COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course we examine anthropological perspectives on a variety of questions about gender and power. The questions we will explore include: Through what social processes do masculinity and femininity come to be vested with meanings -- and powers -- that we take as "natural"? Is women's subordination "universal" and, if not, what are its specific causes? How have "gender" and "sex" been distinguished by social scientists, and what is at stake in those distinctions? Under what conditions do gender differences become gender hierarchy? When and how is sexuality a source of power? a source of subordination? What effects have colonial projects had on gender (and gendered power) in different societies? What are the relationships between gender difference and other social differences, such as race, class, sexuality, region or nation? How can anthropologists account for the differences among women in a given society, i.e., Is "women" a meaningful category of analysis? What do the varying terms, contexts, and meanings of women's and men's points of privilege and subordination suggest for our understandings of social relations? for our understandings of societies and cultures?

In addition, our course readings will also help us to take up problems in the representation of non-Western peoples, and particularly representations of non-Western women. By engaging with readings by Third World feminists, feminists of color, and critically reflexive First World feminists, we will study critiques of the ways Eurocentric understandings of gender, race, sexuality, and cultural difference, for example, have informed anthropological writings on non-Western peoples, and we will explore possibilities for challenging such representations and working against reproducing them.

PREREQUISITES & FORMAT

The recommended prerequisite for this course is "Women and Culture" (ANTH 126/WOMN 126/HDEV 355). The following courses also meet the prerequisite requirement: one course in either (a) the social sciences or (b) in women's studies. If you have none of these prerequisites, please see the professor prior to registering for this course.

This course fulfills the General Education Writing Requirement, i.e., it is a "W" course.

Our class format will consist of both lecture and discussion, including small-group discussions and other in-class exercises designed to enhance your engagement with the projects and problematics of the course and to refine your critical thinking skills.

COURSE READINGS

There are five required books for this course, all of which are available for purchase at the University bookstore. At least one copy of each of the required books is also on 2-hour reserve at the Bartle Library reserve reading desk.

Abu-Lughod, Lila. 1993. Writing Women's Worlds. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Herrmann, Anne C. and Abigail J. Stewart, eds. 2001. Theorizing Feminism: Parallel Trends in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Second edition. Boulder: Westview Press.

Shostak, Marjorie. 2000 [1981]. Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Silverblatt, Irene. 1987. Moon, Sun, and Witches: Gender Ideologies and Class in Inca and Colonial Peru. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Wilson, Lynn B. 1995. Speaking to Power: Gender and Politics in the Western Pacific. New York: Routledge.

In addition to the required books, there are a number of journal articles and excerpted book chapters that are required reading. All of these are available on 2-hour reserve at the Bartle Library reserve reading desk. On the Course Schedule, each of these readings is flagged by the designation, "(BR)" (Bartle Reserve). NOTE: For journal articles, photocopies are on reserve under the author's name (as given on the Course Schedule). For excerpted book chapters, the whole book in which the chapter was published is on reserve (Library rules). That means that with excerpted book chapters, in order to find those readings on reserve, you will need to search for the reading under the name of the author/editor of the book (as given on the Course Schedule), if that is different from the author of the chapter assigned.

Because it is ultimately you who are responsible for making sure you do all assigned readings by the date they are due (as given on the Course Schedule), you will need to PLAN AHEAD TO MAKE SURE YOU READ THE RESERVE READINGS BY THE DATES THEY ARE ASSIGNED.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS & ASSESSMENT

Clear understanding of and thoughtful engagement with the course materials and the course projects require coming to class and doing the assigned reading by the date it is due, as that is laid out in the Course Schedule. To encourage each of you to develop such clear understandings and thoughtful engagements, and to allow each of you the opportunity to demonstrate your competencies, the following will be required and determine your final grade:

(1) Attendance and Participation. Attendance is required and will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting. You are allowed up to three absences over the semester. Coming to class late will be counted as an absence. If you are absent for more than three classes, your final grade will be reduced by 1/3 of a letter grade for each two absences over the three allowed absences. (If, for example, your final grade worked out to an A, and you had a total of five absences, your final grade would be reduced by 1/3 of a letter grade for the extra two absences, and become an A-. If under the same circumstances you had four total absences and your final grade hovered at A/A-, the extra absence would determine an A-.) The only exception to the 3-absence limit is absence due to documented family or medical emergencies (you are responsible for providing the appropriate documentation).

