Cheris Kramarae facts for kids
Dr. Cheris Kramarae is a smart person who studies how people communicate. She focuses on topics like gender, language, technology, and education. She is especially known for her ideas about "muted group theory." She also helped write a special book called A Feminist Dictionary.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Cheris Kramarae went to college and earned several degrees. She got her first degree from South Dakota State University. Then, she earned a master's degree from Ohio University. In 1975, she finished her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She studied communication and how language is used in society. Today, she is a visiting professor at the University of Oregon. She is also a professor emerita at the University of Illinois. This means she is a retired professor who still has a special connection to the university.
Teaching Career
After finishing her Ph.D., Dr. Kramarae started teaching. In 1978, she became a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana. She taught speech communication until 1985. Later, in 1988, she moved to the University of Oregon. There, she helped lead the Center for the Study of Women in Society.
From 1991 to 1996, Dr. Kramarae returned to the University of Illinois. She helped start and organize a center called Women, Information Technology & Scholarship (WITS). This center focused on women, technology, and learning. Starting in 1993, she also directed the Women's Studies program at the University of Illinois. She has been a visiting professor at the University of Oregon since 1996. She also worked as an International Dean at the Women's University in Germany.
Research
Dr. Kramarae's research mainly looks at gender, language, communication, technology, and education. She studies how women experience higher education. She has written many books and articles about how women communicate using technology. She also explores how this might be different for men and women. Dr. Kramarae is most famous for her work on muted group theory and for A Feminist Dictionary.
Muted Group Theory
Dr. Kramarae is widely known for her ideas about muted group theory (MGT). This theory explores how different groups use power, especially through language. It suggests that language is shaped by culture. Since men have historically held more power, language has often been created from a male point of view. This can make it harder for women's ideas to be heard or understood.
Muted group theory has three main ideas:
- Men and women see the world differently. This is because they have different life experiences.
- Men use their power to prevent women's ideas from becoming widely known.
- Women often have to change their way of speaking. They might need to use language that fits the male-dominated way of talking.
Based on this, Dr. Kramarae believes that language can be a tool. It can be used by powerful groups to make other groups feel less important. It can also stop them from fully participating in society.
A Feminist Dictionary
Dr. Kramarae is also well-known for helping to write A Feminist Dictionary. This book is a special kind of dictionary. She created it with Ann Russo and Paula Treichler. It includes over 2,500 words and their definitions. But these definitions are written from a feminist point of view. This book was later reprinted with a new title: Amazons, Bluestockings and Crones: A Feminist Dictionary.
Activism
In 1977, Dr. Kramarae became involved with the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP). This is a non-profit organization in America. It works to help women communicate more with each other. It also helps the public find media created by women.
See also
