OSAKA UNIVERSITY SHORT-TERM STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM _

GENDER STUDIES

Paola Cavaliere (Graduate School of Human Sciences)

Course Objective
When we study human relations or social institutions, gender emerges as an extremely important analytical category along with socioeconomic status, socially perceived categories of race or ethnicity, age and disability. At the same time, while gender equality is considered a desirable goal by policy makers in many societies, policy measures to realize this ideal often fall short. In this course we will begin by taking a theoretical approach to gender as a relational category of analysis, drawing largely on sociology and anthropology. We will explore the relationship between gender, sex and sexuality. We will then move on to look at how gender operates in social institutions and human relationships. Finally, we will explore gender equality policy in a Japanese society within the wider context of transnational feminism and an expanding concept of human rights. A key question raised in the course is how has gender been constructed in modern/contemporary Japan.

Learning Goals
By the end of the course, with reasonable confidence students should be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding. After studying this course you should be able to:

Define key concepts introduced in the class
Demonstrate an understanding of different interpretations of gender, gender identity acquisition and gendered performance
Employ with a degree of confidence a gender perspective to analysing the operation of gender in the workplace, family, education system, media or political system in Japan
Begin to understand the importance of analysing social issues using an intersectional approach

2 Skills, Qualities and Attributes. After studying this course you should be able to:

Demonstrate the ability to critically interpret, evaluate and present scholarly arguments on a specific topic
Demonstrate confidence in critically engaging with source material to accurately summarize key themes/topics and develop an argument in a presentation format, drawing on a range of media and technology
Offer informed opinions in class or in discussion groups on sensitive topics
Demonstrate the ability to work independently and in a self-directed manner through appropriate planning, time management and completion of course work.
Distinguish and provide critical analysis of a range of disciplinary perspectives on key social issues pertaining to Japanese society.
Identify and critique key social, economic and political forces impacting on Japanese society at various levels in the 21st century.

Skills, Qualities and Attributes. After studying this course you should be able to:

Demonstrate the ability to critically interpret, evaluate and present scholarly arguments on a specific topic with a high degree of independence.
Demonstrate the ability to work independently and in a self-directed manners through appropriate planning, time management and completion of course work.

Requirement / Prerequisite
NONE

Class Plan

Theme Content

Week 1 第 1 回: Introduction to Class 1 Orientation: What is gender and why does it matter?
Introduction to the course and to expectations of students.
Discussion: What does gender mean to you? What is the difference between gender and sexuality? In what areas of your life does gender and sexuality matter?

Week 2 第 2 回: Constructing gender: sexual dimorphism and the gender binary For much of history and in many cultural settings women and men, girls and boys have been constructed as 'opposite' sexes. In today's class we will explore the construction of this gender binary and the ways in which this operates to produce and reproduce inequality.

Week 3 第 3 回: Deconstructing gender: intersex and transgender In a world where gender has been neatly constructed into a binary of male and female, intersex and trans gender people create disorder. The newly emerging field of trans studies raises many question about the stability of sex and gender as categories, the extent to which they are external to or embedded in the individuals who experience them, whether they are biologically or socially based. Today's class will take a brief look at newly emerging knowledge about transgender and intersex people.

Week 4 第 4 回: Gender and sexuality in childhood and adolescence By the age of three a child can read gendered clues about what is appropriate behaviour for a girl or boy. Adults' beliefs and practices concerning sexuality also have their roots in early childhood and adolescence. We will look at how children learn gendered practices and consider the different and often unequal ways that adolescents experience their gender and sexuality.

Week 5 第 5 回: Gender and Institutions of society Social institutions comprise norms, values and attitudes. They often manifest themselves in traditions and cultural practices that are performed by the members of a society. Social institutions have often been in existence for centuries and thus reflect the deeply enshrined normative value system of people. They can be reflected in the formal institutional framework of a society (e.g constitutions, laws, legal mechanisms).Social institutions are particularly relevant in the area of gender. Several examples show how social institutions can obstruct or completely annihilate formal legislation intended to favour gender equality.

Week 6 第 6 回: Gender and Education Feminists drew attention early on to the 'gender gap', where boys spent more year years in education and performed better in science, maths and technology. Early studies focused on gender bias in textbooks and teaching materials, and however teacher-student interactions often reinforced gender stereotypes. More recently, however, the concern has been that boys are underachieving and there is much concern about the 'feminization of schools'. This class will explore issues around gender and education.

