CTA/WOM225: Gender & Communication
Textbook:
Wood, J.T. (2006). Gendered lives: Communication, gender,
and culture. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Supplemental Readings
You must keep up with the readings in this course.
Required supplemental readings will either be provided
for you or can be found under course Content in D2L.
Instructor: Nichole K. Kathol, Ph.D.,
Assistant Professor of Comm. Arts &
Women’s Studies
Phone: 234-8176 ext. 5490
Email: nichole.kathol@uwc.edu
Office: 209 Ritzinger Hall
Office Hours: MTWTH
10-11am & by appointment
Course Description & Objectives
This course focuses on multilayered relationships between gender, communication, and culture. It
explores the ways communication creates and perpetuates gendered identities and gendered
interaction. It examines the ways mass, interpersonal, group, intercultural, and rhetorical
communications are influenced by gender.
CTA/WOM225 will help students to acquire a knowledge base centered on the ideas, beliefs, and
expectations pertaining to the aspects of human society at the intersection of communication and
gender. They will be asked to comprehend, apply and analyze theories relevant to communication
studies as well as theories of women’s studies which are at work in peoples’ everyday realities. This
course will offer the unique opportunity to investigate one of the most fundamental parts of
ourselves—our gender identities. Moreover, it will allow students to learn about how these gender
identities influence both personal and public communication.
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Course Objectives:
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Develop a thorough knowledge of key concepts related to gender and communication
(including, but not limited to sex, sexuality, intersectionality, heteronormativity, masculinity,
and femininity) and how these concepts are interrelated.
Apply this knowledge to a variety of everyday situations, including listening to music and
watching television shows and movies.
Integrate this knowledge into your everyday life and with concepts learned in your other
classes so that you can critically assess how culture shapes gendered communication and
how gendered communication shapes culture.
Learn more about yourself and others by examining your gender identity and how those
around you perform their gender identities.
Understand the importance of taking a critical approach to gender.
Develop skills that clearly demonstrate your ability to conduct research on gender and
communication
Pedagogical Tools
Over the course of the semester, I will rely upon a variety of pedagogical tools to teach the material
at hand, including:
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Lectures on notions and theories regarding communication and gender
group discussions
debates on key issues
audiovisual resources such as music and films
oral presentations by students
Course Standards
Students who enroll in this course are expected to demonstrate professionalism in the following
areas:
1. Course Assignments: All class assignments submitted for grading should be neatly typed,
double-spaced, on standard 8-1/2 x 11 paper in 12 point font.
2. Course Communication: Students are expected to show respect for instructors, guests, and one
another regardless of opinion, value, cultural, and other group differences. Students should
give one another equal opportunity to express opinions, experiences, and ideas. All students
should be supportive of a cooperative learning environment. The instructor reserves the
right to publicly address students whose behavior disrupts the learning environment and to
arrange for disciplinary action according to policies set by the university.
3. Course Facilities: Students are responsible for keeping the room orderly and clean.
4. Course Preparation: Students are expected to read assigned material prior to class. They should
be prepared to answer questions related to the material in the text and may be called on to
do so. Students should also be prepared to ask questions about issues of interest or for
clarification of concepts during class. No assignment will be accepted beyond two weeks
past the due date without prior written consent from the instructor. No assignments will be
accepted after the final exam.
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Grading Policies
The total number of points you may earn in this class is 400, divided as follows:
In Class Activity/participation: 45 points
Response Papers: 75 points (3 @ 25 points each)
Show & Shares: 30 points (3 @ 10 points each)
Final Poster Project: 100 points
Exams: 150 (3 @ 50 points each)
Total points: 400 points
Grades will be available on D2L throughout the semester. If you need help signing on/using D2L
you can find help by directing your web browser to this link:
http://uwex.uwc.edu/it/forms/service/
The grading scale for the course is as follows:
Percentage
93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
Percentage
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
0-59
Grade
C
CD+
D
DF
All assignments are due on the assigned dates. Late work will result in a penalty to your grade (one
letter grade/day) for up to two weeks after the due date.
