LANGUAGE AND GENDER

Consolidate advanced knowledge on the interaction of language form and language use, focusing on gender. (knowledge and understanding)
Enforce the capacity to critically read current theoretical literature, formulate original hypotheses, collect data in support of a hypothesis, and present original empirical observations and theoretical proposals in an oral presentation. (applying knowledge and understanding, independent judgement)
Manage AI tools with competence and ethics for retrieving bibliographic resources, accessing resources in unknown languages, drafting and copy-editing, as well as creating materials to present one's own research (independent judgement)

1. Knowledge and understanding
The student knows current theories of grammatical and semantic gender and the typology of the expression of gender across languages.
The student knows the main issues on the inclusive expression of gender in English as compared to other languages.
The student knows the main qualitative and quantitative methods for the study of gender in its formal and cultural dimension.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding
The student knows how to conduct a bibliographical search on an empirical domain, using web resources such as catalogues (Cerca'; Opac; ecc.); and digital archives (Wos, Scopus, MLA International Bibliography, LLBA, Ebrary, Ebsco, etc).
The student knows how to select bibliographical resources, use them in a critical fashion, point out convergences and divergences between alternative hypotheses, spelling out empirical predictions and the contribution of each hypothesis to the understanding of the phenomenon, pointing out the empirical fieldwork needed to validate alternative hypotheses.
The student knows how to conduct fieldwork, with one or more of the following methodologies: create stimuli for data elicitation, collect grammaticality judgements, create on-line questionnaires, collect a corpus, consult existing corpora, collect data from reference grammars and language descriptions, etc.
The student knows how to analyse the collected data according to well-established methods in generative grammar.
The student knows how to annotate the data collected to make it accessible to the general scientific community.

3. Making judgements:
The student is able to formulate empirically and theoretically grounded original hypotheses, capturing the microvariation, or the macrovariation found across languages of different families and/or language groups in expressing gender in particular as regards inclusive language tools.
The student is able to provide relevant linguistic data in favour of their hypothesis, point out possible counterarguments and treat them with independent hypotheses.
The student is able to capture points of divergence and convergence between alternative hypotheses and operate a synthesis of the two
The student is able to discuss quantitative data collected by themselves through fieldwork or others and found in the literature.

4. Communication skills. The student is able to
- present an original phenomenon with sound argumentation and appropriate terminology;
- produce adequate materials for a 15minute presentation (ppt, handout, poster);
- write an informative abstract (500 words);
- provide 7-10 adequate keywords for the indexation of the contribution
- evaluate the abstract of a peer with fair judgement and critical capacity.

5. learning skills: The student is able to
- continue her/his empirical and theoretical research in the master thesis or in future PhD curriculum
- collaborate in gender-fair language activities, respecting the structure of the language and at the same time the inclusive issues of current societies.

Basic knowledge of Linguistics, Syntax, Morphology, Lexicon, Semantics, Sociolinguistics, Psycholinguistics
Excellent competence of English (B2.2 or C1)

Why study Language and Gender: aims and goals of the course, methodological introduction
A typological perspective of gender as a formal feature
Cultural biases associated with role nouns across languages
Disentangling cultural biases from linguistic form
Non-binary gender neo-formations
Communication policies and guidelines
Attitudes towards inclusive communication
Human and Machine Translation
Bibliographical search and critical reading
Personal project drafting and abstract submission
Abstract peer reviewing
Conference attendance
Data collection
Project development
Project presentations and discussion

Gygax PM, Elmiger D, Zufferey S, Garnham A, Sczesny S, von Stockhausen L, Braun F and Oakhill J. 2019. A language index of grammatical gender dimensions to study the impact of grammatical gender on the way we perceive women and men. Frontiers in Psychology 10 - 2019. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01604
Prewitt-Freilino, Jennifer L., T. Andrew Caswell, Emmi K. Laakso 2012. The Gendering of Language: A Comparison of Gender Equality in Countries with Gendered, Natural Gender, and Genderless Languages. Sex Roles 66:268-281. DOI 10.1007/s11199-011-0083-5.
Misersky J, Gygax PM, Canal P, Gabriel U, Garnham A, Braun F, Chiarini T, Englund K, Hanulikova A, Ottl A, Valdrova J, von Stockhausen L, Sczesny S. 2014. Norms on the gender perception of role nouns in Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, and Slovak. Behav Res Methods. 2014 Sep;46(3):841-71. doi: 10.3758/s13428-013-0409-z. PMID: 24163213.
Richy, Célia & Heather Burnett (2021). Démêler les effets des stéréotypes et le genre grammatical dans le biais masculin : une approche expérimentale. GLAD 10. https://doi.org/10.4000/glad.2839
Ducoli, Maria; Giuliana Giusti; Gianluca Lebani (2024). Districare gli stereotipi dal genere semantico in italiano. Una ricerca psicolinguistica. Lingua Inclusiva. Forme, funzioni, atteggiamenti, e percezioni. De Cesare, Anna-Maria e Giuliana Giusti (eds), Ca' Foscari Digital Editions. https://edizionicafoscari.it/it/edizioni4/libri/978-88-6969-867-5/
Bradley, Evan D. 2020. The influence of linguistic and social attitudes on grammaticality judgements of singular 'they'. Language Sciences 78, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2020.101272
Parks, J.B., Roberton, M.A. Development and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Attitudes Toward Sexist/Nonsexist Language. Sex Roles 42, 415–438 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007002422225
Altri testi:
Corbett, G. 1991. Gender. Cambridge University Press.
Giusti, G. & G. Iannàccaro (eds.) 2020. Language, gender and hate speech. A multidisciplinary approach. Venezia, Edizioni Ca' Foscari. https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/it/edizioni/libri/978-88-6969-479-0/
Giuliana Giusti, Daniel Elmiger, Federica Marenghi, Viviana Patti and Gabriela Zunino (eds) (2026). LaGendA: gender-inclusive language, institutional policies and AI. Special Issue of Linguistik online. https://bop.unibe.ch/linguistik-online/issue/view/1557

Oral presentation on an original topic. The presentation is preferably delivered in one of the last classes. Through the presentation, the acquisition of the following abilities and capacities will be assessed
capacity of bibliographical search and critical reading
capacity of formulating original and consistent research questions
ability to collect/provide data with sound methodology
ability to present the preliminary results of one's research to an academic audience

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

The final evaluation will be graded 18-24 (sufficient); 25-27 (good), 28-29 (very good), 30-30 cum laude (excellent), according the following parameters:
participation in the activities in person and the virtual classroom (20% = 1-6);
critical use of the references (20% = 1-6);
originality and precise definition of the research questions (20% = 1-6);
methodological accuracy in data collection (20% = 1-6);
presentation to an academic audience of the preliminary results of one's research (20% = 1-6).

Lectures, students' presentations, virtual classroom.
Students are warmly invited to the research seminars in Linguistics.