Instructor: Matthew Kennedy                                                                     Email: Use course eMail List                                                               Telephone: 415/452-7107                                                                        Office: Batmale 340, Ocean Campus                                                           Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:40 to 1:30 pm or by appointment                                                                                               Faculty schedule and more information: www.ccsf.edu/mkennedy

Required Texts

1.) Same Sex Different Cultures: Exploring Gay and Lesbian Lives by Gilbert Herdt. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1997.

2.) Gender Diversity: Crosscultural Variations by Serena Nanda. Long Grove, IL: Waveland, 2000.

3.) Anthropology 20 Course Reader, edited by Matthew Kennedy, 2010.

All required texts are available at the City College Bookstore on the Ocean Campus. The Herdt and Nanda books are also available through all normal outlet (Herdt at Amazon, Nanda at Amazon). The reader, however, is only available through the campus bookstore. To order and for more information, go to City College main campus bookstore. Also, the books are on two hour reserve in the City College library.

About the Instructor

I hold a BA in Theater Arts from UCLA, and a masters in anthropology from UC Davis. I have been teaching anthropology at City College since 1994, where my classes have included introduction to cultural anthropology, archaeology and prehistory, ancient civilizations, visions of the sacred (the anthropology of religion), cultural anthropology: focus on American cultures, and LGBT anthropology. For more information, including a personal statement and academic background, please visit my bio page of the faculty website, instructor's statement. In addition to teaching at City College, I am a film historian and author. For a glimpse at that corner of my life, please go to matthewkennedybooks.com/

Course Description

This course examines the roles and statuses of homosexuals and other sexual minorities in world cultures, with examples from Native America, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe. Aspects of culture that intersect issues of sexuality, including economics, religion, kinship, marriage, and gender roles, will be examined.

LGBT anthropology reveals intriguing cultural practices and conditions: agrarian-based ritualized homosexuality as rite of passage, third, fourth, or fifth gender categories, the sexual outlaw living on the fringes of big cities, and the modern invention of "gay people" fighting for rights of citizenship, military duty, employment, marriage, and parenting.

The course content weekly topics, rendered online as "forums," are:

Week One: Orientation and Getting Started

Week Two: Background to Anthropology

Week Three: The Anthropology of Homosexualities

Week Four: Essentialism and Constructionism (Quiz #1)

Week Five: Sex and Gender, Part I

Week Six: Sex and Gender, Part II

Week Seven: A Global Perspective

Week Eight: Between Generations (Quiz #2)

Week Nine: Sacred Drag

Week Ten: Native America

Week Eleven: Courtship, Kinship, and Marriage

Week Twelve: Primatology and Evolution (Quiz #3)

Week Thirteen: Inventing the Homosexual

Week Fourteen: The Industrialized World

Week Fifteen: Intersexuality (Term Paper Due)

Week Sixteen: Thinking Sex (Final)

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

* Describe past and present anthropological research on homosexuals and other sexual minorities in various cultures and cite examples of current research topics and controversies.
* Evaluate genetic and evolutionary arguments used to explain lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and justify their status in various societies.
* Explain how the knowledge and perspective of anthropology (including archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistics) can further the understanding of sexual minorities in the contemporary world.
* Describe the major social institutions and practices which determine lgbt status and consider what cultural changes might cause a reversal or reconsideration of that status.
* Explain the factors that influence the status of sexual minorities in various cultures, such as economics, politics, religion, kinship roles, and marriage rights.
* Exhibit a knowledge of the lives of sexual minorities in a culture outside their own.
* Demonstrate understanding of the general perspective, terminology, and theories of cultural anthropology as it relates to the study of human sexuality.
* Understand the various forms of human sexuality recognized by anthropologists and other social scientists, including transsexuality, heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and asexuality.

Course Requirements and Grading

The following assignments, quizzes, and term paper are required for this course:

Reading

The reading assignments are a critical element of this course. You are expected to complete all reading assignments listed each week and refer to them in your discussion postings and writing. The task pages each week will guide you through the required reading.

Reading is from the emerging literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender theory and practice. The subjects are diverse and drawn from rural and industrial societies, tribes, and states both contemporary and historic. Previous coursework in cultural anthropology is recommended but not required for Anthropology 20.

Reading, discussion boards, and written assignments will be demanding, but you may also feel exhilarated by embarking on an intellectual journey that is regarded by many as enticing but forbidden. After all, what subject is more important to human beings, but less understood, than sex?

Discussions

A significant portion of your grade is reflected in your weekly discussions via course email. You can earn up to ten points each time you contribute to weekly discussions covering a different aspect of the course. There will be a topic offered each week for a total of sixteen weeks. You are required to address thirteen of these weekly discussion topics. Put another way, you may opt out of three of the discussions over the semester. You are encouraged to respond to at least one posting by a classmate each week, unless the instructions for that week specify that you are required to respond to a classmate's posting. Each comment you post should be thoughtfully written, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and reflect directly on the topic at hand.

