Explorations in Gender, Culture and Schooling

Gender is a central category in contemporary society. What gender someone is influences how we see them, and how we expect them to behave. But what do we mean by gender? What aspects of gender are inborn and what arise from our experiences as babies, children and young people? How is gender related to sexuality and sexual orientation? What do young children think about gender, and how does this change as they get older? How does gender feature in religious and cultural practices, in career choices, and in family life? How does it relate to ideas of ability, popularity and success in school? Do we interpret the same behavior differently when it comes from boys and girls? Do we have to have two genders, or are there other ways of thinking about gender? Do gender differences even matter? In this module we will explore the relationship between gender, identity and society, with a particular focus on children and young people.
We will examine the different ways in which gender is understood theoretically, and how these interpretations are reflected in how people live their lives. Specifically, we will consider how gender operates as a central aspect of identity, and look at masculinities and femininities in relation to this. We will study the relationship between gender and embodiment, including transgender, genderqueer and intersex identities. We will look at how gender, sexuality and sexual orientation interact in different communities. We will explore the relationship between gender and knowledge, and how this is connected with different forms of thinking, including approaches to how people make ethical decisions. In relation to this we will also look at aspects of gender and schooling, including the gender-marking of school subjects, how boys and girls are seen by teachers, and gender issues in achievement. Finally, we will look at how gender is presented in the media, and how young men and women's identities are constructed through new media such as Facebook.