Respond to the following four questions: Which of the cases below do you feel is sexual harassment? If harassment has occurred, when did it begin? What are the harassing behaviors in each situation? What could the individual(s) in each case do to stop the harassment? Reminder: Sexual harassment may be toward either gender and by those of the same or opposite sex. It may be innuendo [indirect] or it may be overt action [direct] including: sexual comments, unwanted sexual advances, sexual assault, or sexual coercion (rape). Sexual Harassment Case Studies The Writing Assignment: Kevin is taking an introductory English course. His first writing assignment dealt with his uncertainties about being a new student in college, on his own for the first time. When the essays are returned, his has no grade and only the comment, “Please see me.” Kevin goes to the teacher’s office during the posted office hours. His teacher suggests that they go out for a drink to discuss the essay. The Mathematics Tutor: Connie is taking a math course that includes a unit on statistics. She knows that this course is important to her career and a good grade in math can increase her chances of getting into graduate school. Connie has been having some difficulty understanding probability theory. She contacts her teaching assistant and explains her concerns about the material and her wish to get a good grade to qualify for graduate school. They set up a series of tutoring sessions, and by the third session have not only become friends but have begun to date outside of the sessions. The Male Engineers: Tamara, one of the few women in an engineering class, notices that her professor stares at her – especially while she takes quizzes. She has been told that this professor has a history of interrupting women students when they ask questions and at times has even refused to respond to their questions. During one class period the professor told a joke demeaning to women; many of the male students in the class laughed at the joke, which angered Tamara even more. The Latino Stereotype: In her introductory psychology class, Sonia, a Latino woman, notices that her professor smiles and comments on her appearance as a greeting each morning, but that he does not greet any other student in that way. Before his lecture on contemporary sexual roles and behavior, he says to the class, “Sonia can probably help us understand this topic since she has to put up with macho types.” The Library Judges: Near the entrance to the library, men using cards with numbers one through ten “rate” the sexual attributes of women as the women enter the library. Their behavior, accompanied by much laughter and some ambiguous gestures, causes many women to avoid going to the library. The Opinionated Professor: In an undergraduate literature class, Professor Helmsley who is also the Director of Graduate Studies expresses his opinion that courses in literature offered under the Women’s Studies Program are useless preparation for graduate study. He has recommended that all such courses be dropped from the list of acceptable courses for the undergraduate major in literature.
