CAS 455Topics in Gender and Communication

3 credits · Communication Arts and Sciences · Penn State

This course examines how research and theory in communication can be applied to a range of gender issues. Early communication scholarship emphasized differences between the communication styles of (presumably cisgender, heterosexual) men and women. In contrast, more recent scholarship challenges this cisheterosexist gender binary by attending to a diversity of genders and sexualities. Current scholarship also approaches gender and sexuality in their complexity by treating them as aspects of power and identity that intersect in meaningful ways with others (such as race, class, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, and so on). Against the backdrop of these scholarly developments, not to mention contemporary controversies, it can be difficult to keep up and make sense of the shifting terrain of gender and sexuality. But current research and theory from the field of communication can help. This course introduces students to foundational scholarship on the social construction of gender through communication in both interpersonal relationships and social institutions. Then the class grapples together with applying this research and theory to shared case studies. Depending on the specific section of the course and the professor's expertise, these case studies may explore issues in interpersonal communication and relationships, rhetorical studies and public discourse, or other special topics. The course is recommended for all students in CAS and WMNST, as well as any student who would like to develop their own informed, critical perspectives and communicate more effectively about gender and sexuality.