Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality

Subject ANTH20008 (2012)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2012.

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 2 (Undergraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

Semester 2, Parkville - Taught on campus.
Pre-teaching Period Start not applicable
Teaching Period not applicable
Assessment Period End not applicable
Last date to Self-Enrol not applicable
Census Date not applicable
Last date to Withdraw without fail not applicable

Standard

Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: 1 x 2 hour lecture and 1 x 1 hour tutorial per week for 10 weeks. The lecture and tutorial programs are staggered and cover the 12 weeks of semester.
Total Time Commitment: An average of 8.5 hours per week
Prerequisites: None.
Corequisites: None.
Recommended Background Knowledge: Anthropology or Development Studies at Level 1
Non Allowed Subjects: Students who have completed Sexing the self - 121-066 or 671-354 in 2010 or earlier are not permitted to enrol in this subject.
Core Participation Requirements: For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Coordinator

Dr Paul Green

Contact

Dr Paul Green

pgreen@unimelb.edu.au

Subject Overview:

This subject offers a specifically anthropological perspective to understandings of gender and sexuality, providing an empirical, cross-cultural framework with which to evaluate and examine various theoretical perspectives. Topics covered include the influence of the anthopologist's gendered and sexual identity in shaping ethnography, the role of initiation in the making of gender and sexuality; the meaning of heterosexuality in a cross-cultural context, gender and Islam, gender and kinship, gendered experiences of migration, male and female sex tourism in Southeast Asia and the problem of universal definitations of 'masculine' and feminine'. On completion of the subject students should have gained knowledge of gender-based systems of social classification in a global context and through this develop a critical awareness of the representation of women's and men's lives in ethnography.

Objectives:

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

  • develop an understanding and appreciation of the construction of gender and sexuality in a variety of the world’s societies
  • be able to apply a range of broader anthopological theories to cross-cultural understandings of gender and sexuality
  • develop an appreciation of the links that exist between theory, method and ethnography in anthropology.
Assessment:

A 500-word tutorial assignment (10%) due early in the semester, a 1500 word take home exam (40%) due mid-semester, and a 2000 word essay (50%) due during the examination period.

This subject has a minimum hurdle requirement of 75% tutorial participation. Regular participation in tutorials is required. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Prescribed Texts:

A subject reader will be available from the University Bookshop at the beginning of semester.

Breadth Options:

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:

Students who successfully complete this subject be able to:

  • Systematically evaluate a body of empirical data and identify its theoretical context
  • Apply methods of critical inquiry and argument leading to improved analytical skills
  • Develop awareness of a range of issues relating to cross-cultural communication, comparison and difference
Links to further information: http://www.ssps.unimelb.edu.au/study/ads/
Notes: This subject is core in the Graduate Diploma in Arts (Anthropology and Social Theory) and in the Major in Anthropology and Social Theory.
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology and Social Theory
Anthropology and Social Theory
Anthropology and Social Theory
Development Studies
Development Studies Major
Gender Studies
Gender Studies
Gender Studies
Gender Studies Major

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