Queer Theory/Queer Lives
Spring
2007, University of New Mexico
Instructors:
This course investigates queer theory and the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people as addressed in empirical studies, narratives, film and activism. We will explore how gender and sexual identities intersect with race, class, ethnicity, age and disability. Our areas of inquiry will include identity, community, popular culture, violence and social movements. We will critically analyze which texts have been considered central to "queer theory" and which have been marginalized.
As instructors,
we aim to create a learning atmosphere that fosters critical and scholarly
thinking, writing, and discussion. We want you as students to go beyond merely
digesting other people's ideas to actively engage with the material and to
critique both commonly held assumptions and academic theories about gender,
sexuality and LGBTIQ people. Some of the ideas presented may challenge your
thinking about gender, sexuality, race, disability and other dimensions of
identity and social life. If you feel uncomfortable with explicit discussions
of gender and sexuality, heterosexuality and homosexuality, race and racism,
gay rights, feminism and other movements for social change, this may not be the
class for you. (Learning, of course, is about being open to new ideas and
willing to struggle with intellectual and social contradictions.)
We will do
everything we reasonably can to help you meet your goals in this course and to
maintain a respectful classroom atmosphere. We expect you to do the same.
Please see one of us or contact us by email to talk about any questions,
revelations, problems with the material, our presentation of it, or classroom
dynamics.
Clare, Eli
(1999). Exile and Pride.
Boston: South End Press.
Larsen, Nella
(2003 [1929]). Passing.
Penguin Books.
Films: Brokeback
Mountain (Ang Lee 2005),
Imagine Me & You
(Parker 2005), Butch Mystique
(Wilson 2003), Paris is Burning
(Livingston 1990) -- viewing requirements and screenings TBA.
Articles and
book excerpts available on E-Reserves. E-Reserves password: queer
You are
required to use the web and email for this class. There is a website for the class which
you should check regularly (www.unm.edu/~erbaugh/QueerSpr07/home.html).
The syllabus, assignments, study questions, and pertinent links will be posted
on the website. Please go to http://its.unm.edu/email/listsignup.html
and add yourself to the class listserv, named QTQL07-L (there is also a "subscribe to the
listserv" link at the website). We will email you with important
announcements, changes to readings, additional assignments, etc. Questions
about the course? Please check the website first, then email us.
This course is
constructed to revolve around lectures, dialogue, small group work, student and
guest presentations, films, and other relevant information. Therefore your
attendance, preparedness, and active participation are essential. Constructive dialogue requires preparing
for class, respectfully
joining in discussions, and courteously listening to others. Students are
expected to come to class regularly and on time. Attendance will be taken. You
are allowed two free absences (no excuse necessary). You are responsible for
any and all material missed due to absences. Get the emails and phone numbers
of at least two other students in the class and if you miss a class, ask them to review what was
covered and/or lend you their notes. (Do not ask us what was covered or if we
did/will do anything important on a given day; do not email us to say you are skipping our
class to prepare for another class.) More than two unexcused absences will
negatively affect your participation grade. If you miss more than four classes
prior to the six-week drop date (Feb. 23), it is your responsibility to drop
yourself from the class.
|
2 Short Papers |
40% |
|
Midterm Exam |
20% |
|
Final Exam |
20% |
|
Participation & other assignments |
20% |
Each student is expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity in academic and professional matters. The University reserves the right to take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, against any student who is found guilty of academic dishonesty or otherwise fails to meet the standards. Any student judged to have engaged in academic dishonesty in course work may receive a reduced or failing grade for the work in question and/or for the course. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, dishonesty in quizzes, tests, or assignments; claiming credit for work not done or done by others; hindering the academic work of other students; misrepresenting academic or professional qualifications within or without the University; and nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other University records. (The Pathfinder, 2006-2007)
Any student who,
because of disability, may require accommodations in order to meet course
requirements should contact us as soon as possible to make necessary
arrangements. It is the responsibility of the student to request accommodations
for individual learning needs. We and UNM will make every attempt to
accommodate all students with disabilities. For further information, contact
Student Support Services at (505) 277-3506.
