Description
This course will treat language as the primary human system of representing and organizing the world. We will examine how language constructs sexual difference and power relations among groups. Topics include the role of language in structuring individual identity and human relations; how that process informs the nature of social institutions; and the control language exercises over human society, from the private to the public domain. Readings are drawn from the fields of anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, psychoanalytic theory, psycho- and sociolinguistics, and science fiction. The class will be conducted in seminar format, with student presentation of readings and responsibility for certain topics. Students will have a broad range of options for their individual research topics. This course is a core course in the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Graduate Certificate program. It is also part of a program emphasis in Language and Culture in the Master’s of Liberal Studies program. It may also be taken separately from the Language and Culture program emphasis. Throughout this course we will address questions such as the following: How are gender differences manifested and perpetuated through language use? What role does gender play in the construction of subjectivity? Is there such a thing as “women’s language”? How do gender differences influence communication between women and men? What can be done to promote gender equality in language use? As this field of study is closely related to our daily lives, your questions, comments, and relevant personal experiences and observations will play an important role in our explorations of language and gender.
Required Texts*
Available in the university bookstore:
Elgin, Suzette Haden. Native Tongue. New York: The Feminist Press, 2001. ISBN 1-5586-1246-7 PS3555.L42 N37 1984
Weedon, Chris. Feminist Practice and Poststructuralist Theory. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 1997. ISBN 0‑631‑19825‑3 HQ1206 W42 1996
Free E-Textbooks (links on course’s Moodle2 site):
Collins, Patricia Hill. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. Perspectives on Gender. 1991. Rev. 10th anniversary ed. New York: Routledge, 2000. ISBN 978-0-415-90597-8 HQ1426 .C633 2000
Enke, Anne. Transfeminist Perspectives in and beyond Transgender and Gender Studies.Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2012. Project MUSE. Web. 28 Jul. 2014. <http://muse.jhu.edu/>.
Girshick, Lori B., and Jamison Green. Transgender Voices: Beyond Women and Men. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2009. Project MUSE. Web. 28 Jul. 2014. <http://muse.jhu.edu/>.
Hill, Jane H. The Everyday Language of White Racism. 2008. Blackwell Studies in Discourse and Culture Series. Published Online: 27 FEB 2009. Print ISBN: 9781405184533 Online ISBN: 9781444304732
Holmes, Janet, and Miriam Meyerhoff. The Handbook of Language and Gender. 2003. Malden, Mass: Blackwell, 2011. Internet resource.
Nagoshi, Julie L., Craig T. Nagoshi, and Stephan/ie Brzuzy. Gender and Sexual Identity: Transcending Feminist and Queer Theory. New York: Springer New York, 2014. Print ISBN 978-1-4614-8965-8 Online ISBN 978-1-4614-8966-5
Reeser. Todd. Masculinities in Theory: An Introduction. Malden, MA: Wiley- Blackwell, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4051-6860-1 BF175.5.M37R44
Salih, Sara. Judith Butler. Routledge critical thinkers. London: Taylor & Francis, 2002. Internet resource. ISBN 9780203118641
Tuana, Nancy, William Cowling, Maurice Hamington, and Greg Johnson. Revealing Male Bodies. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002. Project MUSE. Web. 28 Jul. 2014. <http://muse.jhu.edu/>. E-ISBN-13: 9780253108852 E-ISBN-10: 0253108853 Print-ISBN-13: 9780253339911 HQ1090.R455
*It is understood that all students have acquired the basics of writing scholarly papers. The 2 texts below are examples of reference works that can be used to help in writing the research paper for the course, but students should use whatever works they find helpful. The university bookstore also has many research and writing guides. See as well the handout Writing Guidelines at http://pages.charlotte.edu/katherine-stephenson-mals/wp-content/uploads/sites/253/2012/12/WRITGUID.doc and Writing Tips on the MALS web pages at http://mals.uncc.edu/writing-tips .
