Course Contents

Maj/GDS-301: PSYCHOLOGY OF GENDER 1. The Psychology of Gender 1.1. Sex and Gender 1.2. The Study of Individual Differences 1.2.1. Physical differences 1.2.2. Social differences 1.2.3. Psychological differences 1.3. Development of Women’s Studies 1.4. The Appearance of the Men’s Movements 2. Sexual Differentiation and Early Development 2.1. Development of Male and Female Physiology 2.1.1. Reproductive systems 2.1.2. Nervous system 2.2. Changes during Adolescence 2.3. Hormones and Behavior Instability 2.3.1. Pre menstrual Syndrome 2.3.2. Testosterones and Aggression 2.4. The Brain and Sex-Structured and Functional Differences 3. Gender development I: The Psychoanalytical Approach 3.1. The Psychoanalytical Approach to Personality 3.2. Freud’s Theory of Psychoanalysis 3.3. Horney’s Theory of Personality 3.4. Women, Men and Psychoanalytical Theory 3.5. Contemporary Psychoanalytical Theories 3.5.1. Nancy Chodorow 3.5.2. Ellyn Kaschak 4. Gender Development II: Social Theories 4.1. Social Learning Theory 4.2. Cognitive Development Theory 4.3. Gender Schema Theory 4.4. Developing Gender Identities 5. Gender Stereotypes: Masculinity and Femininity 5.1. Stereotypes of Women and Men 5.2. Masculinity and Femininity 5.3. Development of Stereotypes 5.4. Function of Stereotyping 5.5. Gender related Stereotypes 6. Social Development 6.1.Gender and Experience of Emotion 6.2. Prominence of Male Aggression 6.3. Friendships 6.4. Love relationships 6.5.Sexuality 6.5.1. Heterosexuality 6.5.2. Homosexuality 6.5.3. Bisexuality 6.6. School Experiences 6.7. Career 6.7.1. Career expectations and gender role socialization 6.7.2. Career opportunities 6.7.3. Gender issues at work place 7. Health and Fitness 7.1. Gender, Life style and Health 7.1.1. Eating and Eating disorders 7.1.2. Body image 7.2. Gender Roles and Health care 7.3. Mortality 7.4. Stress, Coping, and Psychopathology 7.4.1. Sources of stress for women and men 7.4.2. Coping resources and strategies 7.4.3. Gender comparison in psychopathology 7.4.3.1.Depression 7.4.3.2.Anxiety 7.4.3.3.Substance-Related Disorder 8. Treatment For Mental Disorders 8.1.Approaches to psychotherapy 8.2.Gender issues in psychotherapy 8.3.Feminist therapy 8.4.Therapy with men 8.5.Gender aware therapy

Course Synopsis

This course examines social psychology theories of sex differences and conceptions of gender. Topics include history and theoretical perspectives on gender, differentiation of sex versus gender, gender similarities, stereotypes, social roles, masculinity, cognition, emotion and communication. Students are expected to have a broaden knowledge of gender construction in social settings.

Course Learning Outcomes

students will be able to understand > individual differences of genders > sexual differentiation and early development > various theories of personality like psychoanalytical, cognitive, social learning theory etc > gender stereotypes > social development