Who Runs the World? Gender Inequalities, Local to Global

Catalog description

How do boys and girls get socialized differently based on their race, class, and sexuality? How do various cultures view trans and gender nonconforming people? Why do Black and Latino boys get punished more in schools? How do institutionalized sexism and institutionalized racism lead to limited opportunities for Latinas? Why are so many Black women dying in childbirth? Why are so many Native women victims of sexual assault? Why is our food grown by farmworkers who are not protected by the same laws against sexual harassment as other occupations? Why are many of our consumer goods made by low-wage female workers overseas? In this course, students will develop their sociological imaginations to answer urgent questions about gender inequality, both intersectional and global. We will explore topics such as childhood socialization, sexuality, racism, migration, and gendered labor in both domestic and international contexts. First, students will learn prevailing sociological theories on the ways children learn and are taught about gender and sexuality. Next, we will examine gendered institutions like the family, schools, work, and the global economy. In particular, students will learn how gendered interactions and gendered institutions produce difference and domination in various contexts. Throughout the semester, we will explore the gendered dynamics of sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and nation through art, music, and film. Course assignments will introduce students to conducting sociological research in their own communities