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Sample Schedules of Classes
Semester Syllabus
The syllabus appearing here is for a course in communication, gender, and culture
that is taught at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. The entire syllabus is
included to provide an example of the types of information we find useful in delineating
expectations and responsibilities for the classroom.
***
“Gender, like culture, organizes for its members different
influence strategies, ways of communicating, non-verbal
languages, and ways of perceiving the world.”
Carol Tavris, The Mismeasure of Woman. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992), p. 291.
Gender and Communication
MWF (1-1:50 pm)
Designed as an introductory course, Communication Studies 224 focuses on
interactive relationships between gender and communication in contemporary American
society. This implies three priorities for our class. First, we’ll explore multiple ways
communication in families, schools, media, and society in general creates and perpetuates
gender roles. Second, we’ll consider how we enact socially created gender differences in
public and private settings and how this affects success, satisfaction, and self-esteem.
Third, and perhaps most important, we’ll connect theory and research to our personal
lives. Your experiences, insights, questions, and ideas are a key part of this course.
Throughout the term we’ll consider not only what is in terms of gender roles, but also
what might be and how we, as change agents, may act to improve our individual and
collective lives.
Readings
Wood, J. T. (2017). Gendered Lives: Communication, gender, and culture,
12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Selected Reserve Readings available at the Undergraduate Library, as listed on the class
schedule.
Course Philosophy
Learning is an active process in which we all participate. Viewing learning as an
active process implies several significant distinctions between many traditional classroom
interactions and what I hope this course will become for each of us. First, an active
process suggests the importance of understanding and experiencing ideas as they relate
to our own lives, rather than just remembering a list of facts. This course should provide
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us with plenty of material upon which to reflect as we consider the pervasive influence of
gender on personal identity and societal structures.
Second, a process continually evolves with no clear beginning or end. Hence, this
course should become a dialogue between all of us as we reflect upon the material
presented and its relevance in our experiences. Such a conversation includes
responsibilities to which we must all agree. Clearly, one initial responsibility involves
being in class regularly. But merely being in class is not enough to create a climate in
which we can all learn. Being prepared for class is an additional commitment that is
necessary from each of us. A quick reading of the assigned material will do little to
prepare for class. The nature of the material presented in this course invites critical
reflection upon the ideas and a willingness to share our insights and perspectives on
personal and potentially controversial topics. A final and vitally important responsibility
involves a willingness to be open to and consider the thoughts and ideas of others in the
classroom. If there are thirty-two of us in the course, then there will be at least thirty-two
different perspectives. No one experience or viewpoint is more important or more
valuable than any other. You may not agree with the views expressed by others in the
course, but we must all agree to respect each individual’s right to have and share their
own experiences. Hearing and listening to the perspectives of others should do nothing
more than create greater understanding of the diversity of experience in contemporary
American society.
Assignments
Class Business. Each day the first ten minutes of class will be used for discussion of
some of the many ways gender issues surface in the world in which we live. As a
semester-long course, there is never enough time to include all of the interesting topics
that arise from studying gender and communication. “Class business” will allow us to
consider more of the ways gender issues pop up in our lives and experiences. As the
course progresses, we will all be more aware of the power of gender and the prevalence
of gender stereotypes. Readings, television programs, advertisements, classroom
experiences, and our interactions with others, all provide fertile ground for material for
“class business.” Please be willing to bring in examples for discussion and also be ready
to share your perspectives on the issues raised. Finally, “class business” is considered
fair game for test questions—the ways we notice gender issues in daily life are at least as
important as other material from the readings, lectures, and class discussions.
Testing. This course includes two midterms, each valued at 20% of the course grade, and
a final that is worth 30% of the course grade. The final is cumulative, as the material
presented later in the course builds upon earlier theories and information discussed.
There are no provisions for missed tests. If you miss a test for a University-approved
reason, the weight of that assignment is placed on the final. Of course, proper
documentation and, if appropriate, prior approval are necessary for redistributing the
weight of a midterm to the final. The midterms and the final will include both objective
and essay items.
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Gender Journal. Throughout the course, questions will be assigned for your
consideration and reflection. In responding to the questions, use one to two (or more)
paragraphs to share your perspective on, understanding of, and experiences with, the
topics assigned. Journals must be typed. As most of the issues are highly personal,
consider the types of responses you are willing to share with me. I can assure you that I
consider your journals confidential material and no eyes will read your responses other
than mine. At the same time, I do not want to force you to share experiences you would
rather not disclose. Please feel free to ask me to share my experiences as they relate to
any of the assignments. I would not expect you to consider any topic that I am not
willing to discuss. The journals are worth 20% of your course grade and are evaluated
based on the depth and understanding you display of course concepts. Include analysis of
the topic assigned, not just a description. Depth is the key issue. Don’t be afraid to
carefully examine what you believe and why you believe what you believe. Most
importantly, remember the journals are really for your benefit, not mine, so use them to
meet your needs. Journals are due twice during the semester, on March 3 and April 19;
each time a grade will be assigned worth 10% of the course grade.
