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Sections and TAs

Discussion Section Schedule

March 29/30

Discussion 1 - Gender and Gender Identity - April 5/6

Discussion 2 - Egg Donation and Surrogacy- April 12/13

April 19/20

Discussion 3 - Medicalization of the Female Body - April 26/27

Discussion 4 - Eating Disorders and Body Image - May 3/4

Discussion 5 - Reproductive Rights and Mandates - May 10/11

May 17/18

Discussion 6 - Reproductive Technology, Genetics and Eugenics - May 24/25

May 31/June 1

Paper Requirements

Discussion Leading Role

Plagiarism

Writing Centers

Psychobiology of Women

Discussion Sections

Sections and TAs

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Discussion Section Topic Schedule

March 29/30: Introductions, paper and discussion leader requirements explained and topics selected

April 5/6 : Discussion 1 - Gender and Gender Identity (Note: Papers on this topic are due no later than the start of quiz section on April 12/13.)

Readings for entire class: (These readings will be covered on test 1. They can be found in your course reading packet or on the course e-reserve list in the file labeled"Gender and Gender Identity.")

1. Spade, D. (2006) Mutilating Gender. In Transgender Studies Reader, S. Strycker and S. Whittle (eds). New York: Routledge.
2. Gorman, C. and Cole, W. (Mar.1, 2004) Between the sexes. Time 163(9), 54-56.

In addition to the above readings, students writing papers and leading the discussion on this topic are required to read the following (found only on e-reserve in the file labeled"Gender and Gender Identity"):

1. Lang, C. & Kuhnle, U. (2008) Intersexuality and alternative gender categories in non-Western cultures. Hormone Research 69, 240-250.
2. Cohen-Kettenis, P. T. et al. (2008) The treatment of adolescent transsexuals: Changing insights. Journal of Sexual Medicine 5, 1892-1897.
3. Feder, E. K. (2009) Normalizing medicine: Between "intersexuals" and individuals with "disorders of sex development." Health Care Analysis 17, 134-143.

Questions to think about in preparing your paper:
( You are NOT expected to address ALL of these issues in your paper. Select one or two issues (assuming they are closely related) to cover thoughtfully. You can address an issue related to the topic but not covered in these questions if you choose.)

1. Our culture has developed a norm of recognizing two - and only two - sexes. Why do we have so much invested in maintaining a rigid distinction between male and female, masculine and feminine? And why do people become so uncomfortable when someone does not fit neatly into the categories of "male" or "female?"
2. The biomedical community has traditionally been a proponent of "normalizing" ambiguous or misleading genitalia in infants. Should this practice be continued?
3. What do you think are the costs and the benefits of the current need to "normalize" genitals? To the individual? To society?
4. What evidence exists for the malleability of gender identity? What evidence suggests that gender identity is fixed?
5. What is the relationship between gender appropriate behavior and gender identity?
6. What arguments does Spade make in reference to Gender Identity Disorder (GID)? What are the arguments for GID to remain categorized as a disorder, and what are the arguments to de-pathologize gender identity?

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April 13/14: Discussion 2 - Egg Donation and Surrogacy
(Note: Papers on this topic are due at the start of quiz section on April 13/14.)

Reading for entire class: (These readings will be covered on test 1. They are in your course reading packet or in the "Egg Donation " folder on the course e-reserve list.)

1. Kenney, N. J. & McGowan, M.L. (2010) Looking back: egg donors' retrospective evaluations of their motivations, expectations, and experiences during their first donation cycle. Fertility and Sterility 93, 455-466.
2. Parks, J. A. (2010) Care ethics and the global practice of commercial surrogacy. Bioethics 24, 333-340.

In addition to the above readings, students writing papers and leading the discussion on this topic are required to read the following (found only in the "Egg Donation " folder of the course e-reserves):

1. Miller, C. (Summer 2008) Donated Generation. The New Atlantis: A Journal of technology and Society, pp. 27-44.
2. Readings, J. et al. (2011) Secrecy, disclosure, and everything in-between: Decisions of parents of children conceived by donor insemination, egg donation and surrogacy. Reproductive BioMedicine Online 22, 485-495.
3. Heng, B. C. (2008) Should fertility doctors and clinical embryologists be involve in the recruitment, counseling and reimbursement of egg donors? Journal of Medical Ethics 34, 414.
4. Golombak, S. et al. (2011) Families created through surrogacy: Mother-child relationships and children's psychological adjustment at age 7. Developmental Psychology 47, 1579-1588.

