Integrative topics: Gender Issues



Integrative topics: Gender Issues

Overview

I propose to examine the theory that we are psychosexually neutral at birth.

The readings for this section are mostly taken from a widely used textbook - Carlson’s Physiology of Behavior. He provides a standard treatment of the role of hormones in the development of sexual orientation. During the first three weeks the students are directed towards relevant sections Chapter 10. The final reading is Tahir I Jaz’ vitriolic attack on the notion that homosexuality is rooted in biology.

Week 1

Reading

Carlson, Physiology of Behavior, 5th edition, Allyn & Bacon, 1977, Chapter 10 Reproductive behavior.

Read the short introduction. Skim read the Sexual Development section; concentrate on figure 10.3 showing the development of the external genitalia and read the Interim Summary of this section.

Read the section Hormonal Control of Sexual Behavior of Laboratory Animals.

Workbook questions

What are sexually dimorphic behaviours?

Describe the sexually dimorphic behaviours of male and female rats.

Buzz group questions

Is human reproductive behaviour sexually dimorphic?

How is a person’s genetic sex determined?

Week 2

Reading

Carlson, Physiology of Behavior, 5th edition, Allyn & Bacon, 1977, Chapter 10 Reproductive behavior.

Read the section titled “Organisational Effects of Androgens on Behavior: Masculinisation and Defeminisation. Do not read the section on Phermones. Read the section Human Sexual Behaviour up to the section on Sexual Orientation

Workbook questions

What are external genitalia?

What determines the gender of a person’s external genitalia?

Explain the terms ‘behavioural defeminisation’ and ‘behavioural masculinisation’

Why do all foetuses not become defeminised?

Week 3

Reading

Carlson, Physiology of Behavior, 5th edition, Allyn & Bacon, 1977, Chapter 10 Reproductive behavior.

Read the section titled Sexual Orientation.

Workbook questions

Describe the adrenogenital syndrome

Describe the androgen insensitivity syndrome.

Define the term ‘sexual orientation’.

Define the terms heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality.

Buzz group questions

Is homosexuality the result of childhood experience?

Is homosexuality the result of activational effects of hormones?

Is homosexuality the result of organisational effects of hormones?

Is homosexuality the result of heredity?

Week 4

Reading

Tahir I Jaz, Homosexuality - An Analysis of Biological Theories of Causation, link to Internet WWW page, at URL: (version current at 12 September 1997).

Workbook question

Is sexual orientation a product of one’s nature or nurture?

Integrative topics: Gender Issues

Overview

I propose to examine the theory that we are psychosexually neutral at birth.

The readings for this section start with a standard treatment of the role of hormones in the development of sexual orientation taken from a widely used textbook (Carlson). The students are directed towards relevant sections of the chapter. The next reading is Tahir I Jaz’ vitriolic attack on the notion that homosexuality is rooted in biology. The readings in the second week examine the consequences of a particular gender assignment at birth in patients with adrenogenital syndrome (AGS) or after surgical removal of the penis and testes. The second week reading contains two long journal articles; students are given detailed instructions on which parts of the articles to study and which to omit. One aim of this approach is to introduce them to the notion of ‘gutting an article’

Study questions:

Before you do any reading on this topic answer the following questions:

Is homosexuality the result of childhood experience? Briefly state the reasons for your opinion

Is homosexuality the result of heredity? Briefly state the reasons for your opinion

Week 1 reading

Carlson, Physiology of Behavior, 5th edition, Allyn & Bacon, 1977, Chapter 10 Reproductive behavior.

Study notes: Skim read the Sexual Development section; concentrate on figure 10.3 showing the development of the external genitalia and read the Interim Summary of this section.

Skim read the Hormonal Control of Sexual Behavior section; concentrate your reading on the subsection titled Organisational Effects of Androgens on Behavior; omit the subsection on Phermones. Read carefully the section on Human Behavior, paying particular attention to the subsection on Sexual Orientation. You do not need to read the rest of the chapter.

