Fall 2015
MWF 9:00-9:50 Comm 206
Chuck Goehring, Ph.D.
Office: Communication 222
Contact: cgoehring@mail.sdsu.edu
Office hours: MW 1-2; Th 9-11, and by appointment
:
This class will view the study of communication through the lens of the socially and biologically constructed concepts of gender, sex, and sexuality. We will focus on the ways in which gender is created, established, communicated, and reified through rhetoric, culture, interaction, and the media, as well as explore the important linkage between gender, class, and race. We will theorize how femininity and masculinity are socially constructed through communication, and discuss the implications of those constructions. Finally, we will seek to understand how the study of gender fits into the larger discipline of communication studies. Learning outcomes will be assessed through discussion, exams, papers, and projects.
Our learning outcome goals are as follows:

To demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between communication and gender.

To explain the ways in which gender is created and shaped by various communication media and messages.
 To articulate the ways in which the women’s movement has influenced our understanding of gender.

To analyze the ways in which masculinity is framed within the political realm.

To engage in a gender-related activism project.

To articulate how the study of gender and communication fits within the larger discipline of communication studies.
:
Wood, J. T. (2015). Gendered lives: Communication, gender, & culture (11th Ed .). Boston, MA:
Wadsworth.
Kimmel, M. (2005). Misframing men: The politics of contemporary masculinities.
New Brunswick,
NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Top Hat Software Application
This semester we will be using Top Hat educational software to increase student participation and engagement. You log in using your tablets, smartphones, or computers. The app is $24 for the semester, $36 for the semester, or you can purchase a 5-year subscription for $72.
Course Name: Interaction & Gender (COMM 452) - Fall 2015
Direct URL: https://app.tophat.com/e/640489
6-digit course code: 640489
All other readings listed on the syllabus are available via Blackboard or through the library databases.

We will be utilizing the University Blackboard system extensively throughout the semester.
Discussion blog links will be posted there, as well as assignments, grades, etc. If you are not already familiar with this system, I encourage you to peruse the Blackboard site. You log into the system with your Red ID and PIN at https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/webapps/login . All of the students enrolled in this course will automatically be entered on the Comm 452 course. I will communicate with the class through Blackboard announcements and email sent from the Blackboard site, so make sure that you have your current email address on file with the University. Also, you should be in the habit of checking your email daily in order to insure that you do not miss any class messages.
All papers are to be typed in 12 point font with 1 inch margins, double spaced, using APA citation style.
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473 . To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible.
Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from
Student Disability Services.
Given the nature of the subject matter for this course, it is expected that we will be discussing provocative, sometimes controversial theories and claims. We may find ourselves discussing what may be considered vulgar, disturbing, and sometimes violent course material. While I will not be showing pornographic or sexualized imagery, we may be discussing such topics as the “pornographication of culture,” rape and other sexual violence, genital mutilation, etc. Additionally, some of the films may have adult content and themes. If you find that the course material is overwhelming, please do not hesitate to speak to me.
Our discussions necessitate the utmost respect for one another. We may disagree amongst each other, but we must do our best to be wary of differences in opinion, belief, values, religion, sexual orientation, abilities, etc., and treat each other with dignity and decency. Misogynistic, homophobic, and/or racist jokes will not be tolerated.
:
I consider all course readings to be mandatory. Please come to class each day having completed the assigned reading. While we will be going over much of the content, the class meetings will largely be discussion-based rather than lectures. In order for these meetings to work, you need to come to class prepared to interact and engage the material through discussion. While we cannot engage all the material assigned, you are responsible for all material from the readings. I will be using Top Hat in class to quiz you on assigned readings at random times throughout each week. In order to obtain full credit, you will need to be present and prepared. No makeups on in-class quizzes will be given. Participation grades will be based on these in-class quizzes as well as the quality of your interactions and participations in class activities. 5 points will be based on a syllabus quize taken on blackboard.

