PSY 340 - PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN SYLLABUS

 

Dr. Donna Ashcraft                                                                                         Spring, 2005   

216 Harvey Hall                                                                       Office Hours: MW 1:00-3:00

Phone: 393-1870 or 393-2295                                                                                 F 12:00-1:00

Email: Ashcraft@clarion.edu

Website: http://psy1.clarion.edu/dma/donna.html

 

Required Texts:  Ashcraft, D. (Ed.) (1998). Women's Work: A survey of scholarship by and about women. NY: Harrington Park Press

 

Recommended Texts: APA Style Manual

 

Objectives:  ¥       To study women's behavior;

              ¥        To study the accomplishments of women (e.g., the psychological research they have conducted);

              ¥        To study the world from a different (e.g., feminist) perspective (in comparison to traditional study);

              ¥        To study feminist research methods in psychology.

 

Grading:  Mini Exams.  It is vitally important for people to be able to back up their points of view with evidence that supports their opinions.  Because of this students will be tested on their knowledge of the material discussed in class and in the text. After each chapter is completed, time will be allotted for a 50 point mini exam on that chapter.  These will not take the entire class period and the remainder of the class time will be used to cover additional material.  The exact format of the mini exam will be announced in class as soon as it is available.

 

Individual and Group Projects. There will be four projects worth 50 points each that will be required throughout the semester.  The projects are designed to provide students with an active learning experience, one that allows them to see for themselves evidence for some of the concepts that we discuss during class time and that are discussed in the text. These projects will also allow students the opportunity to apply basic knowledge in womenÕs studies to actual experiences.  Group members will be assigned during class time and will vary for each assignment.  Occasional class time will be allowed for groups to organize their project but most group work will need to be done outside of class as homework.  Most group projects will be handed in as papers and will be presented to the class in 15 minute presentations. All papers should conform to APA (American Psychological Association) style. Student project grades will be determined by quality of the paper and quality of the presentation.  Papers will be worth 40 points; presentations will be worth 10 points.  If no presentation is required the paper will be worth the entire 50 points.  Additional information on the projects will be distributed during class time.

 

Class Participation. Class participation grades will be determined by peer evaluations, in which group members will give feedback on the amount and quality of each group member's work, Students can earn up to a potential of  25 points for class participation.

 

Final grades are based on total points according to the following scheme:

 

A = 90% or more of the available points

B = 80-89% of the available points

C = 70-79% of the available points

D = 60-69% of the available points

E = below 60% of the available points

 

Please note that I do not curve grades. I do, however, consider class attendance, student effort, and participation in classroom discussion as I determine final grades.

 

Please feel free to stop by my office to discuss your progress in the course (or exams or the collaborative project or class material) throughout the semester.

 

Attendance: Attendance is not mandatory and will not be recorded. However, it is to your benefit to attend class regularly in that some things discussed in lecture may not be in your book. It is hoped that you will be interested enough and responsible enough to want to come to class. Additionally, group projects necessitate a sense of responsibility to the group.  Class attendance allows students an opportunity to learn material relevant to their group projects and (occasionally) time to contribute to the group work.

 

Tardiness: Please show up to class on time. Students coming in late to class are distracting not only to the instructor but also to the other students.

 

Cell Phones:  Cell phones are becoming an increasing problem during class time.  All cell phones should be left at home or at the very least turned off during class time.  It is NOT ACCEPTABLE to answer calls during class, to leave class to answer calls and then return to class, to check to see who called if your phone is on the Òsilent modeÓ, or to text message during class time.  Calls typically are not emergencies and returning or answering them can wait until after class.  All of these activities are inconsiderate and distracting to both the professor and classmates.  Beyond that, they take your concentration away from the subject matter.

 

Cheating: If anyone is caught cheating during an exam, they will be given a zero for that exam and the incident will be reported to the Student Conduct Board. Cheating is defined as both the giving and receiving of answers through means other than knowledge of the material. Likewise, changing grades, changing wrong answers to correct ones, advanced knowledge of exams or test questions, and plagiarism are all also considered cheating incidences and will be dealt with accordingly.

 

Students with disabilities: If you require special accommodations because of a learning or any other type of disability, please let me know as soon as possible so we can discuss and arrange for them.

 

Topics

 

The following is a tentative schedule of topics/activities to be covered throughout the semester. We will try to adhere to it as much as possible but it may become necessary to modify it.

 

Topic 1: Introduction to Women's Studies, Feminist Theories, and Non-sexist Research

Readings: Ashcraft - Chapter 1

 

Assignment 1 (Feminist theories individual paper) due.

 

Topic 2: Gender & Communication

Readings: Ashcraft - Chapter 12

 

Assignment 2 (Gender and communication group project) due.

 

Topic 3: Learning Gender Roles

Readings: Ashcraft - Chapter 6

 

Assignment 3 (Gender and the media group project) due.

 

Topic 4: : WomenÕs Health

Readings: Ashcraft - Chapter 5

 

Assignment 4: (Body image group project) due.

 

Topic 5: Women and Education

Readings: Ashcraft - Chapter 11

 

If we have time we will cover some of the following topics as well:

 

Stereotypes

Psychological Disorders

Women and Work