Phone:
Email: psypos@emory.edu or via Learn Link “Patti Owen-Smith”
Office: 317 Seney
Office Hours: MWF – 2-3 pm and by appointment

Texts: Selected readings (on e-reserve)

About this class: The Psychology of Women explores women’s experiences and issues in the context of psychological theory and research. Emphasis is placed on the critical examination, reanalysis, and reinterpretation of numerous concepts in psychology as they inform our knowledge of women.

There are two distinctive features to this class:

1. In-class dialogue and discussion will be a significant component. While I will lecture on a regular basis, I will also expect you to take some leadership and ownership of the class. This will not be a class where you can sit quietly, take notes, and then leave.

2. The most distinctive feature of the class is the Theory Practice/Service Learning (TPSL) format. What is “Theory/Practice”? A Theory/Practice component can deepen your understanding of the subject you are studying and develop your ability to reflect on, “practice,” and apply to a real life situation what you are learning in the classroom. I believe that knowing facts, reciting theories and concepts, and regurgitating back on an exam what you have memorized is not necessarily reflective of a “deep” understanding of the material nor does it prepare you for real life experiences. Therefore, you will be expected to reflect on what you are learning by working in a social service agency in the greater surrounding community at least two hours a week. I will provide you with a list of possible placements and times, and you then may select the placement based on your personal preferences and schedules. Detailed information will be given in class about this component of the class.

Objectives of the Course: Each of us in this class should expect the following:

1. To participate actively in class discussions and in Learn Link conversations on a regular basis and in a thoughtful manner. This means that each of us should be able to frame our conversations around the readings and the theory concerning the psychology of women.

2. To connect the psychological theory to the daily lives of girls and women. Our community placements will be one important venue for doing this.

3. To see the specific ways in which class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and age intersect to influence female growth and development.

4. To grow in heart and mind. This means that we will make a conscious attempt to develop a tolerance and appreciation of others’ ideas and convictions, particularly those views that are different from our own.

5. To enjoy this moment in time in our own journey of learning!

Requirements of the Course:

1. Attendance, class participation (including group citation), and Learn Link entries (10%): Since your individual voice is considered very significant to the integrity of the course, you should attend every class and actively participate in discussion. It is expected, therefore, that you will come to class well prepared for discussion. Designated groups of students will have the opportunity to lead one class discussion during the course of the semester. It is expected that each group will be prepared for this group facilitation. (Further information will be given in class regarding this component of the class).

Each student will also contribute at least 10 Learn Link entries during the course of the semester. Each entry should be a 3-4 sentence response or personal reaction to a concept presented in the lecture, the readings, a film, or to comments made by other students. It is hoped that these entries will serve as another way for you to converse with students in the class. Think of this Learn Link assignment as a type of journal! I expect you to respond thoughtfully to one another on this conference and to evidence careful reflection as opposed to an “off the cuff” reaction. I am interested in whether you are able to incorporate ideas from the class and then articulate them.

2. Community Placement and TPSL Reflection Paper (30%): Each of you will work in a community social service agency at least two hours a week and have an on-site supervisor to whom you will report. This supervisor will evaluate your work at both mid-semester and at the end of the semester and communicate those results to me. However, this supervisor will not assign a grade. Periodically during the course of the semester we will have in-class discussions regarding experiences with these placements. You will be expected to talk about your placement in terms of concepts learned in class.

At the end of the semester you will construct an 8-10 page paper that demonstrates how your community experience is related to, clarifies, or reflects what you have learned in this class. For example, if you are working with a woman at the Battered Women’s Shelter, you might want to consider how your interaction with her validates or raises questions about what you have learned regarding women and violence. (Detailed information about the construction of the final paper will be discussed in class). You are required to submit a working title for your paper and a complete outline several weeks before it is due. You are also required to construct an abstract of your final TPSL paper that you will post to our Learn Link conference for all of the members of the class to
enjoy and learn from.

3. Response Papers (40%): Four short response papers to a quest*on or questions I pose (each worth 10%) will be given in the course of the semester and will be drawn from selected readings on e-reserves, lectures, films, and class discussions. Therefore, to do well in this course a student must be present for every class.

4. Bibliography (20%): In an effort to find lost or overlooked female psychologists AND to, thereby, acknowledge their contributions to Psychology you will work in groups of three but each student will be responsible for one psychologist’s biography. Each of you will write a 3-4 page typed biographical sketch of a psychologist chosen in class in which you will present briefly the life events of your psychologist. In discussion with the other members of your group you will then compare your psychologist’s life with the other psychologists in your group and discuss this comparison in one of your final paragraphs. You will also post a summary of this paper to our Learn Link conference. Further details will be given in class.

The plus-minus system will be utilized in the calculation of final grades.

The student Honor Code of Oxford College applies to every member of the class. Please review this code carefully giving special attention to plagiarism Remember that plagiarism occurs when one uses the words and/or ideas of another person without quotations and without adequate referencing.

PLEASE NOTE ALSO THAT FORMER STUDENTS’ PAPERS MAY NOT BE USED IN ANY FORM; TO DO SO IS TO VIOLATE THE HONOR CODE

Course Schedule: