Instructor: Catherine H. Palczewski, Ph.D.

Office: Lang Hall 341

Office hours:

Thursday 3:15-4:45

If this time does not work, feel free to call or email to make an appointment.

I have already scheduled meetings with students at the following times (meaning I will be available). So, if you just have a quick question or need to drop something off, you will be able to find me:

Monday 2:00-3:00

If none of these times work, feel free to call or email to make an appointment.

Office Phone: 273-2714

Mailbox: Lang Hall 326

e-mail: palczewski@uni.edu

Course Description: People "do" gender through their communicative practices, and gender is constructed through the communication produced by social institutions. The purpose of this course is to raise students' awareness regarding the ways in which gender is created, maintained, and/or changed through communication. Students will gain theoretical insights and develop analytical skills to identify gendered expectations, and to learn how such expectations serve to limit behavior for both women and men. The course will enhance understanding of how predominant social assumptions and communication norms can devalue and silence women and other non-dominant groups, and how students can become change agents to enhance our collective lives.

Course Objectives: At the end of the course, students should understand that gender in communication is complicated by a variety of factors beyond sex. Thus, by the end of the class, students should understand how the following concepts are central to understanding gender in communication:

1. Intersectionality. Persons are not just female or male, feminine or masculine. To more accurately study gender, we must study gendered lives in the context of other social identities, particularly race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, and national origin. Students should understand that gender is always about more than a person's sex.

2. Interdisciplinarity. To understand gender/sex in communication, one must fuse and balance social scientific, humanistic, and critical methods. Students should be able to identify the various contributions of these approaches to the study of gender/sex in communication.

3. Gender diversity, not sex differences. Gender as a form of difference does not explain the complexity of gender in communication. Thus, students should understand the range of genders available to people, and not look at gender in communication as merely a way to track differences between men and women.

4. Masculinity. Students should understand that the study of gender is not just the study of women.

5. Gender is a performed social institution. Students should understand that gender is something a person does, not something a person is. Gender is not something located within individuals, but is a social construct which institutions and individuals maintain (and occasionally challenge).

6. Violence. To study gender in lived experiences means to study the darker side of gender: oppression and violence. Students should more fully recognize the consequences of the prevalent gendered society in which most people live.

7. Emancipation. Even as we recognize violence, we also want to recognize the emancipatory potential of gendered practice. Gender identity need not be oppressive and limiting to persons. Students should be able to identify the way their own gendered practices hold the potential for personal and social emancipation.

Required Texts:

DeFrancisco, Victoria Pruin and Catherine Helen Palczewski. Communicating Gender Diversity. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2007).

Strongly Recommended Texts

Style manual of choice – either APA Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (at bookstore) or MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (in library)

Assignments: Assignments are worth a total of 100 points. However, for each assignment you can earn fractions of points (so, you can think of it as a 1000 point scale if it makes you feel better). If you need to figure your letter grade at any point in the semester, simply divide the number of points you have by the number of possible points you could have earned. For your final grade, simply add up all the points for each assignment. Points are noted in brackets. Simply doing the base requirements of each assignment will earn you a "C" -- this means you have done acceptable work. To earn a "B" you must go beyond the assignment expectations or fulfill them in an above average way. To earn an "A" you must go far beyond the assignment expectations and fulfill the base expectations in an exceptional manner.

Detailed descriptions of all assignments appear on this syllabus. You are free to ask questions in class about the assignments, or contact me outside of class by email or phone. But, please be aware, I will NOT answer any questions about an assignment in the 48 hours before it is due. I recognize that students procrastinate, so, consider this an inducement to begin work early. This means if you have a question, you need to be prepared to ask it in the class session before your paper is due. I will not answer questions after that time.

Page limits on all assignments will be rigorously enforced. You should spend time finding ways to write more concisely and clearly. If I find your paper long-winded, and you go over the page limit, I will quit reading. (If however, you are brilliant and keep me captivated, I may not notice). And, given the expectations of each of the assignments, you probably will need to use the number of pages required. If, however, you are exceptionally concise, then I may not notice if your paper falls short of the required pages.

A bibliography should be turned in with every assignment. It will not count toward your page limit. On the top of the page, indicate the style (APA or MLA) that you think you ase using.