At various points throughout the first half of the semester I will assign small groups to present material regarding important concepts and theories for the class. A more detailed assignment sheet will be posted.
Each week I will post the links to 2 or 3 articles. Choose one (or more) of the articles and write a discussion post regarding the issue(s). Some weeks will feature articles on the weekly topic, while others may simply be interesting issues or current events. You are free to post replies to any post (provided your are respectful), but you get credit for posting your own discussion. This assignment will be available for 15 weeks, and to get full credit you need to complete 10. No extra credit is available for completing more. Discussions are due each
Thursday of the week by 4 p.m., and late posts will not be counted.
The midterm exam is on Monday, October 19 . The final exam is on Monday, December 14 (8:00 – 10:00) .
Do not make plans of any kind during our class time on these days. The exam dates are non-negotiable and will not be changed for any student regardless of the reason. Under no circumstances should you plan your holiday travel during our exam.
There are two 2-4 page reflection essays required over the course of the semester. Complete assignments will be distributed later in the semester. One will be a typed, two-page reflection of the gender issues that are important to you and the ways in which you plan to use various activist solutions in regard to those issues, and the other will be a typed, two-page.critical assessment of a movie or documentary that pushes gender boundaries
(a list will be provided).
Near the beginning of the semester you will be placed in a group to begin work on an activist project that will be presented to rest of the class on the last meeting days. The project will be discussed at length, including expectations, which will include performative and textual aspects. A more detailed assignment sheet will be given soon.
The following assignments will comprise your grade in the class:
Participation*
In-Class presentation
75 points
25 points
Midterm exam
Discussion blog
Gendered Media Essay
Activism reflection essay
50 points
100 points (Must do 10 out of 15 for full credit)
25 points
25 points
Final exam
Final Group Project
100 points
100 points
*includes TopHat participation and in-class quiz grades

The following grade scale will be used to determine final class grades:
A 467.5-500
A447.5-467
B+ 432.5-447
B 417.5-432
B397.5-417
C+ 382.5-397
C
C-
367.5-382
347.5-367
D+ 332.5-347
D 317.5-332
D-
F
297.5-317
297 and below
Plagiarism is theft of intellectual property. It is one of the highest forms of academic offense because in academe, it is a scholar’s words, ideas, and creative products that are the primary measures of identity and achievement. Whether by ignorance, accident, or intent, theft is still theft, and misrepresentation is still misrepresentation. Therefore, the offense is still serious, and is treated as such .
Overview:
In any case in which a Professor or Instructor identifies evidence for charging a student with violation of academic conduct standards or plagiarism, the presumption will be with that instructor’s determination.
However, the faculty/instructor(s) will confer with the director to substantiate the evidence. Once confirmed, the evidence will be reviewed with the student. If, following the review with the student, the faculty member and director determine that academic dishonesty has occurred, the evidence will be submitted to the Office of
Student Rights and Responsibilities. The report “identifies the student who was found responsible, the general nature of the offense, the action taken, and a recommendation as to whether or not additional action should be considered by the campus judicial affairs office .” (CSSR Website [1] ).
[1] http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/academics1.html
Intellectual Property:
The syllabus, lectures and lecture outlines are personal copyrighted intellectual property of the instructor, which means that any organized recording for anything other than personal use, duplication, distribution, or profit is a violation of copyright and fair use laws.
Proper source attribution
Proper attribution occurs by specifying the source of content or ideas. This is done by (a) providing quotation marks around text, when directly quoted, and (b) clearly designating the source of the text or information relied upon in an assignment.
Specific exemplary infractions and consequences : a. Reproducing a whole paper, paragraph, or large portions of unattributed materials (whether represented by:
(i) multiple sentences, images, or portions of images; or (ii) by percentage of assignment length) without proper attribution, will result in assignment of an “F” in the course, and a report to Student Rights and
Responsibilities. b. Reproducing a sentence or sentence fragment with no quotation marks but source citation, or subsets of visual images without source attribution, will minimally result in an “F” on the assignment.
Self-plagiarism
Students often practice some form of ‘double-dipping,’ in which they write on a given topic across more than

