GESC 1220—HE SAID, SHE SAID: GENDER AND LANGUAGE
Fall 2010
Fridays, 3:30-6:15 p.m., WLS LG204
Professor G. Gong
104 Fung King Hey Building
Tel/Voice mail: 2609-7462
E-mail: ggong@cuhk.edu.hk
Office Hrs.: Friday, 1-3 p.m., & by appt.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to the study of how women and men communicate.
Students need not have any previous linguistic training to enroll in the course, though
students with some linguistic background will probably reap additional benefit from
the course. Students will consider some of the debates currently taking place in
sociolinguistic studies of gender (e.g., which theoretical frameworks to use in
understanding why, how and when gender differences in language use exist). Though
this debate takes a particular form within sociolinguistics (e.g., dual culture models
vs. power/resistance models), similar debates take place in psychology, history,
anthropology, and other fields. The course introduces students to a variety of
sociolinguistic concepts as they are used and are useful in studies of language and
gender (including style, dialect, standard and nonstandard language, speech
community, bilingualism, politeness, and communicative competence).
This course is suitable for first year students.
COURSE TEXT
Coates, J. (2004). Women, men, and language (3rd ed.). London: Longman. (CUHK
Bookstore)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & ASSESSMENT
 Participation & Preparation
 Midterm Test
 Book Review
10%
45%
45%
Grading Scale: A = 100-90; B = 89-80; C = 79-70; D = 69-60; F = 59-0
REQUIREMENTS
Class Participation and Attendance
You are expected to be prepared for and attend all classes. It is important for you to
be active in class discussions, to volunteer for leadership roles and to raise questions
as soon as they arise.
You will be allowed up to three 45-minute periods of absence without explanation or
penalty. Additional absences will detract from your overall grade.
Midterm Test
The midterm test will give you an opportunity to review the major topics that have
been covered in the course at this point in the semester.
Book Review
You will write a review of a book that explores gender and language. You will be
asked to submit a list of book choices for approval.
GESC 1220—HE SAID, SHE SAID: GENDER AND LANGUAGE
WEEK/DATE
1/Sept. 10
2/Sept. 17
3/Sept. 24
4/Oct. 1
5/Oct. 8
6/Oct. 15
7/Oct. 22
8/Oct. 29
9/Nov. 5
10/Nov. 12
11/Nov. 19
12/Nov. 26
13/Dec. 3
CLASS PREPARATION: READING/HOMEWORK/TASKS
Introduction to the course: requirements and syllabus.
Chapter 1, “Language and Gender,” pp. 3-8.
Chapter 2, “The historical background (I)—Folklinguistics and the early
grammarians,” pp. 9-27.
Chapter 3, “The historical background (II)—Anthropologists and
dialectologists,” pp. 28-44.
Chapter 4, “Quantitative studies,” pp. 47-69.
Chapter 5, “Social networks,” pp. 70-84.
NATIONAL DAY HOLIDAY.
Chapter 6, “Gender differences in conversational practice,” pp. 85-110.
Video:
Schrank, L. W. (1994). Gender and communication. She talks: He talks.
Lake Zurich, IL: The Learning Seed.
*Midterm Test.
Sexism in language use.
Video:
Lovdal, L. T. (1995). Sexism in language: Thief of honor, shaper of lies.
Berkeley, CA: UC Extension Center for Media & Independent Learning.
Chapter 7, “Conversational dominance in mixed talk,” pp. 111-124.
Video:
Tannen, D. (1995). Talking 9 to 5: Women and men in the workplace.
Burnsville, MN: ChartHouse International Learning Corporation.
Chapter 8, “Same-sex talk,” pp. 125-144.
Chapter 9: “Children and gender-differentiated language, “ pp. 147-170.
Chapter 10: “The role of gender differences in linguistic change,” pp. 171188.
*Book review due in class.
Chapter 11, “The social consequences of gender differences in language,” pp.
189-211.
Video:
Yang, Yue-qing. (1999). Nu Shu. Vancouver, B.C.: East-West Film
Enterprise Ltd., Moving Images Distribution.
Chapter 12, “New developments in language and gender research,”
pp. 215-221.
Last class day.