Graduate students: Your assignments are determined in negotiation with the professor, and should involve work of a more in-depth nature. By the end of the second week of class, you should have turned in an assignment proposal that includes,

1) name of assignment,

2) description,

3) due date,

4) point worth (for a model format, see the undergraduate assignments below).

Graduate students also will meet an additional hour each week for an intensive seminar, at a time to be determined by your schedules. Additional readings will be required for these meetings.

Undergraduate students:

1) Scholarly Précis: [20 points, 2 @ 10 points each]. (3 pages each). Although these papers are short, they are each worth 1/10th of your final grade and, thus, should reflect a proportional amount of work. They should be well-written, organized, free of typographical or grammatical errors, and present and support a clear thesis. In order to do well on this assignment, you may need to write a much longer draft, and then edit down to the 3 page limit.

This assignment asks you to:

A) Find a scholarly article or book chapter about a topic in the week's reading not cited in the textbook, and

B) Write a brief summary of the main points of the article/chapter and synthesize your preliminary reactions to it. Your précis should be coherent and thoughtful. They are not meant to be "book reports" or mere descriptions of the reading you select. You should engage the reading: summarize, highlight, agree, disagree, apply, extend, rework, combine, synthesize, play. If the essay you read differs from the textbook, explain how and indicate whether you find the article or the text more persuasive. What you have learned in the textbook should inform your reactions to the reading you select.

C) The summary of the article/chapter should not exceed one (1) page. The bulk of the paper should be composed of your reaction to the reading, a reaction that should be informed by the textbook. For example, in the synthesis/reaction part of the paper, you could apply the readings and to identify and examine the social construction of your own unique gender identity or that of someone you know. Your goal in this application would be to demonstrate that you understand how the theoretical concepts you have learned from the textbook and the readings can explain your own gender performance.

D) Attach a copy of the article/book chapter to the paper.

My grading of your précis will emphasize three things:

1. Distinctive voice: is your writing distinctive, can I tell it is you? Are you present?

2. Precision: precision does not mean formality. It does mean that you make distinctions, think carefully about word choice, and use vivid language. Bring ideas alive.

3. Argument: make an argument. Do not talk about the readings; talk to them, with them, through them.

Your précis should prepare you to participate in class in a particularly rich way when your précis coincide with the class's weekly topic.

Format: At the top of the first page, provide a full bibliographic citation for the scholarly article/chapter about which you will write. The summary of the article/chapter should not exceed (1) page. The bulk of the paper should be composed of your reaction to the reading, a reaction that should be informed by the textbook. For example, in the synthesis/reaction part of the paper, you could apply the readings to identify and examine the social construction of your own unique gender identity, or another person's. Your goal in this appl;ication would be to demonstrate that you understand how the theoretical concepts you have learned from the textbook and readings can explain your own gender performance. Attach a copy of the article/book chapter to the paper. (sorry about this disappearing . . . I think I have an explanation how it happened. . . but it involved gremlins invading my computer. . . )

Possible Due Dates: (September 9, 16, 23, 30 & October 7).

2) Analysis Papers -- Gender Analysis of Institutional Artifacts: [20 points, 2 @ 10 points each]. (3-5 pages each). Although these papers are short, they are each worth 1/10th of your final grade and, thus, should reflect a proportional amount of work. They should be well-written, organized, free of typographical or grammatical errors, and present and support a clear thesis. In order to do well on this assignment, you may need to write a much longer draft, and then edit down to the 5 page limit.

Select a social institution of interest: family, education, work, media, religion. Select an artifact (or if it is short, a combination of artifacts) from this institution that you feel can be analyzed from a gendered perspective. An artifact must be something original from the social institution, such as a specific grade school’s curriculum, textbook, anti-bullying policy; a university’s guidelines for athletes; media advertisements; a movie or television sit-com; a selection from brochures or speech texts of religious groups; businesses’ policy statements on sexual harassment, or guidelines for promotion; laws on equal pay, rape, marriage; health care guidelines or advice; an advice book on family communication, parent/child communication, etc. A gendered analysis means that you select relevant concepts from this course to apply as you conduct a close analysis of the artifact, and answer the following questions:

A) How is this artifact (and thus its institution) gendered or how does it gender? Describe and analyze the artifact. Consider both the visual and verbal components of the artifact. How do you believe gender (and perhaps race, social class, heterosexism, etc.) is being constructed, maintained, and/or changed through this institutional artifact?

