PSYCH 319 : Psychology and Gender

Science

2020 Semester Two (1205) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

The study of gender is crucial to understanding many everyday aspects of our lives, as well as many contemporary social issues. This course provides an introduction to selected key issues in the critical psychology of gender, from a social constructionist perspective. Topics that will be covered include gendered bodies, masculinity and femininity, sexuality, rape, and mental health.

Course Overview

The study of gender is crucial to understanding many everyday aspects of our lives, as well as many contemporary social issues. This course introduces feminist social constructionist, kaupapa Māori, and critical psychology approaches to topics such as Māori women’s mātauranga and rangatiratanga, gendered bodies and identities, sexuality, reproduction, sexual violence, health, and mental health.

The course will be taught in 3 modules:

Module 1: Gender, power and subjectivity (Nicola Gavey)
In this series of lectures Nicola will introduce a Foucauldian (social constructionist) approach to understanding gendered experiences and behaviours. This theoretical lens will be applied, alongside other critical psychology approaches, to a discussion of topics such as the social construction of femininity, masculinities, sexualization and sexism, heterosexuality, gender and sexual violence, and mental health.

Module 2: Indigeneity, gender and agency (Jade Le Grice)
In this series of lectures Jade will introduce approaches to knowledge and research that support Māori women’s rangatiratanga. This includes a core thread exploring Indigenous knowledge, Māori women’s resilience and innovation; and another core thread unravelling coloniality, gendered racialisation, and asserting Māori women’s resistance. These lectures will explore topics: reproduction, contraception, abortion, mothering, whānau support, and responses to sexual violation.

Module 3: Gender, bodies and health (Ginny Braun)
In this series of lectures, Ginny will explore knowledges and practices related to sexed and gendered bodies, body practices, and health. Knowledge always comes from a position, and different critical social theories and methodologies will be drawn on to provide insights into topics like gendered and sexual identity; sexual acts; genital modification; body hair; food and healthy eating, and health and wellbeing.

This course will introduce topics and approaches that will be valuable to students interested in postgraduate study in Critical, culture and community psychology, Māori, Pacific and Indigenous psychology, Gender and sexuality, Clinical psychology and mental health, Health Psychology, and Social psychology.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 45 points at Stage II in Psychology and 15 points from STATS 100-125, or 30 points at Stage II in Gender Studies

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Science

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. To be able to demonstrate introductory knowledge and understanding of frameworks and approaches to a critical psychology of gender. (Capability 1, 2 and 6)
  2. To be able to critically examine the place of gender in aspects of our everyday lives, and in relation to a range of social issues. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6)
  3. To be able to critically examine the impact of colonisation on Māori women, in relation to a range of social issues. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6)
  4. To be able to recognise the ways gendered experiences and issues are simultaneously fundamentally shaped by ethnicity, ‘race’, ‘class’, sexuality, ability, and other social categories and dimensions of social privilege. (Capability 1, 2, 4 and 6)
  5. To demonstrate understanding that knowledge and experience are shaped by social, cultural, and historical contexts. (Capability 1, 2 and 6)
  6. To develop skills in independent research. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Coursework 50% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 50% Individual Examination
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6
Coursework
Final Exam

Tuākana

Tuākana
  
Nau mai, Haere mai ki Psychology Tuākana Programme,

The Tuākana in Science Programme began over 27 years ago! It is an Equal Opportunities initiative that acknowledges the importance of the success and retention of Māori and Pacific students. The foundation of the Tuākana Programme is the Tuākana-Teina principle an integral relationship in which older or more expert Tuākana (traditionally brother, sister or cousin) guides a younger or less expert Teina (traditionally younger sibling or cousin). This is a reciprocal relationship which fosters safe learning and teaching environments.

The Tuākana Programme values Manaakitanga (kind and caring interactions), Tautoko (support), Mana (reciprocal respect), Ako (learning and teaching), Whanaungatanga (relationship, kinship, sense of family connection) and Hononga (connection).

Student benefits of being involved in the Tuākana Programme include:
• Increased support and encouragement
• Increased communication and access to resources
• Increased networks – getting to know more students, at your own level and above
• Increased enjoyment and opportunity to succeed.

The Psychology Tuākana study space is available for Māori and Pacific students in Room 198, Building 301. It is a warm and inviting space for students to study in.

For queries or more information do not hesitate to contact the Psychology Tuākana Programme Coordinators, Hineatua on atua.parkinson@auckland.ac.nz or Logan on l.hamley@auckland.ac.nz, Room 165 in Building 303.

Or see https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/study-with-us/maori-and-pacific-at-the-faculty/tuakana-programme.html.

Learning Resources

Prescribed readings will be available through Canvas.

Special Requirements

No special requirements.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course. Following University workload guidelines, this represents approximately 150 hours of study across the semester. For this course, you can expect 3 hours of lectures each week and a 1 hour tutorial in some weeks. The balance of time will be spent reading and digesting course content and working on assignments and exam preparation.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.

You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

During the course Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the staff responsible for the course and staff-student consultative committees.

At the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback.

Your feedback helps to improve the course and its delivery for all students.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 22/07/2020 09:54 a.m.