This course will focus on the relationship between gender and education, primarily in the context of formalized schooling. By focusing on gender, we will be considering the experiences of boys, girls, women, and men. Some of the questions we will consider include: How does the structure of schools affect the development of gender identities? How are our educational choices affected by gender (for example, our choice of college major, how long we continue in school)? How do our educational choices affect our future life options?

The course objectives include:

• Development of a foundation of knowledge about existing sociological theories concerning the relationship between gender and education;

• Development of critical thinking skills by way of analysis and assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of different sociological theories and educational practices;

• Development of the recognition that "men", "women", "boys" and "girls" are not unitary categories but encompass a wide diversity in experiences and opportunities that differ by race, ethnicity, class, sexual identity/orientation, as well as cross-nationally;

• Development of the ability to formulate a sociological problem and develop testable hypothoses concerning that problem; and

• Development of written and verbal communication skills.

The required readings include two books (Jay MacLeod. 1995. Ain't No Makin' It and Jeanne Drysdale Weiler 2000. Codes and Contradictions) as well as a course reader available for purchase at the university bookstore. Additional required material for the course is available via JSTOR or PROQUEST, or on reserve. I am attempting to reduce the cost of course materials for students in the class by making some of the required reading available to you in this way. Please budget adequate time for accessing these materials. If you do not know how to access journal articles on-line, please consult with Jeanne Armstrong at Wilson library or with other knowledgeable library personnel. Learning to access information in this way is now an essential skill necessary for your success as a student and as a member of an increasingly technology-based economy.

This course is designated as a writing proficiency course. One of the purposes of this course, as defined by Western, is to give time and attention to developing your writing skills. The course will alternate between focusing on the substantive topic of gender and education explicitly, and focusing on learning to think and to write clearly. Students will write one extended paper on a topic related to the course material (approximately 12-15 pages). The paper requirement is met in stages, according to the dates listed below. The various stages of the paper will together count as 55% of your grade. Students first will submit descriptions of their paper topics, then a draft of the paper with bibliography. The final paper is due on the day our final is scheduled: March 19^th at 12:30 p.m. The draft and bibliography will be graded, and will count as 15% of your total grade for the course. Please also note that a draft is a requirement for the course. If a draft is not submitted, even if the grade that would be earned is a failing grade, the student will not pass the course. The final paper will count as 40% of your total grade for the course. Students will also present their paper in a panel format the last week of the course; this presentation constitutes 10% of your grade. The development of verbal communication skills is essential for your future success, in any endeavor you choose. Citizenship is also a quality to be encouraged: students who do not attend class on panel days will be penalized 5% of their total grade for the course.

There will be one (take-home) midterm exam that will count as 25% of your grade. Students are also responsible for submitting five 2-3 page reading notes on any of the assigned material noted with an asterisk*. Students will respond to a particular question concerning each of the assigned reading. These brief essays are due in class either the day before they are to be discussed (i.e., if they are to be discussed on Wednesday, handed in on Monday), or at the start of class the day they are to be discussed. No reading notes will be accepted late. The five reading notes will count as 10% of your grade (each is worth 2%). There is no final exam for the course.

Grades will be calculated as follows:

Midterm: 25%

Reading notes: 10%

Draft and bibliography: 15%

Final paper: 40%

Panel presentation: 10%

• West, Candace and Don H. Zimmerman. 1987. "Doing Gender". Gender and Society. 1(2): 125-151. (RP)

• Epstein, Cynthia Fuchs. 1999. "Similarity and Difference: the Sociology of Gender Distinctions". Pp. 45-61 in Handbook of the Sociology of Gender. Edited by Janet Saltzman Chafetz. NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. (RP)

• Jordan, Ellen and Angela Cowan. 1995. "Warrior Narratives in the Kindergarten Classroom: Renegotiating the Social Contract?" (RP)*

• Thorne, Barrie. 1994. "Girls and Boys Together ... But Mostly Apart: Gender Arrangements in Elementary Schools" and "Creating a Sense of Opposite Sides" (RP)*

• Messner, Michael. 1990. "Boyhood, Organized Sports and the Construction of Masculinities" (RP)*

• Dufur, Mikaela J. 1999. "Gender and Sport" Chapter 26. Handbook of the Sociology of Gender. Edited by Janet Saltzman Chafetz, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, NY 1999, pp 583-599. (RP)*

• Chapters 1 and 2, Ain't No Makin' It; Chapters 1 and 2, Codes and Contradictions

• Chapters 3-10, Codes and Contradictions

• Chapters 3-11, Ain't No Makin' It

• Rosenberg, Rosalind. 1988. "The Limits of Access: The History of Coeducation in America." (RP)*

• Kimmel, Michael. 2000. "Saving the Males: The Sociological Implications of the Virginia Military Institute and the Citadel." Gender and Society. 14(4): 494-516. (RP)*

• Bradley, Karen. 2000. "The Incorporation of Women into Higher Education: Paradoxical Outcomes?" Sociology of Education. 73(1); 1-18. (on-line or on reserve)*

• Brinton, Mary C. 1988. "The Social-Institutional Bases of Gender Stratification: Japan as an Illustrative Case." American Journal of Sociology. 94(2): 300-334. (on-line or on reserve)*

• Marini, Margaret Mooney, Pi-ling Fan, Erica Finley, and Ann M. Beutel. 1996. "Gender and Job Values." Sociology of Education. 69 (January): 49-65. (on-line or on reserve)*