Abstract
At the beginning and later in the 1995 spring semester, 87 students (23 men and 64 women) in five classes rated themselves according to Spence and Helmreich's 1978 short Personality Attributes Questionnaire which measures traits desirable in both men and women, Instrumental (Masculine or M) and Expressive (Feminine or F), and traits inversely acceptable in men and women (M-F). The mean scores on M-F of women in two sections of one class significantly increased. The mean scores on Femininity of women in another class decreased. Pearson correlations indicated that the subjects had formed a coherent, consistent view that nevertheless did change during the semester. Their changed means suggest that the content of a course might influence an idealized self-image.
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