ANTH-UA112
THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER AND SEX
New York University
Monday and Wednesday: 9:30am-10:45am
Fall 2015
Rm. Silver 414
Instructor: ANNA WILKING, Ph.D.
Office Hours: Mon. 11:00-1:00pm, 25 Waverly Place, Room 607
E-mail: avw202@nyu.edu
Course Description
How do studies of culture reveal and challenge our most basic assumptions about gender,
sex, and sexuality? This advanced undergraduate seminar explores this question by
examining anthropological approaches to sexuality and gender, and the complex relations
between sexual and gendered practices, identities, and roles. With a particular focus on
ethnographic methodologies and research issues, we consider how studies of gender and
sexuality have intersected with traditional anthropological concerns about personhood,
kinship, family, and community in both Western and non-Western cultural contexts. Key
concepts such as identity, difference, desire, equality, race, class, and nation will inform our
analysis. Although the course takes as its primary focus the theoretical orientations
anthropologists use to make social critiques—including Marxist, post-structural, postmodern and post-colonial perspectives—the usefulness and limitations of such methods will
be examined through ethnographic research, especially in non-Western cultures. The course
is designed to maximize students’ ability to interrogate analytical concepts and recognize the
gender, sex, and sexuality social norms that structure our own lives.
Course Objectives
 To understand the socially constructed and power-laden roots of sex, gender, and
sexuality as they intersect with ideologies of class, ethnicity, nation, and race.
 To comprehend the links between the intimate practices of gender and sexuality and
broader economic, historical, and political contexts
 To consider the relationship between contemporary representations and symbolism
and the everyday practices of gender and sexuality
 To gain fluency in ethnographic field methodologies and cultivate first-hand
experience of anthropological analysis based on field research on gender and
sexuality
 Apply relevant theoretical orientations of gender and sexuality to their own scholarly
work
 Address questions of epistemology, authority, and methodological reflexivity that
have shaped and informed gender and sexuality studies
 To develop and refine a diversity of writing, speaking, and leadership skills necessary
for future academic success
Evaluation and Grading: Attendance/Participation: (20% percent of final grade): The goal of this course is to develop
your writing and discussion skills, thus your attendance and participation are mandatory.
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Come to class prepared with books and hardcopies of the readings, ready to contribute to
class discussions. I recognize that some students feel more comfortable participating than
others so will do my best to facilitate an environment in which all feel safe in sharing their
thoughts. In order to encourage your full participation, laptops and phones are not allowed.
You are allowed two absences over the course of session. Any unexcused absence after that
(excused absences require a note from an authority figure: physician, lawyer, employer,
coach, etc.) will result in your final participation grade losing 3 points. (An A would fall to an
A-, a B+ to a B, etc.) No emails or electronic copies of notes will be accepted: please bring a
hardcopy of notes on official letterhead, with the original signature. Students on their phone
or otherwise disengaged will be marked absent. Students shall arrive on time and remain for
the entire period.
Leadership Facilitations (20% of the final grade): On two different occasions during the
semester students will lead class discussions of the assigned readings. Students are expected
to briefly summarize the authors’ arguments, explain their significance to the course, (what
knowledge does it add to our class, why is it important), and present questions or issues that
you feel are worthy of further discussion. Each leadership session is 10% of the final grade.
Discussion Questions (15%): In preparation for 10 course meetings, students must post 2
questions or specific points for discussion on NYU Classes under “Forums” by 8p.m. the
day before class. Your questions should address the content of the readings as well as the
analytical framing of the arguments. Summarize the authors’ arguments in your own words
and present quotes from the text that elucidates the main thesis. You cannot post on the
days that you are facilitating.
Ethnographic Project Proposal (5% of the final grade): Hard-copy due in class on Oct. 13.
This should be a two-page explanation and description of the fieldsite you propose to study
for the final paper. Students are expected to explain why this site interests them as a
significant place to study gender/sex norms. Students will pose several questions about the
gender/sex dynamics of the site that may guide further inquiry.
Ethnographic Interview Transcript (10% of the final grade): Hard-copy due in class on
November 16. In order to practice ethnographic techniques, students will conduct an indepth interview of an informant at their field-site, collecting data on how s/he views
gender/sex/sexuality norms. Students will pass in a transcript of at least three pages.
Ethnographic Final Paper (30% of the final grade): Hard-copy due in class on December 14.
The final paper (10 pages max) is based on a fieldsite of your choice (past examples include
the gym, cafeteria, Prada store, Washington Sq. Park, jazz club, Victoria’s secret, the subway,
instagram, Facebook, etc.) in which you will analyze its articulation of relationships among
sex/gender/sexuality through the lens of our course readings and class discussions. It is an
opportunity to put class theory into practice and to utilize anthropological methods to gain a
deeper understanding of a social group.
For all written assignments, students must use 1-inch margins on all sides, double spaces,
and 12 pt. font (Times New Roman/Garamond). Please use the Chicago style guide.
