DIVSM300 Making Queer Histories
SPRING 2012

Diversity Studies Seminars are in-depth experiences in the study of multiculturalism and cultural diversity in American society and in societies that have impacted American society. Courses expose students to and inform students about the contributions of African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and Latinos to American culture, history, and society.

What is queer history good for? What difference does it make which past we claim as our own, or how we tell stories about it? This course will explore the many forms queer histories take-- including films, gallery exhibitions, oral history transcripts, memoirs, fiction and scholarly essays. Our emphasis is on the ways that history is made and especially on oral interviewing and archival research techniques. Students are required to explore the rich holdings of the SF LGBT Historical Society, and will produce an original work of queer history based on their own research.