Week

Perspectives on Gender
Content
Introduction to perspectives on Gender:
Introduce and welcome students to Perspectives on Gender. Inform students that this course aims to identify, explain and challenge the ways in
which gender is constructed in and through a range of texts. It will also require students to make links between texts and examine how social and
cultural contexts affect meaning. The texts that we will predominantly be focusing on include The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and
Million Dollar Baby by Clint Eastwood.
Access prior knowledge: Ask students what is Gender? (Students to write down the following definition) Gender refers to what it means to be male
or female in daily life. Gender is different to sex, which is the term used to describe biological differences between males and females. The Oxford
dictionary describes gender as the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than
biological ones). Grammatically, gender is identified through terms like masculine, feminine, common, or neutral.
Student Activity 1: Throughout history the roles of males and females have changed.
1. Describe the way the role of females has changed in the last 50 years. Why?
2. Describe the way the role of males has changed in the last 50 years. Why?

Student Activity 2: Clearly many factors influence gender. Mind-map what influences gender individually then as a class. (Answers could include:
family, sex, media, friends, stereotypes, ourselves, culturally based assumptions)

Class Discussion: We know that a stereotype is an oversimplified and conventional idea or image, used to label or define people or objects. What are
3 male or female stereotypes that exist in society today? Highlight the importance of media (TV, magazine, internet) what are 3 common features of
mens magazines? What are 3 common features of womens magazines?

Student Activity 3: Rank each of the factors you came up with that influenced gender from most influential to least (1 being the most influential).
Discuss responses.

Student Activity 4: Draw a table in your books with three columns, the headings for these columns are masculine, feminine, neutral. Students are to
graph their individual qualities against these three gender descriptors. Ask if anyone would mind sharing if they dont want to that is fine.
Extended response: Is gender a social construction and do you think it encourages inequality? Explain. (Provide students with extract from: Gender
as a Social Structure: Theory Wrestling with Activism by Risman).

Introducing Margaret Atwood:

- Students are to watch the first 17 minutes of the following clip: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s3769182.htm (Hand out Bio info)
Students are to collect the novel
The Handmaids Tale (Chapters1 11):
Focusing on Context:
Atwood is a poet as well as a successful novelist. Before you read the book do some research work on the time in which Atwood was writing. Of
special interest (and specifically mentioned in the Epilogue) are the governmental regime in Iran in the 1980s (and indeed now, as it hasnt
changed!), Romanian policy under President Ceaucescu regarding the birthrate in Romania, and the influence of the American right-wing
Christian community on politics (again, this is just as true now as it was in the 1980s).You will research these as follows: Romania in the 1980s
(Ceaucescus birth control policies, the reasons for them and the effects), and the USA both in the 1980s and now, and the power and influence of
the Christian right-wing on US politics

Interviews with Atwood: Atwood has written and conducted interviews several times about The Handmaids Tale. Below are two articles she has
written. It is very useful to read these as, although you are not expected to refer to a writers own opinions in any discussion or essay, it is useful to
understand how the writers mind was working as the idea germinated and the book took shape.

Orwell and Me by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

Students will be at the end of Ch 11 by the end of the week; however, we will be looking at certain parts of the novel in depth. Read the first chapter
and complete The Handmaids Tale: The First Chapter.
Chapter 6 Analysis questions
Class discussion of interesting quotes or aspects of the novel go through bits underlined for Ch 1 11. Ask students for anything they found
interesting.
Activity 5: Start plotting hierarchy in Gilead (Go through Hierarchy in Gilead worksheet once done all they can).
Extended response: what comment is The Handmaids Tale making about gender so far?
Activity 6: What assumptions are made about men in both the test and current society? (activity to balance out the unit)
DEBATE: Personal freedoms should not be determined by government bodies

The Handmaids Tale (Chapters 12 22):

Activity 5: Start plotting hierarchy in Gilead (Go through Hierarchy in Gilead worksheet once done)
Analyse the ritual meeting in the commanders office? (focus on symbolism in language)

Introducing the issue of Freedom:

1. Discussion: Aunt Lydia says that there is more than one kind of freedom.... There is freedom to and freedom from. Discuss this statement
in relation to our current place and time.
2. Collect evidence from the novel in relation the theme of freedom.
3. Extended response: What can we infer from the text in relation to Atwoods beliefs about freedom and government control? Is there a warning in the
text in relation to this issue? Explain.
4. Discuss recent events in France in relation to freedom of speech.
5. Discuss recent events in Afghanistan in relation to freedom of dress (beaten to death because ankle was showing).