Tahir I Jaz, Homosexuality - An Analysis of Biological Theories of Causation, Internet WWW page, at URL: (version current at 12 September 1997).

Study questions:

What are sexually dimorphic behaviours?

Give examples of sexually dimorphic behaviours in humans and other animals.

How is a person’s genetic sex determined?

Distinguish between the organisational and activational effects of hormones.

What are external genitalia?

What determines the gender of a person’s external genitalia?

Explain the terms ‘behavioural defeminisation’ and ‘behavioural masculinisation’

Why do all fetuses not become defeminised?

What is the difference between male and female human sexual behaviour?

Describe the adrenogenital syndrome

Describe the androgen insensitivity syndrome.

Define the term ‘sexual orientation’.

Define the terms heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality.

Is homosexuality the result of childhood experience?

Is homosexuality the result of activational effects of hormones?

Is homosexuality the result of organisational effects of hormones?

Is homosexuality the result of heredity?

Week 2 reading

Boy raised as girl discovers happiness as a man, The Times, March 15 1997, by Nigel Hawkes.

Psychosexual Development of Women with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Hormones and Behavior, v 30, n 4, December 1996, p300-318

Kenneth J. Zucker,Susan J. Bradley,Gillian Oliver,Jennifer Blake,Susan Fleming,Jane Hood

Study questions:

Read the Introduction to this article carefully. Note that Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is another name for the adrenogenital syndrome (AGS).

Beatty, Principles of Behavioral Neuroscience, Brown & Benchmark, 1995 page 368 is a clear and explicit picture of a patient with severe CAH - this book is available in the short loan collection.Answer the following questions:

Define the terms ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender role’

Can an animal have a gender identity?

Are any animals homosexual?

What is ‘an experiment of nature’ ?

Why are patients with CAH called experiments of nature?

How is CAH treated?

What do the terms prenatal and postnatal mean?

What is gender dysphoria?

Now read the Abstract carefully and then answer these questions:

What are the two forms of CAH?

List the behaviours examined in this study.

List the behavioural differences between CAH patients and controls.

Now read the Discussion carefully

What is the familial relationship between CAH patients and controls?

What are the advantages of using this type of control group?

Note that the answers to the next 2 questions require you to refer back to the Introduction.

What is the physiological difference between the SW and SV forms of CAH?

Which subtype of CAH is the more physically masculinised genitally?

List the psychosexual differences between SW and SV forms of CAH.

What is the implication for a higher number of refusers in the SW group for the chance of rejecting the null hypothesis in this study?

Are females with CAH at a greater risk of experiencing gender identity conflict than ‘normal’ females?

What is the impact of CAH on adult psychosexual behaviour?

What difficulty is posed by self-report as a measure of sexual orientation?

What hypothesis do the investigators consider is supported by their findings?

What alternative explanations are considered, and why are they rejected?

Gender Change from Female to Male in Classical Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Heino F. L. Meyer-Bahlburg, Rhoda S. Gruen, Maria I. New, Jennifer J. Bell, Akira Morishima, Mona Shimshi, Yvette Bueno, Ileana Vargas, Susan W. Baker

Hormones and Behavior, v 30, n 4, December 1996, p319-332

Study questions

Read the Introduction to this paper and answer the following question?

What do you think was the motivation behind this research project, what the the researchers hoping to achieve, was it scientific kudos, a resolution to the nature - nurture debate, or whatever?

Read the Abstract carefully.

Read the Discussion and answer the following:

Are these patients different from transexuals, if so how would you classify them and why?

Does prenatal exposure of the brain to testosterone lead to male gender identity?

Finally here are some questions that you have considered before, try to write your answers without looking at your previous responses:

Is heterosexuality the result of childhood experience?

Is heterosexuality the result of activational effects of hormones?

Is heterosexuality the result of organisational effects of hormones?

Is heterosexuality the result of heredity?

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