COURSE OUTLINE    (latest update, January 14, 2003)
 
  • Part 1:  Perspectives

    •  
  • Images of the Masculine Mystique & Introduction to the Course
    • Is it getting harder and harder for a young male to figure out how to be a man?  Have you thought about some of the current images of manhood in America readily found in media?  Why study men and masculinities?  What can you expect in this course?
    • Jan 16:

      • Reading: 
    		 Introduction to the courseacspae space space space space space space space 
    Kimmel & Messner, “Introduction” to Men’s lives (ER)
    Steinem, “If men could menstruate” (ER)
    Bartel, “When men put on appearances” (review, ER)

     
  •  Historical Overview:  Perspectives on Manhood (January 21-30)
    • The 18th and 19th century expectations for men witness the closing of the frontier, shifts from apprenticeships to “factory” work, relocation to urban tenements from family farms, and adapting to bureaucracies.  What has happened to 'manhood'?
    • Jan 21:

      • Reading:
         		 Patriarchal masculinity -- defining manhood through control
    Rotundo, “Community to individual,” Chapter 1 in American Manhood  (ER) 
    Kimmel, "The contemporary crisis of masculinity in historical perspective"  (ER)
    Connell, “The social organization of masculinity” (ER)
    • Jan 23:

      • Reading:
         		 The seeds of dissent – defining manhood by his control and success
    Pleck, “Men's power with women, other men, and society” (ER) 
    Ehrenreich, The hearts of men, pp. 1-98 
    • Jan 28:

      • Reading:
    		 The so-called 'revolt' space space 
    Ehrenreich, The hearts of men, pp. 99-182 
    • Jan 30:

      • Reading:
    		 Redefining manhood at the end of the century space space spcae space
    Jordon & Cowan, ‘Warrior narratives in the kindergarten classroom: Renegotiating the social contract” (ER)
    Messner, Politics of masculinities, Chapter 1 (ER)
    Freeman, “Hardhats: Construction workers, manliness, and the 1970 pro-war demonstrations” 

     
  • Testosterone or Culture--Paradigms about Men and Masculinity:  Biological, Social, & Cultural Theorizing  (February 4-6)
    • Public and scholarly discussions about manhood and masculinity had a number of different starting points.  These paradigms differently put men into perspective.  What are the dominant paradigms?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?
    • Feb 4:

      • Reading:
    		 Biogenetic pushes or cultural norms space space space space space 
    Kimmel, The gender society, Chapters 1-3 
    Ehrenreich & Tiger, “Who needs men?” (ER)
    • Feb 6:

      • Reading:
         		 Developmental interpretations and constuctions space spacespace 
    Kimmel, The gender society, Chapters 4-5
    West & Zimmerman, " Doing gender" (ER)
    Hunter & Davis, "Constructing gender" (ER)

     
  • In Sum:  The Matrix Involves Many Masculinities (February 11-13)
    • Recognition of the many masculinities found in American society is crucial to understanding men’s lives and the differences among men.  What aspects of manhood are deeply influenced by a man’s social class, race, age, ethnic origin, religion, and geographical residence?
    • Feb 10:spa 
    		 Film night, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Monday, 7 pm, Stein spa space
    • Feb 12:

      • Reading:sce


     

    		 The matrix of masculinities surrounding sexuality
    Kimmel, The gender society, Chapter 10
    Bordo, “Pills and power tools” (ER)
    Herek, "Psychological heterosexualism and anti-gay violence" (ER)
    Lehne, "Homophobia among men" (skim/ review ER)
    • Feb 14:

      • Reading:
    		 The matrix of masculinities surrounding race
    Marable, “The black male: Searching beyond stereotypes” (ER) 
    Fine, et al.,  (In)secure times:  Constructing white working-class masculinities in the late 20th century” (ER)
    Chen, “Lives at the center of the periphery.. : Chinese American masculinities” (ER)
    Cheng, “Marginalized masculinities and hegemonic masculinity” (skim/review ER)

     
  • An Illustration of (Some) Men's Privilege (February 18-20)
      • The acquired status of being born male assures most men privilege in comparison to women, and among men, some men have greater access to the institutional bases insuring privilege.  What kind of social capital do the young, white athletes in Glen Ridge have as a result of their community’s definition of “true manhood”?
    • Feb 18:

      • Reading:

     
     
    • Feb 20:

      • Reading:
    		 Organized sports
    Lyman, “The fraternal bond as a joking relationship” (ER)
    Lefkowitz, Our guys, pp. 3-209
    The legal, corporate culture space space 
    Lefkowitz, Our guys, pp. 213-496

     
  • The  Culture of “Given ‘em Hell”:  Masculinity & Violence (February 25) 
      • What do journalists and sociologists mean when they argue that sexual assault and boys’ and men’s violence are the products of a “sick” culture?  Does contemporary American culture retain a historical underpinning that tolerates men’s violence?
    • Feb 25:

      • Reading:
    		 Kimmel, The gender society, Chapter 11
    Messerschmidt, “Adolescent masculinity challenges and sexual violence” (ER)
    Hood, “’Let’s get a girl’: Male bonding rituals in America” (ER)
    Kaufman, “The construction of masculinity and the triad of men’s violence” (ER)

