Violent behavior can take many forms -- physical, sexual, extremely intimidatory, psychological, intense, infrequent, impulsive, sustained, planned, ritualized, official, encultured, verbal, cognitive, emotional, linguistic, visual, and representational among them [Hearn, J. 1994. The organization(s) of violence: Men, gender relations, organizations and violences.  Human Relations, 47, 731-754. p. 735].   The victims, the abused, carry the wounds and damage of violence for many years, sometimes the rest of their lives, and often find themselves reproducing the violence which has caused them pain in their dealings with others.  Although women are certainly capable of all forms of violent behavior, they are not normally under pressure to embrace and incorporate violence into their identity, as males are compelled to deal with violence as a condition of masculinity. 

This seminar examines how masculinities encourage violence, particularly men’s violence against intimate partners.  We will also assess explanations for why (young heterosexual) men fight with other men.  The primary objective is to understand why (young heterosexual) men use psychological and physical violence. Whatever your long range professional objective, the course will give you an appreciation of the way gender contributes to the normalcy of violence in our society.  It is rooted on the assumption that many other social institutions contribute to the persistence of men’s violence, especially their violence against women. 

The course is an advanced sociology course involving a heavy reading load and first-hand research.  This is a research-based seminar.  Most of the first month involves considerable reading and sets the background for the hands-on research component.  This part of the first month conforms to the typical seminar format -- reading original texts in the sociology of men and masculinities, (e.g., Lefkowitz’s Our Guys, an except from Kimmel’s The gendered society; an excerpt from Courtwright’s Violent land: Single men and social disorder from the frontier to the inner city).  Another part of the first month is designed to begin to develop the basic skills to take-on original research.  You will be involved in a computer-lab learning how to use statistics.

The last two months continue the reading at the same time you initiate your hands-on research.  That is, part of the time we closely examine research articles that directly pertain to how men’s gendered lives influence their use of physical assault and sexual assault.  Part of the time you will work (sometimes in pairs) toward understanding how to use SPSS to analyze survey data.  And, part of the time you will develop a research project that involves original data collection, statistical analyses, and final paper based on you own study of men’s violence.  The semester ends with your oral presentation of your research to your colleagues.  Hopefully, you will again work with me in the spring to develop a poster and present your work at the annual spring research conference at Holy Cross. 

To summarize, the seminar is designed

• to examine theoretical contributions to the ways we try to explain men’s violence
• to develop a social constructionist framework that recognizes the influence of unequal social relations in society and men’s privilege
• to review the scope and nature of violence women experience in their relationships with men
• to better understand the effects of this violence on women and the men
• to learn to use statistics to analyze original empirical data on men’s sexual aggressiveness

Attendance Policy.  A seminar is dependent on your involvement – your preparation, participation in discussion, and willingness to question what you read and what others say.  Everyone is expected to be a co-teacher, and attendance is crucial.  I expect you to be present and on time for each seminar period and to remain in class for its duration.  Attendance will be noted during the first few minutes of each class meeting.  The following policy will be in effect:  To earn a grade of A, you can miss no more than 1 unexcused class period, a B+ no more than 2, a B no more than 3 class periods, and a B- no more than 4 class periods.  If you miss 5 or more unexcused classes you will earn no greater than a C in this course.

Participation.  This “seminar” format will undoubtedly be a different experience for some of you.  Class sessions never permit enough time to summarize relevant material and elaborate on the reading, therefore your own thorough reading beforehand is absolutely essential.  Students are expected to be prepared to discuss everything in the reading assignment on the day they appear on the course outline.  I expect all students to participate in each class, and to do so in a meaningful way.  You need to think about the materials read.  Not only does some of your grade depend on your prepared participation, but so does the entire success of seminar discussions.  You do not need to say fantastically smart things whenever you contribute; all I ask is that you do the required reading diligently, be willing to take some risks, and try out some ideas with the rest of the class.    

In terms of your final grade, “participation” is defined along two dimensions.  First is your weekly “joining in” and contributions to the discussion.  This is graded as a check, and less often as a check-plus or check-minus. Second is the quality of your leadership on the day (or days) you assume responsibility for the seminar; for example, was the discussion focused and presented in an organized way; and were the discussion leaders going beyond the assigned material to encourage analysis and discussion of the topic and issues?

Discussion Leadership.  Throughout the semester, groups of students will assume primary responsibility for leading class discussion.  As discussion leaders, you take the active role in directing the seminar.  The leaders will be responsible for identifying the main points/theses of the readings, and then facilitating a discussion of relevant issues.  Manner of presentation is flexible. 

Weekly Reaction Papers.   Beginning on Monday, September 3 and continuing each Monday thereafter, you are to turn in a “reaction paper” to the week’s reading assignment.  These brief papers will help focus your contribution to class discussions.  They can contain two or three quotes from the reading(s) you found most provocative along with commentary about that quote that interested you.  The idea for this reaction paper is to ensure some level of reflection on the readings as you prepare for class. Your weekly reaction paper should be word-processed and be not much more than 2-3 single-spaced pages (unless you just can’t help yourself).  You should print two copies.  I will collect one copy and you will use the second copy to help with class discussion.

