Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 1 session / week, 3 hours / session

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Description

This course introduces scholarly debates about sexual identities, gender identities and expressions, and sexual orientation and its representation in film and literature. We begin with a contemporary debate about biology and gender identity, considering its relationship to the historical understanding of sex, gender, and sexual identity. Our investigation continues with the theoretical underpinnings of the emerging field of queer studies, from the nineteenth century to the present day, and considers how subsequent work in transgender studies continues to challenge traditional understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality.

Tracing theories of and about gender, sexuality and sexual identity over time, we will examine the genealogy of "queer" (and subsequently "trans") as a term that has emerged to trouble and challenge static and essentialized notions of sexual identity. The social, cultural, and political effect of "queer" has been to pose critical challenges to gay/lesbian/straight identities predicated on a sexual binary; now "trans" and "genderqueer" accomplish much the same thing with regard to gender identity. Queer studies shifts the focus of inquiry from sexual identities to sexual practices, many of which contradict traditional assumptions about the relationships between sex, gender, and sexuality. The course applies a philosophical consideration of key theoretical texts (Foucault, Freud, Butler, Rubin, etc.) to an exploration of the impact of those theories on historical and contemporary sexual and gender identities and communities, and their representation in popular culture.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to do the following:

• Explain how queer and trans theories have reconfigured notions of subjectivity and established sexual (and gender) identity as discursive and historically specific;
• Identify the contested aspects of "queer" as a term and a politically viable concept;
• Consider the intersection of gender and sexual identities with race, class, gender, ethnicity, age and disability;
• Consider how queer and trans theories inform and impact our understanding of gender identity, sexual identity, the family, popular culture and media representation, heterosexism and heteronormativity, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements and communities.

Required Texts

Foucault, Michel. History of Sexuality. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1990. ISBN: 9780679724698.

Freud, Sigmund. Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality. New York, NY: Basic Books, 1976. ISBN: 9780465086061.

Lorde, Audre. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name-A Biomythography. The Crossing Press, 1982. ISBN: 9780895941220.

Course Requirements

Attendance and Participation

Attendance and participation are critical to your success in this course. Each class session will focus on one or more topics and be accompanied by appropriate readings. Please be sure to read all assignments in advance, come to class on time and be prepared to discuss your reactions and ideas. Failure to attend will adversely affect your grade. Missing more than two weeks of class will cause you to fail the course. Active participation in discussion in class and online between classes is necessary to receive full credit.

Discussion Facilitation/Presentation

Each student will be responsible for presenting one assigned reading and facilitating discussion of the text in light of the week's theme. A good strategy for preparing this presentation is to generate discussion questions in advance of class and present a short summary of the main points before posing questions about it to the class, and making connections to the other assigned readings for the week.

Critical Response Papers

Two short critical response papers (3-4 pages each) will be due during the semester. These essays are opportunities for you to reflect on a key concept through a close critical reading of one text, or a comparison of two. You may wish to pursue a theoretical question raised in our online discussions or in class in more detail in your critical response papers.

Final Paper/Project

The final research paper or project represents the cumulative effort of your work this semester. It should be 12-15 pages in length. The final will demonstrate your proficiency in applying concepts relevant to queer and trans theory we have been studying to a topic of your choice. This assignment may also be created as a web presentation for publication in conjunction with OpenCourseWare.