ANTH 440: Gender and Culture
| Course Home Page | Blackboard | Instructor's E-mail |
| Course Overview | Texts | Evaluation |
| Honor Code | Course Mechanics | Schedule |
Course Overview
Because all human populations across the world have some things in common and some things that differ, the focus of this course is to make analytical distinctions among gender ideologies across global societies. By evaluating the “other,” you will begin to understand how human behaviors, including traditions and customs associated with gender, are transmitted through cultural learning. In this course, writing assignments and exams will critically examine the ethnocentrism of gender, the attitude that the arbitrary conventions of how one's own culture defines gender roles are “correct” or “natural,” and that all other cultural patterns are immoral or unnatural.
The course addresses important contemporary issues, including
- how gender is defined cross-culturally
- the formation of gay, lesbian, and bisexual identity in nonwestern cultures
- sexuality and the expression of masculinity and femininity
- the dynamic interplay among definitions of kinship and the assignment of gender roles
- the conflicting obligations of work and the multifarious manifestations of family and domestic life
- the complicated management of often conflicting identities of gender and ethnicity in modern society.
This course fulfills both General College cultural diversity perspective and Arts and Sciences social science perspective requirements.
The course is divided into twelve lessons, each of which contains the following:
- objectives
- reading assignment
- notes (equivalent of lecture notes)
- ”food for thought” (review questions)
- discussion forum topic
- additional readings (short bibliography of suggested readings)
- Web links (explore the topic on the Internet in more detail)
- optional films (list of relevant films available in the UNC Media Resource Center to supplement section material)
Texts
The texts (except the Mullings book) can be obtained from the Higher Grounds bookstore at the Friday Center either by ordering online or by printing and mailing the book order form.
Required Texts
I have assigned a variety of readings, including ethnographies of gender as well as edited compilations of short scholarly articles on various aspects of sex and gender. You will also be required to read the lecture notes for each lesson. Required texts are as follows:
- Caroline B. Brettell and Carolyn F. Sargent, eds., Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective, 4th edition. Prentice Hall (2004).
- Louise Lamphere, Helena Ragone, and Patricia Zavella, eds., Situated Lives: Gender and Culture in Everyday Life. Routledge (1997).
- Serena Nanda, Neither Man Nor Woman. Wadsworth (1998).
- Kath Weston, Families We Choose. Columbia University Press (1997).
- Arlie Hochschild, The Second Shift. Penguin USA (Reissue 2003).
- Leith Mullings, On Our Own Terms: Race, Class and Gender in the Lives of African-American Women. Routledge (1996). ISBN-13: 978-0415912860. —This book is out of print, but you can easily get a used copy from many local and online bookstores.
Optional Texts
These texts are optional but highly recommended—I will specify in the notes which chapters are most relevant from each text.
- Marjorie Shostak, Nisa: The Life of a !Kung Woman. Harvard University Press (2000).
- Anne Allison, Nightwork: Sexuality, Pleasure and Corporate Masculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club. University of Chicago Press (1994).
Evaluation
This course has no prerequisites. It is essential for you to carefully complete the assigned readings and to be accountable for the information contained in these texts to successfully complete this course. Your grade will be derived in part from the completion of three take-home essay exams, each six to eight pages in length. You will also be expected to participate in online discussions of reading materials and address pertinent issues raised by the articles and monographs. None of the exams are cumulative, but you will be expected to know pertinent terminology and concepts from previous topics in the course. These open-book essay tests will require you to think critically and analytically about issues presented in the course. For each exam, you will be provided with a set of three questions, from which you will select two to address in analytical essays. In cases of University-excused student absences (such as illness or death in the family), I will afford appropriate opportunities for students to complete missed coursework as necessary.
