This introductory course will focus on one central question: What difference does gender make? By examining a variety of texts (articles, novels, film, popular culture), we will learn not only how to analyze issues of power, gender and identity, but we will also relate those issues to the wider world around us. Specific thematic units include socialization, violence, work, the female body, language, sexuality, motherhood and the family, race, globalization, and voices from the third wave of feminism.