A Short Respite from Biochemistry…

SOCL 101: A Twist on Gender Roles?

For those of you in Intro Sociology, you have been talking about the roles we have among our different statuses. Here at SJC, a women's college, stereotypical gender roles are not lived out as our mission has a commitment to women which empowers us to be more than what others may be expecting of us.

Already, in many of our minds, stereotypical gender roles are not the "rule." Switch gears, now, and think about relationships. Do we, SJC women, want to be the ones cooking and cleaning for our significant others? Do we want to carry most of the household chores, while our significant others go out and work, to come home to a home-cooked meal?

This article I found discusses how same-sex relationships are offering insight into gender roles in marriages. It states how same-sex relationships seem to find more equality within the relationship while heterosexual couples tend to reinforce gender roles. Why do you think this is? Read and post any thoughts.

-Casey Shaw, Psych Content Tutor

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June 10, 2008

Well

Gay Unions Shed Light on Gender in Marriage

 

By TARA PARKER-POPE

 

For insights into healthy marriages, social scientists are looking in an unexpected place.

A growing body of evidence shows that same-sex couples have a great deal to teach everyone else about marriage and relationships. Most studies show surprisingly few differences between committed gay couples and committed straight couples, but the differences that do emerge have shed light on the kinds of conflicts that can endanger heterosexual relationships.

The findings offer hope that some of the most vexing problems are not necessarily entrenched in deep-rooted biological differences between men and women. And that, in turn, offers hope that the problems can be solved.

Next week, California will begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, reigniting the national debate over gay marriage. But relationship researchers say it also presents an opportunity to study the effects of marriage on the quality of all relationships.

“When I look at what’s happening in California, I think there’s a lot to be learned to explore how human beings relate to one another,” said Sondra E. Solomon, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Vermont. “How people care for each other, how they share responsibility, power and authority — those are the key issues in relationships.”

The stereotype for same-sex relationships is that they do not last. But that may be due, in large part, to the lack of legal and social recognition given to same-sex couples. Studies of dissolution rates vary widely.

After Vermont legalized same-sex civil unions in 2000, researchers surveyed nearly 1,000 couples, including same-sex couples and their heterosexual married siblings. The focus was on how the relationships were affected by common causes of marital strife like housework, sex and money.

Notably, same-sex relationships, whether between men or women, were far more egalitarian than heterosexual ones. In heterosexual couples, women did far more of the housework; men were more likely to have the financial responsibility; and men were more likely to initiate sex, while women were more likely to refuse it or to start a conversation about problems in the relationship. With same-sex couples, of course, none of these dichotomies were possible, and the partners tended to share the burdens far more equally.

While the gay and lesbian couples had about the same rate of conflict as the heterosexual ones, they appeared to have more relationship satisfaction, suggesting that the inequality of opposite-sex relationships can take a toll.

“Heterosexual married women live with a lot of anger about having to do the tasks not only in the house but in the relationship,” said Esther D. Rothblum, a professor of women’s studies at San Diego State University. “That’s very different than what same-sex couples and heterosexual men live with.”

Other studies show that what couples argue about is far less important than how they argue. The egalitarian nature of same-sex relationships appears to spill over into how those couples resolve conflict.

One well-known study used mathematical modeling to decipher the interactions between committed gay couples. The results, published in two 2003 articles in The Journal of Homosexuality, showed that when same-sex couples argued, they tended to fight more fairly than heterosexual couples, making fewer verbal attacks and more of an effort to defuse the confrontation.

Controlling and hostile emotional tactics, like belligerence and domineering, were less common among gay couples.

Same-sex couples were also less likely to develop an elevated heartbeat and adrenaline surges during arguments. And straight couples were more likely to stay physically agitated after a conflict.

“When they got into these really negative interactions, gay and lesbian couples were able to do things like use humor and affection that enabled them to step back from the ledge and continue to talk about the problem instead of just exploding,” said Robert W. Levenson, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

The findings suggest that heterosexual couples need to work harder to seek perspective. The ability to see the other person’s point of view appears to be more automatic in same-sex couples, but research shows that heterosexuals who can relate to their partner’s concerns and who are skilled at defusing arguments also have stronger relationships.

