Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2018 - CMNS 388 D100

Special Topics in Communication (4)

Technologies of Gender

Class Number: 11596

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 3 – Apr 10, 2018: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Instructor:

    Milena Droumeva
    mvdroume@sfu.ca
    778-782-3731 (Burnaby)
    Office: K-9678

  • Prerequisites:

    Depends on topic; published before enrollment.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Intensive analysis of a particular topic in the general area of communication. This course can be repeated for credit up to a maximum of three times, if topic studied is different.

COURSE DETAILS:

Prerequisites:

60 units.  GSWS 102 is recommended.  A minimum 2.25 CMNS and 2.00 overall CGPA, and approval as a communication student is required for entry into most communication upper division courses.

Overview:

The end of ‘normal’ gender and sexualities has been upon us for some time, with identity politics and intersectional analyses at the forefront of public conversations regarding gender.  But still, gender inequalities persist.  What role does media play in constructing our shifting notions of gender and sexuality; of femininities and masculinities?  How do technologies enable us to embody, police and even hack genders and sexualities?  How can we think of gender itself as a technology that we operate and perform in everyday life?

This course provides a foundation, in the context of critical communication studies, for an analysis of the different ways that “gender” and “technology” are understood and applied within the study of media and technology.  The course will take an intersectional feminist perspective to exploring, critiquing and developing alternatives to technologies of gender, while at the same time tracking shifting notions of femininities and masculinities.

Topics for the course include: feminist methodologies in cultural studies; cyberfeminism debates; theories of performativity, the body and subjectivity; gender and surveillance; post-feminism; gendered historiographies of technology; experiences of work in the media and tech industries; sexuality and spatial relations.


Learning Objectives:

   ·      To investigate an intersectional framework for considering gender (masculinity, femininity) in relation to sexuality, dis/ability, ethnicity/racialization, and socio-economic class.
·      To develop a theoretical foundation for understanding gender and sexuality as intrinsic to the introduction and social operation of media and technologies.
·      To consider feminism as a radical epistemology for understanding social constructions, including political and economic structures, media and technology.

Grading

  • Tutorial Participation 10%
  • 4 Reading Responses (5% each) 20%
  • Major Project Proposal 10%
  • Major Project 30%
  • Final Exam (Take-Home) 30%

NOTES:

Note:

  Late assignments are subject to a 5%/day late penalty.  This course has a zero-tolerance policy for academic dishonesty or plagiarism.  Please familiarize yourselves ahead of time with SFU’s policies and how to avoid it, and check with the Instructor if you’re unsure how to use or cite materials: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/plagiarism.  Please note that you are expected to engage in professional behaviour and communication.  Your academic standing is your responsibility. Take care to plan your term well and ask for help when needed, ahead of time. There are a multitude of resources available to you in the Library’s Learning Commons, such as: writing help, tutoring, and referencing help.  In the case of technological failure, the onus is on you to ensure that the (correct) assignment has been successfully submitted (online).


The School expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established university-wide practices with respect to both levels and distribution of grades.  In addition, the School will follow Policy S10.01 with respect to Academic Integrity, and Policies S10.02, S10.03 and S10.04 as regards Student Discipline.  [Note: as of May 1, 2009, the previous T10 series of policies covering Intellectual Honesty (T10.02), and Academic Discipline (T10.03) have been replaced with the new S10 series of policies.]

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Hooks, Bell, Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics (2nd edition). New York: Routledge, 2014. 
ISBN: 9781138821620

RECOMMENDED READING:

Additional readings will be available on Canvas.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS