Language, Gender, & Power Site
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 part of a program emphasis in Language and Culture. It may also be taken separately.