Questions to think about in preparing your paper:
( You are NOT expected to address ALL of these issues in your paper. Select one or two issues (assuming they are closely related) to cover thoughtfully. You can address an issue related to the topic but not covered in these questions if you choose.)

1. What is the ethical dilemma surrounding payment for egg donation? What are the costs and benefits of underpayment? Or overpayment?
2. Should the process of egg donation be regulated? By whom and why?
3. How does payment for egg donation affect who will donate eggs and the risks that a woman will take to donate?
4. Do children resulting from egg donation have a right to know who their genetic mother is? Why or why not?
5. Are the eggs of a woman who has donated previously and had the donation result in a pregnancy worth more than those of a woman who has never donated before? Why or why not?
6. Who benefits and who loses when it comes to reproduction through egg donation?
7. What kinds of regulations (if any) related to egg donation should be put into place to protect a) society as a whole, b) the woman who is donating eggs, c) the parent(s) who receive the eggs and/or d) the child who results from the egg? Would this differ if we were talking about sperm donation?
8. Are eggs of women of different social and educational circumstances worth differing amount of money? Are the eggs of a woman with high SAT scores and a university degree worth more than those of a high school drop out?? Are the eggs of an athlete more valuable than those of a couch potato?
9. How might practices change if we viewed egg donation and surrogacy
   from a "feminist care ethic" (see the article by Jennifer Park)?
10. What are the impacts on the lives of children who are born through
    these "non traditional" methods?
11. Should there be international regulations for surrogacy?  Why or why
    not?  What might those look like?  Who would be effected?
    
    

April 19/20: Review for Test 1 - (Take copies of review sheets to class.)

April 26/27: Discussion 3:Medicalization of Women's Lives
(Note: Papers on this topic are due at the start of quiz section on April 26/27.)

Reading for entire class: (These readings will be covered on test 2. They are in your course reading packet or in the "Medicalization" folder on the course e-reserve list.)

1. Hyde, A. et al. (2010) Menopause narratives: The interplay of women's embodied experiences with biomedical discourses. Qualitative Health Research 20(6), 805-815.
2. Pinn, V. W. (Jan. 22/29, 2003) Sex and gender factors in medical studies: Implications for health and clinical practice. JAMA 289(4), 397-400.

In addition to the above readings, students writing papers and leading the discussion on this topic are required to read the following (found only in the "Medicalization" folder of the course e-reserves):

1. Rubin, L. R. & Tanenbaum, M. (2011) "Does that make me a woman?": Breast cancer, mastectomy, and breast reconstruction decisions among sexual minority women. Psychology of Women Quarterly 35(3), 401-414.
2. Parry, D. C. (June 2006) Women’s lived experiences with pregnancy and midwifery in a medicalized and fetocentric context: Six short stories. Qualitative Inquiry 12(3), 459-471.
3. Padamsee, T. J. (2011) The pharmaceutical corporation and the "good work" of managing women's bodies. Social Science & Medicine 72, 1342-1350.

Questions to think about in preparing your paper:
( You are NOT expected to address ALL of these issues in your paper. Select one or two issues (assuming they are closely related) to cover thoughtfully. You can address an issue related to the topic but not covered in these questions if you choose.)

