2010-2011 Academic Catalog

May 13, 2024

2010-2011 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

PSYC 191 - Psychology of Men and Masculinity

Type of Course: First-Year Seminar

Only recently has the behavior and experience of men, as men, come to the foreground in the social sciences, particularly in psychology. Prior to the critical advances of feminist scholars, what was “male” was typically considered normative. People rarely stopped to think about men’s behavior as a function of biological, social, cultural and interpersonal aspects of “masculinity.” This course is intended to “problematize” masculinity through critical analysis of readings, discussion, and written interpretation of real-life examples. Students will learn to notice what’s taken for granted about the nature of men, and what aspects of masculinity might not be so obvious, and to use this knowledge in their educational and personal lives. For example, what do we mean when we use the terms “masculinity,” or “masculine” in everyday life, or in psychology? In what ways are men’s and women’s behavior influenced by social and cultural definitions of what it means to be a man? What role do biological factors play? How are men’s experiences shaped by power relations between men and women, power relations between men and other men, or a man’s early attachment to and separation from his caregivers? Is the study of the psychology of men and masculinity necessarily about sex differences between men and women? Through repeated analysis of these issues in the context of different theoretical viewpoints, students will be exposed to several of the fundamental debates current in psychology and other social sciences. Fulfills the Global Perspective. First-Year Seminar

Instructor: Mr. Addis

When Offered: Offered periodically

Faculty: Michael Addis, Ph.D. - Professor, Hiatt School of Psychology