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Required Textbooks:
Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead
Women Without Class: Girls, Race, and Identity by Julie Bettie
History of Sexuality, An Introduction Volume 1 by Michel Foucault
After Love: Queer intimacy and erotic economies in post-soviet Cuba by Noelle Stout
Academic Integrity: Plagiarism and other violations of academic integrity will result in failure
of the course and additional penalties at the discretion of the university. Please consult the
New York University policy on academic integrity, available online here:
http://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/policies-andguidelines/academic-integrity-for-students-at-nyu.html. If you are confused or have any
questions about how to properly cite sources for your papers, please consult with the
professor. Accommodations: students with disabilities who need special accommodations for this class
are encouraged to meet with me and/or the appropriate disability service provider on
campus as soon as possible. In order to receive accommodations, students must be
registered with the Moses Center on campus as set forth in the student handbook and must
follow the University procedure for self-disclosure, which is stated in the University Guide
to Services and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.
Class Schedule
This is the schedule and assignments we will follow for the summer session. It is subject to
change according to students’ needs. In case of a change to the schedule, you will be notified
in advance through NYU Classes.
Introduction
9/2:
Review of Syllabus and Introduction to the class
In-class assignment: “What is gender?”
Week 1: Gender Precedents
9/7: No class, Labor Day
9/9 Readings:
 Margaret Mead. Coming of Age in Samoa (entire book)
Week 2: (Contested) Nature, Culture, and “Science”
9/14 Readings:
 Sherry Ortner. “Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture?” (Classes)
 Ludmilla Jordonova. “Natural Facts: A Historical Perspective on Science and
Sexuality.” In Carol P. MacCormack, Ed. Nature, Culture, Gender. pp.42-69 (Classes)
 Anne Fausto-Sterling, 1994. “The Five Sexes: Why Male and Females are not
enough.” The Sciences 33(2): 20-25. (Classes)
 Anne-Fausto-Sterling. “The Five Sexes Revisited.” The Sciences, July/June 2000
(Classes)
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9/16 Readings:
 Steven Pinker. 1997. “Men and Women” (pp.460-476) in Ch. 7 Family Values: How
the Mind Works. (Classes)
 Susan McKinnon. Introduction, Ch. 2, and Ch.4 In Neoliberal Genetics. Prickly
Paradigm Press. (Classes)
Week 3: Gender Politics of Difference
9/21 Readings:
 Audre Lorde. “Age, Race, Class, and Sex.” pp. 114-123 (Classes)
 Karen Sacks. “Toward a Unified Theory” pp.534-546 (Classes)
 Ruth Frakenburg. “Introduction: Points of Origin, Points of Departure.” pp. 1-22
(Classes)
9/23 Readings:
 Julie Bettie, Women Without Class: Girls, Race, and Identity, Ch. 1-2 pp. 1-56
Week 4: Gender Politics of Difference II
9/28 Readings:
 Julie Bettie, Women Without Class: Girls, Race, and Identity Ch. 3-4 pp.57-138
9/30 Readings:
 Julie Bettie, Women Without Class: Girls, Race, and Identity Ch. 6-7 pp.167-206
Week 5: (Contested) Femininities
10/5 Constructing Essential Womanhood
Readings:
 Louise Lamphere. “The Domestic Sphere of Women and the Public World of Men:
The Strengths and Limitations of an Anthropological Dichotomy.” Brettell, Caroline
and Carolyn F. Sargent (eds). Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective. London: PrenticeHall, Inc., 1997. (Classes)
 Emily Martin. “Preface to 2001 edition,” Ch.2 and Ch. 5. In The Woman in the Body.
(Classes)
 Nancy Scheper-Hughes. “Lifeboat Ethics: Mother Love and Child Death in
Northeast Brazil.” In Gender and Sexuality Reader, eds. Lancaster and di Leonardo
(Classes)
10/7 Alternative/Dangerous Femininities
Readings:
 Duncan, Nancy, “Renegotiating Gender and Sexuality in Public and Private Spaces,”
in Nancy Duncan (ed). Bodyspace: Destabilizing Geographies of Gender and
Sexuality. NY 1996. (Classes)
 Anna Tsing. “Monster Stories: Women Charged with Preinatal Endangerment” In
Faye Ginsburg and Anna Tsing, eds.
 Patricia Zavella. “Playing with Fire: The Gendered Construction of
Chicana/Mexicana Sexuality.” In the Gender/Sexuality Reader
Week 6: (Contested) Masculinities
10/12 No class
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10/13 Constructing Essential Manhood
Readings:
 Michael Kimmel. “Masculinity as Homophobia: Fear, Shame, and Silence in the
Construction of Gender Identity” In Theorizing Masculinities. Harry Brod and Michael
Kaufmann (eds). 1994. (Classes)
 Roger Lancaster. Ch. 10 and Ch. 11. In The Trouble with Nature: Sex in Science and
Popular Culture. (Classes: link online via Bobst)
 Jackson Katz. “Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity.” In
Gender, Race, and Class in Media. (eds) Gail Dines and Jean Humez. London: Sage.