Week 7 第 7 回: Gender and Religion For centuries, women in organized religions have essentially been relegated to the shadows of the major monotheistic faiths while male-dominated religious hierarchies have determined the course and content of their particular creeds. Recent history has witnessed changes — including the ordination of women as priests in certain Christian denominations — but in many major religions, women's power remains proscribed. This class will examine how religion and the religious construct reconstruct and deconstruct gender norms and practices. We will explore some key concepts and issues such as androcentrism and patriarchy, and feminist critiques to these.

Week 8 第 8 回: Midterm Exam

Week 9 第 9 回: Constructing masculinities This class will explore some key ideas about the construction of masculinities, and consider the plurality of the male subject by focusing on both hegemonic and also subordinate masculinities. It will consider male power, identity and the discourse of masculine.

Week 10 第 10 回: Constructing femininities From the cult of domesticity, that emerged in the 19th century in North America and the United Kingdom and then remerged again in the 1950s, constructed women as housewives and mothers first and foremost. Women who could not emulate this idea were not 'true' women. The 'professional' housewife, 専業主婦 is still the hegemonic form of femininity in Japan today and sets the standard of the 'true woman' In this class we will explore the cult of domesticity and feminist critiques of this.

Week 11 第 11 回: Reproductive and familly politics I: Reproductive choice and coercion Women's reproductive capacity has been regarded by some feminists as the key to their oppression. White feminist in the US made access to abortion and contraception a central part of their agenda. Yet, women of colour noted policies and practices that served to devalue their fertility and undermined their freedom to have and raise children. Gay men and lesbian women have had to fight to have their right to parenthood recognised. In this class we will explore the politics of reproductive choice and also consider where men fit in to the discourse surrounding reproductive freedoms and access to new reproductive technologies.

Week 12 第 12 回: Gender at home: Whose job is housework and childcare? Staying on the theme of reproduction, this class will consider the politics surrounding who does childcare and housework. How do societies organize these tasks and what is the impact on work practices and family lives?

Week 13 第 13 回: Gender and work I: gender segregation and the glass ceiling While women, whether married or single, have entered the workforce in most countries in large number, an invisible barrier to women rising to the top of institutions – a glass ceiling – is still preventing women to be in top potions in many companies. At the same time, women raising children are highly vulnerable to poverty even if they are working. This class employs the concept of 'gendered institutions' to consider the different positioning of men and women in many workplaces, and the impact of this on financial independence.

Week 14 第 14 回: Gender and work II: masculinity, work and 'ikigai' With men and women often placed structurally in very different positions in relation to work, this class will consider how men's sense of meaning is impacted by this by exploring the concept of 'ikigai' or reason for living. To what extent is ikigai gendered?

Week 15 第 15 回: Gendered representations: commodification and the beuty industry After viewing Jean Kilbourne's award winning Killing us Softly: Advertising's Image of women we will take our exploration of the female subject a step further. We will explore changes and continuities in how gender has been represented in the media over the past two decades.

