The division of humans into females and males has overshadowed most other divisions of individual differences. This course is designed to introduce you to psychological theories and research regarding the differences and similarities between women and men and the effects of gender in social situations. This course should assist you to recognize the influence of gender on human experiences and relationships, and that assumptions about gender have real-world consequences. You will learn to understand the complexity and diversity of gendered experiences in the social settings of their own and other cultures. You will examine the ways in which the male - female distinction has been assigned meanings and a significance that have specific implications for almost all aspects of social life, and especially for work, family life, ritual, and leisure. Issues of 'femininity' and 'masculinity' go far beyond individual identity and self-concept. To appreciate the personal and political dimensions of gender, you will examine what we know and do not know about the similarities and differences between women and men, the sources of that knowledge, theories or explanations to account for those differences (including the so-called, nature-nurture debate), and the way the knowledge might itself be limited by cultural perceptions of femininity and masculinity.