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From: dwp@willett.pgh.pa.us (Doug Philips)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Socialization of men and women
Message-ID: <9103211154.0.UUL1.3#5129@willett.pgh.pa.us>
Date: 28 Mar 91 03:23:42 GMT
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In article <13571@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU>,
    handel!farmerl@ccncsu.colostate.edu (lisa ann farmer) writes:

+Males respond in class.  I think the word I would rather use for this
+is assertive.  When I ask something in class I don't feel like I am
+being aggressive but that i am asserting myself and clarifying that I
+do or don't understand.  I also feel that my learning is increased by
+doing this.  I would be aggressive if I went up to the board and took
+the chalk out of the professor's hand. I can't give a 'dictionary'
+definition of the two terms aggressive and assertive but I hope my
+examples help.  Anyways, just my observation...

I agree with your distinction between assertive and aggressive.  I
don't have "pat" definitions to propose either.  The Random House
Dictionary on my desk says "assert:... 1) To state positively, but
often without support or reason."  I defintely don't like the tone of
the "without support or reason" clause, so I'm willing to abandon that
definition and try to come up with another one.  I don't necessarily
think it is possible to draw a fine line, but I think it is worth
looking into.  I am curious how you (plural) would classify the
following as either assertive/aggressive/???:

	Student 1 interrupts and/or talks over Student 2.

	Teacher interrupts a student, either cutting them off
	entirely or saying something like "what is your point?"

	Student 1 speaks after Student 2 without enough of a delay
	for Student 3 to feel comfortable speaking.

	Students A, B, C dominate class discussion by talking freely,
	Students E, F, ... raise their hands, instructor ignores
	them while letting A, B, and C speak.

	Teacher prefers to let students A, B, C speak, calling on
	others, if at all, only when A, B, or C don't "raise their
	hands."

	Student interrupts teacher with comment: "Bullpuckey!"

	Student interrupts teacher with comment: "What? could you
	clarify that please?"


Part of my interest is in the assertive/aggressive division, but I am
also interested in the sexual politics of the classroom, and how those
two are related.

-Doug