B) How does the used of a gendered lens expand, alter or inform your analysis?

C) Finally, does this act of communication matter and, if so, what change do you recommend?

D) Attach a copy of the artifact to the paper and bring a version of it to class that can be seen by the entire class (advertisements can be placed on the elmo projector, a digital image of a billboard could be shown on the computer, a song could be played (but bring a copy of the lyrics for everyone to read).

You must apply 3 or more relevant concepts from the course to defend your interpretations. Be prepared to share your analysis in class as we discuss each social institution.

Possible Due Dates: (October 21, 28, November 4, 11, 18).

3) Midterm Exam: [15 points] Understanding the concepts introduced in the first 6 chapters is essential to understanding the chapters examining social institutions. The midterm exam will focus on reading comprehension with a combination of definition and short essay questions. You should use the key terms listed in the syllabus to construct a study guide sheet. No notes will be allowed in exams. Due Date: October 16.

4) Final Exam: The final exam will be composed of two parts.

A) A take home essay exam. [20 points]. The exam will ask you to incorporate work done in the précis and institutional artifact analysis papers.

B) Oral presentation: [5 points]. Students will have approximately 5 minutes to present their exam answers. Depending on class size, the duration of the presentation may be altered. The presentation should focus on the core point the student made in the final exam.

More helpful hints:

1) Do NOT simply read your exam for your presentation. The presentation should be formal and professional, but not scripted. I suggest you speak from a detailed outline (remember to include quotations from the textbook in the outline to illustrate the points you want to make). Please bring two copies of the outline: one to speak from and one for me. DO practice the presentation to make sure your outline fits within the time limits. Time limits will be strictly enforced.

2) Presume the audience is not familiar with your exam, but is educated about gender in communication. Your presentation does NOT need to include detailed definitions of common terms from the textbook. However, do provide sufficient theoretical explanation of more complicated concepts so that the audience can follow your analysis.

3) Do not try to present all the arguments in your exam. You will not be able to cover everything in just 5 minutes. Instead, give a brief overview of all your arguments, and then pick one or two on which to focus the presentation.

Due date: Wednesday, December 17, 1:00-2:50pm.

5) Discussion: [20 points]. The success of this class depends on your participation. You will be expected to read assignments prior to the date assigned and to join in ALL class discussions. Students are encouraged to participate by bringing in relevant artifacts (newspaper articles, advertisements, TV shows, songs, job ads, etc.) to discuss. It is expected that we will have varying view points on issues discussed in class, and that we can learn from such disagreement. The professor should serve as a muse or a guide, but not a drill sergeant. For a class to be a location of invention, and not just regurgitation, you must come ready to talk, to think, to rethink and to engage. Otherwise, a seminar format class can devolve into just being an instance where the professor tells you what to think. Being a good participant does not mean that you always have the answer; it can also mean that you know when to ask the right questions and when to recognize that the answers have already been offered by the class but need to be synthesized. Discussion is a central component of this class insofar as each person's analysis of the readings can be enhanced by others' insights. For a detailed description of the criteria used in the assessment of discussion, see my discussion link.

General Information: see www.uni.edu/palczews/general.htm. This site includes my late policy, the university accommodation policy, the university plagiarism policy, as well as paper format descriptions.

Syllabus: (This syllabus is subject to change, although that rarely happens.) If changes happen, they will be in hot pink.

Week 1: August 26, 28: Introduction to studying gender/sex in communication

read: Preface, Chapter 1

key concepts: gender, sex, gender/sex, gendered lens, intersectionality, biological determinism ,essentialism, androgyny, gender binary, intersexuality, transgender, sexual-orientation, queer, heteronormativity, ethnicity, classism, racism, sexism, rhetoric, contradiction, systems of hierarchy, culture, hegemony, cultural ideology, power, privilege, violence, coercion, violence continuum, reflexivity

discussion questions

1. What do the authors mean by a “gendered lens”? Why does this seem useful to the study of gender in communication?

2. Do you agree that gender is a cultural obsession? Why or why not? Why might the authors begin the book with this discussion?

3. Do you see evidence of the gender wars metaphor in your culture? What might this mean for society?

4. Do you think the authors’ alternative metaphor of “gender union” is productive? Why or why not?

5. What is intersectionality? How will this concept inform your study of gender in communication?

6. What is sex? What is gender? Why do the authors use these together as gender/sex?

8. What does it mean to “do gender”? In what ways is the study of communication central to the study of gender?

Sign up for précis and institutional artifact analysis papers.

