Sex differences: insights from biology, film, and literature
In order to fulfill my first year Honors experience requirement, I enrolled in Sex Differences: Insights from Biology, Film, and Literature. This course broke down many of the stereotypical gender roles that society puts on men, women, and children. The professors, Billie Dziech and Mary Fox, approached the subject from both a biological perspective (Mary is a professor in Biological Sciences) and a psychological perspective. The class read many different essays and excerpts (Billie is a professor of English & Comparative Literature) to study various subtopics such as male-to-male relationships, mothering, competition, beauty, and evolution. The class relied heavily on weekly required readings, but supplemented this material with presentations and video clips. Students were also required to view a handful of films outside of class to identify and analyze various stereotypes regarding the genders.
As an engineer, I was totally unsure as to what this class would entail and was fairly sure I would be one of the only guys in a room full of females. Although my gender ratio prediction was true (the total male count in the class was five), I was pleasantly surprised by the content of the class. I learned that the generic stereotypes about the differences between men and women are, in many cases, actually accurate. As with most human behaviors, the cause of differences between the genders is not solely a result of environmental, biological, or psychological factors, but instead a mixture of the three. In addition, I learned that exceptions to the trends always exist and provide interesting case studies to learn more about the characteristics of the average population as well as those who don't follow the mold.
Near the end of the quarter, the class took a service trip to Buckhorn, KY where the students and professors volunteered at the Buckhorn Children's Center. All of the kids who are admitted to the center were sexually abused and, in turn, channeled that abuse into violent behavior. We spent the weekend helping the staff with some spring cleaning and building maintenance. As a celebration of our visit, the staff at the Buckhorn Children's Center held a cookout and bonfire for the students from UC and the children at the center. I really enjoyed playing games with the children at the center and giving them the chance to bond with someone who wasn't a psychological nurse or patient.
I didn't realize the meaning of the trip until we arrived at the Buckhorn Children's Center and the staff described some of the horrors and griefs these young kids had experienced. Seeing the simplistic lifestyle of the kids at Buckhorn and their positive attitudes in the light of all that had happened to them really inspired me to be more positive about my life. I realized then that no matter how difficult my life may seem, things could always be much worse.
As an engineer, I was totally unsure as to what this class would entail and was fairly sure I would be one of the only guys in a room full of females. Although my gender ratio prediction was true (the total male count in the class was five), I was pleasantly surprised by the content of the class. I learned that the generic stereotypes about the differences between men and women are, in many cases, actually accurate. As with most human behaviors, the cause of differences between the genders is not solely a result of environmental, biological, or psychological factors, but instead a mixture of the three. In addition, I learned that exceptions to the trends always exist and provide interesting case studies to learn more about the characteristics of the average population as well as those who don't follow the mold.
Near the end of the quarter, the class took a service trip to Buckhorn, KY where the students and professors volunteered at the Buckhorn Children's Center. All of the kids who are admitted to the center were sexually abused and, in turn, channeled that abuse into violent behavior. We spent the weekend helping the staff with some spring cleaning and building maintenance. As a celebration of our visit, the staff at the Buckhorn Children's Center held a cookout and bonfire for the students from UC and the children at the center. I really enjoyed playing games with the children at the center and giving them the chance to bond with someone who wasn't a psychological nurse or patient.
I didn't realize the meaning of the trip until we arrived at the Buckhorn Children's Center and the staff described some of the horrors and griefs these young kids had experienced. Seeing the simplistic lifestyle of the kids at Buckhorn and their positive attitudes in the light of all that had happened to them really inspired me to be more positive about my life. I realized then that no matter how difficult my life may seem, things could always be much worse.
To download an example of class work, click here:
To download an example of a film reflection, click here: |
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