Spring 1996--Seminar on Sexuality and Difference III Lesbian and Gay Studies
Jo Ho (Office: Sex Center; Office Hours: Tu, 1-3 & by appointment) |
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This is the third and the last course in our (perhaps my first) trilogy of courses on the complex issue of sexuality. To set the foundation for the discussion, we had begun with 20th century classic works on sex-pol, including Freud, Reich, Marcuse, and our contemporaries Gayle Rubin and Jeffrey Weeks. In the second course, we read extensively into feminist debates on sexuality in the 80s surrounding the issues of pornography, sadomasochism, cross-generation sex, etc. In the present course we will try to familiarize ourselves with the basic texts in the most recent development in the area of sexuality and identity politics, namely, lesbian and gay studies. My purpose is, as always, to build up some understanding of the key lines of argument as well as their implications for the larger issues of essentialism and social constructionism. The course requirement will include heavy weekly reading, occasional class presentations, a 5-page mid-term paper, and a 10-page final paper.
| Basic Texts: |
- Abelove, Henry, Michele Aina Barale, & David M. Halperin, eds. The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. New York: Routledge, 1993.
- Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York: Routledge, 1990.
- Differences. Special Issue. (More Gender Trouble: Feminism Meets Queer Theory.) Vol. 6, Nos 2+3, 1994.
- Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality, Vol. I: An Introduction. Trans. by Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage, 1980.
- Fuss, Diana, ed. Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, GayTheories. New York: Routledge, 1991.
- Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. Epistemology of the Closet. Berkeley: U of California P, 1990. (For related readings, see the bibliography following these selections.)
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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
| 2-29 |
Introduction to the course |
| Progenitor of Social Constructionism |
| 3-7 |
Foucault, Parts 1 & 2 |
| 3-14 |
Foucault, Part 3 & Part 4 (chapters 1 & 2) |
| 3-21 |
Foucault, the rest of the book |
| Lesbianism and Its Problems (in The Lesbian and Gay Reader) |
| 3-28 |
Rich, "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence"
Wittig, "One Is Not Born a Woman" |
| 4-4 |
Spring Break |
| 4-11 |
De Lauretis, "Sexual Indifference and Lesbian Representation"
Vicinus, "'They Wonder to Which Sex I Belong'"
Case, "Toward a Butch-Femme Aesthetic" |
| Construction of Sex/Gender(in The Lesbian and Gay Reader) |
| 4-18 |
Butler, "Imitation and Gender Insubordination"
Garber,"Spare Parts: The Surgical Construction of Gender" |
| 4-25 |
Clark, "Commodity Lesbianism"
D'Emilio, "Capitalism and Gay Identity"
Furth, "Androgynous Males and Deficient Females" |
| Queering Sex/Gender |
| 5-2 |
Butler, Gender Trouble1-34 |
| 5-9 |
Butler, Gender Trouble 111-149 |
| 5-16 |
Sedgwick, "Axiomatic" (in The Cultural Studies Reader) &
"Epistemology of the Closet" (in The Lesbian and Gay Reader) |
| 5-23 |
Fuss, "Inside/Out" (Inside/Out 1-10)
Tyler, "Boys Will Be Girls: The Politics of Gay Drag" (Inside/Out 32-70) |
| 5-30 |
Butler, "Against Proper Objects" (in Differences)
Braidotti, "Feminism By Any Other Name" (in Differences) |
| 6-6 |
Biddy Martin, "Sexualities Without Genders and Other Queer Utopias" Diacritics 24.2-3 (1994): 104-121. |
| 6-13 |
Wrap-up (and maybe catch-up) |
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