California State University, Long Beach - Departments of Anthropology and Linguistics

Resource Archive for Language and Gender

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EDUCATION

 

 

Degrees University Department RESEARCH FOCUS year

Postdoctoral Fellowship Anthropology

University of California,  

Los Angeles

Department of Psychiatry 

and 

Biobehavioral Sciences

Medical Anthropology

 

 

1994

Ph.D.

Anthropology

University of California,

Los Angeles

Department of Anthropology

The Maintenance and Loss of Female and Male Signs in the Dublin Deaf Community

Thesis Advisor: 

Paul Kroskrity, Ph.D.

1990

M.A.

Anthropology

University of California,

Los Angeles

Department of Anthropology

Marking Ethnic Identity in Signed Conversations

Thesis Advisor:  

Paul Kroskrity, Ph.D.

1983

B.A.

University of California,

Berkeley

Departments of Linguistics and Anthropology

Honors Thesis Advisor: John Gumperz, Ph.D.

1979
Certification        

C.S.C.

(Comprehensive Skills Certificate)

Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                         

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LANGUAGES

 

 

American Sign Language, Irish Sign Language, spoken French

 

 

 

 

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EMPLOYMENT IN ACADEMIA

 

 

 

 

teaching courses taught committee work research experience

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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teaching

 

 

Position University Department Duration
Professor California State University, Long Beach Anthropology & Linguistics 2004-present
Associate Professor California State University, Long Beach Anthropology & Linguistics 2001-2004
Assistant Professor California State University, Long Beach Linguistics & Anthropology 1997-2001

Full-Time Lecturer  

 

 California State University, Long Beach Anthropology & Lingusitics 1996-1997

Part-Time Lecturer

 

 California State University, Long Beach   Linguistics  1991,1992

Part-Time Lecturer

 

 California State University, Long Beach Anthropology 1988-1994
Teaching Assistant University of California,  Los Angeles Anthropology, & Psychology Departments, &  the Honors College 1984-1988
Teaching Assistant

 University of California,  Berkeley

 Linguistics  1977

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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courses taught

 

 

Teaching Fellow

Undergraduate Courses  (click on highlighted classes for syllabi)

Combined Graduate and Undergraduate courses

Graduate courses

 

 

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committee work

 

 

Anthropology Linguistics
Graduate Committee Curriculum Committee and former Chair 
Grade Appeals Committee TESL Lecturer Search Committee 
Faculty Merit Increase Award Committee Linguistics MA Comprehensive Exam Committee 
Awards Committee Chair Faculty Merit Increase Award Committee
Graduate Student Advisor (1999-2000) Graduate Student Advisor (2000-2001)
Applied Anthropology Search Committee Chair (2001)  

 

College and University Committees
CLAD Academy 
ITEP Social Science Committee
CLA Joint App. Committee
GE Revitalization Theme Committee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Research-related work history

 

 

Position University and Department Duration

Postdoctoral Fellow in

Medical Anthropology

Neurop. Institute in the Department of Psych. Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA

1993-1994

Medical Anthropology Research focus:  

Effects of medical intervention on women's reproductive health experiences.  Worked with large corpus of interview and quantitative data  comparing class (mostly lower and middle-class, with a few upper class women in the sample), ethnicity (Latinas, and Euro-Americans) and religion (Catholic and non-Catholic Christians). 

Research Assistant

(Assisted Dr. Wendell Oswalt in the revision of the workbook to accompany his textbook, Life Cycles and Lifeways)

Anthropology Department,

University of California,

Los Angeles

1985

Research Assistant

( Assisted Dr. Carol Padden in a literacy study through investigation of children's fingerspelling in American Sign Language)

Communications Department,

University of California,  

San Diego  

1984  

Research Assistant

(Assisted Dr. Nancy Henley in studies on language and gender)

Psychology Department, 

University of California,  

Los Angeles  

1983  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PUBLICATIONS

 

 

LeMaster, B.  2006.  "Language Contraction, Revitalization and Irish Women."  Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 16:2:211-228

LeMaster, B. and L. Monaghan. 2006. “Variation in Sign Languages.”  Reprinted in Monaghan, Leila (editor), Cultural Approach to Interpersonal Communication.  Pp. 426-430.