One of the most common stereotypes in heterosexual marriages is the “demand-withdraw” interaction, in which the woman tends to be unhappy and to make demands for change, while the man reacts by withdrawing from the conflict. But some surprising new research shows that same-sex couples also exhibit the pattern, contradicting the notion that the behavior is rooted in gender, according to an abstract presented at the 2006 meeting of the Association for Psychological Science by Sarah R. Holley, a psychology researcher at Berkeley.

Dr. Levenson says this is good news for all couples.

“Like everybody else, I thought this was male behavior and female behavior, but it’s not,” he said. “That means there is a lot more hope that you can do something about it.”

article from: NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/health/10well.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=health&pagewanted=print)

The Most Used Words in Spanish

 

There are many words in our vocabulary. However, we do not use all of them in our everyday lives. To learn a language, it is very helful to know the most common words, those that we use in school, work or home.
This is a list of the most common words in English that start with the letter A which would help you learn many words in Spanish.

Vocabulary-Letter A
a little	poco
a lot	mucho
abdomen	el abdomen
abortion	aborto
about	sobre, más o menos
about to do sthg	estar a punto de
above	encima de, arriba
abroad (go ~)	ir al extranjero (live,go)
absent	ausente
absent-minded	distraído
absolutely	absolutamente
abuse	abusar de (physically). insultar
accelerator	el acelerador
accent	acento
accept	aceptar, admitir
access (have ~)	tener acceso a…
accident	accidente
accommodation	alojamiento
accompany	acompañar
accomplish	conseguir, lograr (goal)
according (to)	según
account	la cuenta
accountant	contable
accurate	preciso
accuse	acusar a alguien de algo
ache (n/ v)	el dolor, me duele
acid	ácido
action	acción
active	activo
activity	actividad
actor/ actress	actor/ actriz
adaptor	adaptador
add (v)	añadir
addicted (to)	ser adicto a
address	la dirección
advertisement	anuncio
adjust	ajustar
admission	admisión
admit	confesar
adolescent	adolescente
adopt	adoptar
adult	adulto
adultery	adulterio
advance (in)	por adelantado
advanced	avanzado
advantage	ventaja
adventure	aventura
advice	consejo, aviso
advise	aconsejar, dar consejo.
aerial	antena
affect	afectar (med)
affection	el cariño
afford	poder permitirse algo (financially)
afraid	asustado, con miedo
afraid (of)	tener miedo de
after	después  de , que
after (all)	después de todo
afternoon	tarde, de la tarde
afterwards	después
again	otra vez, de nuevo
against	contra, contra de
age	edad
agency	agencia, buró
agent	agente
aggressive	agresivo
ago	hace una semana
agree	estar de acuerdo.
aim	objetivo
air	el aire
air base	base aérea
air filter	el filtro
air force	fuerza aérea
air mail	correo aéreo
air-conditioning (AC)	el aire acondicionado
airline	línea aérea
airplane	el avión
airport	aeropuerto.
aisle	el pasillo
alarm	alarma.
alarm clock	el despertador
album	álbum (phot)
alcohol	alcohol
alcoholic	alcohólico

 