Attendance/Participation
Attendance is a key to success in this class. Periodically through the course, the instructor will ask
you to answer questions that arise from lecture, participate actively and thoughtfully in class
discussions and/or complete in-class assignments. All of these activities will comprise your
participation grade and therefore you must be in class in order to receive the points. You will be
given 3 no-questions-asked absences. After three absences your grade will be negatively
impacted (3 pts per absence) unless otherwise discussed with me. If you miss class, it is your
responsibility to speak with someone else in class to see what you have missed. Excused absences
will be granted on a limited case-by-case basis, and proof/documentation must be provided to verify
the reason for your absence.
If you have a serious personal or health emergency that necessitates an absence from an assignment
or exam, you must provide written documentation and contact the instructor as soon as possible. Travel
schedules, which are under your control, are not considered personal emergencies. Quizzes, exams,
and/or assignments will not be rescheduled to fit your travel plans.
If you know that you will be absent from class because you are traveling with a university-affiliated
team or group, please notify the instructor early in the session.
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Reading Responses
Reading responses are an important part of this class. You must write them and turn them in on
time to pass the class. You are required to write three, 1-2 page responses to the readings. A reading
response paper must be turned in on the day in which the readings are due to be read. I will assign
each student a group (A, B, or C) and all students in each group will hand in responses on the same
days. Due dates for each group’s reading responses are listed in the course schedule
Response papers should convey that you have read the material for that day, that you have
considered the major questions/ideas posed by the reading, as well as begun to deal critically with
the authors’ arguments. A few tips for writing a good response paper: (1) avoid summarizing the
reading(s); (2) focus on topics of special interest to you; (3) look for ways to build connections
among the readings for that week—or readings we have already read; (4) use brief, direct quotations
from the reading as evidence for your own arguments; (5) simply restating questions/ideas posed by
the readings is a good place to begin building your own arguments, but a good response paper will
go beyond that and incorporate your reactions and arguments. As you build your own arguments,
move away from “I like this reading,” and “this reading was boring,” statements to statements that
more coherently discuss the author’s argument and the strengths and weaknesses of that argument.
As you write a response paper, always be aiming to make a unique contribution to the discussion.
Show & Shares
The beginning of specific class periods will be set aside for students to Show & Share examples of
exigences relevant to our in class discussions of gender and communication. These should be
examples that you have discovered one your own, outside the classroom. They can be problems,
issues, products, trends, media texts, media responses, personal examples, etc. as long as they
provide an opportunity to discuss and apply ideas and theories we cover in class. Throughout the
semester, each student is responsible for bringing 3 Show & Shares to class.
Exigence Poster Project:
Your semester project will allow you to apply the material discussed throughout the semester to a
critical problem at the intersection of gender and communication. Your task will be to create a
rhetorical artifact (in this case, a poster) that attempts to solve for the problem you choose. Along
with the creation of a poster you(r group) will construct an essay which 1) explains the problem and
its significance and 2) draws conclusions about how your poster attempts to rhetorically solve for
that problem. On the final day of class we will have a showcase of your posters in the Commons
where you can discuss your work with other students, faculty and staff. The construction of both
your poster and your essay should be grounded in both communication and gender studies research.
I will provide poster boards for you. Further detail for this project will be given as the due date
approaches.
Exams
You will be tested on lectures, class discussion and readings. Each of the three exams will be
composed of 25 multiple choice questions and 6-8 short essay questions. Each exam will cover only
the material leading up to that exam date (the first exam will cover the first third of the course; the
second will cover the second third of the course; and the third exam will cover the last third). In
other words, the exams are not cumulative. A study guide will be provided for you one week before
each of the three exams.
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Religious Observance Policy
Students must notify the instructor, within the first three weeks of class and within the first week of
summer session, of the specific days or dates on which they will request relief from an academic
requirement.
Classroom Climate/Respect
Please remember the purpose of the UWBC community is to promote intellectual inquiry through a
vigorous discourse. Essential values underlying this purpose are civility, dignity, diversity, education,
equality, freedom, honesty, and safety. I take these values seriously. I expect that you will as well.
Special needs
If you need accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to
share with the instructor or TA, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be
evacuated, please inform the course or lab instructor immediately. Please see me privately after class.
To request academic accommodations (e.g., a notetaker, extra time on an exam, a quiet room),
students must register with the campus Adult Student Advisor & Academic Assistance Advisor for
Students with Disabilities: This individual is responsible for reviewing documentation provided by
students requesting academic accommodations, and for accommodations planning in cooperation
with students and instructors, as needed and consistent with course requirements.
