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ERIC Number: ED350064
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1992-Mar
Pages: 9
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Teaching of Psychology with a Gender-Balanced Curriculum.
Zaremba, Stacey Beth
Traditional psychological theories are designed, in large part, to explain the behavior of white males, viewing female behavior as deviant or deficient, or ignoring it altogether. While special undergraduate topics courses, such as those on the psychology of women, address this problem in part, many institutions cannot afford to offer them. In addition, such courses might create the illusion that the psychology of women is a unique and different form of psychology. A more appropriate approach to balancing the curriculum may be to mainstream women's issues into all psychology courses. One such approach is to spend one class session on sexist biases in research. Students review the available literature on sex bias in research design, and then discuss the stages of the research process in which such biases can have an effect. Students then locate and critique an empirical article on psychology to identify examples of such biases. In courses covering the biological determinants of behavior (e.g., Comparative Psychology), students can be asked pointed questions to generate debate on sex bias, such as how sociobiology theory might interpret inequality and rape. Students can also be shown how environmental influences are underrepresented in sociobiology. In courses addressing behavioral abnormalities, discussions of gender differences in mental disorders, and the data on mental illness and marital status, should be included. Integrating women's issues into the psychology courses is the first step towards fully integrating diversity into the psychology curriculum. (PAA)
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A