COMS 729 / WS 782D GENDER AND COMMUNICATION SUMMER 2000
Focus: Gender and Technology
Instructor: Radhika Gajjala
Office — 315 West Hall
Office hours — Wednesdays 9 to 11 and by appointment
Class location : 310 West Hall and 209 West Hall
Meeting Time — MW 6 to 9 pm
Some portion of the class will be held online via
Webcourse.bgsu.edu:8900
And via some MOOs — more info later.
Course Description and Goals
Feminist perspectives occur across a broad range of disciplines and so does the study of communication. Thus Gender and Communication includes a broad range of cross-disciplinary research. The course is structured in a way that attempts to bring together three major emphases of the communication studies doctoral program at BGSU.
These three emphases are implicit in the dual focus of the program (Mass
Media and Communication and Culture) and are:
1) New Media Technologies 2) Culture 3) Communication
Therefore discussions and readings for this class will focus on some of the more current intersections between gender studies and communication which revolve around gender, culture and technologies for communication; gender, international communication and postcolonial/transnational theories; gender, race and sexuality. Readings will reflect this focus and will be used as a point of entry into salient theoretical perspectives on gender and communication. It is assumed that students will have some prior familiarity with basic issues related to feminist theory and culture.
This course can be looked upon as an unofficial "part II" in a series of courses I am working on in relation to communication and cyberculture. The first of these was taught in Fall 1998 as "Communication, Technoscience and Cyberculture" - some readings will overlap. In addition, we will be using web-ct based discussions and the websites constructed on web-ct from that last class as additional texts for the present class. Likewise the cyborg project and discussions from the present class will be used as resources for my future classes on cyberculture. Detailed instructions on hands on technology stuff and use of web-ct and other online environments will be explained in class.
In this course, therefore, we will continue to study communication at the intersection of science, technology, politics, economics and culture. Our goal is to investigate and try to understand how communication and culture are shaped by the interactions between humans and technology, looking especially at communicative practices and social formations. What does "becoming cyborg" mean in an increasingly globalized society? What are the ontological, pragmatic and phenomenological issues relating to "techno-science" and "cyber-culture"? What are the relationships of these new media technologies to issues of race, class, and gender?
Your final papers can address any aspect of the topics introduced in Class. Class exercises will include conventional reading, writing and class discussions as well as projects that involve student (individual and group) interaction within cyberspatial environments (e.g. MOOs, email lists and VR/multimedia environments).
The course will be taught partly via "WEB-CT". Go to http://www.webcourse.bgsu.edu:8900, click on Communication Studies link and find "Gender and Communication — Gajjala" (not yet up). Click on the key next to this link and sign on by giving yourself a username and password. Once you have signed on, go back to the web-ct home page and click on the course title. A screen will pop up, asking for your login id and password. Type them in and you will be able to "enter" the classroom. See class website at http://personal.bgsu.edu/~radhik/729.html for updates (you can also get to this site by clicking on the syllabus icon after entering web-ct.
Reading Material:
Articles:
A selection of readings in addition to the books listed below will be available via web-ct.
Books:
The following books will be available in the bookstore:
Assignments and Grading
Note that when a student just does the "required" work, the minimums set for each assignment, s/he should not expect a grade higher than a "C". Grades are final and not negotiable.
C = Adequate
B= Good
A = Exceptional
1) Presentation of Readings to class and Reaction Papers (15%) You are required to be class discussion leaders three times during the semester. 1-3 page reaction papers in response to the topics you are presented must be submitted on the days you present. These should contain a list of questions for discussion and engage critically with issues raised in the readings assigned. This paper should not be a mere summary of the readings or reactions and statements with no scholarly explanations or justifications. While I value your opinion greatly, and insist that you express your opinions, your opinons will not get you a grade if you cannot back them up in a thoughtful, organized manner. Since this class is comprised graduate students, I don't expect to have to teach you how to write a paper for class. A word of advise - DON'T look for the easy way out.
2) Participation and Virtual Attendance 20%: This will be determined by your participation — in-class, on MOOs and WEB-CT. The first week, I will assign writing assignments and discussion questions. Subsequently, there will be two or more discussion leaders assigned to each reading and they will be responsible for setting up writing assignments and discussion questions for the class (see above). Each set of readings will be set up in a separate web-ct forum, but there is no rule against overlapping discussions, obviously. The discussion leaders are required to make sure there is discussion on WEB-CT. Each student is responsible for performing any participatory activity suggested by discussion leaders.
Explanation of "virtual attendance" = Active thought-provoking participation on online fora (moo andWEB-CT). Minimum of two posts a week (i.e. a "C" level participation would require you to at least "speak up" twice a week). I need to see evidence of your active "attendance" in class and this is one of only ways I have of seeing it.
Disruptive (lewd, inappropriate …) behaviour and ridicule of class mates within any of the class environments does not count as participation. Don't hog all the time to speak your opinions. Be considerate and let others speak in class too. Different people have different styles of in-class participation - try to understand this and behave appropriately.
3) Cyborg Project 40% This will be a collaborative class project, intended to lead to a class-authored conference paper and publication. You will be required to design an online interactive project making use of the VSPOs on Du-moo, exploring lingua moo, creating listserv environment for dialogue, web-presences etc — negotiating gender, race, geography and so on. The goal is to try and design an inclusive, interactive yet "interrogative" and "dialogic" electronic networks based on what you learn from the readings and discussions in class. The project will be ongoing, so we will set "micro" goals to be completed by the end of each module.
4) 5-8 page proposal for a research paper 25%(include your theoretical framework and propose empirical investigation and possible methods for this investigation) — due on the last day of class.
Week One:
[what we can’t complete in class we continue/complete online or start something online and continue/complete in class etc]
Day one— Introductions. Explanation of assignments Student presenter signup.
Day two — Representing Gender in Technoscience [readings from book one and three]
Week Two:
Day one — (not virtual!) Guest — Annapurna Mamidipudi, from Dastkar Andhra, India.
Readings from Gender and Development and Cyborg Melody from Harcourt.
Start working on cyborg project.
Day two —(not virtual!) Guest — Meena Hariharan from York University, Canada
Refractions (women, technology and cyborgs)[ readings from book one]
Introduction - Book 2.
Note: Additional/optional readings may be assigned
Week Three
Day one — report on cyborg project
Moving from Cyberspace to Cyberculture [from book three]
Day two— Editorial [from book four]
Reading selection from book two.
Topic and one paragraph description of your proposed paper proposal due.
Week Four
Day one — report on cyborg project
Women’s Voices on the Internet [from book three]
Rural women and the Internet (selections from book four)
Day two — articles one from book four
Week Five
Day one — cyborg report
selections from book two
selections from book four
Day two— selections from book two
Week Six
Wrapping it all up — finishing touches.
Cyborg project individual analyses/commentary writeups due.
Discussion Qs — Starting Day one (written, in-class — continue responses/discussion via web-ct and in-class) — These will lead to a kind of ongoing journal of understanding of material in this class etc…
Trace a genealogy of your theoretical journeys
6) What has "race," "class" etc have to do with gender and communication?