Overview
This course takes an intersectional approach to analyzing a variety of topics related to the psychology of sexuality and gender, as it is mediated by diverse identities, social locations, and life experiences. Students will become adept at critically evaluating the theories and methods used by psychologists that ultimately work to shape contemporary beliefs about sexuality and gender. By considering crucial social and political issues such as colonization, research paradigms, stereotypes, violence, identity, relationships, and mental health, students will enrich their understanding of feminist approaches to psychology. This course focuses on the gendered impacts of power, privilege, and oppression while drawing upon a wide breadth of theoretical lenses, including queer theory, critical race theory, Indigenous approaches, and critical disability studies.
Outline
Section I: Foundations
Unit 1: Situating the Study of Gender and Sexuality
Unit 2: Patriarchy, Intersectionality, and Colonization
Unit 3: Paradigms and the Politics of Knowledge Production
Section II: Stereotypes, Violence, and Resistance
Unit 4: Stereotypes and Minority Stress
Unit 5: Violence and Prevention
Section III: Development, Identity, and Relationships
Unit 6: Childhood and Identity Formation
Unit 7: Relationships—From Friends to Family
Unit 8: Sex and Sexuality
Section IV: Consequences of Categorization
Unit 9: Gender, Jobs, and Income Inequality
Unit 10: Mental Health and Well-Being
Section V: Looking Ahead
Unit 11: Putting It All Into Practice
Learning outcomes
After you have completed this course, you should be able to:
- evaluate psychological theories and methods with an awareness of the impact that gender, sexuality, power, and diversity have on scientific knowledge,
- explain how diversity, oppression, and social justice shape gendered experiences across the lifespan,
- demonstrate how psychological research on gender and sexuality is enriched when examining multiple levels of analysis, social context, and attention to structural oppression,
- analyze the ways in which gendered power dynamics affect the mental health, well-being, and life trajectory of diversely situated individuals and groups,
- evaluate the myriad ways gender and sexuality interface with issues related to income and employment, violence, stress and coping, stigma and prejudice, sex and relationships, family planning and parenting, and mental health and well-being, and
- clearly communicate the importance of applying critical feminist theories, including intersectionality and decolonization, to the study of gender and sexuality.
Evaluation
To receive credit for Psychology 345: The Psychology of Gender and Sexuality, you must complete all six assessment activities and achieve a minimum overall weighted grade of D (50 percent) or better for the entire course. The weightings for each activity are as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Paradigm Paper | 15% |
| Midterm Assignment | 20% |
| Project Proposal Assignment | 15% |
| Media Engagement Assignment | 15% |
| Final Project | 25% |
| Participation and Engagement Assignment | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Burns, S. R. (2019). Psychology of sex and gender. Worth Publishers.
Rutherford, A. (2021). Psychology at the intersections of gender, feminism, history, and culture. Cambridge University Press.
Other Resources
All other learning resources, including a Study Guide, journal articles, book chapters, and audiovisual material, will be available online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
The PSYC 345: The Psychology of Gender and Sexuality challenge for credit option has two components: a major research paper and an invigilated online examination. To receive a passing grade for credit for this course, you must complete both components and achieve a grade of 50 percent or higher on each. Credit will be awarded as either pass or fail.
| Activity | Weight |
| Research Paper | 50% |
| Online Exam | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form