LeMaster, B. and L. Monaghan. 2004. "Variation in Sign Languages." In Alessandro Duranti (Ed.) A Companion to Linguistic Anthropology.

                     Blackwell Press. Pp. 141-166.

LeMaster, B. 2003. "School Language and Shifts in Irish Deaf Identity." In Leila Monaghan, Constance Schmaling, Karen Nakamura, and

                     Graham Turner (Eds.), Many Ways to be Deaf: International Variation in Deaf Communities. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press. Pp. 153-172.

LeMaster, B. 2002. What Difference does Difference Make?: Negotiating gender and generation in Irish Sign Language. In Benor, S., Rose,

                     M., Sharma, D., Sweetland, J, and Q. Zhang (eds.). Gendered Practices in Language. Stanford, California: CSLI Publications. Pp. 309-338.

LeMaster, B. and M. Hernandez-Katapodis. 2002. Learning to Play School: The Role of Topic in Gendered Discourse Roles among Preschoolers.

                     In Benor, S., Rose, M., Sharma, D., Sweetland, J, and Q. Zhang (eds.). Gendered Practices in Language.

                     Stanford, California: CSLI Publications. Pp. 213-236.

LeMaster, B. "Reappropriation of Gendered Irish Sign Language in One Family." Visual Anthropology Review. Volume 15, 

                     Number 2 Fall/Winter 1999-2000.

Press, N., C. H. Browner, D. Tram, C. Morton, & B. LeMaster. 1998c. "Provisional Normalcy and "Perfect Babies": Pregnant Women's Attitudes

                     Toward Disability in the Context of Prenatal Testing." In: Reproducing Reproduction: Kinship, Power, and Technological Innovation.

                     Sarah Franklin & Helena Ragoné (Editors). University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia.

LeMaster, B. 1998a. "Irish Deaf Identity." In Sign Language Communication Studies: The Quarterly of the Japan Institute for Sign Language Studies.

                     Published by the Japanese Institute for Sign Language Studies, an affiliate organization of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf. This

                     paper has been translated into the Japanese language. 1998.9, No. 29, pp. 12-19.

LeMaster, B., Megan Hitchcock, Orlando Sanchez, Tina Werner. 1999.  "Breaking the Silence:  Teaching 

                     children how to participate in structured teacher-student interactions."  Published in Engendering  

                      Communication, the Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Berkeley Women and Language 

                     Conference, April 24-26, 1998.  

LeMaster, B. 1998 "Irish Deaf Identity." In Sign Language Communication Studies: The Quarterly 

                     of the Japan Institute for Sign Language Studies. Published by the Japanese Institute for 

                     Sign Language Studies, an affiliate organization of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf. 

                     This paper has been translated into the Japanese language. Volume 1998.9, No. 29, pp. 12-19.

Press, N., C. H. Browner, D. Tram, C. Morton, & B. LeMaster.  1998.  "Provisional Normalcy and 

                      "Perfect Babies":  Pregnant Women's Attitudes Toward Disability in the Context of 

                      Prenatal Testing."  In:  Reproducing Reproduction:  Kinship, Power, and Technological 

                      Innovation.  Sarah Franklin & Helena RagonÈ (Editors).  University of Pennsylvania Press:  Philadelphia. 

LeMaster, B.  1997.  "Sex Differences in Irish Sign Language."  In:  The Life of Language:  Papers in Linguistics in 

                      Honor of William Bright.  Jane H. Hill, P. J. Mistry, Lyle Campbell (Editors)  Mouton De Gruyter

LeMaster, B.  1996.  Book review of Sociolinguistics of the Deaf Community solicited by and published in Language and Society, 

                      Volume 26, No. 3, pp. 433-436.  
LeMaster, B.  1996.  "The Ethics of Data."  Published in the American Anthropological Association newsletter, May 1996.  

LeMaster, B.  1993 "When Women and Men Talk Differently: Language and policy in the Dublin deaf community," for 

                       Irish Towns and Cities:  Anthropological Perspectives on Urban Life,  T. Wilson, H. Donnan, C. Curtin (editors).  

                      The Queen's University of Belfast: Belfast, Ireland.  

LeMaster, B. & J. Dwyer,  (1991)  Guest Co-Editors of Sign Language Studies journal, Volume 73, Winter 1991, Linstok Press: MD.  

