Lisa M. Cuklanz

Honors Gender Roles and Communication CO 451
Fall 2004
Tues, Thur 10:30-11:45
Professor Cuklanz
Office 523, 21 Campanella Way

Links

• Department of Communication Attendance Policy
• Department of Communication Policy on Academic Integrity

Textbooks

A required course reading packet is available in the BC bookstore in McElroy. There are no assigned textbooks.

Course Description

This course is designed to accomplish two primary goals. First, it will focus on the constructed nature of gender roles in our culture. Through reading and discussion we will consider the idea that, although our understandings of the ideas "masculine" and "feminine" have come to seem natural and unchanging, these concepts may alternatively be understood as flexible and as created through communicative practices. We will examine some of the ways in which this creation of ideas about gender is accomplished through communication. Throughout the semester, focus will be placed on how our own communicative practices can condone, contribute to, or resist the cultural construction of gender stereotypes. The first weeks of the course will provide historical background to serve as a basic foundation for the remainder of the semester.

A second emphasis of this course will be on the importance of individual choice in determining the gender roles of the present and future. You will be encouraged to become a critical receiver of communicative messages of all sorts and to use your critical insights to examine your own communication habits (language, media use, analytical skills). This course should change the way you look at various forms of communication including television, advertising, and even the English language.

As an honors seminar, this section of Gender Roles and Communication involves higher standards and more reading than a regular section the same course.

Research Participation

One of the most exciting aspects of the Boston College Communication Department is the research that our faculty and honors thesis students produce. During the semester, members of the Communication department will be completing several research projects. In order to broaden your understanding of the field and to aid these researchers, you may choose to participate in one research project for extra credit as a part of this course. Information about research projects will be provided to you throughout the semester. It is your responsibility to sign-up for and complete participation in the research project. If you object to the research projects and decide not to participate in one, please let me know and an alternate assignment will be provided to you. Participation in one research project will count as a 1/2 letter grade improvement on your participation or presentation grades for this course.

Procedures/Assignments

The reading assignments in this course are absolutely crucial. In addition to the readings listed on the syllabus, this honors section will involve extra readings throughout the semester, about one every two weeks. I will seldom lecture directly from the readings and you will be unable to contribute substantially to the class discussions on days when you have not done the reading. In addition, with this subject matter, it is particularly important that you spend time perusing the articles and thinking about the issues in them. This course asks you to come up with ideas of your own, drawing on theories and ideas from the discussions and reading assignments. Please make every effort to complete as much of the reading assignment as possible before each class period.

Your grade in this course will be based on several elements. There will be a short presentation assignment (10-15 minutes). A 20-25 page research paper will be due at the end of the semester and will be discussed in a few weeks. In addition, there will be a mid-term and a final exam. The final exam is scheduled for December 13, 2004, 9:00 AM.

Grades will be computed according to the following:

Short presentation	15%
Participation/discussion	15%
Mid-term exam	25%
Research paper	30%
Final exam	15%

Grades will be assigned on a standard A-F scale. Grades are computed according to University policy as follows:

A	4.00
A-	3.66
B+	3.33
B	3.00
B-	2.66
C	2.33
C+	2.00
C-	1.66
D+	1.33
D	1.00
D-	0.66
F	0

Your class participation grade will include a number of factors such as attendance, quantity and quality of contributions to class discussions, quality of thoughtful analysis of peer papers, and engagement in class activities. Discussion facilitation (see below) will also make up a final part of your participation grade. If you are worried about any aspect of your grade or performance in the class, please do not hesitate to schedule an office visit or stop by during office hours.

Discussion

Each person in the class will facilitate discussion once. After the first two weeks of class I will distribute a schedule of names and the essay for which you will be responsible. On your assigned facilitation day, you should come prepared with three questions that will help your colleagues relate the article to previous readings and discussions and to their own experiences. You should read your assigned article ahead of time in case you have questions about its argument or content, and try to ask questions that will help people talk about the essay. Feel free to visit me outside of class for help and suggestions on preparing for your day as discussion facilitator. In addition to bringing three questions on your article, you should also bring something from the real world around you that relates to your article. So, for example, if your article is on women’s magazines, you could bring a sample with you to class. Absence on a scheduled facilitation day will result in a letter-grade reduction of the overall participation grade.

Ground Rules/Expectations

Deadlines: In order to keep this course running smoothly, and in an attempt to treat everyone in the class as fairly as possible, I like to stick to strict deadlines. All due dates are listed on the attached syllabus. Late assignments will be graded down 1/3 letter grade per day late. If you need to miss class for any reason on the day an assignment is due, you can send your assignment to class with someone else, or you can slip your assignment in my mailbox or under my office door by class time on that day. Do not hand in assignments more than five days late unless we have made some prior arrangement. I will be more sympathetic to reasons why work is late before the work is due than afterwards. It is much harder to make exceptions after the fact.

Plagiarism: For the purposes of this course, plagiarism will be defined as the undocumented use of the ideas or words of someone else, whether or not the words or ideas are published. The key word here is undocumented. You may quote or paraphrase other authors or thinkers as much as you like, as long as you indicate when and where your ideas end and someone else's begin. DO NOT borrow the ideas or words of others without giving them credit. If you are under great pressure and feel you cannot make a deadline, see me and we will try to arrange a way for you to do your own work and receive the credit you deserve. Please do not resort to plagiarism. Please read carefully the Communication Department policies on academic integrity and attendance.

Notes on the Honors Program

This course is part of the newly revised honors program in the Department of Communication. In order to graduate with honors, you must take two honors-designated writing intensive seminars and then complete an honors thesis under the direction of one of the instructors from your honors seminars. As a condition of completing the honors program, you must maintain a grade of A or A- in both honors sections. You are expected to take this course and your work in it seriously, attend regularly and complete all assignments on time. If your final grade in either honors section drops below the A- level, you will still receive credit for the course, but will lose eligibility for the honors program. If you have concerns about staying in the program due to grade issues, please see me as soon as possible rather than after the end of the semester.

Syllabus