one course assignment. In general, there is nothing wrong with double-dipping topics or sources , but there is a problem with double-dipping exact and redundant text . It is common for scholars to write on the same topic across many publication outlets; this is part of developing expertise and the reputation of being a scholar on a topic. Scholars, however, are not permitted to repeat exact text across papers or publications except when noted and attributed, as this wastes precious intellectual space with repetition and does a disservice to the particular source of original presentation by ‘diluting’ the value of the original presentation. Any time that a writer simply
‘cuts-and-pastes’ exact text from former papers into a new paper without proper attribution, it is a form of selfplagiarism . Consequently, a given paper should never be turned in to multiple classes. Entire paragraphs, or even sentences, should not be repeated word-for-word across course assignments. Each new writing assignment is precisely that, a new writing assignment, requiring new composition on the student’s part.
Secondary citations
Secondary citation is not strictly a form of plagiarism, but in blatant forms, it can present similar ethical challenges. A secondary citation is citing source A, which in turn cites source B, but it is source B’s ideas or content that provide the basis for the claims the student intends to make in the assignment. For example, assume that there is an article by Jones (2006) in the student’s hands, in which there is a discussion or quotation of an article by Smith (1998). Assume further that what Smith seems to be saying is very important to the student’s analysis. In such a situation, the student should always try to locate the original Smith source. In general, if an idea is important enough to discuss in an assignment, it is important enough to locate and cite the original source for that idea.
There are several reasons for these policies: (a) Authors sometimes commit citation errors, which might be replicated without knowing it; (b) Authors sometimes make interpretation errors, which might be ignorantly reinforced (c) Therefore, reliability of scholarly activity is made more difficult to assure and enforce; (d) By relying on only a few sources of review, the learning process is short-circuited, and the student’s own research competencies are diminished, which are integral to any liberal education; (e) By masking the actual sources of ideas, readers must second guess which sources come from which citations, making the readers’ own research more difficult; (f) By masking the origin of the information, the actual source of ideas is misrepresented. Some suggestions that assist with this principle:
• When the ideas Jones discusses are clearly attributed to, or unique to, Smith, then find the Smith source and citation.
• When the ideas Jones is discussing are historically associated more with Smith than with Jones, then find the
Smith source and citation.
• In contrast, Jones is sometimes merely using Smith to back up what Jones is saying and believes, and is independently qualified to claim, whether or not Smith would have also said it; in such a case, citing
Jones is sufficient.
• Never simply copy a series of citations at the end of a statement by Jones, and reproduce the reference list without actually going to look up what those references report—the only guarantee that claims are valid is for a student to read the original sources of those claims.
Solicitation for ghost writing:
Any student who solicits any third party to write any portion of an assignment for this class (whether for pay or not) violates the standards of academic honesty in this course. The penalty for solicitation (regardless of whether it can be demonstrated the individual solicited wrote any sections of the assignment) is F in the course.
TurnItIn.com
The papers in this course will be submitted electronically in Word (preferably 2007, .docx) on the due dates assigned, and will require verification of submission to Turnitin.com.
“ Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to TurnItIn.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the TurnItIn.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.
You may submit your papers in such a way that no identifying information about you is included. Another option is that you may request, in writing, that your papers not be submitted to TurnItIn.com. However, if you choose this option you will be required to provide documentation to substantiate that the papers are your original

work and do not include any plagiarized material” (source: language suggested by the CSU General Counsel and approved by the Center for Student’s Rights and Responsibilities at SDSU)
Specific exemplary infractions and consequences
• Course failure: Reproducing a whole paper, paragraph, or large portions of unattributed materials without proper attribution, whether represented by: (a) multiple sentences, images, or portions of images; or (b) by percentage of assignment length, will result in assignment of an “F” in the course in which the infraction occurred, and a report to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities (CSRR 2 ).
• Assignment failure: Reproducing a sentence or sentence fragment with no quotation marks, but with source citation, or subsets of visual images without source attribution, will minimally result in an “F” on the assignment, and may result in greater penalty, including a report to the CSRR, depending factors noted below. In this instance, an “F” may mean anything between a zero (0) and 50%, depending on the extent of infraction.
• Exacerbating conditions--Amount: Evidence of infraction, even if fragmentary, is increased with a greater:
(a) number of infractions; (b) distribution of infractions across an assignment; or (c) proportion of the assignment consisting of infractions.
• Exacerbating conditions--Intent: Evidence of foreknowledge and intent to deceive magnifies the seriousness of the offense and the grounds for official response. Plagiarism, whether ‘by accident’ or ‘by ignorance,’ still qualifies as plagiarism—it is all students’ responsibility to make sure their assignments are not committing the offense.
• Exceptions: Any exceptions to these policies will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and only under exceptional circumstances.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO EXCUSES ALLOWED BASED ON IGNORANCE OF WHAT
CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM, OR OF WHAT THIS POLICY IS
SDSU’s Statement of Nondiscrimination
San Diego State University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation in its education programs or activities. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and certain other federal and state laws, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, or sexual orientation in employment, as well as all education programs and activities operated by the University (both on and off campus), and protect all people regardless of their gender or gender identity from sex discrimination, which includes sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Sex Discrimination means an adverse action taken against an individual because of gender or sex (including sexual harassment, sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking) as prohibited by Title IX;
Title IV; VAWA/Campus SaVE Act; California Education Code § 66250 et seq.; and/or California Government
Code § 11135. See also Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the California Fair Employment and Housing
Act (Cal. Govt. Code § 12940 et seq.), and other applicable laws. Any person, regardless of gender or gender identity, can experience Sex Discrimination. For detailed definitions of Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence,
Sexual Battery, Sexual Assault, Rape, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Stalking and Consent, please see
CSU Executive Order 1095 at http://www.calstate.edu/eo/EO-1095.html
.
Options for Reporting:
If a person would like to report an incident of sexual harassment or sexual violence, there are on-campus and off campus options available.
• Right to pursuing a university discipline charge: To do so, you should report the crime to a campus official such as the Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Coordinators. Your complaint of sex discrimination will be investigated pursuant to university policies, specifically Executive Orders 1095, 1096 and/or 1097. If the complaint is against a student, the disciplinary process outlined in Executive Orders 1097 and 1098 will be followed. University proceedings provide a prompt, fair and impartial investigation and resolution, and the investigations are conducted by officials who receive annual training. Sanctions for violations of university policy relating to Sex Discrimination and Sexual Violence, include suspension, expulsion, and termination of employment.

