ANT 314: Anthropology of Sex and Gender Diversity
T TH 11:00 – 12:15
Instructor:
Candelaria 1085
Dr. Sally McBeth
Candelaria 2056
(970) 351-1746
sally.mcbeth@unco.edu
Section 005
Office Hours:
Fall 2009
Tues 12:30 – 3:00
Wed 1:00 – 3:00
Thurs 12:30 – 3:00
or by appointment
Texts:
The Headman Was a Woman: 2008
K. Endicott and K. Endicott
e-Reserve Readings: listed in order of due date (see syllabus)
Available on-line at Michener Library
*“Testosterone Rules” – Sapolsky, Robert
*“Finding the Switch” – Kunzig, Robert
*“Goodbye to Girlhood” – Weiner, Stacy
"Genesis 1-3" [Judeo-Christian] – Old Testament (available at
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201-3;&version=31
"Emergence" – [Apache] Bierhorst, John, ed.
*“Men and Women in Prehistory: An Archaeological Challenge” – Conkey. Margaret
*“The Slaying of Monsters” [Apache] – Opler, Morris
*“The Domestic Sphere of Women and the Public World of Men” – Lamphere, Louise
*“The Egg and the Sperm” – Martin, Emily
*“The Curse” – Small,
*“Unmasking Tradition; A Sudanese anthropologist confronts ‘female circumcision’ and
its terrible tenacity” – Abusharaf, Rogaia Mustafa
*“Sambia Boy’s Ritual Initiation” – Herdt, Gilbert
*“Human Rights, Sex Trafficking, and Prostitution” – Leuchtag, Alice
*“How Many Fathers Are Best for a Child?” – Small, Meredith
*“When Brothers Share a Wife” –Goldstein
*"Behind the Cloak of Polygamy” – Moore -Emmett, Andrea
*“(Rethinking) Gender” – Rosenberg, Debra
*“Multiple Genders Among North American Indians” (Nanda)
*“Hijra and Sādhin” (Nanda)
Instructions for Accessing Electronic Reserves
1.
Begin at the UNC Homepage (www.unco.edu) and click on Libraries
2.
Click on The Source Library Catalog
3.
Click on Course Reserves by Instructor
4.
Enter my name: McBeth, Sally
a. This page displays all items on Paper and Electronic Reserve. Items that
are listed as “View or Print [Title]” are electronic Reserves. Click on the
item you’re looking for.
b. You will see the first page of the Reserve item. Enter your name and ID
number and click on Submit.
5.
You can now view or print the Reserve item.
Reserve materials are stored as PDF files. For a free download of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software, go to
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
For further information or help accessing electronic Reserves, please call (970) 351-2671.
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ADA Statement:
Any student requesting disability accommodation for this class must inform the instructor
giving appropriate notice. Students are encouraged to contact Disability Support
Services at (970) 351-2289 to certify documentation of disability and to ensure
appropriate accommodations are implemented in a timely manner.
Catalogue Description:
Study biologically and culturally determined gender role differences by comparing sexrelated behavior in a variety of cultures.
Purpose of Course / Goals and Objectives:
This course explores the construction of gender and sex in a variety of the world’s
societies. It focuses on sex and gender as fundamental aspects of the human
experience and as analytical constructs. On completion of the course, students will have
gained knowledge of gender-based systems of social classification in non-Western
societies, and acquired knowledge of the ways in which gender impacts on the lives of
women and men throughout the world.
The goals and objectives of this course for the student are as follows:
1.
to become aware of and knowledgeable about the essential role played by
gender in all human societies; this means that we will draw on the historical
framework, methodology, and research findings of various relevant disciplines;
this course is broad in scope and will integrate various perspectives; the
interrelation of knowledge will be stressed
2.
to critically view the multiple ways in which gender is elaborated on in a variety of
social and cultural constructs; this means that students will identify issues
involved in human welfare and survival and foster cross-cultural understanding
3.
demonstrate a critical ability to understand and engage in on-going theoretical
debates about gender; thus I encourage critical and independent thought
4.
demonstrate grade-level writing and communication skills; produce scholarship
"NAMASTE"
Nama means "bow," as means "I," and te means "you." Literally: I bow to you. It is a
Hindu/Sanskrit gesture and greeting. Namaste represents the belief that there is a spark
within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture pays homage to the
inner light in all living things. The hands are placed together at the heart chakra, and the
head is bowed. It is a gesture of friendship, kindness, hospitality, and appreciation.
We will use this gesture and word at the beginning and end of each class, out of respect
for each other. It can also be used in class discussions, when there are differences of
opinion, or if students are not respecting their professor or other students in the class.