Given that
dynamics and issues raised in class, socio-cultural developments, guest speaker
availability and other factors will likely affect the pace of the course, the
following is a tentative outline of the material we will cover. You should
complete the readings by class time on the dates specified.
T 1/16 Review
syllabus & discuss course objectives
What
is Queer? What is Theory?
Th 1/18 Feminist/Critical
Race/Queer Theory; Intersectionality
Anzaldœa
& Moraga, "Theory in the Flesh"
Moraga, "Loving in the War
Years"
Lorde, "The Master's Tools Will Never
Dismantle the Master's House" and "Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women
Redefining Difference"
Anzaldœa,
"Movimientos de rebeld’a y las culturas que traicionan"
Optional: Anzaldœa, "To(o)
Queer the WriterÑLoca, escritora y chicana"
Th 1/25 Clare
pp. 1-13 ("The Mountain") and pp. 65-87 ("Naming" and
"Freak Show")
T 1/30 Foucault,
Excerpts from The History of Sexuality, Vol. I
Th 2/1 Marriage,
Privacy & Sodomy Law
Bowers
v. Hardwick (excerpt)
Lawrence
v. Texas (excerpt)
Cohen,
"Privacy without the Closet"
Bush,
2004 State of the Union Address (excerpt)
Optional:
Duggan, "Holy Matrimony!" & Graff, "What is Marriage
For?"
Lorber,
"The Social Construction of Gender"
West
& Zimmerman, "Doing Gender"
Pratt,
"Gender Quiz" (from S/HE)
Week 5 Intersex
and the Intersex Movement
ISNA website: http://www.isna.org/
Preves, "Sexing the Intersexed"
ISNA, "Suggestions for Writing about
Intersex" and "Shifting the ParadigmÉ"
T 2/20 Butler, "Preface" (from Gender
Trouble) and
"Gender is Burning" (from Bodies That Matter)
Two
film viewings: 1. Brokeback Mountain OR Imagine Me & You; 2. Butch Mystique OR Paris is Burning
DUE: Film response assignment
T 2/27 McFadden,
"'America's Boyfriend Who Can't Get a Date'"
Th 3/1 Hollinger,
"Theorizing Mainstream Female Spectatorship"
T 3/6 Mid-semester
Review
Th 3/8 Midterm
Exam
Califia,
"Tranny Talk" (last three pages of "He's a Man for All
That")
Th 3/22 Guest
speaker: Jordon Johnson
Prosser,
Intro to Second Skins
T 3/27 Larsen,
Passing,
Thadious Davis' Introduction and Part I
Th 3/29 Larsen,
Passing,
Parts II & III
T 4/3 Butler,
"Passing, Queering," from Bodies That Matter
Th 4/5 O'Neal-Parker,
"White Girl?"
Piper,
"Passing for White, Passing for Black"
Gamson, "Must identity
movements self-destruct?"
Hutchins, "Bisexuality:
Politics & Community"
Clausen, "My Interesting
Condition"
Erbaugh,
"Queering Approaches to Domestic Violence"
Russo,
"Lesbian & Bisexual Women's Battering"
Week 13 Queer
of Color Theory/Surviving Violence(s)
T 4/17 Johnson,
"The Pot is Brewing"
Th 4/19 Ferguson,
Intro to Aberrations in Black
Rich, "Compulsory
HeterosexualityÉ"
Wittig,
"The Straight Mind"
Eng et al, "What's Queer
about Queer Studies Now?"
Th 4/26 Queering
Sex/Phun with Phalluses
Stoltenberg, "How Men
Have (a) Sex"
Fung, "Looking for My
Penis"
Kimmel
& Messner, "Actual Size!"
Trahan, "Queen of the Girls"
T 5/1 Review
Th 5/3 Second
Exam