Sex and the American Empire (331-0-20)
Instructors
Steven William Thrasher
Michael Francis Landez
Meeting Info
Fisk Hall 311: Mon, Wed 10:00AM - 11:20AM
Overview of class
This course will be an intensive study in understanding the relationship between American journalism and the U.S. military in creating an American empire. By focusing on how the U.S. military has segregated service members by race, sexuality, gender and gender identity—and on how on U.S. media has covered the military—students will study how identity roles have been formed by both the military and the media in American society. Readings will include primary sources, works of journalism, and scholarship. Topics covered will include the histories of LGBTQ rights; "pinkwashing" and "homonationalism"; "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; racial segregation; the development of the condom; access to birth control; government management of HIV/AIDS; subjectivity/objectivity; critical theory; critical race theory; transgender studies; and, essentialism. In groups, students will study coverage of a single contemporary story in the news. The course is intended for journalism majors and non-majors alike, and will be centered on helping both analyze news media critically in order to better understand how race, gender, sexuality and American identity are constructed.
Class Materials (Required)
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr ($13)
We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice ($16)
Cannaday, Margot. The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth-Century America ($15)
Chomsky, Noam and Edward Herman. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media ($20)
Wallace, Lewis. The View from Somewhere: Undoing the Myth of Journalistic Objectivity ($16).
Class Attributes
Attendance at 1st class mandatory
SDG Reduced Inequality
SDG Peace & Justice
SDG Gender Equality
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: This section is currently closed to registration. Please contact the department directly with any questions.