LeMaster, B.  (1990).  The Maintenance and Loss of Female and Male Signs in the Dublin Deaf Community.  

                      Doctoral Dissertation.  UCLA:  CA.  

LeMaster, B.  (1986)  "The Deaf and Hearing Worlds: Language, identity and mediation."  Link, 

                     August pages 3-8, National Association of the Deaf, the Republic of Ireland.  

LeMaster, B. & S. Foran.  (1986)  "The Irish Sign Language." The Gallaudet Encyclopedia of Deaf People and Deafness,  

                     McGraw-Hill:NY.  

Padden, C. & B. LeMaster.  (1985)  "An Alphabet on Hand:  The acquisition of fingerspelling in Deaf Children."  

                     Sign Language Studies, volume 47, Linstok Press:MD.  

LeMaster, B.  (1977)  "The Education of the Deaf: A sub-community in the making." 

                     Kroeber Anthropological Society Papers,  volume 49, University of California, Berkeley: CA.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PRESENTATIONS

 

 

2006

"Preschool Communication without Gender" paper to be presented at the 4th International Gender and Language Association meetings in Valencia, Spain
2006

"Gendered Phonology in Irish Sign Language" poster to be presented at the 4th International Gender and Language Association meetings in Valencia, Spain with two CSULB graduate students: Rezenet Moges (Anthropology), and Christopher Trueblood (Linguistics).
2006 "Representing Language and Gender Scholarship in the Classroom" workshop to to be presented at the 4th International Gender and Language Association
meetings in Valencia, Spain with Amy Sheldon.
2006

"When Does Gender Matter in Preschool Communication" to be presented at the 103rd American Anthropological Association meetings in San Jose, November.
2005 “A theoretical framework for the analysis of sign languages globally:  The Case of Ireland,” presented at the American Anthropological Association meetings in Washington, DC, in December in a session I organized.
2005

“Positioning the Gaze: Ideological Constructions of Gendered ISL was to be presented at the 102nd American Anthropological Association meetings in San
Francisco, California, in November.  In Session called, “The Gendering of Contracting Languages and their Uses” organized by Jillian Cavanaugh and

Katherine Hoffman.  With the cancellation of the AAA meetings in SF, this session has moved to the AES meetings in San Diego, CA, April 9, 2005.
2004 “The Political Economy of Gendered Irish Sign Language (ISL): Going beyond the lexicon” for presentation at the 3rd International Gender and Language
Association (IGALA) meetings at Cornell University, June 2004.
2003 Presentation of research for CSULB Faculty Dinner Club in President Maxson’s garden in May 2003.
2003

“How does gender come to matter in school interaction?”  Invited presentation for Center for Language, Interaction, and Culture (CLIC) at UCLA in the Fall, 2003.  See url - http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/clic/speakers.htm
2003

“The Political Economy of Gendered Irish Sign Language” presented at the Language, Gender, and Political Economy workshop at the University of Toronto.  (Participation by invitation only.)
2003

 “Negotiating Gendered Boundaries, Sociocultural Practices, and Ideologies in Deaf Ireland” presented at the American Anthropological Association meetings in Chicago, Illinois, in November.  In Session called, “Crossing Talk: Transgressing gendered borders through linguistic practices” organized by Andra M. Jacobs and Chantal Tetreault.
2003

“The Political Economy of ‘Erasure’ in Gendered Irish Sign Language” presented at the CSULB International Brown Bag, 11/12/03.
2002 “The Political Economy of Community Discourses shaping the Role of Gendered Irish Sign Language Over Time” presented at IGALA in April, Lancaster
University, England.
2002

“The Role of Gender in Playing School when you don’t Speak the Language” presented with Jennilee Yoon and Nikole Lobb at IGALA in April, Lancaster University, England.
2002 “Research on gendered ISL from 1984 to 2002” invited lecture given at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.
2002 “Best Teaching Practices,” invited talk at the CSULB sixth annual GESI (General Education Summer Institute), August 20,2002.
2002

“The Semiotic and Linguistic Ideological Context of Change in Irish Sign Language” to be presented at the American Anthropological Association meetings in New Orleans, Louisiana, November, 2001.
2002