(2) Argument Notes. Please see the hand-out, "Guidelines for Argument Notes" for all details. In broad strokes, Argument Notes involve writing an abstract of the argument of a specific assigned reading and developing substantive points of integration between the argument and other course materials. Argument Notes should run about 500-600 words in length (about 2 pages). A total of eight sets of Argument Notes are due over the course of the semester: the first two sets are worth 5 points each; all subsequent sets are worth 10 points each. Argument Notes are due by 12:00 noon on the day that the reading they concern is slated for class discussion (as indicated on the Course Schedule) and should be submitted in hardcopy form to my office (Science I, #114A). Argument Notes will not be accepted late. (40% of final grade)

(3) Position Papers. Three "Position Papers" will be due over the course of the semester (see Course Schedule for due dates). In these papers, you will be asked to draw on specific assigned readings to address a thematic question or problem. (I will identify appropriate readings and provide a choice of several thematic questions/problems for each Position Paper assignment.) A Position Paper is a well-developed essay based on a close reading of the materials on which it focuses: it must clearly state a question/problem, develop an analysis, and come to a conclusion. Each Position Paper should demonstrate that you have completed the relevant readings and comprehended the content and arguments of those readings. Position Papers will be graded on cogency of analysis, clarity of writing, and depth of understanding demonstrated. (35% of final grade: Position Papers #1 and #2 are worth 10% each [5-6 pp. each, typed];, Position Paper #3 is worth 15% [6-8 pp., typed].)

(4) Final Exam. The Final Exam will take place during Finals Week and consist of multiple choice, true/false, short answer and short essay questions. The Final will be cumulative, i.e., it will cover the entire semester's materials (readings, lectures, class discussions, films, etc.). (25% of final grade)

MISCELLANEOUS COURSE POLICIES

(1) Deadlines for Written Work. Argument Notes will not be accepted late, period. If you have a documented medical or family emergency and miss some Argument Notes, see me as soon as you return to negotiate substitute or make-up assignment(s).

Position Papers all have specific due dates, and failure to submit a paper on time will result in a late penalty of 1/3 of a letter grade for each class meeting that the lateness drags on beyond the due date. (If, for example, you submit a Position Paper that merited a grade of "A" on a Wednesday that was due on the prior Monday, your grade would be reduced 1/3, to "A-"; if you submit that same paper on the following Monday, one week late, the grade would be reduced by 2/3 to "B+".)

(2) Academic Dishonesty. The University Bulletin gives the following definitions of plagiarism and cheating:
Plagiarism is taking and passing off as one's own the ideas, writings, computer-generated material, etc. of others: that is, the incorporation into one's written or oral reports of any unacknowledged published, unpublished or oral material from the work of another. It is the right of the faculty member to whom such reports are submitted to decide whether plagiarism has been committed....

Cheating is using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise.

Any case of suspected or confirmed plagiarism or cheating in this course will be reported to the University for disciplinary action. Binghamton University has recently joined an on-line plagiarism and prevention detection service, "Turnitin.com," and by registering for this course, you agree that all written work you submit may be subjected to a textual similarity review by Turnitin.com.

(3) Appropriate Use of E-mail. Written work for this course (i.e., Argument Notes and Position Papers) cannot be accepted via e-mail.

ADDITIONAL COURSE SUPPORTS

(1) Listserve. A class listserve will be in place by the second week of classes, and information on how to un/subscribe will be covered in class once the listserve is established. You should feel free to use the listserve to continue conversations that began in class, to initiate discussion of current events that relate to course projects or materials, to set up discussion groups or study groups, and to otherwise further engage course projects and materials.

(2) A Dynamic Classroom. There may well be times when lectures and in-class discussions are not enough to help you to clearly understand course materials (readings, films, etc.) and for that and many other reasons, please raise the questions you have about course materials during our class meetings. In most cases, the question you're thinking of raising is one that some of your classmates are also mulling over. Asking questions also makes for a much more interesting classroom: it keeps you engaged, it's interesting for me, and it's a vital aid to my ability to help you to understand course materials and projects.

(3) Meeting with Me. That said, there may also be times when the answers you get to the questions you ask in class still do not help you to clearly understand course materials. If you are having difficulties with course readings or assignments, I strongly encourage you to set up an appointment with me to discuss your questions or areas of confusion. You need not be having difficulties, however, in order to meet with me: I have drop-by office hours on Wednesdays in part to encourage students to stop by and talk further with me about any of the questions or discussions we are engaging in the course.