1. In what ways does a society’s culture affect women's health, healthcare, and bio-medical research?
2. Why might it be difficult to shift from a medicalized model of healthcare in America to a model more focused on prevention?
3. Do individual and/or societal values influence healthcare? Give specific examples.
4. How has the "taking over" and medicalization of childbirth by doctors affected women's experiences of giving birth? What factors may influence the differences between individual women’s experiences with pregnancy and midwifery?
5. If women live longer than men, on average, should we be concerned if medical science does not study issues related to women’s health to the same degree and with the same intensity as it studies issues related to men’s health?
6. If heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women, what are the potential costs and consequences of placing emphasis on the disease for men and failing to study or publicize its symptoms and frequency in women?
7. Is women’s health better because so many “female conditions” (such as menstruation, pregnancy and menopause) are viewed as illnesses that need to be treated?
8. What are the possible advantages to women of having pregnancy and childbirth, PMS, and or menopause taken over by the medical establishment? How has this improved women’s lives? What about the negative side? What are the disadvantages?
9. How are women’s interactions with all aspects of the medical system different from those of men?
10. How has the increase in breast cancer awareness and support helped and/or hindered women’s experiences of breast cancer? How might this awareness affect an individual woman’s ability to make her own decisions?
11. Might women who are part of a sexual minority group(e.g. lesbian, bisexual) experience breast cancer differently than heterosexual women? Why or why not?
12. How might a woman’s particular self-identity influence her experiences relating to healthcare?
13. What are some ways in which doctors are influenced in terms of their perspectives on health, sickness, and treatments?
14. In what ways do women’s beliefs about menopause influence their experience of it?
15. What factors may affect how strongly individuals are influenced by doctors’ language and diagnoses?

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May 3/4: Discussion 4 - Eating Disorders and Body Image
(Note: Papers on this topic are due at the start of quiz section on May 3/4.)

Reading for entire class: (These readings will be covered on test 2. They are in your course reading packet or in the "Eating Disorders " folder on the course e-reserve list.)

1. Miller, C. A. & Golden, N. H. (2010) An introduction to eating disorders: Clinical presentation, epidemiology,, and prognosis. Nutrition in Clinical Practice 25, 110-115.
2. Wingfield, N. et al. (2011) College students’ perceptions of individuals with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders 44(4), 369-375.

In addition to the above readings, students writing papers and leading the discussion on this topic are required to read the following (found only in the "Eating Disorders" folder of the course e-reserves):

1. Marques, L. et al. (2011) Comparative prevalence, correlates of impairment, and service utilization for eating disorders across US ethnic groups: Implications for reducing ethnic disparities in health care access for eating disorders. International Journal of eating Disorders 44, 412-420.
2. Klump, K. L., et al. (2007) Puberty moderates genetic influences on disordered eating. Psychological Medicine 37, 627-634.
3. Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2005) Can we simultaneously work toward the prevention of obesity and eating disorders in children and adolescents? International Journal of Eating Disorders 38(3), 220-227.

Questions to think about in preparing your paper:
( You are NOT expected to address ALL of these issues in your paper. Select one or two issues (assuming they are closely related) to cover thoughtfully. You can address an issue related to the topic but not covered in these questions if you choose.)

1. Are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa modern cultural inventions or might they have existed long before the current media attention on weight?
2. How might the cultural influences on bulimia,anorexia, or other eating disorders be the same or different?
3. How might factors such as ethnicity, the peer group, and athletic involvement affect girls' attitudes toward their bodies?
4. Ironically, the US has the highest rates of both obesity and eating disorders in the world. What do you think drives this paradox? How can we work to simultaneously prevent and treat these problems?
5. What are the arguments for and against the idea that the motivation to avoid fat (or weight phobia) underlies anorexia?
6. Do anorexia and bulimia differentially affect women from different cultural groups (e.g., different ethnicity, country-of-origin, sexual orientation)? Why? Or why not??
7. What evidence is there for a genetic basis for eating disorders and how is such information difficult to tease out from other potential causes of such behaviors?
8. Are the various eating disorders stigmatized in different ways?If so, how? What social, cultural, or biological factors may influence how individuals with eating disorders are viewed by others?
9. How accurate are people's perceptions of eating disorders and individuals with eating disorders? What might be the consequences (medical, social, or otherwise) of inaccurate perceptions/impressions of individuals with eating disorders?

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May 10/11 : Discussion 5 - Reproductive Rights and Mandates
(Note: Papers on this topic are due at the start of quiz section on May 10/11.)

Readings for entire class: (These readings are found in the "Reproductive Rights" folder on e-reserves and will be covered on test 3.)

