Consider:

1
Consider

• What is nature?
• What is gender?
• How many genders are there?
• What is sex?
• How many sexes are there?

2
Rate each of the following according to how
natural or un-natural you think they are
3
FamilyManWomanChildren)
4
Christmas Tree Farm(www.thechristma
streefarm.com)
5
Dolly, the Cloned Sheep
(www.biotechnologyonline.gov)
6
Point Pleasant Park, Halifax, NS

• (www.halifax.ca/parks)

7
Point Pleasant Park after Hurricane
Juan(http//www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/j
uan/photos2/111.jpg)
8
War

• (http//www.vietnampix.com/life1.htm)

9
Spending

• (www.happynews.com)
• (www.istockphoto.com )

10
Violence in Sports

• (www.mala.bc.ca)

11
Not wanting to have children naturally

• (http//www.failuremag.com/images/no_babies.jpg)

12
Strong religious beliefs and practices

• (www.thaisikh.org/image/nanakwithbabar.jpg)

13
Nil to slight religious beliefs and practices
14
Grief and sorrow

• (www.zen113508.zen.co.uk/di_kenpal.jpg)

15
Hermaphrodite

• (www.sjsu.edu/.../Louvre20Hermaphrodite2002.jpg)
  

16
Masturbation
17
Romantic sex
18
Female-Male Intercourse
19
Female-male intercourse
20
Male-male intercourse
21
Female-female intercourse
22
Human Growth Hormone added to food

• (http//veganunderground.com)

23
Birth control for women

• (www.msnbc.msn.com )

24
Birth control for men

• (static.howstuffworks.com/gif/male-bc-pill-1.jpg)

25
Hope

• (www.the-fifth-hope.org )

26
Happiness

• (http//pinkvoices.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/hap
  piness.jpg)

27
Menstruation

• (www.theinsite.org)

28
Male ejaculation
29
Female ejaculation
30
100 cotton T-shirt

• (www.1worldglobes.com )

31
Red Delicious apple

• (http//www.brantviewapples.on.ca/reddel.gif)

32
Dog racing

• (http//www.seefido.com/assets/images/autogen/a_gr
  eyhound_races03.jpg)

33
Acting civilized to each other

• (http//www.travelingseries.com/art/kindness.jpg)

34
Civilization

• (http//staffwww.fullcoll.edu/tmorris/elements_of_
  ecology/images/la_skyline.jpg)

35
Female wrestling

• (wildwestwrestling.us/demop/1f.jpg)

36
Male wrestling

• (www.usatvtalk.com)

37
Chivalry
38
Woman helps man

• (delivery.viewimages.com/xv/)

39
Sexually-producing species

• (www.jao.com/africa/cho
  be/monkeys.jpg)

40
All-female species (parthenogenic)

• (www.acmereptile.com/acme-ms/images)

41
Walking hand in hand into the sunset

• 
  
  (www.sunnynook.co.nz/.../sunset
  .jpg)

42
Love

• (http//webs.wichita.edu/depttools/depttoolsmember
  files/mark2/Love.gif)

43
Cross-dressing

• (http//www.usask.ca/communications/ocn/03-sep-19/
  images/crossdressing.jpg)

44
School-based learning

• 
  (sciencepolicy.c
  olorado.edu/.../classroom.jpg)

45
Nature-based learning

• (www.whitepineprograms.org)

46
National Geographic Magazine articles

• (www.magazine.org)

47
Family camping

• (hfeimages.aristotle.net/tw/tw_campfire01_md.jpg)

48
Gay and lesbian camping

• (www.gay.com)

49
Sex change operation

• (www.chinadaily.com.cn)

50
Eco-feminism

• (http//hugsandi.is/images/38.gif)

51
Exploding the Language of

• Gender, Sex
• and Nature

52
We all know what these words mean.

• Woman Ladylike TomBoy
• Female
• Man A Real Man
• Male
• Working Man
• Human Gender
• Family Sex
• Nature

53
But, what about these words?

• Androcentric
• Bisexual
• Gay
• Hermaphrodite
• Homosexual
• Heterosexual
• Lesbian
• Transsexual
• Transvestite

54
And these?

• Serene Nature
• Wild Nature
• Domesticating Nature
• Harvesting Nature

55
And

• Human Nature
• (is there such a thing?)

56
Andwhat about Mother Nature? Where did that
come from?

• Alexander Hogue, Mother Earth Laid Bare, 1938
• http//www.wsu.edu8080/amerstu/ce/summer97/Gend
  er.html

57

• A Sociological Way of Looking at Things!
• Prepare to be jolted out of the nice, hunky dory,
• taken-for-granted
• world!!!! (But, feel free to go there
• whenever you wishits always right
• here! YOU are in control of that!)

58
This Course Gender, Sex and Nature aims to

• Disrupt Commonsense reasoning about gender, sex
  and nature
• In order to better understand
• 1. How we/society/I/you
• define,
• link, and
• separate those concepts
• 2. The consequences we face in doing so.
• 3. Artistic representations that merge gender,
  sex, and nature.