Focus Questions. In order to facilitate discussion, participation, and critical thinking, you
are required to submit at least two “focus questions/comments” for each day, as noted on
the syllabus. These questions/comments, which may be handwritten, should demonstrate
careful reading and consideration of the assignments. Further, you are expected to push
beyond the surface to explore or question the underlying assumptions and the
implications of the material. Your focus questions/comments are to be submitted at the
beginning of class, and will not be accepted after discussion has begun. They will be
assigned from “0” to “5” points depending on their quality, and will account for 10% of
your course grade.
Grading. Grades are based on a ten-point scale. Thus, 90-92 is an A minus, 93 and
above an A, and so on. There are no provisions for extra credit. Handing in Journals late
results in a 3-point per day penalty, including weekend days. Writing proficiency is
considered a significant part of any grade assigned. The College of Arts and Sciences
puts it like this: “Students should expect to be graded on spelling, punctuation, grammar,
and style as well as on the content and organization of their written work.”
Honor Code. You are bound by the standards of the UNC honor code for all of your
work in this course. Hence, accept and give no “unauthorized assistance” on any of the
assignments for the course. Signing your name on your assignments is your pledge and
consent to abiding by the honor code.
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Schedule of Classes
Date Class Focus Readings/Assignments
08/21 Course Intro, Syllabus review none
08/23 Assumptions about gender Chapter 1
Focus questions due
08/26 Theories of Gender Development Chapter 2
Focus questions due
08/28 Theories of Gender Development
Film: Secret of the Sexes
08/30 Women’s Movements Chapter 3
Focus questions due
09/02 No class: Labor Day
09/04 Diversity within women’s movements bell hooks, ““Black
Women: Shaping
Feminist Theory”
Sojourner Truth,
“Ain’t I A Woman?”
Donna Kate Rushin,
“The Bridge Poem”
Cherríe Moraga, “The
Welder”
Focus questions due
09/06 Men’s Movements Chapter 4
Focus questions due
09/09 Backlash/Antifeminism Susan Faludi,
“Blame It on
Feminism”
Focus questions due
09/11 Becoming Gendered Chapter 7
Focus questions due
09/13 Learning Gender beyond the Family
Film: Tough Guise
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09/16 Gendered Education Chapter 8
Focus questions due
09/18 Gendered Education Nel Noddings, “A
Morally
Defensible Mission
for Schools in the 21st
Century”
09/20 Discussion
09/23 Exam 1
09/25 Gendered Verbal Communication Chapter 5
Focus questions due
09/27 Gendered Verbal Communication Chapter 5
09/30 Sexist Language Sherryl Kleinman,
“Why Sexist
Language Matters”
Douglas Hofstadter,
“A Person Paper on
Purity in Language”
10/02 Language as a Tool Gloria Steinem,
“Womb Envy,
Testyria, and Breast
Castration Anxiety”
10/04 Gendered Nonverbal Communication Chapter 6
Focus questions due
10/07 Gendered Nonverbal Communication Chapter 6
10/09 Gendered Body Image Sandra Lee Bartky,
“The Feminine
Body”
Abra Fortune
Chernik, “The
Body Politic”
Sirena J. Riley, “The
Black Beauty Myth”
Harrison G. Pope,
Katharine A. Phillips
and Roberto
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Olivardia, “The
Adonis Complex”
Focus questions due
10/11 Gendered Body Image
Guest speaker
10/14 Gendered Friendships pp. 209-218
Focus questions due
10/16 Gendered Friendships Julia T. Wood, “He
Says, She Says:
Misunderstandings
Between Men and
Women”
10/18 Fall Break
10/21 Gendered Romance pp. 218-230
Focus questions due
10/23 Gendered Romance Adrienne Rich,
““Compulsory
Heterosexuality and
Lesbian Existence””
Focus questions due
10/25 Discussion
10/28 Exam 2
10/30 Gendered Organizational p. 231-237
Communication Focus questions due
11/01 Gendered Organizational p. 237-246
Communication Focus questions due
11/04 Redressing Inequities p. 246-255
Focus questions due
11/06 Redressing Inequities Barbara Ehrenreich,
“Nickel and Dimed”
Focus questions due
11/08 Mediated Gender Chapter 11
Focus questions due
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11/11 Mediated Gender
Film: Killing Us Softly 3
11/13 Analyzing Advertisements Bring in 2+ Ads
11/15 Gendered violence Chapter 12
Focus questions due
11/18 Gendered Violence Julia T. Wood, “The
Normalization of
Violence in
Heterosexual
Romantic
Relationships”
Focus questions due
11/20 Gendered Violence
Guest speaker
11/22 Mediated Violence
Film: Dreamworlds
11/25 Mediated Violence Emilie Morgan,
“Don’’t Call Me a
Survivor”
Suzanne Pharr,
“Homophobia: A
Weapon of Sexism”
Focus questions due
11/27 Agency and Voice Whitney Walker,
“Why I Fight Back”
Pat Schroeder,
“Running
for Our Lives:
Electoral Politics”
Focus questions due
12/02 Exam Review/Class Party
Final Exam
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Summer Session Scheduling
The following is a sample schedule of classes for a course taught during a summer
session. At UNC-CH, summer classes are scheduled to meet five days a week, for one and
one-half hours each day.