1. Chase, S.E. (2001) “Good” mothers and “bad” mothers. In: S. E. Chase & M. F. Rogers (eds), Mothers & Children: Feminist Analyses and Personal Narratives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, pp. 30-47.
2. Zylbergold, B . (July 18, 2007)Are you kidding? Retrieved from: http://cregs.sfsu.edu/article/tubal_ligation_denied, March 24, 2012.

In addition to the above readings, students writing papers and leading the discussion on this topic are required to read the following (found only in the "Reproductive Rights " folder of the course e-reserves):

1. Chabot, J. M. & Ames, B. D. (2004) "It wasn't 'let's get pregnant and go do it':" Decision making in lesbian couples planning motherhood via donor insemination. Family Relations 53(4), 348-356.
2. Johnston, D. D. & Swanson, D. H. (2003) Invisible mothers: A content analysis of motherhood ideologies and myths in magazines. Sex Roles 46(1/2), pp. 21-33.
3. Hollingworth, L. S. (1916) Social devices for impelling women to bear and rear children. American Journal of Sociology 22(1), 19-29. (Please note the date of this publication and think about whether the same issues are or are not currently important.)
4. Shaw, R. L. (2011) Women's experiential journey toward voluntary childlessness: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology 21, 151-163.

Questions to think about in preparing your paper:
( You are NOT expected to address ALL of these issues in your paper. Select one or two issues (assuming they are closely related) to cover thoughtfully. You can address an issue related to the topic but not covered in these questions if you choose.)

1. How are women impelled to become mothers? In our culture, when does this process begin?
2. How do race, class/socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation affect being a mother and mothering? In what ways does mothering provide or take away power?
3. Does society prize motherhood? In what ways does society show how it values – or does not value – motherhood? Are these rewards and sanctions equally applied to all women? Who "should" mother and who "should not?"
4. How has the rapid development of reproductive technologies affected the meaning and experience of motherhood?
5. What regulations (if any) related to egg donation and/or surrogacy should be put into place to protect society as a whole, the women who donate eggs or loan their uterus in surrogacy, the parents who receive the children born using these technologies, and/or the children who result from such procedures?
6. What are the social consequences, if any, for a woman who is “childless by choice”? Do these consequences differ by factors such as SES, race, culture, education level, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, etc.?
7. In what ways are lesbian mothers demonstrating the same motivations to parent that heterosexual women display? In what ways is the experience of lesbians deciding to parent similar to and/or different from that of heterosexual women? Try not to concentrate on the superficial and the obvious but more on the decision-making process and the issues that become relevant.
8. Has the pressure on white, middle class, married women to mother changed over time? (Compare Hollingsworth to the rest of the articles for this.)
9. How is motherhood presented in the media? Who is represented and who is not? What impact might this have on women who desire to mother and those who do not want to mother?

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May 17/18 : Review for Test 2 (Take review sheets to class.)

May 24/25 : Discussion 6 - Reproductive Technology, Genetics and Eugenics
(Note: Papers on this topic are due at the start of quiz section on May 24/25)

Readings for entire class: (These readings will be covered on test 3. Papers are in the "Technology" folder on e-reserves.)

1. Dennis, C. (2004) Deaf by design. Nature 431: 894-896.
2. Hennig, R. M. (May 1998) Tempting: if you could dictate the content of your kid's genes, wouldn't you? Shouldn't you? Discover 19(5) p. 58(7).

In addition to the above readings, students writing papers and leading the discussion on this topic are required to read the following (found only in the "Technology" folder of the course e-reserves):

1. Dahl, E. (2003) Procreative liberty: the case of preconception sex selection. Reproductive BioMedicine Online 7(4), 380-384.
2. Sparrow, R. (2010) Should human beings have sex? Sexual dimorphism and human enhancement. The Journal of Biomedical Ethics 10(7), 3-12. First published on: 23 June 2010(iFirst).
3. Robertson, J. A. (2003) Extending preimplantation genetic diagnosis: medical and non-medical uses. Journal of Medical Ethics 29(4) p. 213(4).

Questions to think about in preparing your paper:
( You are NOT expected to address ALL of these issues in your paper. Select one or two issues (assuming they are closely related) to cover thoughtfully. You can address an issue related to the topic but not covered in these questions if you choose.)