Student/Professor meetings can be a truly valuable part of your learning process, and I hope you will take advantage of such opportunities: please see the front page of this syllabus for my regular office hours and email/phone contact information for setting up an appointment.

OVERVIEW: DUE DATES FOR RESERVE READINGS (Bartle Library)

OVERVIEW: DUE DATES FOR WRITTEN WORK

Position Paper #1 2/17
Position Paper #2 3/17
Position Paper #3 5/07

Argument Notes #1 1/27 or 1/29
Argument Notes #2 2/12
Argument Notes #3 2/17 or 2/19 (Argument Notes Make-Up Option, 3/05)
Argument Notes #4 3/17 or 3/19
Argument Notes #5 3/24 or 3/26
Argument Notes #6 4/07 or 4/09
Argument Notes #7 4/14
Argument Notes #8 4/28 or 5/05 (Argument Notes Make-Up Option, 5/05)

COURSE SCHEDULE

Introductions: Sex, sex, and Gender

1/22 Course Introductions

Early Paradigms & Questions: The Universal Subordination Hypothesis

Argument Notes are concise summaries of the arguments found in a specific reading. Argument Notes are intended to help students (1) to develop critical thinking skills (through practice at identifying arguments, engaging with arguments, and integrating arguments across readings and discussions); (2) to improve the analytical aspects of writing (clarity of presentation of argument, cogency, etc.); and (3) to prepare for in-class discussion of the readings assigned for a given class meeting. Notes should demonstrate your clear understanding of the central argument(s) made in a specific reading.

TECHNICAL REQUIRMENTS:

Argument Notes must be typed, with 1.25" margins on all sides and font size 10 pt or more (no smaller). Length guideline is 500-600 words or about two pages. Notes can be no more than two pages in length (play with line spacing, font size [again, min. 10 pt] to ensure that). Argument Notes are due by noon on the day we are slated to discuss in class the reading the Notes concern, as given on the Course Schedule. Argument Notes will not be accepted late. NOTE: There are several "Argument Note Make-Up Options" given on the Course Schedule: use these to replace a missed set of Argument Notes or to improve (through substitution) a lower grade you received for a set of Argument Notes. Argument Notes should focus on one reading only: if two asterisked readings are assigned for a specific class, choose one of them on which to write Argument Notes.

SUBSTANTIVE REQUIREMENTS:

Argument Notes consist of three sections, which need to be clearly identified on the Notes you hand in:

(1) Abstract: This is the main section of your Argument Notes and should make up about 75% of your Notes' text. In the Abstract section you summarize the central argument of the reading and (map out) the supporting arguments and claims the author uses to develop her/his argument. In approaching the task of summarizing both the argument and how it is put together, you should ask yourself what the author is trying to convince you of and how. Avoid descriptive detail and avoid extensive quoting: your task is to pull out the argument and summarize it in your own words. Argument Notes are not meant to be exhaustive: pick out the more vital supporting arguments and claims/points, and show how they are put in the service of the author's central argument. Again, this analytical summary section should be the most substantial of the three sections of the Argument Notes (about 75%).

(2) Integration Section. In this section you are to develop two points of integration, i.e., ways in which the argument you just summarized may be related to other course readings. Elaborate on the connections you find. In approaching this task, you should ask yourself how, for example, the argument you've summarized challenges, complements, complicates or in some other way relates to the arguments of other readings and/or to larger questions we have been considering in our class discussions. Look for significant points of similarity and difference, and elaborate on the relationships.

(3) Questions/Reactions Section (OPTIONAL). This optional section is the appropriate place for any questions of clarification about the reading and, if you feel the need, for your responses to a reading. In this section (and this section only) you may raise objections (to content, style, politics, methods, etc.), agreement, accolades or any other response you have to the reading. In particular, if you have strong reactions to the reading, the Questions/Reactions section -- and no other section of your Argument Notes -- is the place in which to voice them.

GRADING OF ARGUMENT NOTES:

Developing the kind of critical thinking skills that produce strong Argument Notes is a process that usually requires feedback. For that reason, the first two sets of Argument Notes you submit will be given their full 5-point credit and extensive comments. During this grace period, I strongly recommend you to pay close attention to the comments I give you on your Notes. I also encourage you to meet with me if that feedback along with these Guidelines and our in-class discussions about Argument Notes still leave you with questions about what this exercise involves.

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