Psychology 489/689
FGSS488/688
October 17, 2006
Daryl J. Bem
1. In his introductory essay to this course, Bem remarks that ideological inconsistency may be in the eye of the beholder. Give an example.
2. One disadvantage the Orthodox have in trying to persuade others to their point of view is that they must fight the battle on the home turf of the Progressives. What does that mean? Give an example.
3. Arguably secular humanists and the Supreme Court are inconsistent when they use a functional definition of religion in interpreting the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment but a substantive definition in interpreting the Establishment Clause. Explain what this means.
4. Despite the fact that Bem's "489" solution for dealing with culture-war issues in the public schools derives from a Progressive orientation, he claims that it would actually be fairer to Orthodox parents than the current situation. What is his argument on this point?
5. Answer one of the following two questions about the Lenses of Gender (Brief answers sufficient):
a. "Androcentrism is not just the historically crude perception that men are inherently superior to women but…" But what? Give an example drawn from recent American law, Supreme Court decisions, or some other source.b. Among other things, Sandra Bem's theory of an individual's gender socialization emphasizes a culture's transmission of metamessages. What are metamessages? Give an example (not necessarily a gender one).
6 . Answer one of the following two questions:
a. There is a nature-nurture debate among behavioral scientists about the origins of individual differences in sexual orientation. According to Bem, the public debate is actually over a dichotomy different from the nature/nurture dichotomy. What is that?b. Surveys show that people who believe that "homosexuals are born that way" are more accepting of lesbians and gay men than are people who believe other explanations. How does Bem interpret this correlation?
7. Summarize Jonathan Rauch's "conservative" argument in favor of same-sex marriage. In what sense is this argument conservative rather than liberal?
8. What, according to Luker, is the basic underlying ideological difference between prochoice and pro-life activists in the abortion debate?