     
    Midterm exam (February 27)space space space space space

     
  • Part 2:  Commonalities Across Men’s Lives

    •  
  • Masculinities in the Media (March 11)
      • We are daily inundated with images of masculinity – in films, music, magazines, and, of course, television.  The presentations advise.  What men are supossed to look like, act like, and be like?  Is the masculine mystique singular and hegemonic, or are their conflicting messages? 
    • Mar 11:

      • Reading:
    		 Strate, “Beer commercials: A manual on masculinity” (ER)
    Bordo, The male body, pp. 142-152, 242-253
    Film:  Tough Guise

     
  • Manhood and Sports: A Means to Become and Be a Man (March 13)
    • Has the social institution of sport become men’s domain for assuring the (re)construction of masculinity?  Is sport aggressive play?  Has sport become the ladder for minority men’s success? How is employment a defining experience?
    • Mar 13:

      • Readings:
    		 Messner, “Boyhood, organized sports and the construction of masculinities” (ER)
    Sabo & Panepinto, “Football ritual and the social reproduction of masculinity” (ER)

     
  • Bodies: Their Meanings and Men’s Health(March 18-27)
    • How has the presentation of men’s body, especially its size, evolved the past 50 years?  Is the masculine mystique captured less by work performance today and more by men’s presentation of their bodies?  Does size matter?  Are boys and men encouraged to engage in health risk-taking behavior and to deny vulnerabilities?
    • Mar 18:

      • Readings
       
       
       
       
       
    • Mar 20:

      • Readings
    		 The body: Private parts
    Connell, “Men’s bodies” (ER)
    Bordo, The male body, pp. 15-83     bo
    The body: Private parts
    Bordo, The male body, pp. 168-225 

     
    • Mar 25:

      • Readings
    		 Men’s health status:  The effects of gender 
    Sabo, “Masculinities and men’s health” (ER)
    Courtenay, “Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men’s well-being” (ER)
    Gerschick & Miller, "Coming to terms: Masculinity and physical disability" (ER)
    • Mar 27:

      • Readings
    		 Masculinities and men in trouble
    Pollack, “Inside the world of boys: Behind the mask of masculinity” (ER)
    Real, "Men’s hidden depression" (ER)

     
  • Manhood and Employment: Workplace Masculinities (April 1)
    • Does the masculine mystique still require men to be “the big wheel” at work?  Does size (that is, the size of a paycheck, the amount of office space, the location of lunch room, the type of work) subtly define masculinity?  How is employment a defining experience for men?
    • Apr 1:

      • Readings
    		 Kimmel, The gender society, Chapter 8
    Williams, “The glass escalator” (ER)
    Rublin, “When you get laid off, it’s like you lose a part of yourself” (ER)
    Pierce, “Rambo litigators”  (skim/review ER)

     
  • Men’s Relationships with Other Men (April 3-8)
      • Are men’s relationships close?  How do we know?  What characterizes the way men interact with other men, know their relationship is not just friendly relations but friendship?
    • Apr 3:

      • Readings
    		 Friendly relations & friendships
    Swain, "Covert intimacy: Closeness in men's friendships" (ER)
    Walker, “I’m not friends the way she’s friends” (ER)
    Walker, “Men, women, and friendships: What they say, what they do” (skim/review ER)
    Simmons, “The truth about male friendships” (ER)

    • April 8:

      • Readings
    		 Friendships
    Duneier: Slim’s table, pp. 3-117, 157-168; skim Chapters 8-9 

     
  • Men’s Relationships with Women and Children (April 10-15)
    • Do men interact with women differently than they ways they engage other men?  What characterizes the way men and women interact with one other?
    • Apr 10:

      • Readings
    		 Relations with women:  Before and after marriage
    Swain, "Men's friendships with women" (ER)
    Rubin, "Approach-avoidance dance" (ER)
    • Apr 15:

      • Readings
    		 Fatherhood
    Risman & Johnson-Summerford, “Doing it fairly: A study of postgender marriages” (ER)

     
  • Part 3:  Polemics and the Politics of Masculinities

    •  
  •  Polemics:  Recognition or Backlash (April 22-24)
    • What do the Promise Keepers, the mythopoetic movement, the Father’s Rights movement, and the Million Man March have in common?
    • Apr 22:

      • Readings
    		 Men’s Lives: A Review
    Faludi, Stiffed, Chapters 2-5 
    • Apr 24:

      • Readings
    		 Men’s Lives: A Review
    Faludi, Stiffed, Chapters 6-8, 11-12

     
  • The Politics of Contemporary Masculinities (April 29)
      • Does the public recognize the power of the hegemonic masculinity that men (and women) too often feel obliged to live up to everyday?  Should ordinary men be viewed as conscious manipulators of the power bestowed to them as males at birth, or are they unwitting participants in an odd play without a single director?
    • Apr 29

      • Readings
    		 The Men’s Movement(s)
    Messner, Politics of masculinities, Chapter 6 (ER)
    Schwalbe, “Mythopoetic men’s work as a search for communitas” (recommended, ER)
       
    Return to Sociology of Men pageReturn to the topReturn to my homepage