algebra	el álgebra
alibi	coartada, excusa
alien	el extraterrestre, el extranjero
alive	vivo. estar vivo
all	todo, todos.
all right	¿de acuerdo?¿está bien? está bien
allergic to	alérgico a
allergy	alergia.
alligator	el caimán
allow	permitir, autorizar.
almonds	almendras.
almost	casi, apenas.
alone	solo, único.
aloud	en voz alta
alphabet	alfabeto, abecé.
already	ya.
alright	bien, como se debe.
also	también, además.
although	aunque
always	siempre.
ambassador	embajador
ambition	ambición
ambitious	ambicioso
ambulance	la ambulancia
American	americano.
amount	cantidad, suma.
amusing	divertido
analyze	analizar
ancestors	antepasados
anchor	ancla
and	y.
angel	ángel.
angle	ángulo
angry	colérico, airado. enfadado
animal	animal, bestia.
ankle	el tobillo
announce	anunciar
annoy	molestar, irritar
annoying	pesado
answer (n)	respuesta, contestación.
answer (v)	responder, contestar.
answering machine	contestador automático
ant	la hormiga
antenna	la antena
antler	el cuerno
any	cualquier. alguno/a
anybody	cualquiera, alguien.
anything	cualquier cosa, nada.
anyway	de todos modos.
anywhere	dondequiera.
apartment	apartamento, cuarto.
apartment building	los apartamentos
appear	aparecer.
appearance	apariencia
appetite	apetito, gana, deseo.
appetizer	el aperitivo
applaud	aplaudir
apple	la manzana
application	aplicación, pedido.
apply	aplicar.
appointment	cita
apprentice	aprendiz
apricot	el albaricoque
April	abril.
Arab	árabe.
Arabic	árabe (idioma), árabe.
architect	el arquitecto
Argentina	argentina
arm (body)	el brazo
armchair	la butaca
armrest	el descanso brazo, el apoyabrazos
arms (weapons)	armas
army	ejército, armada.
around	alrededor de
arrange (room)	organizar
arrest	detener
arrival	la llegada
arrive	llegar, venir
arrogant	arrogante
art	el arte
art gallery	galería de arte
artichoke	la alcachofa
as	como, tan.
as (if)	como si
as much/many… as	tanto(a, os, as)…como
as…as	tan…como
ashamed	avergonzado
ashtray	cenicero
ask	preguntar, pedir.
asparagus	los espárragos
asset	ventaja
asterisk	asterisco
asteroid	el asteroide
asthma	asma.
astronaut (f)	la astronauta
astronaut (m)	el astronauta
at	en, a. en casa
athlete (f)	la deportista
athlete (m)	el deportista
athletic supporter	el suspensorio
ATM	cajeros automáticos
attach (~ an e-mail)	adjuntar
attention	la atención
attitude	actitud
attorney	el abogado
attractive	guapo
august	agosto
aunt	la tía
Australia	australia
author	autor, escritor.
authorization	la autorización
autumn	otoño
available	disponible.
avenue	avenida.
avocado	aguacate.
avoid	evitar
awesome	impresionante
awful	espantoso
ax	hacha

 

Source: http://spanish.speak7.com/spanish_vocabulary4000.htm

Everyday Conversation

 

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to communicate something to a person who did not speak the same language as you do? Maybe this does not apply to you yet. However, it is very important that you learn some basic Spanish phrases which would help you in these type of situations.

Greetings:
Hi!	¡Hola!
Good Morning!	¡Buenos Días!
Good Evening!	¡Buenas Tardes!
Welcome! (to greet someone)	¡Bienvenido!
How Are You?	¿Cómo Estás?
I’m Fine, Thanks!	Estoy Bíen ¡Gracias!
And You?	¿Y Tú?
Good/ So-So.	Bíen/ Más o menos
Thank You (Very Much)!	¡(Muchas) Gracias!
You’re Welcome! (answering “thank you”)	¡De Nada!
Hey! Friend!	¡Eh! ¡Amigo!
I Missed You So Much!	¡Te Extraño Mucho!
What’s New?	¿Qué Hay De Nuevo?
Nothing Much	Nada
Good Night!	¡Buenas noches!
See You Later!	¡Hasta luego!
Good Bye!	¡Adiós!