Week 2: September 2, 4: Theories of gender/sex, part 1 biological and psychological approaches

read: Chapter 2 pp. 26-43

key concepts: theory, empirical/positivist worldview, interpretive/humanistic worldview, critical studies/cultural criticism, biological approaches, biological determinism, womanization of rhetoric, invitational rhetoric, psychological approaches, psychoanalytic approaches, écriture feminine, social learning approaches, cognitive development approaches, feminine style, maternal practice,

discussion questions:

1. What is a theory and why are theories important and influential? How does theory relate to the reconstruction of your “gendered lens”?

2. What are the three world views of theories? How do these approach the study of gender? How might these approaches affect what we come to call knowledge about gender in communication?

3. What criteria should be used for assessing theories? What do you feel are important criteria? Apply the criteria you select to the theories presented in the remainder of the chapter. What did you find? How do the three primary approaches compare?

Week 3: September 9, 11: Theories of gender/sex. part 2 descriptive and critical cultural approaches

read: Chapter 2 pp. 43-60

key concepts: descriptive cultural approaches, symbolic interactionism, anthropological approaches, two-culture theory, women’s rhetoric as oxymoron, critical cultural approaches, standpoint theory, social constructionism, communication strategies, gender as performance, performance, performativity, multiracial and global feminisms, arrogant perceivers, world travelers, ethnocentrism, postcolonialism, Queer theory, drag kings, post-structuralism, gender diversity, perspective multi-determined social context approach

discussion questions:

1. Two-Culture Theory, Standpoint Theory, and Social Constructivism are especially prominent in the study of gender in communication. How do they explain gender? What do you see as strengths and weaknesses of each?

2. Why do the authors subscribe to the Multi-Determined Gender Diversity Approach? Is this just a simple compromise? What is your assessment of this approach?

3. What expectations do you have for appropriate gender-related behaviors? Do these expectations occur as a result of your cultural background? Have you ever had to negotiate contested gender roles in your experiences with others? Describe the experience(s) and outcome(s).

Précis due September 9 for:

1. Bethany Schwichtenberg

2. Ali Horsted

3. Jesse Meyer

4. Dana Shultz

Week 4: September 16, 18: Gendered/sexed voices

read: Chapter 3

key concepts: identity, discourse, altercasting, deconstruction, two-culture, gender/sex differences, identity work, conversational work, face work, feminist post-structuralist discourse analysis approach, close analysis of discourse, critical gendered lens of discourse, functions of conversational components, gender/sex conversational style, gender/sex perceptions, style and perceptual lenses, heterosociability, feminine style, communal style, indirectness style, politeness norms of discourse, simultaneous talk, masculine style, agentic focus, power and style differences, speech as strategic

discussion questions

1. Why is it useful to study gender and identity via discourse?

2. What are the limitations of studying gender in discourse?

3. What is the Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis Approach? How might it be useful in developing your critical gendered lens?

4. Did Julia Wood’s (2007) girls’ and boys’ “rules of play” seem familiar to you? Did you know children in grade school who did not comply with these norms? How were they treated by other children and the teachers? Do the rise of video games affect play?

5. How does one study power in discourse? Why is this important? What are the limitations of doing so?

6. How might employing diverse gendered styles become a communication resource for individuals? What are examples of this?

7. Since the advent of Title IX, team sports have increasingly become open to girls and women. Would you predict that shifts in conversational style will follow as more girls grow up playing rule based games?

Précis due September 16 for:

1. Amy Smith

2. Jess Paulsen

3. Cheryl Brereton

4. Jim Besch

5. Ali Horsted

6. Nicole Dralle

7. Hallie McGuire

8. Mollie Pratt

9. Dana Shultz

10. Heather Plum

Week 5: September 23, 25: Gendered/sexed bodies

read: Chapter 4

key concepts: gender embodiment, “throwing like a girl”, agency, nonverbal cues, micropolitics, gender performativity, objectification theory, disconnection, proxemics, haptics, eye contact, body movement, demeanor, body posture, immediacy cues, body adornment, demand expressivity theory, nonverbal sensitivity and accuracy, emotional expression, natural beauty, gendered negative body images, strategies to refuse the command performance

discussion questions

1. Why is the body so important in the study of gender in communication?

2. Why is Butler’s notion of gender as performance particularly relevant here?

3How might objectification theory be experienced in everyday life?