Please limit your discussion board posting to one or two concise paragraphs, and avoid responding with just "yes, I agree" or "good idea." If you want to say "I agree" or "good idea," then please clarify and explain why. The quality of your response is more important than the quantity. Comments from everyone are essential and important, and you are encouraged to explore sites on the Internet that pertain to the current class topic. The diversity of experience among members of the class will enhance your learning. Following are the grading criteria of the discussion postings:

"Outstanding" discussion postings earning 9-10 points:
• are concise and made in time for others to read and respond (by each Sunday by 11:55pm PST).
• provide discussion at a critical level, not just recitation of information from the textbook.
• make connections to previous or current course content or to real-life situations.
• contain insightful and thoughtful ideas, connections, or applications.
• are well-written and free of spelling and grammatical errors.

"Good" discussion postings earning 8 points:
• are concise and made in time for others to read and respond (by each Sunday by 11:55pm PST).
• provide discussion at a critical level, not just recitation of information from the textbook.
• make connections to previous or current course content or to real-life situations, but the connections are not really clear or are very obvious.
• contain insightful and thoughtful ideas, connections, or applications, but they may lack depth and/or detail.
• are well-written and free of spelling and grammatical errors.

"Basic" discussion postings earning 7 points:
• may not be made in time for others to read and respond (by each Monday by 11:55pm PST).
• are generally competent, but the actual information they provide is limited.
• make highly limited, if any, connections to previous or current course content or to real-life situations.
• contain few, if any, new ideas or applications and are just a summary of other comments.
• may contain spelling and grammatical errors.

"Below expectations" discussion postings earning 1-6 points:
• may not be made in time for others to read and respond (by each Monday by 11:55pm PST).
• are superficial and contain no evidence of critical thinking, insight or analysis.
• do not contribute new ideas, connections, or applications.
• may be completely off topic and contain a number of spelling and grammatical errors.

Not addressing the discussion topic (except for the three you choose not to do) will result in a zero. You will not earn extra credit for doing more than the required thirteen postings, but feel free to keep participating if you feel so inclined once you've done thirteen.

Term Paper

You will have a fair amount of freedom in choosing a term paper topic for this course. It should be a topic of interest to you, which may include doing fieldwork on some aspect of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender culture(s). You may also do a book review or a research paper using libraries and references from anthropological literature. Further details on the term paper are posted at the course website.

Quizzes

The quizzes are designed to help keep you on track with the reading. There are three scheduled through the semester. They are worth twenty-five points each, and are composed of a combination of multiple-choice and true-false questions. Your first attempt at the quizzes is the only attempt that will be graded. If you take the a quiz again, which you are free to do for practice, it will not count toward your final grade. Do not begin a quiz until you are ready to take it and submit your answers for grading.

In addition to the three quizzes, there will be a final exam worth 50 points total. It will also be timed.

Your course grade will be based on the following:

Thirteen discussion postings (13 x 10), total points possible = 130

Three quizzes (3 x 25), total points possible = 75

Research Paper (100 points), total points possible = 100

Final Test (50 points), total points possible = 50

Course total points possible: 355 (weird number, but, oh well)

The course grade will likely be based on percentages (90% and up is an A, 80 to 89% is a B, etc.), but I will grade on a curve if necessary.

Attendance and Participation

Successful online learning requires active participation. This includes weekly participation in the discussions, working on assignments, and taking quizzes. You are required to log in to this course at least once every two or three days (or at least three times a week) and to participate actively in the discussion as described above. Respect for one another is critical. I expect everyone to follow the Student Code of Conduct as described in the Student Handbook. Inappropriate language, such as offensive slang or put-downs, swearing, or hateful speech, will not be tolerated. Please treat others in this course with the same level of respect that you would like to be treated.

For absence due to prolonged serious illness, personal emergency, or technical problems, you are expected to let me know as soon as possible. If you cannot finish the course, please be aware that withdrawal is not automatic. Because participation is so important, you may be withdrawn from the course if you have not participated in course activities for two weeks. But, again, do not assume that you will drop you from the class if you stop participating; it is ultimately your responsibility to drop the course.

Late assignments will not be accepted. Assignments are due by the listed due date and time. If you know you will not be able to log in or have access to a computer on the day an assignment is due, email it to the instructor, or drop a hard copy at the office (Batmale 340).

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism

To plagiarize is to steal and use the ideas and writings of another as one's own. CCSF requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student, and as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. The instructor has the right to issue an immediate F to anyone found plagiarizing or cheating on a test. Potential problems can be avoided by documenting all sources used (whether directly quoted or paraphrased) with references or citations. All work and reference lists must be submitted using the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. There are several websites that will guide you through proper MLA citations.

Student Services

Students who need academic accommodations should request them from the Disables Students Programs and Services (DSPS) located on the main campus (Ocean Campus) in Rosenberg Library Building, Room 323. Telephone numbers are 415/452-5481 (V) and 415/452-5451 (TDD). DSPS is the campus office responsible for verifying disability-related need for academic accommodations, assessing that need, and for planning accommodations in cooperation with students and instructors as needed and consistent with course requirements. Visit the CCSF DSPS homepage for further information.

Note: changes made to the syllabus during the semester may not be reflected here.