VISCR608 GE: Sex, Gender, Queer Theory

This seminar explores theories of gender, sexuality, and queer identity. We will examine some of the founding and contemporary philosophical, cultural, and critical texts in gender studies and queer theory. Topics for discussion will include: the historical emergence of the concept of sexuality, the authority of experience ("the personal is political"), theories of spectatorship, masquerade, gender performativity, race, transgender identity, and the cultural politics of difference. We will also investigate the significant role of queer identity in cultural production over the past thirty years in light of a broad range of contemporary artistic and erotic practices. Course reading will include texts by Michel Foucault, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Douglas Crimp, Leo Bersani, Judith Butler, Jose Esteban Munoz, David Eng, Jay Prosser, Judith Halberstam, Michael Warner, Richard Meyer, Gayatri Gopinath, and Heather Love. This course focuses on cultural diversity, critical analysis, and visual literacy. Students will also sharpen their research, verbal communication, and writing skills.