Fall, 2005 Dr. Elizabeth M.

Salter
Tues. & Thurs. 9-10:15 Office Address: GR 2.244
GR2.530 Telephone: 972-883-2484
School of General Studies
emsalter@utdallas.edu

ISGS 4306-001

The Human Female: Biology and Culture

This course will take a life cycle approach to the major biological and cultural landmarks in
a woman’s life, and the differing ways that various cultures react to these changes. Topics to be
discussed are: birth and gender identification, childhood/ education, adolescence, body image,
marriage/ non-marriage, sexuality, rape, reproduction, breast feeding, menopause, middle age, old
age, and disease. Traditional research in many fields has often focused on male subjects from the
perspective of a male researcher. When these same topics are examined by female researchers
looking at female subjects, the results can be very different. Medical, anthropological and
archaeological materials will be incorporated into the discussions, where appropriate.

Prerequisites: None

Required Texts:
Belk and Borden The Second X – The Biology of Women
Goldberg - Women Are Not Small Men
Barbara Seaman – Exploding the Estrogen Myth -The Greatest Experiment Ever performed on
Women

Method of Evaluation:
1. Review and Comment upon on the ideas presented in Barbara Seaman’s book. (10 pages) –
30%
2. Analytical Paper (10 pages) Take the premise from Goldberg’s Book and develop a paper on a
disease of your choice (other than heart attacks) explaining how women are not merely small men.
Refer to Goldberg’s book throughout your paper. (10 pages)– 30%
3. Final Take Home Examination (10 pages) - 30% due in my office (Green 2.244) by 12 noon on
last day of class.
4. Attendance and Participation-10% Please note that if you miss more than three classes, your
final mark will be lowered a letter grade. e.g. an earned B+ will be dropped to C+.

All papers and exams are due on the dates indicated, unless an extension has been granted
prior to the due date. I maintain the right to refuse to accept a paper after the due date.

All assignments and the final exam must be submitted in written form to me and must also be
submitted to Turnitin.com – a plagiarism detection service. I do not accept on line submissions by
email. For more information on scholastic dishonesty see the following web page:
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html

Students requiring any special accommodations are required to contact the Office of Disability
Services before any accommodation can be given in class.

Effective fall 2004, students will only be allowed to correspond with UTD Faculty and Staff using
their UTD email accounts. Students may go to http://netid.utdallas.edu to establish or maintain
their official UTD computer account.
 ISGS 4306 Fall 2005
Human Female:Biology and Culture
Readings from
Belk & Borden
8 18 INTRODUCTION/ARCHAEOLOGY 2
8 23 PRIMATE STUDIES
8 25 THE BIOLOGY OF WOMEN 1,3
8 30 BIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF SEX 4
9 1 CULTURAL DETERMINANTS OF GENDER 5
9 6 ADOLESCENCE-BIOLOGICAL CHANGES 8
9 8 RITES OF PASSAGE/SOCIAL CHANGES
9 13 MOVIE - FEMALE CIRCUMCISION
9 15 WOMEN'S BODIES- STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION 6,7 Barbara Seaman's paper due
9 20 SEXUALITY AND
9 22 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN & "ONE NIGHT"
9 27 MARRIAGE/ NON MARRIAGE - CHOICES
9 29 MOVIE - SAHERI'S CHOICE
10 4 FERTILITY AND FAMILY PLANNING 9,12
10 6 PREGNANCY 10
10 11 ABORTION
10 13 BIRTH
10 18 BREAST FEEDING
10 20 POSTPARTUM 11
10 25 BODY IMAGE/FAT Disease paper due
10 27 MOVIE - CULT OF THE BEAUTIFUL BODY
11 1 NUTRITION/EXERCISE
11 3 MENOPAUSE - BIOLOGY 14
11 8 MENOPAUSE - CULTURAL ATTITUDES
11 10 AGING - BIOLOGY
11 15 AGING - CULTURAL ATTITUDES
11 17 CANCERS 13
11 22 HEART DISEASE
11 24 Thanksgiving - no class
11 28 final exam due today by noon Final examination