1995. (Classes)
10/14 Alternative/Dangerous Masculinities
Readings:
 Matthew Guttman. Trafficking in Men: The Anthropology of Masculinity (Classes)
 hooks, bell. Ch. 6: Reconstructing Black Masculinity. In Black Looks: Race and
Representation, 1992. (26 pp) (Classes)
Week 7: (Contested) Reproduction, Families, and Kinship
10/19 Readings:
 Emily Martin, “The Egg and the Sperm” pp. 485-501 (Classes)
 Faye Ginsburg and Rayna Rapp, “The Politics of Reproduction” pp.311-343
(Classes)
10/21 Readings:
 Kath Weston. Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship, Ch. 1-2 pp. 1-42 (Classes)
 Jane Collier, et. al., “Is There a Family: New Anthropological Views” pp. 71-81 In
The Gender/Sexuality Reader. Ed. Roger Lancaster and Micaela de Leonardo.
(Classes)
Week 8: (Contested) Hetero-Normativity
10/26 Readings:
 Gayle Rubin, “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality”
pp. 143-178 (Classes)
 Adrienne Rich, “Compulsory Hetereosexuality and the Lesbian Experience” pp.1137 (Classes)
10/28 Readings:
 Jonathan Katz “The Invention of Hetereosexuality.” Socialist Review 20(1): 7-34
(Classes)
 Tom Boellstorff. “Queer Studies in the House of Anthropology.” pp.17-35 (Classes)
Week 9: History of Sexuality
11/2 Readings:
 Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality: An Introduction Vol 1. Part 1, 2
11/4 Readings:
 Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality: An Introduction Vol 1. Part 3, 4
Week 10: Performance of Gender
11/9 Readings:
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
Judith Butler, Excerpt “Bodily Inscriptions, Performative Subversions,” in Gender
Trouble (Classes: On-line link via Bobst)
 Lillian Faderman. The Return of Butch and Femme: A Phenomenon in Lesbian
Sexuality of the 1980s and 1990s (Classes)
11/11 Readings:
 Judith Halberstam, “Macdaddy, Superfly, Rapper: Gender, Race, and Masculinity in
the Drag King Scene” pp.104-131 (Classes)
 Roger N. Lancaster, “Guto’s Performance: Notes on the Travestism of Everyday
Life” pp.559-572 (Classes)
Week 11: Transgender/Intersex Subjectivities
11/16 Readings:
 Susan Stryker. 2006. “(De)Subjugated Knowledges: An Introduction to
TransgenderStudies.” In The Transgender Studies Reader (Classes)
 Sharon Preves. 2002. “Sexing the Intersexed: An analysis of Sociocultural Responses
to Intersexuality.” (Classes)
11/18 Readings:
 Don Kulick. “The Gender of Transgendered Brazilian Prostitutes” pp.574-585
(Classes)
 Unni Wikan. “Man Becomes Woman: Transsexualism in Oman.” pp. 304-319
(Classes)
 Kira Hall. “Intertextual Sexuality: Parodies of Class, Identity, Desire.” pp. 125-144
(Classes)
Week 12: Erotic Economies: Sex Labor in Cuba
11/23 Readings:
Noelle Stout. After Love. Introduction and Ch. 1 (pp.1-55)
11/25 Thanksgiving Break No class
Week 13: Erotic Economies/(Contested) Bodies
11/30 Readings:
Noelle Stout. 2014. After Love. Ch. 3-Conclusion (pp. 85-186)
12/2 (Contested) Bodies:
 Judith Butler. Excerpt from Introduction of Bodies That Matter pp. 531-542. In
Gender and Sexuality Reader, eds. Lancaster and di Leonardo (Classes)
 Emily Martin. “The End of the Body?” pp. 542-pp.558. In Gender and Sexuality
Reader Lancaster and di Leonardo (Classes)
 Susan Bordo, “Whose Body is This? Feminism, Medicine, and the Conceptualization
of Eating Disorders,” pp. 45-69 (Classes)
Week 14:
Colonial Gendered Subjects
12/7 Readings:
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

Chandra Mohanty. “Under Western Eyes,” Feminist Scholarship and Colonial
Discourses” pp.333-354 (Classes)
Ann Stoler. “Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power: Gender, Race, and Morality in
Colonial Asia.” In The Gender/Sexuality Reader (Classes)
Anthropology and Feminism/Feminist Anthropology: Reflections and Critiques
12/9 Readings:
 Marilyn Strathern. “An Awkward Relationship: The Case of Feminism and
Anthropology” Signs, Vol. 12, No. 2, Reconstructing the Academy. Winter, 1987.
(Classes)
 Lila Abu-Lughod. “Writing Against Culture” (Classes)
 Florence Babb. “The Future of Feminist Anthropology/The Feminist Future of
Anthropology” 2007. (Classes)
 Lynn Bolles. “Telling the Story Straight: Black Feminist Intellectual Thought in
Anthropology” 2013. (Classes)
DECEMBER 14: LAST DAY OF CLASS: FINAL PAPERS DUE
(Hard Copy Only)
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