LIGN 174 (SOCB 118A) – Gender and
Language in Society
Spring Quarter 2004
Tu & Thu, 2:00-3:20 p.m. HSS 1330
Instructor: Amalia Arvaniti
TA: Anya Luke-Killam
Reader: Neal Peters
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Credit
units:
4:0
Section numbers: 498941 (LIGN 174) and 502915 (SOCB 118A)
About the course
This course deals with the social construct
of gender and how it is manifested in language. Topics that will be covered
include the following (for a complete list of topics see schedule): biological sex and social gender; the
different social roles of genders and how these are manifested in language
structure and language practices (such as discourse practices and conversation strategies);
linguistic stereotypes about gender; the different use of linguistic variables
by men and women and the theories that have been put forward to explain these
differences. During the course, examples of linguistic situations around the
world will be presented and discussed, although the main focus will be on
American discourse and gender practices. The main goal of the course is to make you think
critically about gender roles, stereotypes and relationships, particularly with
respect to the use of language. The course will be a mixture of lecturing and
class discussion. Your willingness to contribute to discussion sessions and
draw from your personal experiences is essential for the success of the course.
This course
is cross-listed with Sociology (SOCB 118A). It satisfies the Socio-Cultural
development requirement for HDP majors; it counts towards Warren College
Cultural Diversity requirement, and towards Sixth College breadth requirements;
it may also be used towards the language and ethnicity requirement in the
Ethnic Studies major (see Ethnic
Studies Dept. for details).
Sections: weeks 3, 5, 7 and 9
Mondays from 3PM to
3:50PM, in SOLIS 110
Thursdays from
11:30AM to 12:20PM, in SOLIS 111
Sections will take place on alternate weeks, starting on week 3.
Sections are not mandatory, but highly recommended if you want to ensure good grades. The purpose of the sections is (a) to clarify questions you may have, and (b) to discuss issues arising from the material covered in class.
