K OÇ UNIVERSITY
D EPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
F
ALL
2011
Instructor: Dikmen Bezmez
Office: Social Sciences 185
Phone: (212) 338 1472
Email: dbezmez@ku.edu.tr
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 15:30-16:30
Class Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 14:00-15:15
COURSE DESCRIPTION
How is gender linked to urban space? Does it matter to be a man or a woman in a city? What about the experience of LGBT people? In what terms does space matter, when it comes to gender? How does it shape our identities? How does it shape our everyday lives, for example our prospects for work? What are the inequalities that people suffer from in this context? How do they resist such inequalities? Are there any prospects for change? What is the impact of globalization on such inequalities and resistances? These are some of the questions that this course will be dealing with. Gender matters, when it comes to our experiences of urban space and in this course, we will try to understand the different dimensions of such experiences, their underlying reasons, as well as diverse aspects of any prospects of change.
COURSE ORGANIZATION AND REQUIREMENTS
Lectures: Lectures will not only focus and clarify material in the readings but also provide additional information. Students are expected to be informed about both the reading material content and in-class lectures and discussions.
Exams: We will have one mid-term, four pop-up quizzes, one final and one student group project presentation. All exams will be in essay format.
Grading: The final grade will be computed as follows:
Midterm % 20
Final % 50
Project Presentation % 15
Pop-up Quizzes % 15
Make-up exams: You can take make-up exams only if you have documented medical emergencies (There will be no make-up exams for the pop-up quizzes). There will be only one make-up exam.
In-class participation: Your participation in class discussions will be considered during final grading as well.
Announcements in class: Students are responsible for all announcements made in classes even if they are absent that day.

COURSE SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
PART 1: GENDER, IDENTITY & THE URBAN SPACE
Week 1: An Introduction
(Sept. 20) Going over the syllabus, requirements, how to access reading material. Group project requirements will be discussed.
(Sept. 22) McDowell, L. (1999) Gender, Identity and Place. Polity Press: Cambridge. CH 1:
“Introduction: Place and Gender”
Week 2: Gender, Identity and the Urban Space
(Sept. 27) McDowell, L. (1999) Gender, Identity and Place. Polity Press: Cambridge. CH 3:
“Home, Place and Identity”.
(Sept. 29) McDowell, L. (1999) Gender, Identity and Place. Polity Press: Cambridge. CH 4:
“Community, City and Locality”.
Week 3: Gender, Identity & the Urban Space
(Oct. 4) McDowell, L. (1999) Gender, Identity and Place.
Polity Press: Cambridge. CH 6: “In
Public: The Street and Spaces of Pleasure”
(Oct. 6) Simonsen, K. and Vaiou, D. (1996) “Women’s Lives and the Making of the City:
Experiences from ‘North’ and ‘South’ of Europe”,
International Journal of Urban and
Regional Research, 20 (3): 446-465.
PART II: GENDER, IDENTITY AND THE URBAN SPACE (Cont.)
Week 4: Finding Oneself, Losing Oneself: The Lesbian and Gay ‘Scene’
(Oct. 11) Valentine, G. And Skelton, T. (2003) “Finding Oneself, Losing Oneself: The
Lesbian and Gay ‘Scene’ as a Paradoxical Space”, International Journal of Urban and
Regional Research, , 27 (4): 849-867.
(Oct. 13) Collins, P. R. (2005) “Identity, Mobility, and Urban Place-Making: Exploring Gay
Life in Manila”, Gender and Society, 19 (1): 180-198.
Week 5: Finding Oneself, Losing Oneself: The Lesbian and Gay ‘Scene’
(Oct. 18) Adler, S. and Brenner, J. (2005) “Gender and Space: Lesbians and Gay Men in the
City”, in J. Lin and C. Mehle (eds.),
The Urban Sociology Reader, London: Routledge.
(Oct. 20) Donham, D. L. (2005) “Freeing South Africa: The ‘Modernization’ of Male-Male
Sexuality in Soweto”, in J. Lin and C. Mehle (eds.),
The Urban Sociology Reader, London:
Routledge.

Week 6:
(Oct. 25-27) Documentary: The Times of Harvey Milk, Response papers and discussion
Week 7: Migrant Women
(Nov. 1) Weyland, P.(1997) “Gendered Lives in Global Spaces”, in A. Öncü and P. Weyland
(eds.), Space, Culture and Power. Zed Books: London.
(Nov. 3) Çelik, A. B. (2005) “‘I miss my village!’ Forced Kurdish Migrants in Istanbul and their Representation in Associations”,
New Perspectives on Turkey , 32: 137-165.
Week 8: No Class
Week 9: Migrant Women
(Nov. 15) Şen, L (2005) “Poverty Alleviation, Conflict and Power in Poor Displaced
Households: A Study of the Views of Women in Diyarbakır”,
New Perspectives on Turkey ,
32: 113-137.
(Nov. 17) MID-TERM
PART III: GENDER & URBAN LABOR
Week 10: Gender & Urban Labor
(Nov. 22-24) Documentary-Discussion
Week 11: Gender & Urban Labor
(Nov. 29) White, J. (1994) Money Makes Us Relatives. University of Texas Press: Austin. CH
1: Introduction (p. 1-18).
(Dec. 1) McDowell, L. (2003) “Masculine Identities and Low-paid Work: Young Men in
Urban Labour Markets”,
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 27 (4): 828-
849.
Week 12: Gender & Urban Labor
(Dec. 6) McDowell, L. (2008) “The New Economy, Class Condescension and Caring Labour:
Changing Formations of Class and Gender”, Nordic Journal of Women’s Studies,
16 (3): 150-
165.
PART IV: URBAN CITIZENSHIP: THE RIGHT TO THE GENDERED CITY
(Dec. 8) Holston, J. and Appadurai, A. (1999) “Cities and Citizenship” in J. Holston (ed.),
Cities and Citizenship. Duke University Press: Durham.
Week 13: Urban Citizenship: The Right to the Gendered City

(Dec. 13) Isin, E. (2000) “Introduction: Democracy, Citizenship and the City”, in E. Isin (ed.),
Democracy, Citizenship and the Global City. Routledge: London.
(Dec. 15) Wekerle, G.R. (2000) “Women’s Rights to the City: Gendered Spaces of a
Pluralistic Citizenship”, in Işın E.F. (ed.),
Democracy, Citizenship and the Global City. New
York: Routledge.
Week 14: Urban Citizenship: The Right to the Gendered City
(Dec. 20) Fenster, T. (2005) “The Right to the Gendered City: Different Formations of
Belonging in Everyday Life”,
Journal of Gender Studies, 14 (3): 217-231.
PART V: STUDENT PROJECTS
(Dec. 22) Group Project Presentations
Week 15:
(Dec. 27-29) Group Project Presentations