Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality

This subject is not offered in 2014.

120 hours

Anthropology or Development Studies at Level 1

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/

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 an anthropologist’s gendered and sexual identity in shaping ethnography, the meaning of heterosexuality in a cross-cultural context, gender and Islam, gender and kinship, gendered experiences of migration, male and female sex tourism, and experiences of masculinity, femininity and third gender categories and identities in the world today. 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.

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.

A 1500 word take home exam (40%) due mid-semester, and a 2500 word essay (60%) due during the examination period.

Hurdle Requirement: 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 working day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

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

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

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

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.

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