This course is designed to allow students the opportunity to review and contemplate current research and scholarship dealing with the categories of male and female. The material is divided into two broad categories: theories that attempt to explain why there are similarities and differences between males and females, and the accumulated research that attempts to identify those similarities and differences. Theories covered in the course include biological, evolutionary, psychoanalytical, social learning, and cognitive development. Areas of difference studied include physical, emotional, health, cognitive and social. This topic provides an excellent means to evaluate many issues from a critical perspective. Students can see how observable phenomena can be interpreted differently by using varied theoretical frameworks. The topic also lends itself well to looking at issues about the ethics and politics of science.