Teaching Interactionist Gender Theory through Speed Dating

Abstract

Few evaluated classroom exercises to date have addressed one of the most cited and compelling explanations of gender formation over the life course: interactionist gender theory. This theory posits that people actively “do” or “perform” their gender in every interaction, and as such, they often subconsciously reshape their public gendered personas based on the degree to which they find social acceptance within a given social context. This paper presents a highly engaging and temporally compact classroom exercise utilizing simulated speed dating to illustrate and generate discussion about interactionist gender theory among undergraduate social sciences and gender studies students. An evaluation study indicates that the exercise improves students’ perceived understanding of interactionist gender theory and that it is both highly helpful and enjoyable.

Making Room for Methods: Incorporating Full-scale Research Projects in Non-methods Courses

“…Sociological activities—such as those described previously—that involve real-world applications have been largely successful in the production of knowledge in collegiate sociology courses (Huisman 2010; Van Auken 2013). While several classroom activities have been evaluated in the literature for their effectiveness in getting students to look beyond individualistic arguments to structurally explain instances of social inequality (see Berkowitz et al 2010; Edwards 2010; Messinger 2015), there are few publications assessing extended, semester-long active learning projects and their effectiveness in developing students’ sociological imaginations.…”

“…Educators in the field of sociology share the objective to impart on students a sociological perspective. After decades of research, there is substantiated agreement that effective methods toward accomplishing this objective involve getting students engaged in the subject matter (Berkowitz, Manohar, and Tinkler 2010; Edwards 2010; Huisman 2010; Messinger 2015; Van Auken 2013). While getting students interested in the study of inequalities may advance their sociological understanding of such topics, it does not necessarily follow that having such an understanding translates into the ability to apply their knowledge to the practice of sociology.…”

Seeing Race

“…Because we wanted to assess how the assignment would impact student views of residential racial segregation, a survey style pretest was distributed a few classes prior to the distribution of the assignment (see e.g., Messinger 2015 on the use of pre- and posttests for pedagogy assessment). The pretest asked students to report their age, race, home state (or country of origin for international students), and classification of their home community (rural, suburban, or urban).…”

Experiencing Misgendered Pronouns: A Classroom Activity to Encourage Empathy

“…To produce this cognitive dissonance, college classes can simulate a social situation in which the experience of being “othered” is simulated, even if artificially, partially, or temporarily. Engaging class activities allow students to experience what it is like to be othered and provide practical tools and suggestions for how to be more inclusive and supportive (Anderson 2001; Berkowitz, Manohar, and Tinkler 2010; Edwards 2010; Messinger 2015). Teaching students about transgender issues can be difficult because traditional teaching methods can’t always effectively put cisgender students in a position where they experience something akin to what their transgender peers experience.…”