Anth 316: Anthropology of Sex and Gender - CSUF Anthropology

Anth 316: Anthropology of Sex and GenderFall 2013Section 01 MW 10:00 – 11:15 MH 408Section 02 MW 2:30 – 3:45 MH 408Instructor: Dr. Elizabeth PillsworthOffice Hours: M 4:00-5:30, W 4:00-5:30; Th 10:00-12:00, or by appointmentOffice: MH-426H Phone: 657-278-5603Email: epillsworth@fullerton.edu Fax: 657-278-5001** IMPORTANT ** Email is my preferred method of communication and the best way toreach me. **EVEN MORE IMPORTANT** The subject line of your email MUST BE“Anth 316.” Any emails without this subject line will likely be lost as I have an AUTOMATICFILTER set to highlight ONLY those emails with “Anth 316” in the subject line.Please use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation in your emails, and ALWAYS sign yourname. Emails sent in “text” speak or without appropriate salutation (my title is Dr. or Prof.Pillsworth, not “hey,” “Miss,” or “Mrs.”) will incur my wrath and may be ignored.Course Description:This course examines questions of sex and gender from an evolutionary perspective. Why are womenand men so different? In what ways are they similar? How do ecology and resources relate to sexuality,gender differences, and jealousy? Can a Darwinian perspective help us understand sexual orientation,mate preferences, and love? We will begin with a brief introduction to evolutionary theory andbehavioral ecology to help us put the concepts of “male” and “female” into a broader context. We willthen examine the reproductive systems of humans and our closest living relatives, the great apes. Fromthere will explore women’s and men’s sexual psychologies: mate preferences, reproductive strategies, andsexual desire. We will look at how an understanding of sex and gender can help us understand patterns ofbehavior as variant as patriarchy, politics, cooperation, and warfare.Required Texts:(1) Low, Bobbi S. 2000. Why Sex Matters: A Darwinian Look at Human Behavior. Princeton UniversityPress. Available in the TITAN Bookstore.(2) Quirk, Joe. 2006. It’s Not You, It’s Biology: The Science of Love, Sex, and Relationships.Philadelphia, Running Press. Link posted on TITANium.(3) Additional required readings will be posted on TITANium throughout the semester.NOTE: What’s Love Got to Do with It, by Meredith Small, will NOT be used this semester.Course Prerequisites:Students must have completed General Education Category III.C.1 – Introduction to Social Sciences.General Education Requirements:• Anth 316 fulfills General Education Category IV: Lifelong Learning• Anth 316 fulfills General Education Category V: Cultural Diversity

Anthropology of Sex and Gender as a General Education Requirement:UPS 411.201 requires all GE classes to include a writing assignment.• “Writing assignments in General Education courses should involve the organization and expression ofcomplex data or ideas and careful and timely evaluations of writing so that deficiencies are identified andsuggestions for improvement and/or for means of remediation are offered. Assessments of the student’swriting competence shall be used in determining the final course grade.” Your reading questions and papersfulfill this requirement because you will organize and express complex data and ideas related to your growingunderstanding of the foundations of human behavioral ecology. You will receive timely feedback and you willhave the opportunity to edit your response paper and resubmit it.According to our university, General Education courses fulfilling category IV (Lifelong Learning) shouldaddress the issues listed below.• “Further students’ own critical self-understanding and acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessaryto engage and reflect in learning and self-development practices.” Students will be required to criticallyevaluate popular media representations of sex and gender, and reflect how these relate to their own selfunderstanding.• “Develop strategies to be integrated physiological, socio-cultural, and psychological beings to promote aholistic awareness of lifelong learning throughout their lives.” Students will learn about sex and gender fromthe perspectives of biological evolution, cultural norms, and psychology, allowing them to integrate theseperspectives in their understanding of self, and apply a similar holistic approach to other areas of their lives.• “Actively apply and participate in developing lifelong commitment to health for both personal well-being andsocietal responsibility.” Topics will include sexual behavior, risk-taking, aggression, cooperation, andreproduction and require students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world, every-day situations• “Develop themselves as responsible citizens, employees and employers, family members, and members of theglobal society.” Students will learn about human diversity, gender stereotypes, and sexual behavior, and willbe asked to reflect on notions of equity, tolerance, and understanding.According to our university, General Education courses fulfilling category V (Cultural Diversity) should addressthe issues listed below.• “Demonstrate understanding that culture is socially constructed and fundamental to social interaction.”Students will learn about the human capacity for culture and the importance of cultural learning, and how theseapply to cultural variations in gender stereotypes, gender roles, and sexual behavior.• “Demonstrate appreciation of the complex relationships that various factors such as gender, ethnicity, race,sexual orientation, religion, and class bring to a discussion of society and culture.” The course will drawupon many cross-cultural, cross-temporal, and cross-species examples to understand how ecology, evolution,history, and culture impact sex and gender.• “Demonstrate understanding that because we live in an inter-connected world, we need to understand thediversity and relationships within and among cultures.” Students will learn about human diversity, genderstereotypes, and sexual behavior both within and between cultures, and will be asked to apply these ideas toquestions of equity and tolerance.• “Recognize and evaluate how one’s cultural history affects one’s sense of self and relationship to others.” Inexploring sexual and romantic behavior, as well as sex roles and gendered-divisions of labor, in a crossculturalperspective, students will be required to reflect on their own cultural background and how it relates totheir own practices and ideas.(Quotes from UPS 411.201).Course Objectives:Our objectives are to develop a deeper understanding of:• Sexual and reproductive behavior in humans• Variation in gender roles, sexual behavior, and gender identity• Evolutionary theory• The evolution of sex roles• How sex and gender relate to broader domains of human social behavior

