Psychosocial Approaches to Gender

This course provides an overview of various theoretical perspectives and empirical research in the social sciences concerning gender. Initially, we will review general perspectives of how gender has historically been situated and studied, with a focus on challenging binary gender systems. We will then turn to selected specific topics, such as gender identity development, stereotyping, and work/career experiences, for which gender similarities and differences have been examined. Considerable attention will be directed toward understanding the complex social category of "gender," given that gender can be constructed differently depending on one’s cultural context, an external perceiver's goals, and the life stage of the experiencer. We will spend time discussing how gender intersects with other identities (like race, sexual orientation, and disability) to influence our understanding of gender, and how these intersections influence different outcomes related to behavior, as well as physical and mental health.