1. How do advances in reproductive technology affect our considerations of normal human capacities? What kinds of ethical questions do parents have to consider in light of these advances? Should parents always try to have "better" children?
2. If the technology to diagnose a genetic disorder exists and parents choose, for whatever reason, not to use it, should society be required to provide special schooling, health care or environmental modifications to care for such children?
3. Is it a parent's right to decide to "build in" or "build out" any physical condition they want in their children?
4. Is the ability to diagnose genetic illnesses and disorders before birth - or before implantation of the embryo - a real benefit to society or a terrible risk? Who should decide and how should they decide what genetic conditions or characteristics are "keepers" and what ones should be "discarded?"
5. In what ways can reproductive technologies be used to more distinctly separate the privileged from the non-privileged in our society? How do the higher status people benefit from such technologies? How do those with lower status in society benefit from these technologies?

May 31/June 1 : Review for Test 3 (final exam) (Take review sheets to class.)

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Discussion Section Assignments - General Information

Papers:
You will be asked to prepare one 2-3 page (double spaced, 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins, page count does not include the reference page) critical review paper during the quarter. For this paper you will be assigned one of the topics selected for discussion in quiz section. For your discussion topic (the one you will write your paper on), you are expected to read the paper(s) on that topic assigned for the entire class but also the additional papers assigned for that topic. You will also identify and read one additional scholarly (that means it's in a journal) paper on the topic that will help round out the argument you intend to make in your paper. Your paper will be based on this set of readings.

You will be provided with a series of questions and/or issues that may help you decide what thesis to address in your paper. Your paper is expected to address one single thesis (idea) and you are to use information from at least 2 of the papers assigned on the topic and from at least one additional scholarly paper you locate yourself to support that thesis.

You are expected to prepare at least two drafts of the paper. One draft must be taken to a campus writing center for review prior to preparation of the final draft. Remember to allow time for this review in your writing schedule. You will turn in:

1. The draft reviewed by a campus writing center including their comments and edits. The writing center associate should sign the draft and indicate their center verifying that you did indeed seek their help. There are a large number of writing centers on campus. A partial list of available centers can be found below.

2. A revised, final draft of the paper - 2-3 pages not including the required reference page, double spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font. The paper must be spell checked and use correct grammar. All material must be appropriately referenced. You may choose either APA, MLA or Chicago style referencing but you must use the style consistently throughout the paper. A list of references cited must be included and this page is not to be counted as part of the required 2-3 page limit of the paper.

   Papers must be turned in at the beginning of the class devoted to your topic. One exception to this rule: Papers on the first topic will be due April 12/13 - one week after the discussion.

Late Papers: Given an adequate reason (to be determined by your TA), late papers will be accepted but the final grade on the paper will be reduced by 1 course point for every calendar day late. Any paper arriving after the end of the discussion section meeting at which it is due but before midnight will be considered 1 day late. Additional points will be deducted for each day the paper is late with a day defined as midnight to midnight. Weekend and non-class days count as “days.”

Plagiarism:
Read the University definition of plagiarism below prior to submitting your paper and be certain that you are not plagiarizing in any sense of the term. Plagiarized papers will earn few, if any, points.

Papers are worth a total of 45 points. They will be graded on:

Content (16 points)

Strength of the thesis statement (logical, clear thesis)
Appropriate use of papers to support argument
Clear and appropriate referencing of ideas

Organization and Clarity (16 points)

Organized (thesis, supporting paragraphs, conclusion)
Logical flow of ideas
Easy to follow

Style (6 points)

Grammar & Spelling correct
Paper written using formal language, use of academic style

Formatting (2 points)

font, margins as expected
consistent/accurate referencing style

Additional article (1 point)

appropriate scholarly article not popular magazine or newspaper

First Draft and Writing Center Review (4 points)

Inclusion of the draft you took to the Writing Center and signed by the center staffer.

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Discussions:
All students are expected to be actively involved in all discussions and to have read the article assigned to the entire class prior to that section meeting. (Note that papers assigned to the entire class are fair game for questions on the exam immediately following that discussion assignment.)