Grading:Attendance/participation (10% of total grade): I expect you to demonstrate that you have read theassigned chapters and articles prior to class, through your engagement in the class discussions. Ido not require you to speak in class (though I strongly encourage it!), but I do require that you areactively engaged in class. You WILL lose points if you are checking email, texting, reading thenewspaper, snoozing, chatting with your neighbor, etc. Attendance is expected for all classmeetings. Regularity of attendance or participation in discussions may, at my discretion, be usedto influence a borderline grade (please note that I use the +/- grading system).Discussion Questions (5% of total grade): You are required to come to each class with preparedquestions or comments regarding the current material. Students will be called on randomly toread their questions/comments aloud to the class and to turn what they’ve written. You will begraded on the questions you turn in.Tests (30% of total grade): There will be three short (25 questions) tests for this course. Each test willbe more or less equal in length and scope and will primarily cover the most recent course contentonly. Tests will be multiple choice and short answer format, and will be timed. They are closedbooktests.Paper (45% of total grade): There is one research paper in this class, but the task will be broken upinto three separate assignments. You will submit an annotated bibliography (30 points) in aboutWeek 6; a first draft of the paper (70 points) in about Week 9; and a final paper (100 points)during Finals Week. Students must work independently on their papers. Student writingcompetence will be assessed based on the ability to successfully integrate course material andapply that integrated knowledge to critical thinking and reasoning skills. You will be required toresearch and cite articles from peer-reviewed scholarly journals in your papers. Your paper gradewill be the total number of points earned out of 200 (30 + 70 + 100). This grade will be weightedto make up 45% of your final class grade.Peer-Review (10% of total grade): You will be required to read and review one other student’s firstdraft paper (papers will be randomly assigned and reviews will be anonymous to the author).Your review will be graded and will comprise 10% of your total course grade.Extra Credit: Extra credit opportunities may be provided at professor discretion.Grading Scale:A+ 98% or greater C+ 78 – 79%A 92 – 97% C 71 – 77%A- 90 – 91% C- 69 – 70%B+ 88 – 89% D+ 67 – 68%B 82 – 87% D 60 – 66%B- 80 – 81% F 59% or lessSpecial Needs: The learning community at CSUF respects all forms of diversity. Please see me if youneed accommodations for a registered disability, or to fulfill cultural or religious obligations. Studentswith special needs should contact Disabled Student Services to register and learn about the servicesavailable to support their learning. You may learn more from their websitehttp://www.fullerton.edu/disabledservices/index.htm

Academic Integrity: Students are expected to maintain a high standard of academic integrity. Studentswho violate university standards of academic integrity are subject to disciplinary sanctions, including agrade of “0” on the assignment, failure in the course, and suspension from the university. Sincedishonesty in any form harms the individual, other students, and the university, policies on academicintegrity are strictly enforced. Familiarize yourself with the academic dishonesty policy, which can befound in the current student handbook or on the web athttp://www.fullerton.edu/senate/PDF/300/UPS300-021.pdfCheating is not fair to students who earn their grades fairly (good or bad!). Dishonesty includes, but isnot limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of academicdishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another personor work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of otherstudents. All students are expected to follow the ethical principles of academic integrity. Minimally, if astudent violates these principles in my class, he or she will be required to meet with me outside of classand redo any work involved, or I may assign a “0” grade on the assignment. Maximally, I will give thestudent a failing grade in the class and refer the matter to the Associate Dean of Judicial Affairs in theOffice of Student Affairs.Emergency Procedures Notice to StudentsThe safety of all students attending California State University Fullerton is of paramount importance. During an emergency it isnecessary for students to have a basic understanding of their personal responsibilities and the University’s emergency responseprocedures. In the event of an emergency, please adhere to the following guidelines.Before an emergency occurs:• Know the safe evacuation routes for your specific building and floor.• Know the evacuation assembly areas for your building.When an emergency occurs:• Keep calm and do not run or panic. Your best chance of emerging from an emergency is with a clear head.• Evacuation is not always the safest course of action. If directed to evacuate, take all of your belongings and proceed safelyto the nearest evacuation route.• Do not leave the area. Remember that faculty and other staff members need to be able to account for your whereabouts.• Do not re-enter building until informed it is safe by a building marshal or other campus authority.• If directed to evacuate the campus, please follow the evacuation routes established by either parking or police officers.After an emergency occurs:• If an emergency disrupts normal campus operations or causes the University to close for a prolonged period of time (morethan three days), students are expected to complete the course assignments listed on the syllabus as soon as it is reasonablypossible to do so.• Students can determine the University's operational status by checking the University's web site athttp://www.fullerton.edu, calling the University's hotline number at 657-278-4444, or tuning into area radio and televisionstations. Students should assume that classes will be held unless they hear or read an official closure announcement.