INTERSECTIONS OF GENDER, RACE, CLASS AND SEXUALITY
SPRING 2004- PACE

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 this semester on the “War on Terrorism” and the Anti-War movement… particularly as it relates to intersections of gender, race, class & sexuality. Part of this class will also involve online discussions and online exams. Please make sure that you have online access. This is the link to the class webpage.

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 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 well in advance to 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 coming to class as they are essential for meaningful discussions to occur. This is part of your participation grade. Class participation may also include: students writing short, in-class responses; short, informal presentations; group discussions. Unannounced mini-quizzes will be administered if many of you consistently do not keep up with the readings and/or are missing class regularly.

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 not be accepted if it is submitted more than one day 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

GRADING SCALE

ASSIGNMENTS

LEADING CLASS DISCUSSION: You will be expected to lead class discussion in pairs on one of the readings assigned in this class. Together, prepare a one-page handout for the class on the day that you are leading the discussion. Explain the main concepts of the reading clearly, use examples to build the concepts in the article, develop a critique and prepare questions to prompt class participation and engagement.

ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: A significant portion of your grade depends on your attendance and active participation in the class. This requirement consists of the following components: (a) attendance, (b) punctuality, (c) keeping up with the readings, (d) active participation in class which consists of significant involvement in class discussions, asking and answering questions, etc. (e) participation in in-class exercises and group work.

If you have more than one unexplained/unexcused absences, your grade will be affected adversely. Please turn off beepers, cell phones, etc. when you are in the classroom.

ONLINE DISCUSSION/POSTS: The content of this course is not “merely” theoretical or political, but rather, it involves our personal lives—our relationships, our careers, our families. Readings should be done well in advance to class. You should be prepared to contribute well thought-out and relevant content to the discussion questions posted online. You will be expected to demonstrate your preparation by posting to discussions and responding to classmates posts online to have a dialogue about the readings in ways that are different from in-class discussions.

RESPONSE PAPER: Choose two of the readings 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) discuss your emotional response to the reading. 3-4 pages.

AUTO-ETHNOGRAPHY: this project consists of a series of exercises, which ask you to think about the ways in which your everyday life is personally affected by race, class and gender. You will write one short paper (4-5 pages double-spaced). There are three components to the paper that I will be evaluating: description, definition, and application.
1) Write one to three paragraphs describing an event in your life that was a pivotal in your identity formation with regard to race, class, sexuality or gender. Perhaps it was especially confusing, but now you have a better sense of it through the readings in this class.
2) Write one to three paragraphs in which you outline, clarify, and define a concept from the reading that you will later apply to the event. You should draw directly on the reading for this portion of the paper, citing a specific text including the author’s name and page number
3) Write one to three paragraphs in which you analyze the event for the ways in which gender, race, class or sexuality is culturally transmitted production, the ways in which it is read on the body and how it shapes our lives.

EXAM: the exam will be based on all the readings assigned for this class as well as on all in-class discussions and materials presented. The exam will be in varied format: multiple choice, short answer questions and long essays.

CURRENT EVENTS/QUESTIONS: There are 8 classes when we have readings assigned. For 5 of these meetings, bring in at least three well formulated, typed questions on three of the readings for that day. On the weeks when we are meeting online, I will set up a link where you can post your questions. In order to get points for the questions, they must be thoughtful and insightful, designed to evoke discussion of the reading. You will not be given any points for questions that ask for factual, superficial information, or questions that invite “yes/no” type of answers. Designing a good question entails taking time to do the reading, and to reflect on the issues brought up in that reading. We will often use your questions to guide in-class discussions on the reading, so dedicate some time to designing good discussion-oriented questions. For a question to be accepted for points, it MUST be turned in on the day that the reading is due.

FINAL GROUP PRESENTATION: Begin now finding people you can form a group with. You will collectively do a 10-15-minute presentation and write a 10 page paper in which you incorporate at least five reading sources from the class and three outside scholarly sources. Groups should consist of 3-4 members. If you are taking this class as a capstone course for the Liberal Studies major, your paper will be a longer [20-25 pg] research paper. You have different options for this project.

1) Do a “critical ethnography” of your own group, discussing the struggles and/or benefits of feminist alliances among you. You may ground your ethnography in a number of ways: you may choose a specific activist project to become involved in, you may do a study of some area of interest you all share, or you can meet together to analyze your own identities in light of what you’ve learned in this class. In any case, pay close attention to and discuss the racial, gender, class, and sexual orientation of the participants as they surface during the project. Discuss with the group the ways in which your identities emerge and shift over time in response to other participants in the group, what project you do, the group as a social network, the location of the meetings, what gets discussed. Challenge yourself to “take the risk of speaking” or “remaining silent” within your group, depending on what you would “normally” do (do the opposite!) and trace the ways in which you feel powerful and/or powerless to influence the content and process of the group formation.

2) Do a “cultural study” of any popular text. Choose a text that can be “consumed” by the class within 10 minutes (a music video, a song, a movie trailer, a commercial or advertisement). 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. Raise some critical questions for the class to interrogate together.

3) 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}.

4) 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.].