WGSS 262
Language, Interaction, and Power in Everyday Life
Fall 2015
Division II
Cross-listed
ANTH 262
This is not the current course catalog
Class Details
“Microaggressions.” “Hate speech.” Even on campus, we have a number of terms that point to how spoken interaction can reflect and even further inequality. But how exactly does language intersect with power? In this course, we’ll follow the lead of linguistic anthropology, a subfield of anthropology that explores the role of language and interaction in shaping social life. What are the relationships between linguistic forms and cultural practices? In order to answer that question we’ll explore ethnographic methods focused on language, examining how interactive practices intersect with categories like race, gender, sexuality, and social status. Throughout, we’ll consider concrete examples, ranging from studies of Kenyan courtrooms to American basketball courts. We’ll discuss what we can learn about the operations of power in everyday life by attending carefully to how language use shapes social context and vice versa.
The Class:
Format: seminar
Limit: 19
Expected: 19
Class#: 1917
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Limit: 19
Expected: 19
Class#: 1917
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation:
regular reading responses; midterm paper, final paper
Prerequisites:
none; open to first year students
Enrollment Preferences:
majors in Anthropology/Sociology, Women's Gender & Sexuality Studies
Distributions:
Division II
Notes:
This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
WGSS 262 Division II ANTH 262 Division II
WGSS 262 Division II ANTH 262 Division II
Class Grid
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CLASSESColumn header 2DREQColumn header 3INSTRUCTORSColumn header 4TIMESColumn header 5CLASS#
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WGSS 262 - 01 (F) LEC Language and Power
WGSS 262 - 01 (F) LEC Language and PowerDivision IIJulia L. KowalskiMR 2:35 pm - 3:50 pm
Bronfman 1071917
Megamenu Social