• Right to pursue criminal charges (in cases involving Sexual Violence), whether or not you pursue university disciplinary charges: You can pursue criminal charges by contacting the police directly, or, if you would like their assistance, the Title IX Coordinator, Deputy Coordinators, or staff in Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services or Residential Education can assist the employee or student in reporting an incident to campus or local law enforcement.
• Right to Report Sexual Violence without Pursuing Charges: Counseling and other support services and resources are available to you even if you choose not to pursue charges. Regardless of what reporting option a person chooses, the university will discuss interim measures and the availability of permanent accommodations, including changing academic, living, transportation and working situations. If you wish to have a temporary
“no contact” order in place, you can request one from the Title IX Coordinator, Deputy Coordinators, or the
Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities. A “no contact” order applies to campus only. In some situations, you may also be able to obtain a protective order that extends off-campus through a local court.
CSU policy prohibits retaliation against a person who reports Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment or Sexual
Violence, or someone who assists someone with a report of such conduct, or participates in any manner in an investigation or resolution of a complaint.
Links to University Policy and Procedures:
• Complaints by students: Students who would like to file a complaint of sex discrimination can refer to
Executive Order 1097 - http://www.calstate.edu/eo/EO-1097.html
.
• Complaints by faculty, staff, or student employees: Employees who would like to file a complaint of sex discrimination can refer to Executive Order 1096 - http://www.calstate.edu/eo/EO-1096.html
.
• Complaints by other parties: Other parties who would like to file a complaint of sex discrimination can refer to Executive Order 1096 - http://www.calstate.edu/eo/EO-1096.html
.

Day Date
M 8/24
Topic
Reading
Introduction to the course
Read the syllabus thoroughly
Assignment/Activity
Get books and purchase
TopHat App
W
F
8/26
Intro to the study of gender and communication
8/28 Gender, Communication, and Culture
Wood: Intro
Wood: 1; Kimmel: Intro
Syllabus review; Intro activity
M
W
8/31 Theoretical approaches to gender
Wood: 2 *** Weekly blog discussions begin
F
M
W
F
9/2 Theories of Gender pt. II
9/4
The rhetorical shaping of gender: Women’s movements
Wood: 3
9/7 Labor Day – No Class
9/9 Feminism(s) as a critical perspective bell hooks; TBD
9/11 Feminism(s) II Kimmel: ch. 1
M Wood: 11
Kimmel ch. 2
W
F
9/14 Gender & Media
9/16 Gender & Media pt. II
9/18
Masculinity & Men’s Movements
M 9/21 Masculinity cont.
Wood: 4; Kimmel ch. 1
“If Men Could Menstruate”;
Goehring article
Kimmel: ch. 13
***Activism Essay Due
W
F
9/23 Pro Feminist Masculinity
9/25 Becoming Gendered
M
W
F
M
9/28 Transgender
9/30 Transgender issues
10/2 Transgender issues
10/5 Guest Speaker
W 10/7 Gendered Verbal Communication
F 10/9 Gendered Verbal cont.
M 10/12 Gendered Nonverbal
W 10/14 Nonverbal cont.
F 10/16 Midterm Review
M 10/19 Midterm Exam
W 10/21 Gendered Education
F 10/23 Gendered Education
M 10/26 Title IX
Wood: 7 Transparent, episode 1
Ehrensaft reading In class movie: Normal
Solomon: Transgender
Wood: 5
“The Common Guy” article
Normal cont.
Finish Movie, discussion
Wood: 6
Wood: 6; “Pink Dress”
Chs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11 + Kimmel chapters and additional reading
Wood: 8; Kimmel ch. 5
“Still Needing the F Word”,
“100 Best List...”
Reading TBD

W
F
M
W
F
M
W
F
W 10/28 Guest Speaker
F 10/30 Group Work
11/2 Power and Violence
11/4 Rape Culture
11/6 P&V cont.
M 11/9 Group work
11/11 Veteran’s Day – No Class
11/13 Torture and pornography presentation
11/16 Pornography
11/18 Group Work
11/20 NCA – No class
M 11/23 Where do we go from here?
WF
M
11/25-
11/27
Thanksgiving Break – No Class
11/30
Activism, Gender Construction, & the
Future
W
WFMW
12/2 Group Work
12/2-
12/9
Final Project Presentations
12/14 Final Exam M
Wood: 12
Kimmel: ch. 4
Kimmel: ch. 6
Mackinnon, etc.
Kimmel: ch. 12; Wood:
Epilogue
B&R: 8, epilogue
Chapters 5, 6, 8, 12 + Kimmel and additional readings
8:00-10:00 a.m.
***Media Criticism Essay due