Learning Objectives
There are a number of Delaware Technical Community College Wide Core Course (CCC) Performance Objectives that I follow as I plan my units of instruction. These are, in a sense, non-negotiable. A mentor from the institution checks in to confirm that what I am doing is aligned with what they are doing at their institution. In this unit I will be using three of these CCC Performance Objectives: (1) assess the impact of socialization on both the individual and society, (2) analyze social stratification and the causes and consequences of classifying people by race, ethnicity, and gender, and (3) analyze personal reactions to sociological concepts, principles, and processes. In doing so students will be able to explain how socialization and gender are related, illustrate the connection between social stratification and life chances according to gender, and assess their own understandings and reactions to their gender experiences. When I first started teaching this course, the textbook chapter was entitled, Gender. Now, it is named Gender and Sexualities demonstrating what I believe to be an expanding definition and understanding of the fluidity of gender reflective of our society. That being written, I initially felt an uneasiness regarding my own lack of knowledge and understanding of the subject. All the reading that I have done has made me think more deeply about what I believe, think, and understand. Some of my readings have pushed me in my own thinking as well as created even more questions to which I am still searching for answers. I believe relaying this information to my students will enable them to see that educating oneself can lead to better understanding of concepts and people.
Enduring Understandings, the big ideas of the unit, are taken from the Core Concepts of our textbook’s chapter on Gender and Sexualities. Students will understand that sex is a biological concept, whereas gender is a social construct; and gender expectations are learned and culturally imposed through a variety of social mechanisms, including socialization, the commercialization of gender ideas, and situational constraints. These understandings lead to Essential Questions that guide students throughout the unit within each lesson. These questions are those that students will investigate through their reading and viewing of a variety of sources. They include: How are sex and gender defined and understood?, How are gender expectations learned and/or imposed throughout one’s lifetime and what does this mean to individuals and society?, and What is my understanding of gender and how does it impact my life? A variety of texts (both for reading and viewing) will be used in this unit. From the comprehension of these texts, students will develop an understanding of the social construction of gender. Students will closely read a number of texts – some assigned as a common reading among all class members while others will be by choice. Students will analyze and synthesize these to answer the Guiding Questions while engaging in conversations that will also assist them in practicing their active listening skills as well as developing their personal reactions/responses to important topics – sociology subjects – such as gender.
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