The College Writer’s Reference: 2009 MLA Update Edition, 5th ed., by Toby Fulwiler and Alan R. Hayakawa (ISBN-10: 0205735606 ISBN-13: 9780205735600). Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers, The (paperbk), 6/E, by Chris M. Anson and Robert A. Schwegler, 2011. ISBN-10: 0205741991 • ISBN-13: 9780205741991
Course Requirements
Immediately after the first class period, send the professor the following information using the email account you check most often*:
- Name (indicate first name you wish to be called by in class)
- telephone number
- e-mail address*
- classification, major, advisor
- if you have a job, number of hours you work per week
- previous Liberal Studies and/or Women’s and Gender Studies courses and professors
- number of papers written in graduate school
The class will be conducted in seminar format. You are expected to prepare the assigned readings, contribute consistently to discussions each class period, and, at designated times, take responsibility for special preparation. Assessment of class participation will be based primarily on whether it reflects careful reading of assigned materials rather than on whether your understanding of the material is absolutely correct. Nevertheless, quantity is not a substitute for quality in your contributions to class discussion. All written assignments for the course will be submitted electronically by email attachment, using MSWord. I will make comments on assignments using MSWord’s tracking-changes function. You will keep a weekly reading journal and will conduct a research project and present your results in a 15-page paper (not including Works Cited/Bibliography) due Dec. 8. You will use the journal to synthesize the material in each week’s readings and to organize your thoughts on the material as preparation for articulate participation in class discussion. Each journal entry will indicate the basic thesis and main points of interest to you in each reading (a couple of sentences on each, including your personal reaction to it, suffices) and identify major points about language treated by Elgin in Native Tongue (again, a few sentences, or even a list, suffices [for journal and class discussion ideas see Native Tongue reading guidelines at http://pages.charlotte.edu/katherine-stephenson/wp-content/uploads/sites/221/2012/11/Elgin1.doc). The journal will also contain weekly reports of your observations concerning language use in your daily lives and any homework assignments. Journal entries must be submitted electronically prior to class each week. Please make the subject of your email and of the filename “[Last Name] Wk [#];” for example: StephensonWk2. At the top of the journal entry, put your name, Week # of journal entry, and an abbreviated title of the reading before each section on a reading. Grading will be based not on length of the entry but on demonstration of serious engagement with the material and general understanding of the texts. The research paper may be a report of original research or a critical review of the literature on a specific topic of relevance to the seminar. You must consult with me at the beginning of the semester to identify possible topics and begin pertinent readings well before the first (Sept. 19) deadline. See the handout Research Paper at http://pages.charlotte.edu/katherine-stephenson-mals/wp-content/uploads/sites/253/2012/12/LGPpaper.doc.
Absence Policy
Attendance is required. Students who miss classes usually do poorly on homework and the final exam. Please note as well that for a class that meets in a 3-hour bloc, a missed seminar meeting constitutes a significant percentage of seminar time. Absences will affect the evaluation of your performance in the course. Failure to attend at least 75% of the classes–i.e., missing 4 or more classes, for whatever reason–will result in an automatic failing grade for the course. Role is taken at the beginning of each class. Late arrivals will be marked absent unless students remember to “check in” with the professor at the end of class and have the absence changed to a late. Absences will be excused only when you provide written confirmation of hospitalization, a doctor/ infirmary visit, an officially excused university activity, or a serious family crisis. If you are absent from class, you are responsible for contacting a classmate, finding out what we did in class and the homework assignment, and preparing this assignment. See also attendance policy in UNC Charlotte Catalog.
Participation
All students are expected to participate in class discussion. Journal-writing should prepare you for participation that is substantive in content as well as in amount. Discussions will focus first on students’ demonstration of their understanding of the material and questions about content and then, when time allows, progress to exploration of various issues raised in the readings. Only students who participate in each class meeting and throughout the entire class should expect a positive evaluation.
Grade Breakdown
The course grade is a composite evaluation of total class performance. Regular class attendance, participation, and homework completion makes up 50% of your grade. I suggest that you pay particular attention to these areas so that they work for you rather than against you. Grades observe the standard protocol for graduate work: A: Solid, graduate-level work, slightly to considerably above peer group. B: Graduate-level work. C: Unacceptable graduate-level work (no graduate credit). U: Extraordinary failure to perform at graduate level (enrollment cancelled)
| Seminar participation, presentations | 30% |
| Reading Journal | 20% |
| Research project and paper | 30% |
| Final Essay Exam (Wed., Dec. 10, 5:00-7:30) | 20% |
Office Hours
If you wish to contact me outside of class, you must do so during my office hours as I will not return phone calls. You may also contact me by email, which I can usually respond to within 24 hours. I urge all of you to make use of my office hours. Students who do so usually do better than those who do not. I can help you not only with difficulties with the course material, but also with advice on studying habits, test taking techniques, organizational skills, etc. Do not hesitate to ask me any questions. The only stupid question is the one never asked. I hope you have a fun and rewarding semester.
Policy on Academic Integrity
This course, as all others at UNC Charlotte, operates according to the definitions, rules, and procedures outlined in UNC Charlotte Code of Student Academic Integrity at http://www.legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-105.html and the Code of Student Responsibility at http://catalog.uncc.edu/graduate-catalogs/current/student-conduct#code-of-student-responsibility. It is your responsibility to know and observe the requirements of this code. Be certain you understand the concept of plagiarism, and that you are clear on the procedures to follow should you be accused of academic dishonesty. Academic evaluations in this course include a judgment that your work is free from academic dishonesty of any type. Penalty for violation of the code ranges from zero credit on the work involving dishonesty to expulsion from UNC Charlotte. You are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty.
Students with Learning Disabilities
Students with documented disabilities who require accommodations in this class should access services as soon as possible through the UNC Charlotte Office of Disability Services in Fretwell Building, Room 230.