“The Role of Gender in Multilinguistic Preschools,” presented at the American Anthropological Association meetings in New Orleans, Louisiana, November, 2001 in a poster session with Nikole Lobb and Jennilee Yoon.
2001 “Anthropological Linguistics and Deaf Language Policies in the U.S.A. and Ireland: Public Debates and our Possible Roles” presented at the American
Anthropological Association meetings in Washington, DC.
2001 Poster on preschool research findings presented with Jennilee Yoon at the American Anthropological Association meetings in Washington, DC.
2000 “When Schools Divide People by Gender:  A study of female and male signs in Irish Sign Language”, presented to the Linguistic Anthropology Lab at UCLA, May 16, 4-6 p.m.
2000

“Learning how to be Gendered Beings in Preschool:  The 30% Rule in Public Discourse does not always apply.”  Presented with Mary Katapodis at the
International Gender and Language Association Meetings, at Stanford University in May.
2000

“What Difference does Difference Make?:  The Transmission of Female and Male Irish Sign Language over time.” .”  Presented at the International Gender and Language Association Meetings, at Stanford University in May.
2000

“Changes in Irish Sign Language,” presented in a public lecture at the St. Joesph’s Deaf Centre, Dublin, Ireland.  Sponsored by the Irish Deaf Society (IDS)
2000 “Doing Research with Irish Deaf People: A focus on Gendered Irish Sign Language.”A presentation given in the CSULB Fall Anthropology Colloquium series, November 2.

2000

   "The Question of Scholarly Engagement in Deaf Ireland," presented in a session called, "Language Movements and the Question of Scholarly Engagement", at the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in San Francisco, California, November, 2000.  

2000

 "The role of Literacy in Irish Deaf Identity," written by LeMaster & Coogan, in a session called, "Global Disclosure and Local Values: Cases from Hearing and Deaf Communities", at the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in San Fransisco, California, November, 2000

2000

 "Lexical Differences in gendered Irish Sign Language," presented to the UCLA Lignuistics Lab, February, 2000.

1999

 "Language Movements in Deaf Ireland" presented in a panel called "Linguistic Futures: Language Movements in Comparative Perspective" at the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, in Chicago, Illinois, November, 1999.

1999

 "Many Ways to be Deaf:  Exploring Irish Deaf Identity."  A guest lecture given at U.C.L.A. in May.  

1998

 “Contact Communities: Exploring the Interaction between Community Type & Linguistic Structure in Deaf Communities around the World,” in Poster session, “Sites of Interpretation: Communities, Spaces, Places. Presented at the 96t h Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in December.  

1998

"Breaking the Silence:  Teaching preschool children how to participate in structured teacher-student interactions." Presented at the Fifth Annual Berkeley Women and Language Conference, April 24-26, 1998. 

1998

 "Girls be Silent, Boys Make Noise."  Presented March 5, 1998 for CSULB Women's Resource Center to celebrate Women's History Month.

1998

  “Breaking the Silence.” Presented at the CLA Dean’s Brown Bag.1998 in preparation for the Berkeley Women and Language Conference. Given with co-
presenters Orlando Sanchez & Tina Werner.  

1998

 "Gender and Communication:  Considerations for Teaching Assistants."  Given for the Women and Sicentific Literacy Project for teaching assistants in the
Biology Department.  Given at CSULB Center for Faculty Development January 21, 1998.  

1997

 "Feminine Silence:  Learning How to use Silence in Preschool."  To be presented at the 95th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November, Washington, D.C.  I am also the organizer and chair of the session, "The Emodiment of Feminine Voices" in which this paper will be presented.  (I will co-author this paper.  Co-authors yet to be determined from SPEAK research group.)  

1997

 "Irish Deaf Identity."  To be presented at the 95th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November, Washington, D.C.  The session focuses on deaf identity in communities around the world.  The local deaf community will be invited to attend this session, particularly the Gallaudet
University community.  

1996

 "Moving Beyond the Deaf/Hearing Ethnic Dichotomy."  Presented at the 94th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November, San Francisco. 

1996

 "Language and Identity Revisited:  Moving from homogeneous heterogeneity to complex multiplicity."  Session organized by me at the 94th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November, San Francisco.   

1996

 "Cultural Differences in how pregnant women view disability, and their effects on termination decisions."  Presented at the CSULB conference, "Women In Action:  Facing the Challenges of the 21st Century," March 29, 1996.  