59
Consider the infinite possibilities of our
relationships with nature.
60
HUMANS ARE PART OF NATURE

• Humans are part of nature, always and completely.
• There is proof, in all forms, or in some form,
  that humans are part of nature.
• There is no proof, in any form, that humans are
  not part of nature.
• Sometimes, to some degree, humans are part of
  nature.
• Some features of humans are sometimes always and
  completely part of nature.
• Humans are part of nature, and have their own
  human nature as a subset to nature.
• Humans have a human nature which can be sought,
  measured, and interpreted
• Humans are part of nature, and are in charge of
  nature/ourselves.
• Humans are part of nature, and are not in charge
  of nature/ourselves.
• Humans are part of nature, and are in charge of
  some features and members of nature/ourselves at
  all times or some times.
• God or another supreme being is in charge of
  humans/nature always and completely.
• Humans are part of nature, affecting nature
• Humans are part of nature, not affecting nature
  (is this possible?)
• Humans are part of nature, affecting nature, but
  not affected by nature
• Humans are part of nature, affecting nature, and
  affected by nature
• Humans are part of nature, affected by nature,
  but not affecting nature. infinity

61
HUMANS ARE SEPARATE FROM NATURE

• Humans are separate from nature, always and
  completely.
• There is proof, in all forms, or in some form,
  that humans are not part of nature.
• There is no proof, in any form, that humans are
  not separate from nature.
• Sometimes, to some degree, humans are not part of
  nature.
• Some features of humans are separate from nature,
  always and completely.
• Because humans are separate from nature, there is
  no such thing as human nature.
• Therefore, no thing called human nature can be
  sought, measured, and interpreted.
• Humans are separate from nature, and are in
  charge of ourselves, but not of nature.
• Humans are separate from nature, and are in
  charge of nature, but not of ourselves.
• Humans are separate from nature, and are in
  charge of some features and members of nature
  and/or ourselves at all times or some times.
• There is no such thing as a god or other supreme
  being in charge of humans and/or Nature at no
  time, or sometimes, to no degree or some degree.
• Humans are separate from nature, affecting
  nature.
• Humans are separate from nature, not affecting
  nature (is this possible?)
• Humans are separate from nature, affecting and
  affected by nature. infinity

62
ARBITRARY, RELATIVE, AND/OR NECESSARY
RELATIONSHIP(S)

• Arbitrary, relative, or necessary relationships
  between humans and nature may be
• constructed and/or believed according to social
  need.
• Humans may decide to consider themselves as part
  of nature.
• Humans may decide to consider others as part of
  nature or closer to nature.
• Humans may judge levels to which humans
  should/are considered part of nature.
• Humans may or may not ever understand our
  relationship with nature. infinity

63
SEE WHY WERE NOT SEEKING ANY TRUTHS ABOUT
NATURE IN THIS COURSE?
64
But,

• In order to understand how we construct and merge
  the concepts gender, sex, and nature it is
  useful to apply sociology.
• here, environmental sociology

65
Michael Mayerfield Bellwill guide us with his
take on environmental sociology refer to
handout on Bells ecological dialogue.

• http//www.michaelmbell.net/

66
Andif that wasnt enough

• Were going to
• Do
• Challenge
• Extend
• the concepts of some of the big thinkers in
  sociology
• Foucault
• Goffman
• Parsons
• Smith and Marx

67
Pulling it all together

• General Sketch of 3-part Course It is set up for
  success in 13 weeks of classes with a coffeehaus
  in late November
• final paper due two weeks after final class on
  December ???, 2007
• 25 classes no exams group work reflective
  papers artwork movies guest speakers
  activities treats.
• The course will focus mainly on North American,
  sometimes called western, views of gender, sex,
  and nature, but other regions will be examined.
• The acronym GSN will be used at times for
  referencing gender, sex, and nature.

68

• September Part 1 October Part 2 November Part 3
• Gender and Sex Differences The social invention
  of two gender and two sex differences, female and
  male, has created industries and disciplines it
  is a big idea and big business. While we will
  examine many differences and similarities between
  different genders and sexes, we are mainly
  concerned with how those belief systems affect
  and are affected by society and our perceptions
  of nature.
• Syllabus as Contract The syllabus is a contract,
  so if it is not working, or if something in it is
  working well, well act.
• Banner and Web CT will be used if appropriate
  readings online
• Course Materials Course pack is kept as short as
  possible (?/?paper/?oil/gas and ?other
  energies), reserved materials at library, your
  choice of any sociology textbook, online websites
  (video and audio), art materials provided if
  necessary
• Referencing Required. Refer to style guides
  links on universitys home page of library
  website if necessary.
• Plagiarism Do not do it. Refer to links on
  university website.
• Jargon Use the jargon of our discipline
  sparingly and properly. Still, make sure you
  understand the terminology in full.

69

• Library Information Desk When doing research for
  this course, its worthwhile asking people at the
  Information Desk for some research directions. I
  may put my syllabus there.
• Writing Centre coming to class to present for a
  few minutes date TBA
• Note-taking in Class some of you are
  note-takers, some are not some are thinkers who
  do not take notes during class, or take no notes.
  varies.
• Question for Each Class To help you prepare and
  take part in class discussion, each class will
  have an assigned question based on the readings.
  It is helpful to make a few good notes about the
  reading (likely about 10 major points can be
  identified in each article) and put your own
  notes in the margins or somewhere where you can
  find them during class.

70

• Archetyping is Stereotyping is Problematic No
  archetype (gender, sexuality, religion,
  spirituality, politic, reality, ) While you may
  be asked to share your perception or the wider
  perception norm of society, no one in the class
  or in the articles will be considered to hold
  the truth for the female, male, or other
  experience. Furthermore, no -ism not even
  ecofeminism will be considered to hold the
  truth for our experiences and the ONE way to
  understand something.
• Goodwork Canada This is a great website to show
  how to direct what you are doing now in
  university to the great jobs you will land in the
  future an honours thesis or major paper done on
  one area could really pay off you could
  present it in your career interview also great
  for a spring and summer job next year (2008)
  contact those places of interest now they might
  hold a position for you.

71
Finis.