Leading Discussions:
Students preparing papers on a given discussion topic should be prepared to relate information from your supplemental readings throughout the discussion. These students are not to present paper summaries or monopolize the discussion. Rather, the group of students assigned a given topic should prepare a list of sub-issues that the class can address and provide any necessary facts about the topic found in the supplemental readings. You will earn up to 5 course points co-leading the class discussion.

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Plagiarism

The following section was copied verbatim from http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/plag.html. One of the most common forms of cheating is plagiarism, using another's words or ideas without proper citation. When students plagiarize, they usually do so in one of the following ways:
1. Using another writer's words without proper citation. If you use another writer's words, you must place quotation marks around the quoted material and include a footnote or other indication of the source of the quotation.
2. Using another writer's ideas without proper citation. When you use another author's ideas, you must indicate with footnotes or other means where this information can be found. Your instructors want to know which ideas and judgments are yours and which you arrived at by consulting other sources. Even if you arrived at the same judgment on your own, you need to acknowledge that the writer you consulted also came up with the idea.
3. Citing your source but reproducing the exact words of a printed source without quotation marks. This makes it appear that you have paraphrased rather than borrowed the author's exact words.
4. Borrowing the structure of another author's phrases or sentences without crediting the author from whom it came. This kind of plagiarism usually occurs out of laziness: it is easier to replicate another writer's style than to think about what you have read and then put it in your own words. The following example is from A Writer's Reference : by Diana Hacker (New York, 1989, p. 171).
Original: If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists. Unacceptable borrowing of words: An ape who knew sign language unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists.
Unacceptable borrowing of sentence structure: If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing for scientists studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior.
Acceptable paraphrase: When they learned of an ape's ability to use sign language, both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise.
5. Borrowing all or part of another student's paper or using someone else's outline to write your own paper.
6. Using a paper writing "service" or having a friend write the paper for you. Regardless of whether you pay a stranger or have a friend do it, it is a breach of academic honesty to hand in work that is not your own or to use parts of another student's paper.
7. In computer programming classes, borrowing computer code from another student and presenting it as your own. When original computer code is a requirement for a class, it is a violation of the University's policy if students submit work they themselves did not create.
Note: The guidelines that define plagiarism also apply to information secured on Internet web sites. Internet references must specify precisely where the information was obtained and where it can be found. You may think that citing another author's work will lower your grade. In some unusual cases this may be true, if your instructor has indicated that you must write your paper without reading additional material. But in fact, as you progress in your studies, you will be expected to show that you are familiar with important work in your field and can use this work to further your own thinking. Your professors write this kind of paper all the time. The key to avoiding plagiarism is that you show clearly where your own thinking ends and someone else's begins.

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Writing Centers

There are a variety of writing centers available on campus and you may use any of them. Here are a number of links or descriptions that may help you find the right center for you. These descriptions are often taken verbatim from the centers web-site.

1. CLUE Evening Drop-In Writing Center

Mary Gates Hall Commons
Interdisciplinary, open to all undergrads from 7-midnight, Sunday-Thursday. No appointment. First come, first served.
The staff have taught writing and ESL courses. Excellent resource - even at the last minute!
http://depts.washington.edu/clue/dropintutor_writing.php

2. Odegaard Writing and Research Center

Free, one-on-one help with all aspects of writing at any stage in the writing process.  To make an appointment or browse the center's online resources, please visit:
http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc. 
Located on the third floor of the Odegaard Library, the OWRC is open Sunday noon-7:30 PM and Monday through Thursday from 12:00-9:00 PM. To make the best use of your time there, please bring a copy of your assignment with you and double-space any drafts you want to bring in.  The OWRC will not proofread papers or talk with you about grades.

3. Psychology Writing Center

http://web.psych.washington.edu/writingcenter/
Faculty and graduate tutors offer one-on-one consultation, handouts, and other resources on general and scientific writing for undergraduates in psychology.
Scheduled appointments have priority and are STRONGLY recommended. Drop-in's are OK if the tutor is available (don't count on it).
Schedule an appointment at:
http://www.psych.uw.edu/phpScheduleit/index.php?domains=Schedule+an+Appointment

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Contact the instructor at: nkenney@u.washington.edu