4. Do you note any common themes in the research on proxemics, haptics, gestures, body adornment, and facial expression? Explain.

5. What do you think of the limitations discussed regarding the research on emotional expression and nonverbal sensitivity? How might information relate to our later discussions of romance and relationship development?

6. How does gender perform you? Consider the discussions of attractiveness, objectification theory, eating disorders and body image.

7. What are the primary ways in which persons have “refused the command performance”? Are there any ways in which you have refused a command performance?

Précis due September 23 for:

1. Amanda test

2. Tyler Dietz

3.

4. Amy Chalupsky

5. Shauna McElderry

6. Lauren Schmitz

7. Jim Besch

8. Nicole Dralle

9. Mollie Pratt

10. Zanetta Miller

Week 6: September 30, October 2: Gendered/sexed language

read: Chapter 5

key concepts: theory of linguistic relativity, terministic screens, select/reflect/deflect, framing, muted group theory, patriarchal universe of discourse (PUD), he/man language, semantic derogation, semantic imbalance, semantic polarization, marked terms, trivialization, lack of vocabulary, truncated passives, falsely universal we, de-verbing of woman, people, places & topics of silence, language as violence, talking back, counterpublic sphere, developing a new language, resignification, strategic essentialism, rhetorics of difference, moving over, “definition of man”, “definition of human”

 discussion questions:

1. What do the authors mean on when they say, “People literally speak and perform their bodies and identities into being”?

2. The authors argue language can oppress and liberate. Identify and explain five examples of each within the chapter. Why is recognizing both the liberatory and oppressive effect important?

3. Are there any examples of language as a tool of oppression or liberation that you had not considered previously? If so, what do these insights suggest to you? Why might they be useful to recognize?

4. Which theories of language do you find most useful to explain the power of language? Why? Can you identify links or connections between these theories?

5. What is the ethical debate regarding “speaking for others”? How do the authors suggest we address the debate? Do you agree or disagree and why?

6. For each language form that constrains outlined in the chapter, find one example in contemporary discourse.

7. Resignification of language is offered as an alternative. Do you think resignification is possible? Why or why not? Why would some groups or people choose such a strategy?

Précis due September 30 for:

1. Brandon Faber

2. Bethany Schwictenberg

3. Amy Smith

4. Jess Paulsen

5. Heather Plum

6. Amy Chalupsky

7. Shauna McElderry

8. Lauren Schmitz

9.

10.

Week 7: October 7 (Prof. Harry Brod guest lectures), 9: Institutions

read: Chapter 6

key concepts: institutionalized racism, institutionalized sexism, institution, cultural hegemony, cultural ideology, twelve characteristics of social institutions, hegemonic masculinity, institutional violence

discussion questions

 1. Do you agree gender is a social institution? Why/why not? If you agree? What qualifies it as an institution?

2. What is privilege? Can you identify ways in which your sex, gender, race, sexual orientation, or able-body privileges you?

3. How do institutions wield power? What are cultural ideology and cultural hegemony?

4. What is institutionalized gendered/sexed violence? What evidences of it did you discover? Is it necessary to address violence in our study of gender in communication? Why?

5. What is hegemonic masculinity? How does it relate to an institutional focus in the study of gender in communication?

Précis due October 7 for:

1. Cheryl Brereton

2. Brandon Faber

3. Hallie McGuire

4. Jesse Meyer

5. Tyler Dietz

6. Amanda Test

Week 8: October 14, 16: midterm week

October 14: study day

Midterm: October 16

Week 9: October 21 (Professor DeFrancisco guest lectures), 23: Family

read: Chapter 7

key concepts: gender roles, gender role socialization, gendered social scripts, nuclear family, true womanhood, family values, the second shift, compulsory heterosexuality, social learning and modeling, social accountability, militant motherhood, heteronormativity, demand/withdrawal conflict pattern, common couple violence, emancipatory families, engaged fatherhood

discussion questions:

1. What evidences do the authors give to illustrate the claim: ”families and gender are so intertwined that it is impossible to understand one without reference to the other. Families are not merely influenced by gender; rather families are organized by gender” (from Haddock, Zimmerman, and Lyness, 2003, p. 304)

2. Does studying family as a social institution affect the way you reflect on your own family experience? If so, how?

3. What is a nuclear family, how did the concept become and remain so powerful, and why is it important to understand in our study of gender in family according to the authors? Do you agree or disagree and why?

