ALM5390

Language and gender

Joanne Winter

12 points
* 2 hours
* First semester
* Clayton

Objectives On the successful completion of this subject students should have an understanding of the issues in the representation of women and men in language and the discursive construction of gender in language use and be able to analyse and critically interpret linguistic sexism in a range of spoken and written texts using appropriate theoretical concepts and frameworks.

Synopsis The subject examines various aspects of the relationship between language and women/men in society as well as the problem issues dealt with in the subject include the communication patterns of women and men in various settings (private and public sphere, eg casual conversation, work place communication), the construction of gender in language (sexism) and feminist language policy/planning. The subject also discusses language and gender findings in light of current feminist, sociolinguistic and linguistic theories. The subject aims to introduce students to the major aspects of this rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of research and to enable students to critically examine the relationship between language and the sexes in society.

Assessment Language analysis exercise: 20%
* oral presentation of fieldwork: 20%
* research project (4000 words): 40%
* Review task: 20%

Prescribed texts

Coates J (ed.) Language and gender: A reader Longman, 1997