1995

  "The Ethics of Data."  Presented at the Special Event, "Ethics in the 21st Century:  New Directions for Linguistic Anthropology, at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November 16, 1995, Washington, D.C.  

1995

 "Pregnant Women's Perceptions of Disability and their Implications for Prenatal Testing."  Presented at the 6th Annual Long Beach Research Symposium
conference, November 17, 1995, sponsored by Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, CSULB, and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Long Beach.  

1995

 "Doing Applied Anthropology means Meeting Community Needs."  Presented at the Southern California Applied Anthropology Network, California State
University, Fullerton, October 1995.  

1994

 "Discourse as a Site of Struggle"  Presented at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, December, Atlanta, Georgia.  

1993

 "How Prenatal Testing for Disability is Transforming the Foundational Meanings of Reproduction in America."  Presented by co-author at the 92nd Annual
Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November 18, 1993, Washington, D.C.  

1992

 "Language and Identity:  The exploration of universal versus culture-specific sign language varieties."  Fourth International Conference on Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research.  UC San Diego 5-8 August, 1992.  

1992

 "Bilingualism in the United States and the constitutional amendment to make English our nation's official language."  Presented for the Human Development program (sponsor) at California State University, Long Beach.  

1991

 Paper on gossip presented to a conference on women in anthropology at CSU, Sacramento.  Presented with Fitzpatrick, and Meriwether.  

1990

1991

1992

 Panel Presentation on Perinatal Bereavement for Resolve Through Sharing Bereavement Counselor Certification Training at Memorial Hospital of Long Beach.

1990

 Chair of double session, "Linguistic Variation in Deaf Sign Languages."  88th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (New Orleans).  

1990

 "The Distributional Knowledge of Female and Male Signs in Dublin, Ireland."  88th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (New
Orleans).  

1990

 "Language Variation is Normal:  The use of American Sign Language in the Classroom."  Ethics in Deaf America:  Education and Language. California State University, Northridge.

1988

 "Can Men use women's language?  An investigation of cross-gender linguistic knowledge."  87th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (Phoenix).  

1987

 "The Loss of Women's Sign Language in Dublin, Ireland:  A signal of social identity shift."  Southwestern Anthropological Association meetings (Bakersfield, California).  

1987

 "Female and Male Signs in the Dublin Deaf Community:  A preliminary investigation of their linguistic and sociolinguistic differences."  Fourth International Sympoisium on Sign Language Research (Finland - paper delivered by colleague).  

1987

 "Some Quantitative and Qualitative considerations of Gender Language differences in Dublin, Ireland."  86th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (Chicago).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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RESEARCH INTERESTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

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AWARDS AND HONORS

 

 

Year

Title
2004 Recipient of the CSULB Wang Nomination for Social and Behavioral Sciences
2004

CSULB Mini-Grant (for ISL project)
2003-2005

National Science Foundation (NSF) (extended to 2006 with supplement pending)
2003 Recipient of the CSULB Wang Nomination for Social and Behavioral Sciences
2003

CSULB Scholarly and Creative Achievement Award (for release time)
2002 CSULB Scholarly and Creative Achievement Mini-Grant (for ISL project)
2001-2002 Distinguished Teaching Faculty Award (University level)
2001

CSULB Scholarly and Creative Achievement Mini-Grant (for preschool project)

2000- 2001  

Spencer Foundation Small Research Grant,

2000

CSULB College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Scholarly and Creative Activity Award

1998-1999

CSULB Faculty Merit Increase (FMI)

1999

CSULB Faculty Career Enhancement Award

1999

Department Chair's selection for Outstanding Faculty Achievement in Anthropology

1997-1998

Department Chair's selection for Outstanding Faculty Achievement in Linguistics

1996-1997

Department Chair's selection for Outstanding Faculty Achievement in Linguistics

1996-1998

CSULB Faculty Merit Increase (FMI)

1998

CSULB CLA Scholarly and Creative Activity Award

1998

CSULB Faculty Career Enhancement Award
1996-1997 CSULB Performance Salary Increase 
1993-1994 UCLA Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences

1986-1988

UCLA Anthropology Department Fellow

1986-1987

UCLA Distinguished Scholar

1985-1986

1987-1988

 UCLA Anthropology departmental doctoral dissertation research grant

1985-1986

University Women's Club Merit Scholarship

1985-1986

Social Science Research Council Alternate

1985-1986