4. What is compulsory heterosexuality? Why is it important when analyzing gendered/sexed family communication?

5. What are some ways in which relations among adult friends and lover tend to construct gender?

6. When a heterosexual couple wants to get married, they apply for a marriage license. In the state of Iowa and in many other states, the bottom of the license reads: “ABUSE NOTICE. Per the Code of Iowa, Section 595.3A, ‘The laws of this state affirm your right to enter into this marriage and at the same time to live within the marriage under the full protection of the laws of this state with regard to violence and abuse. Neither of you is the property of the other. Assault, sexual abuse, and willful injury of a spouse or other family member are violations of the laws of this state and are punishable by the state.’ Why is this included in the marriage license? Is this notice still necessary?

Criticism paper due October 21 for:

1. Cheryl Brereton

2. Jim Besch

3. Lauren Schmitz

4. Shauna McElderry

5. Amy Chalupsky

6. Heather Plum

7. JessPaulsen

8. Amy Smith

9. Tyler Dietz

Week 10: October 28, 30: Education

read: Chapter 8

key concepts: hidden curriculum, hegemonic ways of knowing, epistemology, feminist epistemology, same-sex education, peer pressure, bullying, sexual harassment, stalking, emancipatory education, gender/sex sensitive education model, connected teaching

 discussion questions:

1. What does it mean to say the construction of knowledge is gendered? What are examples of this gendering?

2. What makes education emancipatory? What is the distinction between gender specific and gender relevant education? What might the latter look like?

3. What are some ways in which education constructs and constrains gender? Can you offer examples of any of these from your own educational experiences?

65. Single-sex education is a hot topic in the media, particularly with President Bush’s ruling October 18, 2006, to relax standards for Title IX compliance to allow for more single-sex programs. What are the pros and cons of single-sex education? Why do you think this is a hot topic in media and education institutions?

Criticism paper due October 28 for:

1. Bethany Schwictenberg

2. Jesse Meyer

3. Nicole Dralle

4. Hallie McGuire

5. Brandon Faber

6. Cheryl Brereton

7. Dana Shultz

Week 11: November 4 (Election Day), 6: Work

 read: Chapter 9

key concepts: off-ramping, gendered organizations, critical organizational communication perspectives, work/family tensions, maternity leave as benefit, pregnancy as disability, emotions as social discursive constructions, globalization, sexual harassment: quid pro quo and hostile work environment, care work, stratified labor market, girl watching as part of hegemonic masculinity, conflation of sex and gender

discussion questions:

1. In an editorial (“Mothers at Work Are Canaries in the Mine”) by Charlotte Fishman, a WeNews commentator, writes: “Recently, the Labor Project for Working Families published a family-friendly handbook, ‘A Job and a Life: Organizing and Bargaining for Work Family Issues.’ We are in the middle of a major, dislocating social transformation. . . . one that seeks work-family balance.” Do you see evidence in your workplaces of attempts to balance work and family for men and women? Charlotte Fishman is executive director of Pick Up the Pace, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify and eliminate barriers to women's advancement in the workplace. She is an employment attorney specializing in academic tenure discrimination and represented Laurie Freeman before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She can be reached at cfishman@sbcglobal.net.

2. Often, when women who are primary caregivers use day care, they are seen as bad mothers. Why is it putting a child in daycare does not make a man a bad father? Discuss the way this gives insight into the existence of double standards and the way motherhood figures into women’s identity differently than fatherhood does into men’s.

3. Have any of you taken or are you taking an Organizational Communication course? Is attention paid to the way in which organizations are gendered, and gender? Or, does your textbook still “conceptualize organizations as gender neutral,” a criticism Acker (1990) made of scholarly research over 15 years ago. How does your textbook address race, ethnicity, and/or social class?

4. The authors state that discriminatory gender constructions based on sex and race are manifest in the institution of work, perhaps more than any other institution. What evidence do you find of this in the chapter, or in your personal observations?

5. What is off-ramping? Why is it false according to the authors? If it is a media constructed myth, why do you think it was allowed to develop and continue to be used in the media?