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND ASSIGNMENTS
May 21 Introduction to the course Reading
Conceptual Foundations
22 Course topics, terms, & assumptions Introduction
Chapter 1
26 Theories of gender development Chapter 2
27 Women’s Movements Chapter 3
28 Men’s Movements Chapter 4
Creating Gender through Communication
29 The early years: Learning gender Chapter 7
June 1 Film on family communication: The Pinks and the Blues
small group discussions
2 Examination #1
3 The “gender curriculum” Chapter 8
4 Verbal communication & gender Chapter 6
5 Nonverbal communication & gender Chapter 7
8 Film: Tough Guise Turn in
Journals (Opt.)
9 Gender differences in friendship pp. 209-218
10 Gender differences in intimacy pp. 218-230
EXERCISE: RAPPORT/REPORT TALK
11 Gender and professional life pp. 231-246
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Gender in Social and Public Communication Contexts
12 Addressing Inequities pp. 246-255
15 Examination #2
16 Media messages about gender Chapter 11
17 Group discussions of media messages
Bring in 3 + advertisements
18 Gendered Violence Chapter 12
19 Film: Dreamworlds Journals (20%)
22 Discussion of Gender and Violence
Review and evaluation of course;
preview of final examination
24 Final Exam (40%)
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Quarter-long Experiential Focus
The following syllabus is intended for a class that meets for one quarter; classes are
scheduled to meet five days a week, for 50 minutes each day. This syllabus includes exercises,
speakers, and presentations that intend to expand beyond the material presented in the text. For a
class to work with this type of experiential focus, students must read the text carefully, so that
class discussions can move beyond the material presented in the text.
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND ASSIGNMENTS
Date Class Focus Reading
March 29 Introduction and course overview
30 Self-positioning for study of gender issues Introduction
30 Activity: Beliefs about sex and gender
31 Course topics, terms, and assumptions Chapter 1
April 1 Student presentations: Research on Androgyny
2 Theories of gender development Chapter 2
5 Activity: Theories of gender development
6 George Herbert Mead: Symbolic Interactionism
7 Examining Standpoint Theory
8 Men’s and Women’s Movements Chapter 3 & 4
9 Holiday
12 Guest Panel: Feminist Voices
13 Video: Get On the Bus
14 “The Backlash” Faludi, Ch. 4
15 Examination #1 (20%)
16 Gendered Verbal Communication Chapter 5
19 Exercise: Rapport/Report Talk Tannen, Ch. 2 &3
20 The power of language Spender
21 Gendered Nonverbal Communication Chapter 6
April 22 Video: In & Out
23 Complete video & class discussion Journals Due
26 Becoming Gendered Chapter 7
27 Video: The Pinks and the Blues
28 Gendered Friendships 1st half Ch. 9
29 Gendered Intimate Relationships Complete Ch. 9
30 Video clips: Relationships
May 3 Gendered Education Chapter 8
4 Exercise: The Gender Curriculum
5 Observation: Gender in preschool settings
6 Student Suggested Topic
7 Examination #2 (20%)
10 Media messages and gender Chapter 11
11 Video: Dreamworlds
12 Gendered Violence Chapter 12
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13 Exercise: Advertising and gender
14 The Beauty Myth Wolf
17 Gender and organizational life Chapter 10
18 Guest speaker: Sexual harassment Sandler & Hughes
19 Panel: Dual-worker relationships
20 Student presentations: Gender in organizational settings
21 Student presentations continued Journals Due
26 Student suggested topics
27 Student suggested topics
28 Group project meeting day
31 HOLIDAY
June 1 Group presentations
2 Group presentations
3 Group presentations
4 Group presentations
7 Wrap-up and review
9 Final Exam (30%)
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Part II: Key Concepts, Activities, and Tests
In this section of the resource book, you will find summaries, suggested journal
assignments, activities, and tests to accompany each chapter of the text. For some chapters, we
suggest a specific activity, for which we provide a detailed explanation. In other cases we
provide several general exercises that can be tailored to the specific emphases of your course.
