High school girls are bored, disengaged, and stressed in science classes, according to preliminary results of a study led by Northern Illinois University researchers Jennifer Schmidt and M. Cecil Smith. The two professors in the College of Education's Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations studied 244 high school…

Describes a college-level course that highlights women's contributions to and impact on psychology. Recommends the use of biographical information and the implications of women's growing presence in psychology. Provides suggestions for modifying traditional psychology courses using this approach. (CFR)

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…

While many undergraduate disciplines are revising curricula to address issues of diversity more effectively, it is commonly assumed that courses in cross-cultural psychology are less in need of revision due to their inherent multi-cultural focus. The field of cross-cultural psychology, however, is not immune to Eurocentric and androcentric biases.…

This essay examines the ways in which psychology, as a discipline, has been influenced by feminist scholarship in the field. Noting that feminist psychologists have challenged the assumption that psychological science is value-free, it cites ways in which values have affected psychological theory and method. The view that men's behavior is…

This collection of four essays examines the ways in which psychology, as a discipline, reflects ongoing scholarship on gender, race, ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation. In "Rethinking the Discipline: Psychology," Angela B. Ginorio focuses on the inadequacies of many existing courses and textbooks. She also explores specific…

Suggests a developmental psychology approach to teaching the psychology of women to deal with students' conservative attitudes. Provides examples of discussion topics, examination questions, and class exercises. Recommends students write a "life review" of their gender role socialization to help integrate the course content. (NL)

Suggests techniques for incorporating information on women psychologists into a psychology of women course. Emphasizes the impact of role models for female students integrating family and career. Presents themes of life cycle development in the psychology of women, discrimination in graduate training, the family claim, and employment…

Argues that instructors in the psychology of women need to incorporate scholarship on ethnicity into their courses. Proposes a structure for incorporation that organizes course discussions around major themes. Suggests films, topics, exercises, and popular books that could be used. Discusses the implications of the incorporation for other…

Reports on a study of 301 new psychology majors to test and extend a generic model for academic pathways to the undergraduate major and investigate feminization of the field. Finds that a student's contact with basic college psychology courses is a major factor leading to a decision about an undergraduate major. (CFR)

Describes the use of debate in teaching a college level course on the psychology of women. Contends that the technique encouraged critical thinking, active learning, and cooperation. Provides suggestions for replicating the process in other courses. (CFR)

Describes an instructional model labeled "connected teaching" used in a college developmental psychology course. Employs teaching techniques identified by women as being the type of instruction they desired. Concludes that the overall goal is to convince students that they can actively construct knowledge. (CFR)

A senior psychology seminar that dealt with recent psychological, sociological, and feminist literature on sexual victimization is described. Major topics addressed were rape, childhood sexual abuse, and incest. The topics of pornography, sexual harassment, and sexual exploitation in the media were also covered. (Author/RM)

Describes a women's studies course on images of women in psychology and literature. Includes a syllabus for the course divided into gender and genre, gender and difference in psychoanalytic theory, moral development, growing up female, relationships, and the minority experience. Discusses development of the course, problems encountered, and…

The entry of more "non-traditional" students into graduate social psychology programs brings varied life experiences into the field. Women in particular bring different experiences than those conventionally assumed by the academy. Research shows that many women who have succeeded in higher education did so by adopting…