This course explores the multiple ways that language -- considered both as categorial structure and form of social practice -- manifests the processes through which gender is an area of cultural conceptualization through which people experience their own and others’ senses of sexually-involved personhood. 

The course will meet regularly on Wednesdays and Fridays, though in certain weeks, to be scheduled in advance, we will use the Monday hour, for example when the instructor cannot meet with the class on one of the other days. 

Office hours: Mondays, 1.30-3.00 PM in Haskell Hall 313. If this time is impossible, please make an appointment by telephone (2-7713; voicemail) or email (mslv@cicero.spc). 

Requirements for Enrolled Students: [1] Timely preparation of readings so that classtime discussions can presume that students are familiar with the basic materials, approach, and arguments. [2] Weekly submission at Friday class of two discussion-questions (not essays!) based on specific readings in relation to the developing themes of the course, to the discussion of a selection of which we will devote some subsequent class-time. [3] Take-home mid-quarter essay exercise, week of April 28th. [4] Take-home final essay assignment, week of June 9th. 

Readings: These have been placed on 4-hour Reserve status for this course at Harper Library, and in addition the annotated entries below have been ordered at the Seminary Cooperative Bookstore. 

* = ordered as ‘required’ reading at Seminary Cooperative Bookstore 
! = ordered as ‘recommended’ reading at Seminary Cooperative Bookstore 

* Bakhtin, Mikhail M. 1981. The dialogic imagination: Four essays. Austin: U of Texas [PN3331.B161] 
 
! Baron, Dennis. 1986. Grammar and gender. New Haven: Yale U. [PE1074.75.B370 1986] 

 ! Blount, Ben G. (ed.). 1995. Language, culture, and society: A book of readings. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland. [P40.L36x] 

* Brandes, Stanley. 1980. Metaphors of masculinity: Sex and status in Andalusian folklore. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania. [GR237.A52B81] 

 ! Brenneis, Don & Macaulay, Ronald K.S. (eds.). The matrix of language: Contemporary linguistic anthropology. Boulder, CO: Westview. [P35.M290 1996] 
 
Caton, Steven C. 1986. " ‘Saalam TaHiiyah’: Greetings from the highlands of Yemen." American Ethnologist 13(2):290-308. [YC5628] 
 
Corbett, Greville G. 1991. Gender. Cambridge: Cambridge U. [P240.7.C670 1991] 

 Dixon, Robert M. W. 1982. Where have all the adjectives gone? And other essays in semantics and syntax. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. [YD5375] 

 Giglioli, Pier Paolo (ed.). 1972. Language and social context: Selected readings. Harmondsworth: Penguin. [P41.G46] 

 * Hall, Kira & Bucholtz, Mary (eds.) 1995. Gender articulated: Language and the socially constructed self. New York: Routledge. [P120.S48G470 1995] 

 * Hill, Alette O. 1986. Mother tongue, father time: A decade of linguistic revolt. Bloomington: Indiana U. [P120.S48H540 1986] 

 Kulick, Don. 1992. "Anger, gender, language shift, and the politics of revelation in a Papua New Guinean village." Pragmatics 2(3):281-96. [YK 5565] 

 Kulick, Don. 1993. "Speaking as a woman: Structure and gender in domestic arguments in a Papua New Guinean villeage." Cultural Anthropology 8(4):511-540. [GN301.C85 v.8 (please create Xerox as YK xxxx)] 

 * Leap, William L. 1996. Word’s out: Gay men’s English. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota. [PE3727.G39L430 1996 Harp] 

Leap, William L. (ed.) 1995. Beyond the lavender lexicon: Authenticity, imagination, and appropriation in lesbian and gay languages. The Netherlands: Gordon & Breach. [HQ76.25.B495 1995] 

 ! Lutz, Catherine. 1988. Unnatural emotions: Everyday sentiments on a Micronesian atoll and their challenge to Western theory. Chicago: U of Chicago. [GN671.C3L870 1988] 

 Lutz, Catherine & Abu-Lughod, Lila. 1990. Language and the politics of emotion. Cambridge: Cambridge U. [P40.L2840 1990] 