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Introduction: Opening the Conversation
I. Julia Wood Introduces Herself
A. Authors’ perspectives affect how books are written.
B. Julia is a “European American, middle-aged, heterosexual, spiritually engaged,
middle-class woman who has been in a committed relationship […] for 41 years.”
C. She became a feminist during the second wave of feminism.
D. She notes that some of her social location gives her privilege while other aspects
disadvantage her.
II. The Social Construction of Inequality
A. It is possible to change society. We do not have to accept discrimination. Because
we construct society, we can reconstruct it.
B. Learning about others helps us expand our view of the world. It is also important to
remember the limits of our own perspective and realize that we do not know
everything and our experience is not everyone else’s experience.
III. Feminism—Feminisms
A. “Feminism” was coined in France in the 1800s and combines the word “woman”
(“femme”) and the suffix “ism” (which means political position): a political position
about women.
B. Feminism is not a single belief or position and has been portrayed in distorted ways
by media.
C. Many people avoid using the word “feminist” because it is often associated with
radical protests and male-bashing.
D. Both heterosexual men and women who are in relationships with feminist partners are
happier and more satisfied with their relationships than are heterosexual men and
women with nonfeminist partners.
E. Julia defines feminism as including “respecting all people, as well as nonhuman
forms of life and the Earth itself” and being against all kinds of oppression.
F. Feminism is a consciousness that one develops, not a single thing that happens.
IV. Features of Gendered Lives
A. The book uses diverse examples that cover various classes, ethnicities, races, and
sexual orientations.
B. The text uses inclusive language like “he and she” instead of simply “he” and
“committed relationships” rather than “marriages.”
C. Student voices are featured in the book by including their commentary on various
topics.
V. Becoming Aware
A. Reading Gendered Lives will increase your awareness and knowledge about gender.
Reading it may feel informative at times and frustrating other times.
B. Becoming aware of injustices equips you to be critical of those inequities. Speaking
out about inequality can be empowering and also frustrating.
C. It is important to remember that our culture is constructed in ways that are oppressive,
and the problem does not lie with individual people.
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VI. Why I Wrote this Book
A. Julia wrote this book because she believes change in the way we enact gender is
needed.
B. The possibility for change is attested to by numerous historical facts and cultural
shifts.
C. More changes must be made so that all people are treated equally and have access to
humane and fulfilling lives.
VII. Communication as the Fulcrum of Change
A. We use communication to identify and challenge inequity.
B. Public discourse and personal communication can enact change.
C. Learning about gender is an important step towards changing it.
VIII. The Challenge of Studying Communication, Gender, and Culture
A. Studying communication, gender, and culture means considering new ideas and
taking risks.
B. Awareness comes with responsibility to confront inequity.
C. Although studying gender, communication, and culture can be frustrating, it can also
be rewarding.
Journal Entry
1. After reading the Introduction to the text, position yourself as an individual studying
gender and communication. Discuss/comment on the importance of acknowledging your
standpoint(s), such as gender, race, class, sexuality, geography, age, etc., and how they
might affect your perspective on gender issues.
2. Ask two or three people—friends, colleagues, or family members—to define feminism and
reflect on their answers. How do your informants define feminism? Are the definitions
similar to one another or are they diverse? Do your informants define feminism positively,
negatively, or in a neutral fashion? How do your informants’ definitions intersect with
Wood’s discussion of feminism?
Getting to Know You Activities
We have found it desirable to learn students’ names early in the semester as a way of
connecting with individual students more personally within classroom interactions. Creating an
open and comfortable climate in the classroom is one of the most important elements in ensuring
a successful course. There are undoubtedly many different options for learning students’ names.
