Gender in Society

Curriculum guideline

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Course
SOCI 2240
Discontinued
No
Course code
SOCI 2240
Descriptive
Gender in Society
Department
Sociology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Contact hours

Lecture: 4 hrs. per week

Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

The course will employ a variety of instructional methods, including the following: class discussions in small groups, analysis exercises, interactive lectures and seminars, visits from guest speakers, and other small group learning activities. 

Course description
This course investigates gender in contemporary society, noting how gender relations have changed significantly throughout time. While the course focuses primarily on understanding gender in Canada today, it does so with reference to the historical and contemporary diversity of populations here and elsewhere in the world. The course draws on intersectional and decolonial approaches and considers the inter-locking forces of gender, race, Indigeneity, sexual orientation, class and much more. Course materials examine socio-cultural institutions such as the family, the educational system, the mass media and the workplace, and assess the extent to which socialization experiences continue to be shaped by the cultural dominance of the gender binary. Course assessments will encourage dialogue and provide students with the opportunity to take stock of current struggles, tensions and forms of resistance related to gender. Students will engage with feminist sociology through applied and creative research activities and projects to envision actions that can create a more equitable and just future.


Note: This course can count towards an Associate of Arts specialization in Gender, Sexualities and Women's Studies.
Course content

A course outline may include the following topics: 

Note: Content may vary according to the instructor’s selection of topics.

  • Sociology and Understanding Gender Relations 
  • Situating Ourselves and a Feminist Sociology 
  • Gender and Social Change in the Canadian Context 
  • Becoming Gendered 
  • Gender and Gender Relations in a Globalized Transnational World 
  • The Power of Representation: Media and Gender 
  • Unsettling Relations: Gender and Violence in Context 
  • Public/Private: Insights into Care, Work, and Home 
  • The Field of Social Change: Sport and Gender 
  • Navigating Everyday Structures: Gender and the City 
  • Imagining a Feminist Future  
  • Mapping the New Terrain of Feminist Engagement and Activism 
Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, the successful student will be able to:

  • explain the evolution of gender as a category of analysis within the discipline of sociology
  • explain how key social institutions shape gender and gender relations
  • identify the underlying power structures that support systemic inequities in Canada and globally 
  • identify key shifts in gender relations in Canadian and global society 
  • identify how systemic forms of power and power relations shape gendered inequities 
  • apply key sociological perspectives and theories--such as social construction of gender, intersectionality, Indigenous feminisms--to relevant examples  
  • investigate current issues in gender and society drawing on a feminist sociological lens, as well as related theoretical perspectives 

 

 

 

 

 

Means of assessment

Evaluation will be connected to learning outcomes and will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific criteria during the first week of classes. 

Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. 

An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be: 

Class Engagement 10% 

Media Analysis 20% 

Reading Reflections 20% 

Research Assignment 20% 

Exam 15% 

Exam 15% 

Total  100%  

 

Students may conduct research with human participants as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with college policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans.

Textbook materials

Texts and other required readings will be updated periodically. Suitable examplesof course textsare: 

  • Amy Kaler. 2022. Gender in Society Reader. Oxford University Press. 

  • Linda L. Lindsey. 2021. Gender: Sociological Perspectives, 7th edition. Routledge. 

  • Robyn Ryle. 2023. Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration, 5th edition. Sage. 

 

Prerequisites

SOCI 1125 or SOCI 1145 or SOCI 1155