Anth/WS 123:  The Cultural Construction of Gender 				Tannenbaum
Maginnes 270     2:10 - 3:00 MWF 									Spring 2001
Office: 11 Price Hall: phone 8-3829; e-mail: nt01 [note: that’s a “zero” ]
Office Hours: 11:00-12:00 MWF, by appointment, OR chance.

Purpose: To develop an understanding of the ways cultures assign different values and potentials to genders.  We will do this through a thorough grounding in ethnography that will provide the background to examine the historical development of anthropological theories about gender and gender construction.

Class Structure: Discussion, lecture, and films.  The class will be primarily discussion.  I will lecture to provide background for the anthropological ideas and concepts. Students are expected to do the readings before class.

Evaluation:  Three essays.  The first essay on classical vs. current approaches -- Malinowski and Weiner [27.5% of grade]. The second essay, analyzing violence and gender antagonisms [27.5%].  The third, comparing Neither Man nor Woman and  The Left Hand of  Darkness and how it illuminates issues related to the study of gender raised throughout the course [35%]. Essay three receives more weight because I expect you to integrate material from the previous sections of the course.

  	Within these three broad topics, students will come up with their own particular questions for the essays. Questions and/or general approaches must have my approval and are due a week before the essays are due. Essays will be from 5 to 7 pages - long enough to answer the question or cover the topic. Students have the option of revising their essays.  If I judge an essay inadequate, I will ask the student to re-write his/her essay rather than receive a grade of D or F.  Students must consult with me before they revise their essays. Revisions are due one week after I return the essays. 

Class participation, 10% of grade: In order to motivate reading and class discussions -- brief summaries of the readings and discussion questions due as assigned.  Due in class the day of the discussion. I will not accept late assignments.  Class attendance is expected.

Texts:
 Heider, Karl Grand Valley Dani: Peaceful Warriors.  New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 3rd edition. 1997.
Herdt, Gilbert The Sambia: Ritual and Gender in New Guinea.  New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 1987
LeGuin, Ursula The Left Hand of Darkness.  New York: Ace Books, 1987.
Nanda, Serena Neither Man nor Woman: The Hijras of India. 2nd Edition.  Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishers, 1999.
Weiner, Annette B.  The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea.  New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.  1988

We will be reading parts of Malinowski, Bronislaw  The Sexual Life of Savages.  Boston: Beacon Press.1987 [1932].  I have placed 2 copies on reserve.  The full text is available from the Human Relations Area Files on the web at: http://ets.umdl.umich.edu/cgi/e/ehraf/hraf-idx?type=toc&rgn=BOOK&byte=108711007. To get to the book: on Lehigh’s home page click on library, electronic resources, and then on databases.  You will have to log in using your e-mail name and password.  Once in, click on G-L, and then on Human Relations Area Files (eHRAF). Click on Browse Cultures and type in OL06 which is the code for Trobriand Islands, click on OL06 on the next page.  This will take you to the guide to the Trobriand files, about two thirds down the page is Sexual Life of Savages.  Click on it and there you are.  Alternatively, on the first eHRAF page, click on citation search, type in Malinowski and click on The Sexual Life of Savages  There are codes on every paragraph which makes for clunky reading but just ignore them.

I.  Issues and Topics
Week 1 Jan. 17 - 19
   Readings: Malinowski  Special Forward to the 3rd Edition, pp. lvii-lxxxii.
	Weiner, Introduction, pp. 1 - 16.
	Herdt  Introduction, pp. 1-10.
	Nanda  Preface and Introduction, pp. ix-xxi.
  Due: Jan 19: list of issues and topics from the readings.

II.  Classical Issues - the Trobriands: Malinowski and Weiner
Week 2 Jan. 22 - 26  Malinowski
   Readings: Malinowski  Chap. 1 The Relations between the Sexes in Tribal Life, pp. 1-23.
Malinowski  Chap. 4  The Avenues to Marriage,  pp. 65 -92.
Malinowski  Chap. 5  Marriage, pp. 93 - 120
Malinowski  Chap. 6  Divorce and the Dissolution of Marriage by Death, pp. 121 -  139.

Week 3  Jan. 29 - Feb. 2  Malinowski, cont.
  Readings:  Malinowski  Chap. 7  Procreation and Pregnancy in Native Custom and Belief, pp. 140 - 178.
Malinowski  Chap. 8  Pregnancy and Childbirth, pp. 179 - 199.
	Malinowski  Chap. 11 The Magic of Love and Beauty, pp. 290 - 323.

