SYLLABUS: INTERSECTIONS
OF GENDER, RACE, CLASS AND SEXUALITY
FALL 2008
Instructor |
Sheena Malhotra, Ph.D. |
Office | Jerome Richfield 340 |
Phone | 818-677-7217 |
sheena.malhotra@csun.edu |
COURSE OBJECTIVES “Intersections Of Gender, Race, Class And Sexuality” examines race, class, gender as social constructions that are negotiated within specific historical and material locations. We will study the connections between images in popular culture, history, and social practices in our daily lives. From this perspective we will explore how the social roles we perform and consume every day produce and sustain uneven social relations between and among differently situated people and groups. Of particular interest is the way in which gender intersects with other social categories such as race, class, sexuality, and national origin in our daily lives and popular images. By studying these intersections from the perspective of women living them, we move marginalized women from their typically marginal position to the center of the curriculum. The central aim of the course is to understand gender not as a singular category, but to see the ways in which gender intersects with other axes of power within specific historical contexts to interrogate the complexities of the social forces that shape our lives in contradictory ways. For instance, how does class privilege relate to gender oppression? How does gender privilege intersect with racial oppression? Upon which axes of power are you privileged and/or marginalized? How are we empowered and/or marginalized by social systems that go beyond our immediate lives and yet influence them so deeply? These considerations take place within the material and historical contexts that shape the possibilities of experience that social groups may have. The course is designed to enable students to become critically reflexive about the cultural representations that we consume and daily practices we perform in which gender, race, class, sexuality, and nation are constituted. Readings, class activities, and homework assignments aim to enable students to analyze and write about gendered identity formation and the political significance of social categories. One desired outcome of the course is to increase students’ sensitivity towards societal issues relating to discrimination, exploitation, and domination. We will have a special focus on the “War on Terrorism” and the Anti-War movement… particularly as it relates to intersections of gender, race, class & sexuality. |
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REQUIRED TEXTS Alexander, M. J., L. Albrecht, et al., Eds. (2003). Sing, Whisper, Shout, Pray! Feminist Visions for a Just World. New York, Edgework. WS 350 Reader. Available at “ASAP Copy & Print.” 9250 Reseda Blvd. On the corner of Reseda and Praire. Ph: 818-700-7999. |
CLASS POLICIES Class Participation/ Readings: Class participation is crucial to “getting” the concepts put forth in this class. The content of this course is not "merely" theoretical or political, but rather, it involves our personal lives—our relationships, our careers, our families. The course is designed to "denaturalize" social categories that are political, which does not mean that they are not extremely personal. Having one's social privilege/ marginality marked, as this course aims to do, is not always a comfortable process to undergo. Yet it is productive. In order to facilitate a "safe" environment—particularly for those students who are taking risks in exploring the forces that marginalize and/or privilege them—students are expected to contribute in meaningful, sensitive, and self-reflexive ways to online class discussions. Also, because some of the theoretical and critical issues we will deal with in this course are complex, it is important that students stay current on the reading. Reading should be done in advance of class and students should be prepared to contribute well thought-out and relevant questions and content to the discussion. Respect for every student’s experience and opinion will be expected. Please do the readings before logging into the class chats or posting to the discussion boards as they are essential for meaningful discussions to occur. This is part of your participation grade. Late Work: Turn in papers and projects on the date they are due, unless you have a legitimate university-approved reason (such as a medical emergency). Late work will loose points and may not be accepted if it is submitted more than one week after the due date. Academic honesty and plagiarism: All assignments must be the student’s own original work. Please cite sources in your papers and familiarize yourself with CSUN guidelines on academic honesty. Plagiarism and cheating are grounds for university action and will not be tolerated. It is the responsibility of the instructor to report any cases of plagiarism to the administration and can result in an “F” on the assignment, in the class. |
GRADING
Attendance (online) and Participation level in class chats | 10 |
Online Discussions Boards | 12 |
Questions on Readings | 10 |
Auto-Ethnography Paper ... focus on Race | 10 |