A set of guidelines for the assignment of essay grades follows:
| A | The essay is insightful, clearly conceived, and mature. Student has full command of the topic and has chosen words aptly. The essay is polished, well organized, analytical, and interesting, with no grammatical or spelling errors. Student is able to make clear connections among topics presented throughout the course, and has applied ethnographic case examples from readings and lesson notes to support the argument. |
| B | The essay is clearly competent and thoughtful. The student has a solid command of the subject matter. The essay may be less well written than an “A” essay, less carefully organized, less compelling to read, but is still good work. Student uses fewer examples to support argument, although examples provided are relevant to the question. |
| C | The essay is satisfactory. The student has demonstrated an adequate approach to the question, but the argument is less well developed than a “B” or “A” essay. The essay may be imprecise in definition and use of language; there may be minor errors in spelling, grammar, and technique. It is limited in scope compared with a “B” or “A” essay. Student may use ethnographic examples, but the argument is not effectively supported by these cases. |
| D | The essay shows severe difficulties. It may be unsophisticated, inappropriate, or scattered. It may have serious organizational problems that inhibit the student's ability to develop a concept. No ethnographic examples are included. |
| F | The essay has critical weaknesses. For example, it may be incoherent, lacking in style and substance, brief or simplistic, with pervasive patterns of errors in word choice, sentence structure, grammar, and usage. No ethnographic examples are included. |
Final grades will be based on the following point system:
- Exam 1 (Lessons 1-4): 30 percent
- Exam 2 (Lessons 5-8): 30 percent
- Final Exam (Lessons 9-12): 30 percent
- Discussion Forum Participation: 10 percent
Grade Distribution:
| A | 94–100 percent | C | 74–76 percent |
| A– | 90–93 percent | C– | 70–73 percent |
| B+ | 87–89 percent | D+ | 67–69 percent |
| B | 84–86 percent | D | 64–66 percent |
| B– | 80–83 percent | D– | 60–63 percent |
| C+ | 77–79 percent | F | < 60 percent |
Honor Code
I have no tolerance for academic dishonesty in any form, and all work in this course falls under the University of North Carolina honor code. Before your exams, I will devote a section of our online time to discussions of clear definitions and examples of plagiarism in its many forms. If you deliberately engage in academically dishonest activities while a member of this class, you will be reported to university administration for disciplinary action.
Course Mechanics
Blackboard
Some of your class components (discussion forums, exams, and the class listserv) are accessed through a software package called Blackboard, and you will need to log into Blackboard using a unique identifier known as your UNC Onyen (Only Name You'll Ever Need) and Onyen password.
If you do not already have a UNC Onyen, go to the Onyen Web site and follow the instructions for creating an Onyen. If you have an Onyen but have forgotten it (or the password), you will find help on the Onyen Web site.
Use your Onyen to log into Blackboard, then click on the “ANTH 440” link. You will see navigation buttons on the left taking you to the Discussion Forums.
If you experience problems accessing Blackboard, this is what you should do:
- If you do not already have a UNC Onyen, go to the Onyen Web site and follow the instructions for creating an Onyen.
- If you have an Onyen but have forgotten it (or the password), go to the Onyen Web site.
- If you have your Onyen but can't log in to Blackboard, contact Janice Durham at the Friday Center.
- If you can log in to Blackboard but can't find this course listed, contact Janice Durham at the Friday Center.
- If you can't locate a forum in Blackboard, contact the Instructional Designer at the Friday Center.
- If you have technical problems while using Blackboard, contact Blackboard Help (use the Help button in Blackboard, or call 919-962-HELP).
Library Services and E-reserves
Students enrolled in Carolina Courses Online can access online library resources from the UNC Library System by linking to Library Services for Distance Education Students. This site includes information on using general online reference works as well as accessing e-reserves and e-journals.
All communication from your instructor will go to your UNC Onyen e-mail address (the one that appears when you post to the discussion forum). Off-campus users can access their UNC e-mail using Webmail. You can have your e-mail forwarded to a different e-mail address by clicking “Forward e-mail” at the Onyen Web site.
