This course for undergraduate students was designed to be taught as an online course [with no synchronous meetings, and offering office hours and individual meetings virtually, etc.] over a 10 week term at Portland Community College. It covers how sociological theory and research are used to examine how gender is socially constructed through social institutions, social interaction, and the formation of a gendered identity. It considers how gender interacts with additional social categories, such as race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and social class, to shape major social institutions and personal experiences. It emphasizes the nature of power, privilege, and oppression with regard to gender and explores how gendered arrangements can be transformed. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores.
This course was designed using student-centered learning, culturally responsive teaching, and incorporates open pedagogy by asking students to provide input and suggestions into improving the textbook. In addition, the course and materials were developed according to the principles of Universal Design and Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT).
Included in this course are Included in this course are an Instructor Guide, Course Map, Syllabus, Final Project, Final Project Rubric and weekly materials, including lecture notes, writign assignments, and weekly discussions
Accessibility Statement: Some videos and audio files lack captions and transcripts
Attribution and Licensing:
Creator: Curated and Designed by Heidi Esbensen, Portland Community College
Published: 2/28/2025
Relevance: Course based on SOC 218 at Portland Community College
Level: Undergraduate
License: CC BY 4.0.
Explain the social construction of gender through social institutions, interaction, ideology, and identity formation utilizing sociological theory and research to analyze gender as an organizing principle in human group life.
Articulate the significance of gender as an organizing principle within the socio-historical context of society, including individual experiences, social institutions, and the process of social change.
Identify how gender intersects with additional socially constructed categories (such as race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and social class) with regard to individual experiences, collective action, and established institutions.
Identify gendered social phenomena using the sociological imagination in order to understand human behavior, foster personal growth, and better appreciate the diversity of the social world
Apply sociological knowledge and research skills to address contemporary problems in social institutions related to gender difference and gender inequality, using public policy and collective action.