6. Do you agree that organizations are masculinized? Why or why not?

7. What does it mean to say, "Work is a legitimating ideology . . . "? How do contradictions such as the one described for "working mothers" serve as power strategies or tools of social institutions?

8. As we have discussed throughout the semester, the concept of gender/sex differences is socially constructed. What specific constructions of difference (or silences) do you note/find interesting and why?

9. How do the approaches used in law to define sexual harassment shift the focus of attention and ability to explain multiple situations? What is the "reasonable woman" standard for sexual harassment and why is it proposed? Why is it useful to not frame sexual harassment as a "women's issue"?

10. Throughout the chapter, we describe ways in which African American women, in particular have created emancipatory strategies to survive and thrive in the work place. What are some of these strategies?

Criticism paper due November 4 for:

1.

2. Jess Paulsen

3. Mollie Pratt

4. Amanda Test

5. Dana Shultz

Week 12: November 11, 13: Religion

read: Chapter 10

key concepts: institutionalized religion, spirituality, spiritual equality/social equality, civil religion, reappropriating religion, muscular Christianity, veiling practices, locations of constraint, locations of empowerment

discussion questions:

1. Why is it necessary to understand relationships between spiritual equality and social equality?

2. Why do the authors suggest the examination of religion as an institution is a Western phenomena? Do you agree or disagree? Explain.

3. What are some ways in which religion interlocks with other institutions? What are the effects of these connections?

4. What are some ways in which religion constructs and constrains gender?

5. What are some ways in which religion has liberated and/or empowered persons or groups?

6. Why is it useful to reread the history of women in religion? Offer some examples of what might be revealed.

7. What is Muscular Christianity? Offer some examples.

Criticism paper due November 11 for:

1. Jesse Meyer

2. Ali Horsted

3. Jim Besch

4. Lauren Schmitz

5. Heather Plum

6. Zanetta Miller

Week 13: November 18, 20: Media

read: Chapter 11

key concepts: culture industries, media products are ephemeral, popular culture and media present inescapable levels of contradiction, commercial media, noncommercial or subsidized media, hegemony, polysemy/polysemous, polyvalence/polyvalent, U.S. hegemonic masculinity, media content analysis, media effects studies, the gaze, ways of seeing, oppositional gaze, gender is in flux, re-securing gender’s borders

discussion questions:

1. Can you think of ways in which individual agency (or gender) is commodified and sold (Goldman, Heath, & Smith, 1991; Talbot, 1998)?

2. Are music video all the same in how they construct gender – masculine and feminine?

3. In what ways does “television ‘mak[e] present in public’ a vocabulary that prefers the dominant audience’s interests”?

4. Do media representations of romance normalize violence?

5. Do you think your analyses of media products are a form of political action?

6. What are some ways in which media interlocks with other institutions? What does this interlocking suggest about the role of media in society?

7. Why is it necessary to point out the study of “media is not about gender differences”? What is it about?

8. What are “the gaze/s” and “oppositional gaze”? How might this be a useful tool in your critical gender lens toolkit?

Criticism paper due November 18 for:

1. Bethany Schwictenberg

2. Ali Horsted

3. Hallie McGuire

4. Brandon Faber

5. Shauna McElderry

6. Amy Chalupsky

7. Amy Smith

8. Tyler Dietz

9. Mollie Pratt

10. Amanda Test

11. Zanetta Miller

Week 14: November 25, 27 (no class, thanksgiving break)

Week 15: December 2, 4: One last look

read: Chapter 12

key concepts: globalization, gender diversity, what a focus on differences ignores, personal gender/sex politics

discussion questions:

1. What are the limits of a differences approach to the study of gender in communication?

2. The authors say that a gender diversity approach does not deny that differences exist. Given this, how does one approach what differences in communication practices mean for understanding the role of gender in communication?

3. Raka Shome and Rada Hegde make clear that the effect of globalization is not to make the category of identity disappear. Instead, one should focus on “how identity becomes a matter of struggle” (p. 179). In other words, not only is identity itself complex, but identity alone is not the only axis of power. Given this, can you identify instances in which identity has become a matter of struggle?

4. Where do locations of gender domination exist in a globalized world?

Week 16: December 9, 11: tba

Final: Wednesday, December 17, 1:00-2:50pm.