Assessment
A UW-Colleges-wide assessment program has been put into place to enhance the quality and
effectiveness of the curriculum, programs and services of the institution. The following areas of
proficiency will be assessed because they are of primary importance in the education of our students:
Analytical Skills, Quantitative Skills, Communication Skills, and the Aesthetic Engagement. The
assessment will be part of a regular homework or in-class assignment but the assessment is not a
“grade” and does not become part of your transcript. Assessment evaluations are compiled and used
solely to evaluate teaching effectiveness. For more information about the UW Colleges Assessment
program see; uwc.edu/resources/assess/index.htm.
Academic honesty
Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All members of the
academic community must be confident that each person’s work has been responsibly and
honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all
students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards
academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from
probation to expulsion. Copying from another during an exam, displaying a test for others to see,
attempting to communicate in any manner with another student during an exam, using a “cheat
sheet” or other irregular behaviors will result in a failed exam score and possibly failure in the
course. Please do not jeopardize your academic status. When in doubt about plagiarism,
paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult me.
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Proposed Course Schedule
Wk
Date
Topic
1
T
1/24
Introduction to class and each other
TH
1/26
Communication, Gender, &
Culture
Wood Introduction &
Ch 1
T
1/31
Exigence
Carl Burgchardt, “The
Rhetorical Situation”
TH
2/2
Cult of Gender
Barbara Welter, “The
Cult of True
Womanhood”
T
2/7
Show & Share
Gender Theories
Wood Ch 2
TH
2/9
Male and Female
Anne FaustoSterling, “The Five Sexes:
Why Male and Female
Are Not Enough”
Grp A Response
1 Due
T
2/14
Show & Share
Biological Theories of Gender
Emily Martin, “The Egg
and the Sperm”
Grp B Response
1 Due
TH
2/16
Gender vs. Sex Distinction
Judith Butler, "Subjects
of Sex/Gender/Desire"
Grp C Response
1 Due
T
2/21
Gender as Performance
Judith Butler, “Acting in
Concert”
TH
2/23
Exam 1
T
2/28
Show & Share
Gendered Verbal
Communication/Gendered
Labels
Wood Ch 5
Robert Baker, ‘“Pricks”
and “Chicks”: A Plea for
“Persons”’
TH
3/01
Gendered Nonverbal
Communication
Wood Ch 6
T
3/6
Watch Codes of Gender
Codes of Gender
worksheet
Women’s Movements
Grp A Response
2 Due
(responding to
2
3
4
5
6
7
TH
3/8
Reading
Wood Ch 3
Assignment
6
Codes of Gender)
8
9
10
11
12
13
T
3/13
Show & Share
Men’s Movements
TH
3/15
Women’s and Men’s Movements
continued.
3/19
3/23
Spring Break – No Class
T
3/27
Gendered
Relationships
TH
3/29
Out of Class Assignment
T
4/3
Show & Share
Compulsory Heterosexuality
Wood Ch 4
Wood Ch 9& 7
Adrienne Rich,
"Compulsory
Heterosexuality and
Lesbian Existence"
TH
4/5
Exam 2
T
4/10
Gendered Organizational
Communication
Wood Ch 10
TH
4/12
Gendered Media
Wood Ch 11
T
4/17
Grp B Response
2 Due
Watch Killing Us Softly
Grp C Response
2 Due
Killing Us Softly
worksheet
TH
4/19
Advertising Analysis
Bring a magazine of your
choice to class
4/20
or
4/21
EXTRA CREDIT
OPPORTUNITY:
Attend The Vagina Monologues
UW-BC Fine Arts
Theater
T
4/24
In-class Poster Project Individual
Meetings
Grp A Resp. 3
Due (Responding
to Killing Us
Softly)
7
TH
4/26
14
T
5/1
TH
5/3
15
Watch ToughGuise
Tough Guise
worksheet
Pornography, Prostitution, Stripping,
continued.
Grp B Resp. 3
Due (Responding
to ToughGuise)Grp
C Response 3
Due
Gendered Violence
Student Evaluations of Instruction
T
5/8
Presentations – Commons Showcase
During the free hour 12:30-1:20
T
5/10
STUDY DAY - NO CLASS
Mon
5/15
Final Exam Period 2-4pm
Ariel Levy, “Pigs in
Training”
Wood Ch 12
Final Poster
Projects With
Essays Due
Exam 3
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