Here are a couple of activities we have tried and found successful:
1. Arrange the class in a circle. Have the person to your right or left tell her/his name. Let
the next person tell her/his name and the first person’s name. The third student will share
her/his name as well as those of the first two students, and so on, and so on . . . . As the
activity continues around the circle, students become involved in remembering others’
names and also in helping classmates remember names. Be sure that you are the last
person in the activity and recite the names of all the students in the class.
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2. Allow each student to find an item in her/his purse, backpack, or wallet that represents
something about her/him as a person. Let students introduce themselves and share their
items, as well as the stories their items hold. Often students share a picture of a significant
other, a checkbook that never seems to balance, or even a driver’s license that required
three attempts to pass the driving test.
3. Several instructors in our communication studies department find it useful to ask students
to fill out index cards on the first day of class with students’ names, contact information,
and why she or he chose to enroll in this course. We find it helpful to use these cards as
not only a way for the instructor to become better acquainted with the students, but also for
the students to help construct the course. For example, you might ask them to include the
most frequent criticism they have heard concerning gender studies. Then, when you come
to the day when the readings on Backlash are due a few weeks later, bring these cards back
out and address these comments. This helps create an atmosphere for a diversity of views
in a less confrontational climate.
4. In the textbook, Wood discusses “Confusing Attitudes.” Ask each student to anonymously
write down one issue regarding gender about which she/he feels either very confused or at
odds with peers. Ask them to include why. Then, collect their papers and redistribute them.
Ask each student to read the paper she/he has received out loud and then answer one or two
questions as if those where her/his own words. As an early exercise in the class, it can
serve to help you and the rest of the class discover what experiences and ideas are being
brought into the room.
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Suggested Activity: Beliefs about Sex and Gender Issues
The following activity is intended to be completed in two parts. First, individuals indicate
a “generally true” or “generally false” response to each statement on the survey “Beliefs about
Sex and Gender Issues” included with this activity. After each individual has responded to all of
the statements, divide the class into groups of four to five students. Allow the students to discuss
their beliefs and feelings on each question and arrive at a consensus response for each survey
statement.
In discussing the survey statements after groups have arrived at a consensus, encourage
students to share the assumptions that guide their perspectives on the statements. The exercise
intends to allow the class to start examining their opinions and beliefs on various gender issues
that will be addressed throughout the course.
Below, you will find thoughts that may help to guide your discussion of particular items.
1. Women are more empathic than men. The answer is generally false. There is some danger
2. Young children need an at-home mother at least for the first years of life. Again, the
3. America’s national policy guarantees parental leaves only if they are unpaid. Again, the
4. Women generally value friendships more than men. Men and women both value
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false. There do tend to be some generalizable differences in the activities that characterize
men’s and women’s friendships; men more typically engage in activity-oriented
friendships, while women’s relationships tend to revolve more around personal, disclosive
talk.
5. Women generally want to talk “about the relationship” more than men do. The correct
6. Women’s hormonal swings and PMS make them unsuitable for military service or high
7. Affirmative Action policies involve quotas that require hiring certain
8. In American schools educational opportunities are equal for women and men. It is
9. Having lower self-esteem than males is a weakness of many females. This question
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10. Women generally have more natural instincts for nurturing than men do. The
socialized, rather than biological differences between men and women.
11. Feminists are pro-choice in the abortion debate—the decision should be up to the
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BELIEFS ABOUT SEX AND GENDER ISSUES
Read the statements listed below. Then indicate whether you think each statement is generally true or
false in the column labeled INDIVIDUAL OPINIONS. Next, discuss the statements with members of
your group and reach a GROUP OPINIONS for each. Focus your discussions on understanding why
group members think as they do.
INDIVIDUAL OPINIONS GROUP OPINIONS
Generally Generally Generally Generally
True False True False
1. Women are more empathic
than men. _______ _______ _______ _______
2. Young children need an
at-home mother at least
for the first years of
life. ______ _______ _______ _______
3. America’s national policy
guarantees parental leaves
only if they are unpaid. ______ _______ _______ _______
4. Women generally value
friendships more than men. ______ _______ _______ _______
5. Women generally want to
talk “about the relation–
ship” more than men do. ______ _______ _______ _______
6. Women’s hormonal swings and
PMS make them unsuitable
for military service or
high political offices. ______ _______ _______ _______
7. Affirmative Action policies
involve quotas that require
hiring certain percentages
of women and minorities. ______ _______ _______ _______
8. In American schools educa-
tional opportunities are
equal for women and men. ______ _______ _______ _______
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9. Having lower self-esteem
10. Women generally have more
11. Feminists are pro-choice
in the abortion debate—the decision
should be up to the individual
women. ______ _______ _______ _______