First-Year Writing Seminar (101-8-1)

Topic

Purity and Pleasure, Sexuality and American Religi

Instructors

Courtney Leeanne Rabada

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-331: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

This course will examine the complicated and fraught relationship between religion and sexuality in the United States. We know that American culture often seems both offended by and obsessed with sex, and that the U.S. prides itself on individual freedoms while simultaneously policing the bodies, identities, and practices of its inhabitants. Is it all religion's fault?

We will explore the diverse - and often contradictory - teachings, practices, and attitudes regarding sexuality in a variety of historical and contemporary American religious traditions / groups. Topics may include: abortion and contraception, activism, BDSM, bodies, celibacy, creativity, feminism, gender and sexual identities, liberation, marriage, masculinity, masturbation, pleasure, politics, polyamory, pornography, purity culture, queerness, race, rape culture, and sexual violence (among others).

Students will engage with ethnographies, feminist / gender / queer / religious theory, historical documents, film / tv / news media, podcasts, and other pop culture sources. Classes will be a primarily discussion-based and students will be required to complete analytical and creative writing assignments.

Class Materials (Required)

All course materials will be provided on Canvas.

Class Attributes

WCAS Writing Seminar