If you use a filter on your e-mail account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from me, the course listserv, or Friday Center staff. Hotmail users should be aware that Hotmail will block messages sent from within Blackboard because Blackboard uses “blind carbon copy” to protect privacy. We recommend that you use your UNC Onyen e-mail account rather than Hotmail for this course.
It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to your instructor via e-mail. If your instructor doesn't receive your work, you must have a copy of the e-mail with the attached file, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment on time. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered.
Please check your e-mail software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your e-mailed assignment at the same time you send it to your instructor, or you may need to print a copy of the e-mail message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how your system works, make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit to your instructor and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course.
Other Questions
Contact your instructor with questions regarding the content of the course and your progress. (There is an e-mail link at the top of every lesson page.) Please include “ANTH 440” in the subject line of your e-mail.
Contact the Instructional Designer at the Friday Center about problems with this Web site, including bad links.
If you have any logistical questions as you work through the course (enrollment, Onyen, credits, withdrawal, and so on), contact the Student Services staff at the Friday Center for Continuing Education (phone 919-962-1134 or 800-862-5669).
Schedule
| Lessons | Topic | Readings |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson 1 | Course Introduction | B&S: The Archaeology of Gender Today (Conkey); The Role of Women in Human Evolution (Ehrenberg) L/R/Z: The Egg and the Sperm (Martin) |
| Lesson 2 | Sex | Neither Man Nor Woman (Nanda) |
| Lesson 3 | Sexuality | B&S: Is there a Muslim Sexuality? (Abu-Lughod); The Manhood Puzzle (Gilmore); Women's Intimate Friendships and Other Affairs (Blackwood); Nisa, Chapter 4 |
| Lesson 4 | Identity | Families We Choose (Weston) |
| Exam 1: Available on Blackboard. | ||
| Lesson 5 | Kinship | B&S: Lifeboat Ethics (Scheper-Hughes); Domestic Networks (Stack); Matrifocality... (Prior); Fatherhood... (Townsend); Surrogate Motherhood (Ragone) L/R/Z: Reinventing the South (Williams) |
| Lesson 6 | Labor | B&S: Pastoral Nomadism and Gender (Rasmussen); Woman the Hunter (Griffen & Griffen); Sexual Division of Labor (Lepowsky) L/R/Z: Knock 'Em Dead (Stull); Women's Resistance in the Sunbelt (Lamphere and Zavella); Sprits of Resistance (Ong) |
| Lesson 7 | Work and Family | B&S: The Domestic Sphere... (Lamphere); The Female World... (di Leonardo); Cities of Women (Weismantel); Gender and Ritual (Davis-Floyd) The Second Shift (Hochschild) |
| Lesson 8 | Ethnicity | L/R/Z: Making Empire Respectable (Stoler) On Our Own Terms, Chapters 6 & 7 (Mullings) |
| Exam 2: Available on Blackboard. | ||
| Lesson 9 | Political Economy | B&S: Encountering the State (Ryan); Factory as Home and Family (Cairoli); Impact of Development (Lockwood) |
| Lesson 10 | Reproductive Power | L/R/Z: Making Sense of Missed Conceptions (Franklin); Agency and Constraint (Lopez) B&S: Politics of Reproduction (Browner) Nisa, Chapter 8 |
| Lesson 11 | Conflict | B&S: Tradition and Threat (McIntosh); Wild Pigs and Dog Men (Zimmer-Tamakoshi) Nisa, Chapters 10-11 |
| Lesson 12 | Religion | B&S: Spirit Possession (Boddy); Mama Lola (Brown); Shamans, Bodies, and Sex (Kendall) L/R/Z: The Word Made Flesh (Ginsburg) Nisa, Chapter 13 |
| Final Exam: Available on Blackboard. | ||
| Please fill out the brief online Course Evaluation. Your response is anonymous. We want to know if this course met your needs and expectations. | ||