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Course Requirements:
150 pts.
Typed Reading Notes
For each of the 17 e-*RESERVE READINGS listed on page 1 of
syllabus AND in syllabus as (+ typed reading notes), you are
required to write about one page (typed; 12 font; single-spaced)
about the article or story. This should include 1) synopsis of
CONTENT as well as 2) your REACTIONS (questions, thoughts,
reflections). These “reading notes” will be collected on the day of
the assigned reading. They are designed to generate class
discussion and so do not turn them into my mailbox; I will not
accept them as late assignments except in the case of
documented illness or conflicts you let me know of in advance.
These reading notes are required; they are not optional.
The above17 writing assignments are worth 10 points each (=170
points thus providing some extra credit points). If you are not in
class or do not hand in these assignments, you will get a zero.
50 pts.
In-class Exercises, Short Quizzes, and Discussion
Nearly every day we will do an in-class activity or short quiz—to
keep you motivated to be here so late in the afternoon. These will
translate into “attendance points. When the syllabus says “Check
out” an article, that means I want you to go on-line and read that
article or web page—for discussion or a short 1+ point pop-quiz.
100 pts.
The Headman Was a Woman paper due on November 4
300 pts.
Exams: Essay/Identification (see syllabus for dates)
600 pts. TOTAL
Totals
A = 600 – 540
B = 539 – 480
C = 479 - 420
D = 419 - 360
F = 359 -
(100-90%)
(89-80%)
(79-70%)
(69-60%)
(below 60%)
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Tentative Course Outline and Assignments
 Be sure to look ahead; reading assignments are due on day listed; bring
books/articles/reading notes to class
 Do not turn in ANY assignments on pages torn from a spiral notebook
 Please turn off and put away cell phones (except for emergency situations); I will
confiscate your cell phone if I catch you text-messaging during class.
 In-class exercises and reading notes cannot be made up, except for
documented illness or conflicts you notify me of in advance.
Week #1
Aug. 25
Introduction
Introduction to course and course requirements (+ “sex” exercise)
Aug. 27
I Origins & Theory: The “science” of sex and gender
An introduction to gender and the biology of sex (XX, XY, and Intersex).
Check out: Intersex Society of North America Web Site
http://www.isna.org/ and “When Gender Isn’t a Given”
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/19/fashion/19INTE.html
Assignment: Begin Headman (pp. 1-38).
Week #2
Origins: The Case for Nature:
aka Biological Determinism; the Essentialist Position
The Case for Nature
Assignment #1: do an Internet search on testosterone and estrogen (one
hit/hormone). Read them and bring these to class with you with your
name on them. In-class group exercise.
Assignment #2: e-Reserve “Testosterone Rules” (+ typed reading notes)
Bruce→Brenda→David Case Study.
Sept. 1
Sept. 3
Sex ID and Sexualities: homo— hetero—, bisex—
Assignment#1: Go to
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sex/results.shtml and complete
your sex i.d. profile. Print it out, write your name on it and bring it to
class; NOTE 1mm=0.0393701 inches.
Assignment #2: e-Reserve “Finding the Switch” (+typed reading notes)
Check out: Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited at
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/health/05sex.html (or search the title
on-line—Interesting NY Times article).
Week #3
Origins: The Case for Nurture: aka Cultural Determinism; the
Constructionist Position
The Case for Nurture
Assignment#1: e-Reserve “Goodbye to Girlhood” (+ typed reading notes)
Assignment #2: e-Reserve "Genesis" [Judeo-Christian]; "Emergence"
[Apache]; Batek Origin Story (pp. 27-28: Headman was a Woman).
Group project on "gendered" creation narratives and the "case" for
nurture.
Sept. 8
4
Sept. 10
Week #4
Sept. 15
Sept. 17
Week #5
Sept. 22
Sept. 24
Week #6
Sept. 29
Oct. 1
Week #7
Oct. 6
Oct. 8
Week #8
Oct. 13
Oct. 15
Theories of Gender in the Social Sciences
Evolutionary Theory
Assignment #1: e-Reserve “Men and Women in Prehistory: An
Archaeological Challenge” (+ typed reading notes)
Assignment #2: Headman (pp. 39-67)
Psychological Theories
Assignment: e-Reserve “The Slaying of Monsters” (+ typed reading notes)
Materialist Theories
Assignment #1: e-Reserve “The Domestic Sphere of Women and the
Public World of Men” (+ typed reading notes)
Assignment #2: Headman (pp. 69-109)
Structuralist Theories & Discourse Analysis
Assignment: e-Reserve “The Egg and the Sperm” (+ typed reading
notes).
