Topics in Gender and Sexuality Studies (490-0-21)

Topic

Queer Theory

Instructors

Jillana B Enteen
847/491-4337
Crowe 1-113
Office Hours: by appointment

Meeting Info

Locy Hall 305: Wed 3:00PM - 5:50PM

Overview of class

The central concerns of this graduate seminar are to familiarize you with critical issues, methods, and practices of Queer Theory. Our readings include foundational/early texts naming and/or refusing the topic/discipline itself as well as the way in which the practices of "reading queerly" occur in not only what we recognize as theory, but also fiction and film. We will examine and discuss critiques of the Queer Theory canons and work together to create a more relevant, inclusive lineage that considers BIPOC, feminist, critical race, trans, postcolonial, and transnational theories that supplement this North American centered field of inquiry. You will be expected to read carefully and critically and interrogate and analyze the complex intersections of sexualities through cultural and sociopolitical analysis that incorporate non-normative, non-majoritarian theories that engage with contemporary queer concerns broadly conceived. Close reading will be the primary ‘queer' methodology practiced through class readings and writing. Active participation in seminar discussions is expected. You are invited to lead, singly or in groups, a section of a course meeting. You will also create a discipline-specific syllabus or conference proposal you could use for teaching or conference attendance. Writing requirements consist of one short close-reading paper and a quarter-long project culminating in a 12-15-page seminar paper on a topic of your choice that demonstrates the production of Queer Theory from a first-person perspective (unless otherwise discussed and approved as more germane to your graduate trajectory).

Class Materials (Required)

Provided in Canvas