Response Paper on WAR | 10 |
2 Exams | 30 |
Group Blog or Webpage Project + Final Paper |
18 |
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE | 100 |
GRADING SCALE
97-100
A+ |
87-89
B+ |
77-79
C+ |
67-69
D+ |
93-96
A |
83-86
B |
73-76
C |
63-66
D |
90-92
A- |
80-82
B- |
70-72
C- |
60-62
D- |
ASSIGNMENTS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: This portion of your grade will come from your attendance and participation in the online classroom chats we will have on a weekly basis. Please login on time and be prepared to participate having read the material assigned. It is important to make meaningful contributions that demonstrate your engagement with the material, rather than making comments that are not based on the readings. I will also call on people randomly sometimes. If you have more than one unexplained/unexcused absence online, your grade will be affected adversely. On days we do not meet online (as indicated in the class schedule), you will do discussion posts to questions that I have put up on the Discussion Boards within WebCT. I would have listed 3-5 questions. You will pick 2 of those questions to respond to with "original posts" (which should be 2-3 paragraphs in length). Then, you'll do "response posts" to the original posts that your classmates have put up on the other questions (these response posts should be about 1 paragraph in length). Make sure that your response posts reflect your understanding of the reading, and build on what the other person is saying. Merely commenting that you agree with someone, etc. will not get you points for that response post. NOTE: BOTH Discussion Boards (DB's) and Question Links (QL's) can be found on WebCT. AUTO-ETHNOGRAPHY (FOCUS ON RACE): this project asks you to think about the ways in which your everyday life is personally affected by race and privilege (you may bring in other aspects like gender, class and sexuality... but the focus of this paper should center on race). You will write one short paper (4-5 pages double-spaced, must include list of references). There are three components to the paper that I will be evaluating: description, definition, and application. RESPONSE PAPER ON WAR: You will do one response paper for this class on the Anti-War section of the course. For this paper, choose two of the readings from that section to focus on and write a response paper in which you: 1) identify a key concept that links the authors 2) analyze the authors' arguments theoretically and in-depth; and 3) try to develop further the argument you are making in your response. 3-4 pages, double-spaced, and please include list of references.
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Process: Once you have a group topic, it is probably best if you divide it into sections and assign different group members various sections of the topic. For example, if your group is looking at Hurricane Katrina disaster, one person might research issues of class, another might tackle race, a third might tackle gender and a fourth might do comparisons of government responses to other disasters. Then you combine these sections to design your group webpage or blog. For your individual paper, you can borrow from the overall group project research.. but should focus your writing more on the aspect of the project which you did. So if you were the person researching racial issues in Katrina, you might have the first part of your paper draw on the overall group project, but then the rest of your paper would present your research on race in that context in greater depth. Possible Blog pages you could try: livejournal.com, blogger.com, or edublog.com Group Project Content: 1). Focus on the recent California Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage, and the anti-gay marriage initiative on the November ballot, as a way to explore issues of civil rights/ sexuality/ different states and national stances on gay marriage and how this might intersect with class/race or gender issues. 2). Do a “cultural study” of any popular text. Choose a cultural text, such as a music video, a song, a movie trailer, or a commercial. Analyze and critique the ways in which race, gender, class, and sexual orientation get played out within the text in ways that challenge and/or reinscribe dominant social norms. 4). Research the “War on Terror” from a gendered, racial and/or class perspective. What are some of the issues of power in this “war.” How do we understand the historical and political circumstances that have brought us to this juncture, “who counts and who doesn’t?” {Roy}. 5). Research a topic of your choice that focuses on the intersections of at least two power dimensions discussed in this class [gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, etc.]. This last possibility has been kept intentionally very broad to allow you to research and explore further any topic or issue that has caught your interest or engaged you the most. |
USEFUL WEBPAGE TOOLS
Useful Webpage Development instructions from CSUN's ITR Department |
Web Development Materials |
Webpage publishing instructions from CSUN |
Web Publishing Instructions |