Cohort April 2024: Faculty of Arts – Marina Adshade, Alex Haddon, Ninh Dang
Project background
ECON 351 was originally created with the title “Women in the Economy.” For decades, the focus of the course was exploring the role of women in the workforce and the family. Since 2012, the course has evolved to recognize that when we speak of “women,” we speak of two distinct qualities: sex and gender. Where “sex” represents the biological qualities of being female (relevant when we discuss issues related to fertility and health) and “gender” represents the socially constructed qualities (relevant when we discuss issues related to gender norms and roles).
In 2022, the name of the course was changed to the more appropriate “Sex and Gender in the Economy,” and the description was revised to reflect a more diverse perspective on gender.
Part of the decision to change the title reflected a concern that students felt the course was not simply about women in the economy but a course specifically for women-identified students. This belief was supported by a class poll in 2021, which indicated an additional concern that students who were not women-identified had anticipated being unable to participate equally in the course.
With the course having been taught twice since the title change, it is clear that more can be done to make the material and delivery accessible to diverse students.
With this goal in mind, we propose a curriculum redesign that diversifies the course materials and the ways learning is assessed, aiming to create a welcoming environment that generates respectful engagement with the content and the community.
Project details
The partnership approach allows the instructor to work with two students who have taken the course recently and bring the perspectives of those historically under-represented in the course: students who identify as men and students who are gender non-conforming.
Our approach will be as follows:
- Conduct a scan of courses outside of economics focusing on gender to identify alternative approaches and topics.
- Survey existing economics literature to identify which topics can be taught from the rigorous perspective expected in a 300-level course.
- Revise the course learning outcomes accordingly.
- Create a reading list that includes both economics readings and readings from other complementary disciplines (e.g. anthropology, sociology, psychology, and philosophy).
- Develop a set of in-class activities that allow all students to engage meaningfully with the material and each other’s perspectives.
Gender is a topic for a wide range of other economics courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Hopefully, this project will catalyze discussion within our discipline on how we frame discussions of gender. With this in mind, additionally:
- Develop a resource for other economics instructors on integrating gender-diverse perspectives into our teaching.
Through our work, we ensure that we offer students a decolonized and global perspective of sex and gender in the economy.
ECON 351 is a large enrolment course (>100) taken as an elective by students from various disciplines.