Course Number:
COMM 237
Transcript Title:
Gender and Communication
Created:
Aug 04, 2022
Updated:
Jun 29, 2023
Total Credits:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture / Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0
Satisfies Cultural Literacy requirement:
No
Satisfies General Education requirement:
Yes
Grading Options
A-F, P/NP, Audit
Default Grading Options
A-F
Repeats available for credit:
0
Prerequisites

placement into MTH 65 or MTH 98

Prerequisite/Concurrent 

WR 121 or WR 121Z

Course Description

Examines similarities and differences in male and female communication styles and patterns. Attention given to implications of gender as social construct upon perception, values, stereotypes, language, nonverbal communication, power and conflict in human relationships. Discusses influence of mass communication upon shaping and constructing gender roles. Prerequisites: placement into MTH 65 or MTH 98. Prerequisite/concurrent: WR 121 or WR 121Z. Audit available.

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Employ effective strategies for creating and managing cross-gender relationships.
  2. Recognize and respond to gender-based assumptions and stereotypes in media and society.
  3. Demonstrate awareness of diverse viewpoints shaped by gender identities and expectations.
  4. Understand gender influences on wider societal issues.

Alignment with Institutional Learning Outcomes

Major
1. Communicate effectively using appropriate reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. (Communication)
Major
2. Creatively solve problems by using relevant methods of research, personal reflection, reasoning, and evaluation of information. (Critical thinking and Problem-Solving)
Not Addressed
3. Extract, interpret, evaluate, communicate, and apply quantitative information and methods to solve problems, evaluate claims, and support decisions in their academic, professional and private lives. (Quantitative Literacy)
Major
4. Use an understanding of cultural differences to constructively address issues that arise in the workplace and community. (Cultural Awareness)
Minor
5. Recognize the consequences of human activity upon our social and natural world. (Community and Environmental Responsibility)

To establish an intentional learning environment, Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) require a clear definition of instructional strategies, evidence of recurrent instruction, and employment of several assessment modes.

Major Designation

  1. The outcome is addressed recurrently in the curriculum, regularly enough to establish a thorough understanding.
  2. Students can demonstrate and are assessed on a thorough understanding of the outcome.
    • The course includes at least one assignment that can be assessed by applying the appropriate CLO rubric.

Minor Designation

  1. The outcome is addressed adequately in the curriculum, establishing fundamental understanding.
  2. Students can demonstrate and are assessed on a fundamental understanding of the outcome.
    • The course includes at least one assignment that can be assessed by applying the appropriate CLO rubric.

Suggested Outcome Assessment Strategies

  • In-class participation in experiential activities.
  • Journals chronicling cross-gender interactions and identifying socially-based assumptions and interpretations
  • Research papers exploring historically- and socially-embedded gender behaviors, values and beliefs.
  • Oral presentation of a contemporary or historical issue reflecting the influence on or impact on gender.
  • Critical analysis of films representative of and relevant to the concepts of cross-gender interaction.

Course Activities and Design

The determination of teaching strategies used in the delivery of outcomes is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: lecture, small group/forum discussion, flipped classroom, dyads, oral presentation, role play, simulation scenarios, group projects, service learning projects, hands-on lab, peer review/workshops, cooperative learning (jigsaw, fishbowl), inquiry based instruction, differentiated instruction (learning centers), graphic organizers, etc.

Course Content

  • Theories
    • Nature vs Nurture
    • Psychological identity
    • Rhetoric of Social Movements
    • Social construction
    • Queer theories
  • Perception
  • Self concept
  • Gender identity
  • Verbal communication
  • Nonverbal Communication
  • Power and Status
  • Violence
  • Conflict management
  • Sexism
  • Organizations
    • Workplace
  • Mass Communication
  • Education
  • Relationships
    • Friendships
    • Family
    • Courtship/romantic
  • Cultural variables
  • Stereotypes
  • Effective communication strategies

Competencies and Skills

The successful student should:

  • Be able to explain the complexity of the term “gender” as related to “sex".
  • Be able to see how the nature of language causes one to “see” the world differently from others, especially in relation to power and status.
  • Be able to determine how gender differences evolve and how they affect values.
  • Be able to demonstrate respect for gender differences.
  • Be able to engage in introspection to determine how one’s gender perceptions, attitudes, and values influence the communication process.
  • Be able to identify a range of potentially useful behaviors when interacting with someone who is of the opposite sex in a variety of contexts.
  • Be able to choose communication behaviors appropriate to the setting.