ANTH308

This course examines the construction of gender and sexuality in cross-cultural perspective. We will examine the meanings of masculinity and femininity in different societies and how women's and men's lives are shaped by constructions of gender and sexuality. We begin the semester by exploring how societies create gender differences through body modification practices, the relationship between the categories of gender and sex, and the cultural construction of sexuality. Next we survey how differences in the organization of kinship, reproduction, labor and religion affect the construction of gender across cultures. In the third part of the course, we read an ethnography that shows how these various aspects of society shape the construction of gender and sexuality in one community. We conclude the course by considering international efforts to transform gender relations.