Unit 6

Towards a Gender Free Society

Pre-reading questions

1. Are there any boy schools or girl schools in your city?

2. If the school only has boys or girls educated separately, what do we call it?

Debate—Group Work (8 minutes)

What are the pros and cons of single sex education?

Which works better? Single sex education or co-education?

About the text

A piece of argumentation single sex schools vs. coeducation To argue that coeducation is the most

desirable / (the best) form of education because the single sex school does not realize the aim / goal of education.

Structure of the text

The text can be divided into 3 parts. Part1--Para.1-2 Part 2—Para. 3-4 Part 3—Para.5

Structural analysis of the text

Part I: The writer states the existing gender stereotypes before he rejects the social sex norms on the ground that they are invented and imposed on man, but rest their logic nowhere. Clearly, he negates the artificially created gender norms by means of logical reasoning.

Question

What are the existing gender stereotypes mentioned in the first paragraph?

Language points

sharply masculine feminine unwavering considerable stereotype portray conform to predetermine

permanent attribute distinction denote impose rest on grounds

Part 2—Para. 3-4

What is the aim of education?Stimulate impulses Encourage free thinking and boldness in thoughtKeep alive various interests

What are disadvantages / defects/ weaknesses of single sex schools according to the author?

Uniform prescribe Anything but Nothing but Accessible segment

The education in single-sex schools may lead to the fragmentation of knowledge and unwholeness of individual identity.

lead to Fragmentation identity

polarization: pole polar polar bear polarization between the rich and the

poor sever In a sense

Girls persuade themselves that they have no head for mechanical things. Boys are determined that they can never understand “sentimentality.”

have no head for sth. head: mental abilities

Para. 4

What is the topic sentence of this paragraph?

What are the benefits / advantages of coeducation?

desirable integrated spectrum flower into full blossom

Para. 5

What does the author suggest a gender free society might be like?

Coeducation has survived as the best way to educate young people. As society moves ahead, the gender category becomes blurred.

moves ahead/on blur