Department of Psychology, Unit Catalogue 2007/08 |
PS30084 Understanding gender relations |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Honours |
| Semester: 2 |
| Assessment: ES 100% |
| Requisites: |
| Before taking this unit you must take PS10086 and take PS20107 and take PS20108 |
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Aims: * To acquaint students with key theoretical and empirical research within mainstream social psychological approaches to the study of gender relations; * To develop students' knowledge of the main feminist perspectives on gender relations and their relevance for social psychology; * To promote an understanding of the main areas of theoretical and empirical research within critical social psychology which draw on feminist approaches; * To encourage students to apply a range of mainstream, feminist and critical social psychological approaches to specific issues of relevance to gender relations; * To develop students' understanding of the relationship between social relations around gender and class, ethnicity and sexuality. Learning Outcomes: After successful completion of this course students should be able to: * Describe and discuss the value of mainstream social psychological approaches to the study of gender relations, including research on the psychology of sex differences, theories of gender-role socialisation and Social Identity Theory. * Critically evaluate various feminist perspectives with reference to their relevance for social psychological research, including liberal, Marxist, radical, psychoanalytic and Black feminist approaches. * Compare and contrast the value of mainstream, feminist and critical social psychological approaches to the study of gender relations. * Evaluate the application of mainstream, feminist and critical social psychological approaches to specific issues of relevance for gender relations. Skills: * Understands the scientific underpinnings of psychology as a discipline, its historical origins, development and limitations. (T/F A) * Can demonstrate systematic knowledge and critical understanding of a range of influences on psychological functioning, how they are conceptualised across the core areas, and how they interrelate. The core knowledge domains within psychology include (i) research methods, (ii) biological psychology, (iii) cognitive psychology, (iv) individual differences, (v) developmental psychology and (vi) social psychology. In addition to these core areas it is expected that students will gain knowledge of conceptual and historical perspectives in psychology. (T/F A) * Has detailed knowledge of several specialised areas and/or applictaions, some of which are at the cutting edge of research in the discipline. (T/F A) * Can reason scientifically, understand the role of evidence and make critical judgements about arguments in psychology. (T/F A) * Can adopt multiple perspectives and systematically analyse the relationships between them. (T/F A) * To develop sensitivity to the values and interests of others. (T/F A) * Can communicate ideas and research findings both effectively and fluently by written, oral and visual means. (T/F A) * Can solve problems by clarifying questions, considering alternative solutions and evaluating outcomes. (T/F A) * Is sensitive to and can react appropriately to contextual and interpersonal factors in groups and teams. (T/F) * Can undertake self-directed study and project management in order to meet desired objectives. (T/F) * Is able to take charge of their own learning, and can reflect and evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses for the purposes of future learning. (T/F) Content: The course will cover: (1) Mainstream social psychology approaches to gender, including psychology of sex differences research, gender stereotyping and sex-role socialisation theory, social identity theory and evolutionary approaches; (2) Feminist approaches, including Liberal, Marxist and Radical feminist approaches, psychoanalytic theory and Black feminism; and (3) Critical social psychology approaches, including research on identity and subjectivity, embodiment, language and discourse, and representations. In the seminar section of the classes, students will facilitate discussion on the following topics: gender and mental health; family life; waged and unwaged work; men and masculinities; gender and language; rape and sexual violence; body image and eating disorders; romance and sexuality. |