performance. Regarding absences that may be excusable and procedures for addressing course components missed as a result, consult the Attendance section of the University Calendar.
Absence from Term Work
Students are required to contact me within two working days following the missed exam or term work (or as soon as possible, considering the circumstances) to apply for an excused absence. Excused absences are not automatic and are at my discretion. Below is a list of acceptable documentation to support an absence:
● For incapacitating medical illness, students can present one of the following:
o “University of Alberta Medical Statement” signed by a doctor (this cannot be required, but must be accepted if provided in lieu of other documents).
o “Request for Excused Absence or Deferral of Term Work” Faculty of Arts form
o Statutory Declaration" (to be obtained from the Office of the Registrar).
● For all other cases, such as domestic afflictions or religious convictions, the student should submit documentation appropriate to the situation. This could include the following:
o For a death in the family – a copy of the death certificate o For a religious conflict – a letter from the church or pastor o For a car accident – a copy of the accident report
o For other serious afflictions – consult the Instructor or Department about appropriate documents
Policy for Missed Term Exams:
If you miss a quiz, you will receive a zero for that quiz. Quizzes are set to be open for 24 hours so that all students can find time to write them. You cannot write them at times other than the times specified in the syllabus. You should ensure that you have an adequate technical setup for accessing eClass quizzes at the beginning of the 24 hours period, so that if you encounter any problems, you can find alternative ways to access eClass before the end of the period. If you are unable to access eClass at all during the 24 hour period for reasons beyond your
10 control, such as a death in the family, please notify me as soon as possible and provide
documentation.
Policy for Late Assignments:
If an assignment is late, 10% for each day may be deducted.
Deferral of term work is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted. Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.
STUDENT RESOURCES:
The best all-purpose website for student services is: https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students.
Accessibility Resources(1-80SUB)
The University of Alberta is committed to creating work and learning communities that inspire and enable all people to reach their full potential. Accessibility Resources promotes an accessible, inclusive, and universally designed environment. For general information or to register for services visit the Accessibility Resources webpage.
Learning and Working Environment:
The Faculty of Arts is committed to ensuring that all students, faculty and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behaviour that undermines that environment.
It is the policy of the University of Alberta that sexual violence committed by any member of the University community is prohibited and constitutes misconduct. Resources and more information can be found at https://www.ualberta.ca/campus-life/sexual-violence
The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.
Academic Integrity:
“The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at
https://www.ualberta.ca/governance/) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an
11 offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.”
All students should consult the Academic Integrity website. If you have any questions, ask your instructor.
An instructor or coordinator who is convinced that a student has handed in work that he or she could not possibly reproduce without outside assistance is obliged, out of consideration of fairness to other students, to report the case to the Associate Dean of the Faculty. See the Academic Discipline Process.
Audio or Video Recording:
“Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the Instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or Instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).”
Course Outline Policy:
"Policy about course outlines can be found in Course Requirements, Evaluation Procedures and Grading of the University Calendar."
FAQ:
Q: Can you post your complete powerpoint presentations on eClass?
A: No. I’ve found in the past that when I’ve made complete presentations available to students, some of them will assume that everything they need to know is on the powerpoint slides, and they don’t bother with lectures (and then get an unpleasant surprise when it comes time for a quiz and not every question is word-for-word from the powerpoint slides). What I do instead is post a minimal outline of the lecture which you can use for taking your own notes while you watch the recorded lecture.
Q: I’m thinking of plagiarizing for my presentation or my reflective essay. Is that a good idea?
A: No. I have a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism, which means that if I encounter it I will treat it as academic misconduct. This is something you really don’t want to get into.
12 Q: I want to change the week that I’m presenting. Can I do that?
A: You can do that if you can find someone in your group to swap with you. Start a thread in your forum to ask if there’s anyone willing to swap. If you find someone willing, let Lorielle know about the swap.
Q: How do I know if my contributions to my group forum are good?
A: Ask Lorielle. We won’t be calculating the marks for the discussion portion until the end of the semester, but by the middle of the semester, Lorielle can give you a rough indication of
whether you’re on the right track. Lorielle can provide you with general information, but she is not able to go over individual posts.
Q: Will you review my forum presentation before I post it?
A: I’m happy to give general advice or feedback on one draft of your presentation, especially for people who are presenting in the first few weeks, in line with the criteria in the syllabus.
However, I’m not able to mark your presentation in advance of your posting it.
Q: How will I know what mark I got for my presentation?
A: I’ll do my best to post your marks for your presentation according to a rubric based on the criteria in the syllabus within a week of the presentation being posted. Your presentation mark is final, you can’t revise it and submit it a second time or do a second presentation if you aren’t happy with your mark on the first one.
Q: I didn’t do very well on one of the quizzes. Will you review my quiz with me and show me the correct answers for the questions I got wrong?
A: Unfortunately, no. Because this course is online-only, I’m reluctant to provide the answers to quiz questions. This is because I will likely re-use questions in future iterations of the course and I want to minimize the possibility of questions and answers circulating on the internet. In
addition, because we have four quizzes and close to a hundred students, I can’t logistically offer
13 every student the opportunity to review each quiz, so for reasons of equity, I have to say no to individual quiz reviews.
Q: Can I do additional assignments to bring up my mark?
A: No, there’s no option for extra credit.
Q: I have a lot of strong views about what gender is or isn’t, and I like to express them loudly without consideration of how this may affect other students whose experiences are different from mine. Is this a good place to do that?
A: No. Please be mindful that some of the topics we will be covering are sensitive and may be very personal for your fellow students. It’s okay to talk about these subjects and to ask
questions about them, but please remain open-minded and respectful of others. If I or Lorielle perceive that a student is being unnecessarily insensitive or rude, we will remove them from their discussion forum and they will lose either a portion or the entirety of their participation marks.
Copyright: Amy Kaler, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta 2021