Week 4  Feb. 5 - 9 Weiner
  Readings: Weiner  Chap. 1 The Trobriands: Past and Present, pp. 17 - 32.
Weiner  Chap. 2 Death and the Work of Mourning, pp. 33 - 50.
Weiner  Chap. 3 Fathers and Matrilineality, pp. 51 - 64.
Weiner  Chap. 4 Youth and Sexuality, pp. 65 - 77.
Movie: Trobriand Cricket,  Feb. 7

Week 5  Feb. 12 - 16 Weiner, cont.
 Readings: Weiner  Chap. 5 Marriage and the Politics of Yams, pp. 81 - 96.
	Weiner  Chap. 6 Chiefs and Hierarchy, p. 97 -  111.
	Weiner  Chap. 7 Men Working for Women, 112 - 124.
Note: No class Feb. 12  Pacing Break.

Week 6  Feb. 19 - 23 Weiner & Malinowski
Readings: Weiner, Chap. 8 The Regeneration of Matrilineality, pp. 125 - 138.
	Weiner  Chap. 9 Kula and the Search for Fame, pp. 139 - 158.
	Weiner  Chap. 10 Conclusion, pp. 159 - 168.
Feb. 23  General discussion of Malinowski & Weiner.

III   Violence, Gender, and Male Dominance: The Sambia and the Dani
Week 7  Feb. 26 - March 2  The Sambia
  Readings:  Herdt  Chap 1  The Behavioral Environment, pp. 11 - 24.
	Herdt  Chap. 2  Warfare and Social Organization, pp. 25 - 58.
	Herdt  Chap. 3  Ordinary People, pp. 59 - 67.
Due: Feb 26 Question/topics for essay on Malinowski & Weiner.

Week 8  March 5 - 9  The Sambia, cont.
  Readings: Herdt  Chap. 4  Gender and Socialization, pp. 67 - 100.
	Herdt  Chap. 5  The Men's Secret Society, pp. 101 - 170.
	Herdt  Chap. 6  Ritualized Gender Development: Continuities., pp. 171 - 198.
	Herdt  Chap. 7  The Relativity of Gender, pp. 199 - 206.
	Herdt  Afterword: Whither the Sambia.
Due: March 5 Essay on Malinowski & Weiner.

Week 9 March 12 - 16 No week 9: Spring Break

Week 10 March 19 - 23 The Dani
  Readings: Heider  Chap. 1  Studying the Dani, pp. 3 - 24. 
Heider  Chap. 2  The Dani, pp. 25 - 66.
	Heider  Chap. 3  Social Relationships, pp. 67 - 120.
Movie: Dead Birds March 21- 23.
Note: No class March 19.

Week 11 March 26- 30  The Dani cont.
  Readings: Heider  Chap. 4  Religion and Ritual, pp. 121 - 152.
Heider  Chap. 5  Return to the Dani, 1988, pp. 153 -166.
	Heider  Chap. 6  The Road and the Cave, 1995, pp. 167 - 178.
Note: No class March 26.
Due: March 28 Thoughts on the movie vs. text. What did you learn from the movie that you didn’t learn from the book? What did you learn from the book that you didn’t learn from the movie? 2 pages.
Due: March 30 Question/topic for essay on gender relations and violence.

IV  Other Systems of Gender - Hijras of India and Gethen (Winter).
Week 12 April 2 - 6  Hijras
  Readings:  Nanda Chap. 1  Hijra Roles in Indian Society
	Chap. 2 The Hijra as Neither Man nor Woman
Chap. 3  Emasculation Ritual Among the Hijras
	Chap. 4  Social Organization and Economic Adaptation
	Chap. 5  Kamladevi: A Prostitute
	Chap. 6  Meera: A New Guru
 
Week 13  April 9 - 13 Hijras, cont.
  Readings:  Nanda Chap. 7  Sushila: Achieving Respect
       Chap. 8  Salima: An Outcast
	Chap. 9  Hijra Lives in Context
Due: April 9 Essay on gender and violence
Note: no class April 13 Passover/Easter break.

Week 14 April 16 - 20  Hijras, concluded
   Readings:  Nanda Chap. 10  Hijras in Cross-Cultural Perspective
  	Epilogue: Fieldwork among the Hijras
Note: no class April 16 Passover/Easter break

Week 15  April 23 - 27  Winter
   Readings: LeGuin  Chaps. 1-16.

Week 16  April 30 - May 4 Winter, concluded
  Readings: LeGuin  Chaps. 17 - 20

Week 17  May 7  Gender reconsidered
Due: May 7, essay topic on nature of gender in light of the Hijras and Gethen.

Due: Final Exam Date, essay on the nature of gender in light of the Hijras and Gethen.