SYLLABUS

Youth Culture
ANTH 480Y/ AAAS 487A
Tues 6-9 pm, Science 1 - 158

Binghamton University
2004 Spring Semester


Instructor: Professor Shalini Shankar
Office: Science 1 - Rm 233
Phone: 777-2860
e-mail: sshankar@binghamton.edu
Professor Office Hours: Tuesday: 2-4 or by appt.


Week 1: January 20 Introduction

Week 2: January 27 Semiotics
Hebdige, D. 1981. Subculture: The Meaning of Style (New Accents). Routledge.
Baudrillard, J. 1988. "The System of Objects." In Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings.
Barthes, Roland. 2001 [1957]. "Myth Today." In Routledge language and cultural theory reader.

Week 3: February 3 Social Perceptions of Youth or Femininity
Christensen, L. 1999. Gangbangers : Understanding The Deadly Minds Of America's Street Gangs. Paladin Press.
OR
McRobbie, A. 2000. Feminism and Youth Culture: Second Edition. Routledge

Week 4: February 10 Identity
Maira, S. 2002. Desis in the House: Indian American Youth Culture in New York City.
Temple University Press

Week 5: February 17 Masculinity
O'Donnell, M. and S. Sharpe. 2000. Uncertain Masculinities: Youth, Ethnicity and Class in Contemporary Britain. Routledge

Week 6: February 24 Race
Nayak, A. 2003. Race, Place and Globalization: Youth Culture in a Changing World. Berg.

Week 7: March 2 Sexuality
Manalasan, M. 2003. Global Divas: Filipino Gay Men in the Diaspora. Duke U. Press.

Week 8: March 9 Music
Bennett, A. 2000. Popular Music and Youth Culture: Music, Identity and Place. Palgrave Macmillan

Week 9: March 16 Modernity
Liechty, M. 2002. Suitably Modern: Making Middle-Class Culture in a New Consumer Society. Princeton University Press.

Week 10: March 23 Ethnography in Asian Diasporas **Final Paper Topic Due**
Espana-Maram, 1998. "Brown Hoardes in McIntosh Suits: Filipinos, Taxi Dance Halls, and Performing the Immigrant Body in Los Angeles, 1930s-1940s." In Generations of Youth: Youth Cultures and History in Twentieth-Century America, J. Austin and M. Willard, eds. New York: NYU Press.

Leonard, K. 1992. Making Ethnic Choices: California's Punjabi Mexican Americans. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. (excerpts)

Gibson, M. 1988. Accomodation Without Assimilation: Sikh Immigrants in an American High School. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. (excerpts)

Wei, William. 1998. "Hmong American Youth: American Dream, American Nightmare." In Generations of Youth: Youth Cultures and History in Twentieth-Century America, J. Austin and M. Willard, eds. New York: NYU Press.

Jourdan, Christine. 1995. "Masta Liu." In Youth Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, V. Amit-Talai and H. Wulff, eds. London: Routledge. (pages 202-222).

Week 11: March 30 Globalization
Farrer, J. 2002. Opening Up: Youth Sex Culture and Market Reform in Shanghai. University of Chicago Press.

Week 12: April 6 Spring Recess!

Week 13: April 13 Marriage
Constable, N. 2003. Romance on a Global Stage: Pen Pals, Virtual Ethnography, and "Mail Order" Marriages. University of California Press.

Week 14: April 20 Language
Rampton, B. 1995. Language crossing and the problematization of ethnicity and socialization. Pragmatics 5(4):485-513.

Chun, E. "The Construction of White, Black, and Korean American Identities through AAVE". Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 11(1): 52-64.

Reyes, A.
Shankar, S.
Bucholtz, M.

Week 15: April 27 Final Presentations

Week 16: May 4 Final Presentations

Grading
ASSIGNMENT 1: 25%
Book Presentation 1: 30 minutes 10%
Paper 1: 5-6 pages 10%
Peer Review 1: 1-2 pages 5%

ASSIGNMENT 2: 25%
Book Presentation 2: 30 minutes 10%
Paper 2: 5-6 pages 10%
Peer Review 2: 1-2 pages 5%

ASSIGNMENT 3: 35%
Final Project Topic: 1 page
Final project paper: 8-10 pages 20%
Final project presentation: 20 minutes. 15%

CLASS PARTICIPATION: 15%
Attendance: 5%
Preparedness and Participation: 10%

Assignment Details

Assignments 1 & 2

- Each assignment will be based on a book on the syllabus.
- For each book, prepare a 30 minute presentation along with your co-presenter.
- For that class, you and your co-presenter will present the book and lead discussion.
- For each book, write a 5-6 page paper. Your paper is due in class, on the day of your presentation. Hand it in to Prof. Shankar at the start of class.
- At the end of class, you will receive your co-presenter's paper.
- Write a 1-2 page critical review of it.
- Your review is due the following week, along with the paper you reviewed.

Assignment 3:

- Choose a topic of interest to you that pertains to youth culture in Asia/ Asian Diasporas
- Final Project Topic: Write a paragraph or two describing this topic, and what your paper will cover; Include at least 4 annotated sources that are not from the syllabus.
- Final Project presentation: prepare a 20 minute presentation on your topic to be given on one of the last two classes.
- Final Paper: 8-10 pages, due May 4th. If you want comments for revision, submit your drafts no later than April 20th, and your draft will be returned on April 27th.

Assignment Guidelines

- Assignments are due AT THE START OF CLASS on due date.
- Any assignment turned in after the start of class on due date will be marked down 1/3 of a letter grade (i.e. an "A-" becomes a "B+", a "B" becomes a "B-")
- Late papers will be marked down 1/3 of a letter grade for each day past the due date (i.e. an "A" paper that is four days late becomes a "B-")
- Instances of illness/ emergency must be formally documented by health center or counseling office (i.e. no notes from Mom).
- All assignments are to be typed in 12 pt Times New Roman font (or similar), 1-inch margins , double-spaced, with PAGE #s. Remember to spell-check and proofread!
- Print and submit all assignments in class-this means you must come to class the day papers are due (NOT via email, unless previously discussed)
- In case of dismal class participation, pop quizzes may be administered.

Class Participation Guidelines

- Readings are to be completed before class.
- Be prepared to discuss the readings due for that day (i.e. read closely and note a few provocative ideas and questions).
- Arrive on time.
- Attendance will be taken at the beginning every class.
- Turn off/ silence your cell phones, pagers, and other beeping/ ringing devices.
- Be respectful of the classroom environment-this means no side conversations, note passing, text messaging, newspaper reading, doing work for other classes, or anything else that constitutes distraction or disruption.
- Be respectful of your fellow students-express yourself, but consider the feelings of others before you speak.
- Share the airtime-make sure to participate, but give others a chance to speak as well.
- If you are having problems with class materials or participation, see me sooner rather than when it is too late!

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