The Handmaids Tale (Chapters 23 33):

The Handmaids Tale as a Dystopian Novel
Question sheet for chapters 21 29 and 29-31
Timeline of events
Symbolism
The Handmaids Tale (Chapters 34 46):
Deconstructing the end of THT
Annotation of last chapter
Historical Notes Analysis
Themes and Features Analysis
Introducing the issue of Religious Extremism: The book itself takes a passage from the Bible for its central idea: Genesis 30:1-3, which suggests that
important men may have children with their servants if their wives cannot, that a handmaids duty may be also to provide offspring for the powerful couple.
It is imperative that you read Genesis to understand the whole tale of Rachel and Jacob. Rather than a barren woman desperately in need to be mother,
Rachel is more of a competitor with her sister Leah, also wife to the same husband, in a race to bear sons. The husband, Jacob, loves Rachel more than Leah,
yet copulates and impregnates both sisters and their handmaids. We dont see Leah worrying that Jacob loves her less, or Rachel triumphant because Jacob
loves her more: only the number of births matter in determining the worth -- and happiness -- of the wives. Progeny must not be a reflection of love between
two people, then: it can be seen as a competition between mothers, with each birth adding to the value of the wife, even if the birth is from her handmaid,
and not from the wife herself. It will be interesting for them to evaluate the Biblical passage in order to determine various ways it might be interpreted. Are
we to believe that this passage promotes this behaviour, discourages this behaviour, or merely tells the tale? Where is the moral to be found?
DEBATE: Popular culture promotes gender inequality.
Representation of Gender and Identity in Modern Literature:
- Discussion of Popular Music: read through the lyrics to Blurred Lines and Literally I Cant and take notes on the type of language used. Discuss

the acceptance, problems and impacts of the uninhibited use of such language in pop culture.
Watch the Killing Us Softly Documentary and Like a Girl Campaign and read the following article: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/girl-nolonger-insult-inspiring-ad-pgs-always-158601 What happens between year 7 and Year 9 that causes this gendering to take place? Discuss the
impact of images used in Advertising and the way we are gendered.
- Address male stereotypical insults be a man and other socially accepted insults like thats/youre gay.
- The Gender Ads Project - Complete research activity on the use of Gender in advertising and comment on the stereotypes that are promoted and
encouraged.
- Create an Ad activity.
Research Activity: Choose one of the following areas to investigate further, relating each to sexual (or gender) oppression or elitism:
-

1. Politics: Offred seems the have a superficial understanding of politics. She seems to be a character that is more concerned with her life and the life
of her family rather than larger political structures. An investigation of how women involve themselves in politics, and why, may prove a fertile
research ground for papers.
2. Public assistance: Explore similarities and differences in public programs for men and women. This is a very controversial issue currently, with
money designated to help encourage recipients of public assistance to marry. What guidelines are used to determine public assistance? Do women
and men need to meet the same expectations to receive help? How do public assistance guidelines affect the ways family members live? Why are
policies regarding the marital status of welfare recipients so controversial?
3. Public education: Scholarship funds in the US may be of interest as there is an imbalance between the opportunities available to make and female
athletes. Students may also be interested in passages from THT that describe Offreds memories of school and the ways that boys and girls were
drawn -- or driven -- to differing academic and extracurricular programs.
4. Marriage and family: How spouses are chosen and the degree to which families participate would be an interesting area to research. I have already
mentioned traditions for wedding expenses, of course, but there are other areas to consider, particularly inheritance issues and support (or the lack of
support) following the dissolution of a marriage. What happens when a marriage ends in divorce and the parents remarry? Does the commitment to
the children remain on the same level by both parents?
5. Religious organizations and influence: Offred is aware of major denominations, but provides little explanation about how a war between Christian
sects may have been sparked. Additionally, she does not have the understanding of the Bible to challenge the interpretations of the Republic of
Gilead, even though she recognizes that there are parts that have been changed or left out. It would be interesting for students to study the amount of
female participation in religions, and then again what kind of participation. Do females have supportive or decision-making roles? Are males and
females given the same moral instruction? Does this vary with race and socioeconomic status, and why might it do so?
6. Historical precedents: Students who read carefully will realize that the Republic of Gilead relocates Jews (though one report states that they are
dumped at sea) and rounds up the Children of Ham (African Americans) for removal to the Colonies. Gender Treachery (homosexuality) is a
hanging offense. Ethnic cleansing may sound cleaner than genocide, but its the same thing, and there is plenty of it to research. Students may
choose to examine any of the wars that have destroyed populations over ethnicity and religion. Nazi Germany may be an obvious place to start, but
there are others: the 30 Years War, the Croats and the Serbs, Irelands ongoing struggles between the Catholics and Protestants, Bosnias disastrous
religious warfare, the Turks and the Armenians, and any of a number of Reformations and Crusades. Comfort Women enslaved by the Japanese

Imperial Army in order to provide sexual outlets for soldiers have been telling their tales publicly to a world audience.
7. Environmental concerns: Offred recognizes the problem of having only 10% of females being fertile. How does over- or under-population affect a
community? Students in our science magnet school may be interested in investigating how long environmental effects linger -- one generation, two
generations, ten generations? The Republic of Gilead faced numerous environmental disasters, including nuclear contamination. We have become
increasingly aware of the potential for nuclear disaster, bioterrorism, chemical warfare, environmental terrorism, etc. An investigation into the
effects of atomic warfare on Hiroshima and Nagasaki may be of interest to my students, or perhaps the impact of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on
its local community and the entire planet.
8. Agricultural concerns: Offred hints that use of pesticides and farming methods may have played roles in poisoning the environment. Students may
wish to investigate how farmers farm and what guidelines exist to protect consumers. Weve also heard a lot about genetic engineering for
agriculture, and they may wish to investigate the risks and benefits of it.