Gendered Identities and Representations in Culture, Communication and Media

GENDERED IDENTITIES AND REPRESENTATIONS IN CULTURE, COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA

(READINGS AND TRANSLATION IN GENDER STUDIES)

Elective Course

Full-time Programme, Semester 8

Academic year: 2001/2002

COURSE OUTLINE

Teacher: Thun, Éva

“What does it mean to position translation within cultural studies? It means, principally, that the terms “culture”, “identity” and “gender” are not taken for granted but are themselves the object of inquiry. They are no longer self-explanatory notions which can be used unquestioningly. “Culture’, for instance, has often been used in translation studies as if it referred to an obvious and unproblematic reality. It fact, “culture” is one of the most embattled and ambiguous notions in contemporary thought, the site of much stimulation debate. Translation studies have much to gain from theses debates, just as they can bring an important linguistic dimension to them.”

Simon, Sherry. Gender in Translation. Cultural Identity and the Politics of Transmission..

London and New York: Routledge, 1996.

“As codified in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all people have the right to "seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontier." This implies that it is essential for women and marginalized groups to gain access to all means of communication and public expression, including the mass media; non-commercial access to broadcasting spectrum and communications technology; and a say in the direction of technology development. To guarantee women the fundamental human right to communicate, civil society must be empowered to hold national and international media accountable. Full, gender-balanced participation of civil society in regulatory bodies must be ensured. Codes of ethics must be articulated that respect the vital norms of pluralism, human rights and gender balance. Both gender mainstreaming and special programs are required to create an enabling environment that fosters women's equality in the media professions.”

Declaration to UNGASS of the NGO Caucus on Women and Media

New York, June 7, 2000

• Gender and translation. Cultural identity and the politics of transmission: A critical overview of cultural theories in translation;
• Missed connections: transporting Anglo-American feminisms to the Hungarian Academe;
• Translation as a gendered activity, issues of authority and responsibility;
• Texts and discourses from a variety of knowledge areas in gender studies and women’s studies (communication and media studies, literary theory, psychoanalysis, etc.)
• Developing a dictionary of gender studies;
• Individual projects.

Required Texts: Handouts

Course Requirements and Evaluation: "Gyakorlati Jegy"

Completion of Project 40%

Journal on reading texts 30%

Discussion and Attendance 30%

Time and place:

Thursday, 16:30-18:00 K213