Utilizing your sociological perspective, evaluate the principle ideas, arguments, etc. made by the authors.  For example, does an argument make sense given your developing understanding of masculinities and violence?  A word of caution: Do not devote much space to “reacting” on the basis of personal beliefs, since this type of reaction tells the class nothing about your understanding of the sociological issues.  When referring to a specific passage in the readings, please cite page number(s).  Use a format you feel comfortable with.  Some students, for example, can use the reaction paper as a dialogue with me.  Others may prefer the following format:

What question would you like to ask?  Indicate something from the reading assignment that was confusing or unclear.
Positive Comments.  Discuss a passage that you really liked from the readings.  It could be something you strongly agree with or something that contributed to your understanding intellectually and personally.  Why did you like this passage?
Negative comments.  Discuss a passage that you really disliked, something you strongly disagree with or something that triggered a negative emotional response.  Why did you dislike this passage so much?
Sociological ideas.  Did the reading give you any ideas about why men behave the way they do and how changes in social organization may modify men’s behavior? 

SPSS Research Assignments.   Up to five statistics “homework” assignments are required, and each calls for you to analyze General Social Survey data.  These assignments are due at the beginning of the seminar meeting, and they become part of the material we discuss during that session’s meeting.  The assignments are evaluated on two dimensions.  First is completing them on time.  Second is the accuracy of the work.

Late Assignments.  Unless otherwise noted, assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day they are due.  If you cannot finish the assignment by the beginning of class on the due date, do not miss class in order to finish.  For up to five assignments in this course, you may have a free 24-hours to hand in your work—penalty-free, no excuses needed.  After that, however, for every 24 hours that your assignment is late, your assignment grade drops two grade (e.g., from B+ to B-, from B to C+).  In this seminar, my 24-hour penalty-free lateness policy applies to the statistics assignments and reaction papers.  It does not apply to the midterm exam or the due date on the semester paper. 

Midterm.  A take home midterm will be handed out October 10th and will be due October 15th. The midterm will consist of answering two or three questions. You will be responsible for writing 4-5 page responses to each. 

Research Paper.   A principle objective of the course is to get you to utilize concepts and information from the social sciences to frame your analysis of original data.  The research paper assignment provides you the freedom to select a topic which is of interest to you.    There are several stages to the assignment. First, you will discuss with me of your research topic & question and provide a preliminary bibliography.  Once you have chosen a topic, if possible I will group you together with one or two others who are working on related topics.  Second, you will turn in a good draft of your individual paper immediately before Thanksgiving or earlier.  Third, you will give a brief, collaborative presentation to the class about your research during one of the final three class meetings (November 26, November 28, and December 3).  Finally, you will hand in your final paper, reflecting careful revision based on my comments on the draft and student questions after your presentation.  The paper is worth 40 percent of final grade: five percent for initial literature search, ten percent for the draft, and 25 percent for final paper itself. 

What do I mean by original research paper?  I emphasize the word “original” because not only do you need to conduct research and write a paper based on your research, but you also need to have your own approach to or “take” on this material. 

[a] library phase:  During the fifth week of class, you hand in an initial, annotated bibliography.  Criteria for grading this dimension:  evidence that you have thought about what original approach you will take to your research topic/question; and, that your “literature search” is sufficient.  Please do not ask “how many sources are necessary”?  This working bibliography comprises 5 percent of the course grade.

[b] draft:  One of the important things you can develop as a writer is the willingness to revise drafts.  For this seminar, you must submit a full draft of your final paper by November 19th or earlier.  A “full draft” means that you have written a draft of the entire paper.  I will not accept a draft that is seriously incomplete; remember, this part of the process determines 10% of your seminar grade.  I will give you extensive comments on your draft.  Criteria for grading: thoroughness of research, including use of library; originality of thought; careful use of evidence to support your arguments; and clarity of writing.

[c] oral/poster presentation:  The last three meetings of the seminar are devoted student presentations.  The presentations are not evaluated.  Although you write your draft and final paper individually, I will organize you into research groups based on the similarity of individual projects, and 4-5 students at a table in front of the audience will review their project and the most significant findings.  The audience and presenting group then discuss the common themes/conclusions emerging from the research projects.  Preparation for this experience will help you to write your paper more effectively.  It will, hopefully, be a prelude to you presenting your paper at an undergraduate research conference.

[d] final paper: The final paper is due December 12.  This revision involves more than simply correcting spelling and grammar mistakes.  It means mulling over the feedback you received.  You must submit your marked-up draft with your final paper. 

Academic Honesty:  Few offenses against the academic community and the integrity of the faculty-student relationship are as serious as academic dishonesty.  No ethic is more important than scrupulous use of, and documentation of, sources used.  Improper use of others’ work (whether obtained from printed, electronic, or oral sources) is a violation of academic standards, and violations of academic integrity undermine trust.  Because many people learn best when they learn together, and this is especially true when learning statistics and statistical analysis, you are encouraged to discuss the readings, concepts, and assignments with other members of the class.  But you are also expected at some point to stop collaborating and present your own original work.  Collusion, plagiarism, fabrication of data and findings, and other cheating are violations of academic integrity.  The Department of Sociology and Anthropology adheres to the College’s policy on academic honesty.  If you are unfamiliar with the College’s policy, consult the College Catalogue (pp. 13-14).

Any act of plagiarism committed by a student enrolled in this class will be treated in accordance with college regulations.