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Academic Year 2005/2006


Thinking Gender Across Cultures
ANTH 218 SP

Crosslistings:
WMST 218

When thinking about gender, anthropologists have found that the seemingly neutral categories of male/female, man/woman, and masculine/feminine take on very different social, cultural, and even "biological" meanings from one cultural environment to another. In this course, we will examine the many different ways that gender and sexuality have been constructed in specific cultural and historical contexts and how these categories have been analyzed by anthropologists. Readings and class discussion will be based on a broad range of case studies back grounded by key theoretical contributions to the anthropological study of gender and sexuality. The course will address key issues such as essentialism, constructivism, universalism, difference, the role of gender within cultural and national identities, the construction of normative or "compulsory" sexualities, gendered bodies and performance, as well as the intersections between gender, race, ethnicity, and class historically and across the globe.

MAJOR READINGS

Lancaster and DiLeonardo, THE GENDER/SEXUALITY READER
Brettell and Sargent, GENDER IN CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Wieringa and Blackwood, FEMALE DESIRES: SAME-SEX RELATIONS AND TRANSGENDER PRACTICES ACROSS CULTURES
selections from Margaret Mead, Emily Martin, Matthew Gutmann, Sherry Ortner, Lila Abu-Lughod, etc.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Reading response journals; midterm and final essay exams; in-class student presentations.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

none

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS ANTH    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-30-2006


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