	Theme	Content
Week 1	第 1 回: Introduction to Class	1 Orientation: What is gender and why does it matter? Introduction to the course and to expectations of students. Discussion: What does gender mean to you? What is the difference between gender and sexuality? In what areas of your life does gender and sexuality matter?
Week 2	第 2 回: Constructing gender: sexual dimorphism and the gender binary	For much of history and in many cultural settings women and men, girls and boys have been constructed as 'opposite' sexes. In today's class we will explore the construction of this gender binary and the ways in which this operates to produce and reproduce inequality.
Week 3	第 3 回: Deconstructing gender: intersex and transgender	In a world where gender has been neatly constructed into a binary of male and female, intersex and trans gender people create disorder. The newly emerging field of trans studies raises many question about the stability of sex and gender as categories, the extent to which they are external to or embedded in the individuals who experience them, whether they are biologically or socially based. Today's class will take a brief look at newly emerging knowledge about transgender and intersex people.
Week 4	第 4 回: Gender and sexuality in childhood and adolescence	By the age of three a child can read gendered clues about what is appropriate behaviour for a girl or boy. Adults' beliefs and practices concerning sexuality also have their roots in early childhood and adolescence. We will look at how children learn gendered practices and consider the different and often unequal ways that adolescents experience their gender and sexuality.
Week 5	第 5 回: Gender and Institutions of society	Social institutions comprise norms, values and attitudes. They often manifest themselves in traditions and cultural practices that are performed by the members of a society. Social institutions have often been in existence for centuries and thus reflect the deeply enshrined normative value system of people. They can be reflected in the formal institutional framework of a society (e.g constitutions, laws, legal mechanisms).Social institutions are particularly relevant in the area of gender. Several examples show how social institutions can obstruct or completely annihilate formal legislation intended to favour gender equality.
Week 6	第 6 回: Gender and Education	Feminists drew attention early on to the 'gender gap', where boys spent more year years in education and performed better in science, maths and technology. Early studies focused on gender bias in textbooks and teaching materials, and however teacher-student interactions often reinforced gender stereotypes. More recently, however, the concern has been that boys are underachieving and there is much concern about the 'feminization of schools'. This class will explore issues around gender and education.
Week 7	第 7 回: Gender and Religion	For centuries, women in organized religions have essentially been relegated to the shadows of the major monotheistic faiths while male-dominated religious hierarchies have determined the course and content of their particular creeds. Recent history has witnessed changes — including the ordination of women as priests in certain Christian denominations — but in many major religions, women's power remains proscribed. This class will examine how religion and the religious construct reconstruct and deconstruct gender norms and practices. We will explore some key concepts and issues such as androcentrism and patriarchy, and feminist critiques to these.
Week 8	第 8 回: Midterm Exam
Week 9	第 9 回: Constructing masculinities	This class will explore some key ideas about the construction of masculinities, and consider the plurality of the male subject by focusing on both hegemonic and also subordinate masculinities. It will consider male power, identity and the discourse of masculine.
Week 10	第 10 回: Constructing femininities	From the cult of domesticity, that emerged in the 19th century in North America and the United Kingdom and then remerged again in the 1950s, constructed women as housewives and mothers first and foremost. Women who could not emulate this idea were not 'true' women. The 'professional' housewife, 専業主婦 is still the hegemonic form of femininity in Japan today and sets the standard of the 'true woman' In this class we will explore the cult of domesticity and feminist critiques of this.
Week 11	第 11 回: Reproductive and familly politics I: Reproductive choice and coercion	Women's reproductive capacity has been regarded by some feminists as the key to their oppression. White feminist in the US made access to abortion and contraception a central part of their agenda. Yet, women of colour noted policies and practices that served to devalue their fertility and undermined their freedom to have and raise children. Gay men and lesbian women have had to fight to have their right to parenthood recognised. In this class we will explore the politics of reproductive choice and also consider where men fit in to the discourse surrounding reproductive freedoms and access to new reproductive technologies.
Week 12	第 12 回: Gender at home: Whose job is housework and childcare?	Staying on the theme of reproduction, this class will consider the politics surrounding who does childcare and housework. How do societies organize these tasks and what is the impact on work practices and family lives?
Week 13	第 13 回: Gender and work I: gender segregation and the glass ceiling	While women, whether married or single, have entered the workforce in most countries in large number, an invisible barrier to women rising to the top of institutions – a glass ceiling – is still preventing women to be in top potions in many companies. At the same time, women raising children are highly vulnerable to poverty even if they are working. This class employs the concept of 'gendered institutions' to consider the different positioning of men and women in many workplaces, and the impact of this on financial independence.
Week 14	第 14 回: Gender and work II: masculinity, work and 'ikigai'	With men and women often placed structurally in very different positions in relation to work, this class will consider how men's sense of meaning is impacted by this by exploring the concept of 'ikigai' or reason for living. To what extent is ikigai gendered?
Week 15	第 15 回: Gendered representations: commodification and the beuty industry	After viewing Jean Kilbourne's award winning Killing us Softly: Advertising's Image of women we will take our exploration of the female subject a step further. We will explore changes and continuities in how gender has been represented in the media over the past two decades.

Independent Study Outside of Class
Students are given reading assignments and presentation assignments. Detailed instructions will be given at the beginning and during the course.

Textbooks
   Wharton, Amy (2005) The Sociology of Gender, 2nd Edition. Oxford: Whiley-Blackwell.
   Connell, R.W. (2009) Short Introductions Gender, 2nd Edition. Cambridge. Polity Press.
   M Kimmel (2000) The Gendered Society, 4th edition. Oxford.
   Oxford University Press

Reference
During the semester, I will announce/distribute reading assignments (e.g., copies of articles/chapters, web addresses). Students are expected to complete reading assignments before class starts.

Grading Policy
S (90-100), A (80-89), B (70-79), C (60-69), F (0-59)

OUSSEP _

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