HIV /AIDS Presentation
Exam #1: identification and essay
Please bring a small (8.5 x 7) BLUE BOOK
II GENDERED CROSS-CULTURAL CASE STUDIES:
Male and Female Puberty Rites: the ’curse’ & ‘blood magic’
Assignment: e-Reserve “The Curse” (+ typed reading notes)
Female Puberty Rites with a focus on Female Circumcision [Africa]
film: “Female Circumcision”
Assignment: e-Reserve “Unmasking Tradition: a Sudanese anthropologist
confronts…" (+ typed reading notes).
Female Circumcision continued
Male Puberty Rites with a focus on New Guinea [Sambia]
Assignment: e-Reserve “Sambia Boy’s Ritual Initiation” (+typed reading
notes)
film: “Guardians of the Flute” (55 min.); in-class exercise
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Week #9
Oct. 20
Oct. 22
Week #10
Oct. 27
Sexual Exploitation with a focus on Southeast Asia
Assignment: e- Reserve Reading: "Human Rights, Sex Trafficking, and
Prostitution” (+ typed reading notes).
film: "Anonymously Yours"; in-class exercise
Marriage: Monogamy, Polygamy, Polyamory, Other
Assignment #1: “How Many Fathers Are Best for a Child?” (+ typed
reading notes); Assignment #2: “When Brothers Share a Wife” (+ typed
reading notes); Assignment #3: “Behind the Cloak of Polygamy” (+ typed
reading notes).
Oct. 29
Exam #2: identification and essay.
Please bring a small (8.5 x 7) BLUE BOOK
Week #11
Nov. 3
III Gender Diversity
film: Trans-America (104 minutes)
Nov. 5
film continued + in-class discussion
Assignment: “(Rethinking) Gender” [+typed reading notes]
Week #12
Nov. 10
Nov. 12
Week #13
Nov. 17
Nov. 19
Week #14
Nov. 24
Nov. 26
North American Indians
film: “Two Spirit People”; in-class exercise
Assignment: “Multiple Genders Among North American Indians” (Nanda)
India
Assignment: “Hijra and Sādhin” (Nanda)
Other: Brazilian Travestis, Thailand Lady Boys, Sworn Virgin of the
Balkans, and (of course) Joan of Arc (my patron saint).
Polynesia
film: “Paradise Bent.” (50 min.)
Batek: The Headman Was a Woman
Assignment: Headman Paper due (see p. 8 of syllabus)
Thanksgiving (no class)
6
Week #15
Dec. 1
Gender Diversity: summary and questions
Dec. 3
What we should have covered, but didn’t
Week #16
Dec. 7 (M)
Exam #4: identification and essay;
10:45 – 1:15
Please bring a small (8.5 x 7) BLUE BOOK
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Requirements for Paper on The Headman Was a Woman
Points:
Length:
Due Date:
100
4-5 pages (do not exceed 5 pages, 12 font; double-spaced)
November 24, 2009
You will be graded primarily on the quality of your essay’s content (substance and
creativity), and that I can tell that you have read the materials (cite page numbers in
parentheses, but do not use extensive quotes—I simply want to see where you derived your
information from).
I want your essay to reflect an understanding of Batek values, especially as concerns
gender equality. Batek culture is a gender egalitarian society—neither sex believe
themselves to be superior to the other, and both share in contributions to subsistence and
parenting. You may want to read/skim Chapter 7 before beginning your reading.
A. Begin your essay (about ½ - 1 page) discussing who the Batek are, where they live, and
how they support themselves (mid 1970s).
B. Then choose ONE of the prompts below and develop your essay.
C. Conclude with your thoughts and reflections on this ethnography (about ½ page).
1. PERSONA: Take on the persona of a Batek male or female. You can give yourself a name,
age, and personality. Describe your life from birth to however old your persona is. What do
you believe is in store for your future? Be sure to answer A, B, and C.
2. VALUES and CHANGE: Examine the values of Batek culture, with a focus on gender
equality in the mid 1970s. Describe and comment on these values in detail. Compare life
as described in the mid 1970s with that of the 21st century. How is Batek life better? How is
it worse? Be sure to answer A, B, and C.
3. IMAGINE: that in the U.S. we raised our children with a Batek world view. World view refers
to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which an individual interprets the world and
interacts in it. Even though our economies are vastly different, what changes (positive
and/or negative) would result in the ways that children would be raised? How would their
lives as adults be different? Would raising our children in this way be conceivable in 21st
century America? Be sure to answer A, B, and C.
4. WRITE your own essay question and answer it. This prompt MUST be cleared with me no
later than November 3rd. Be sure to answer A, B, and C.
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