Help & Directions:
I’m Lost	Estoy perdido
Can I Help You?	¿Podría Ayudarse?
Can You Help Me?	¿Puede Ayudarme?
Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)?	¿Dónde Está (el Baño/ la Farmacia)?
Go Straight! Then Turn Left/ Right!	¡Vaya Ud Derecho! Pues Tuerza Ud por la Izquierda/ Derecha!
I’m Looking For John.	Estoy Buscando A Juan.
One Moment Please!	¡Un Momento, Por Favor!
Hold On Please! (phone)	¡No Cuelgue, Por Favor!
How Much Is This?	¿Cuánto Vale/ Cuesta Eso?
Excuse Me …! ( to ask for something)	¡Perdone! / ¡Oiga!
Excuse Me! ( to pass by)	¡Perdone! / Disculpe!
Come With Me!	¡Venga Conmigo!
Spanish Personal Info
Do You Speak (English/ Spanish)?	¿Hablas (Inglés/ Español)?
Just a Little.	Solo Un Poquito.
What’s Your Name?	¿Cómo te llamas?
My Name Is ….	Me llamo …
Mr…/ Mrs.…/ Miss…	Señor…/ Señora…/ Señorita…
Nice To Meet You!	¡Tanto Gusto! / Medio Gusto Conocerte!
You’re Very Kind!	¡Eres Muy Amable!
Where Are You From?	¿De Dónde Eres?
I’m From (the U.S/ Spain)	Soy De (los Estados Unidos/ España..) / Soy (americano)
I’m (American)	Soy (americano/ americana)
Where Do You Live?	¿Dónde Vives?
I live in (the U.S/ Spain)	Vivo En (los Estados Unidos/ España)
Did You Like It Here?	¿Le gusta a usted aquí?
Spain Is a Wonderful Country	España Es Un País Maravelloso
What Do You Do For A Living?	¿A Qué Te Dedicas?
I Work As A (Translator/ Businessman)	Trabajo Como (Traductor/ Hombre de Negocios)
I Like Spanish	Me Gusta El Español
I’ve Been Learning Spanish For 1 Month	Tengo Un Mes Estudiando Español
Oh! That’s Good!	¡Oh, Qué Bíen!
How Old Are You?	¿Cuántos Años Tienes?
I’m (twenty, thirty…) Years Old.	Tengo (veinte …treinta) Años.
I Have To Go	Me Tengo Que Ir.
I Will Be Right Back!	Regreso En Un Momentito.
Spanish Phrases about wishes:
Good Luck!	¡Que Tenga Suerte!
Happy Birthday!	¡Feliz Cumpleaños!
Happy New Year!	¡Feliz Año Nuevo!
Merry Christmas!	¡Feliz Navidad!
Congratulations!	¡felicidades!
Enjoy! (For meals…)	¡Que Aproveche!
I’d Like To Visit Spain One Day	Me Gustaría Visitar Algún Día Tu País
Say Hi To John For me.	Dale Saludos A ( Juan …) De Mi Parte
Bless you (when sneezing)	¡Salud!
Good Night & Sweet Dreams!	¡Buenas Noches Y Dulces Sueños!

 

Misunderstanding:
I’m Sorry! (if you don’t hear something)	¡Discuple!
Sorry (for a mistake)	¡Lo Siento!
No Problem!	¡No Problema!
Can You Say It Again?	¡Puede Repetirlo!
Can You Speak Slowly?	¡Puedes Hablar Más Despacio!
Write It Down Please!	¡Escríbalo, Por Favor!
I Don’t Understand!	¡No Entiendo!
I Don’t Know!	¡No (Lo) Sé!
I Have No Idea.	¡No Tengo Ni Idea!
What’s That Called In Spanish?	¿Cómo Se llama a Esto En Español?
What Does “gato” Mean In English?	¿Qué Quiere Decir “gato” En Inglés?
How Do You Say “Please” In Spanish?	¿Cómo Se Dice “please” En Español?
What Is This?	¿Qué Es Esto?
My Spanish Is Bad.	Mi Español Es Malo
I need to practice my Spanish	me falta práctica en Español
Don’t Worry!	¡No Te Preocupes!

Spanish Expressions & Words:
Good/ Bad/ So-So.	Bueno/ Malo/ Así Así
Big/ Small	Grande/ Pequeño
Today/ Now	Hoy/ Ahora
Tomorrow/ Yesterday	Mañana/ Ayer
Yes/ No	Sí/ No
Here You Go! (when giving something)	¡Aquí Tiene!
Do You Like It?	¿Te Gusta? ¿Te Encanta?
I Really Like It!	¡Me Gusta/ Encanta Mucho!
I’m Hungry/ Thirsty.	Tengo Hambre/ Sed.
In The Morning/ Evening/ At Night.	Por La Mañana/ Tarde/ Noche.
This/ That. Here/There	Eso/Ese. Aquí/ Allí
Me/ You.  Him/ Her.	Yo/ Tú. Él/ Ella
Really!	¡Verdad!
Look!	¡Mira!
Hurry Up!	¡Date Prisa!
What? Where?	¿Qué? ¿Dónde?
What Time Is It?	¿Qué Hora Es?
It’s 10 o’clock. 07:30pm.	Es Las Diez En Punto, Las Siete Y Media.
Give Me This!	¡Dame Eso!
I Love You!	¡Te Quiero!
I Feel Sick.	Estoy Mareado
I Need A Doctor	¡Necessito Un Médico!

Star Trek may not be far off. . .

Management and accounting tutor, Carl Nehm, found this article on cnn.com.  For those of you who believe earthlings are alone in the universe, this may change your mind.  http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/02/25/galaxy.planets.kepler/index.html

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