 * Roman, Camille, Juhasz, Suzanne, & Miller, Cristanne (eds.). 1994. The women and language debate: A sourcebook. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers U. [P120.W66W630 1994] 

 Smith-Hefner, Nancy. 1988. "Women and politeness: The Javanese example." Language in Society 17(4):535-54. [YS 6173] 

 * Tannen, Deborah. 1990. You just don’t understand: Women and men in conversation. New York: Ballantine Books. [HQ734.T240 1990]   Schedule of Topics and Readings  

Dates	Topics, Readings
Apr 2,4	Introduction: Received views of language as an abstract system of categorizations of phenomena in the world vs. language-in-use. Gender as a grammatical category vs. gender as a sociocultural construct and personal attribute. Denoting ‘gender’ and inhabiting ‘gender’ as communicational practices. The imbrication of gendering in systems of linguistic and social differentiation.  Roman et al., WaLD: Miller, Introduction to part III, 267-79; Gal, 407-31  Caton  Giglioli, LaSC: Gumperz, 219-231  Blount, LCaS: Hymes, 248-282
Apr 9,14	Textualized and contextualized gendering as a representational process: The Bakhtinian ‘voice’ of gender. Heteroglossia in society and the inherent dialogism of utterance. Contextualized interdiscursivity of usage in the fashioning of identity. Concepts of ‘register’ and of ‘genred’ usage.   Bakhtin, 275-366  Leap, BtLL: Barrett, 207-226  Brandes: chh. 1; 2; 5
Apr 16,18	Supposed attributes of gendering through language - I. So-called ‘politeness’ in relation to gendering. Indexes of relational ‘power’ and of relational ‘solidarity’. Folk-essentializing of ‘politeness’ in relation to gender.  Giglioli, LaSC: Brown & Gilman, 252-282  Blount, LCaS: Ervin-Tripp, 300-314 only  Smith-Hefner  Brandes: ch. 3  Tannen  Roman et al., WaLD: Lakoff, 280-291; Brown, 322-339
Apr 23,25	Supposed attributes of gendering through language- II. Language and affect in relation to gendering. Images of control of emotion as a behavioral figuration of social difference. Folk-essentializing of ‘emotionality’ in relation to gender.  Lutz & Abu-Lughod, LatPoE: Lutz,69-91  Lutz: chh. 1; 3; 4; 6; 8  Brenneis & Macaulay, MoL: Ochs [Keenan], 99-115  Kulick: both articles
Apr 30,May 2	The denotational code of grammatical gender. Noun-classification systems and categories of types of things in the universe. Formal properties, sense/notional properties, and properties of differential reference/denotation. Local cultural concepts of gender.  Corbett: chh. 2; 3; 4  Dixon: Noun classes (ch. 5)  Baron: chh. 6; 7
May 7,9	Gender categories as targets of denotational reform. Arguments from principles of transparency of language form to denotational usage. Creating a political ‘voice’ through ideologies of denotational reform. The class and gender positionality of the reforming voice.  Hill  Brenneis & Macaulay, MoL: Eckert, 116-137  Blount, LCaS: Silverstein, 513-550  Baron: chh. 8; 9; 10
May 14,16	Gendering through language and modalities of social stratification: Gender performed and power articulated: microcontextual and macrosociological aspects.  Roman et al., WaLD: Goodwin, 292-321; West, 363-382; Henley & Kramarae, 383-406  Hall & Bucholtz, GA: chh. 2; 4; 5; 9; 12; 13; 19
May 21,23	Concealing and revealing, performing and displaying genderings: gendered polyphonies.  Hall & Bucholtz, GA: chh. 8; 14  Leap, BtLL: Maher & Pusch, 19-44  Leap, WO
May 28,30	What language and communication contribute to sex-and/or-gender  perspectives: essentialism, reductive and nonreductive; social constructivism and emergentism; etc. in relation to gendering.  Roman et al., WaLD: Eckert & McConnell-Ginet, 432-460;  Kristeva, Spillers, Cixous, Irigaray, Spivak, 45-104;  Winnicott, 119-133; Benjamin, 165-198; Stern, 199-215
Jun 4	Conclusion

 
 

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