AS Language work in my absence

Clevernesses,

I am rotten ill (I've been in and out of hospital over the past few days) with a resurgence of the chest infection that knocked me sideways a few months ago - apparently I didn't let it get better properly!

When I've been able to do a little work between heavy doses of painkillers, I've read some great comments on my articles and really perceptive ones that you've written on one another's articles. Try not to repeat what others have said - make new points about style or grammar as well as content. On the articles that I have posted, really try and engage with the ideas by stating opinions, asking questions, identifying what is problematic/puzzling and doing some follow-up reading (finding out about content but also paying attention to the style in which ideas are written and ensuring you understand the finer points of vocabulary and grammar that have been used).

If possible, always read the comments that people have left on articles that I link to (what Dave Gorman refers to as the 'bottom half of the internet') - they are always stimulating!

I've read all of your assessments so I know what you need to find out more about with regards to gender, so here are some research points to work on (in any order):

• Deborah Cameron's discursive approach to gender (the effect of context, 'doing' gender)
• Dale Spender and Pamela Fishman's challenges to what other theorists have said
• O'Barr and Atkins's challenge to deficit theory
• Mary Beard's ideas about women's voices not being valued
• Beattie's challenge to Zimmerman and West - evaluating data
• John Grey's popular book 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus'
• The effect of written and computer-mediated forms on gendered language

Keep a bibliography and make notes ready to feed back - I hope I will be back on Friday. We will be feeding back from the assessment and will be re-writing the essay you did in the assessment, so do some preparatory work to ensure you know enough theory and terminology and examples to use.

In between doing that, do some more reading and commenting on the class blogs, including mine. Work on basic grammar too - there is a fixed post at the top of my blog, but if you search the archives (or the internet!) you will find others.

That should keep you productively busy.

If you need any support, please email me.

Halla