Gender, Sexuality, and Popular Culture (371-0-20)

Topic

Transfeminisms & Performance

Instructors

Malu Lucia Machuca Rose

Meeting Info

AM Swift Krause Studio 103: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

This course surveys the interdisciplinary fields of trans studies and feminist theory by situating trans/feminist identities, struggles, political movements, intellectual contributions, art, performance and cultural productions in historical and global context. We will review a wide range of texts, performances, and cultural artifacts to ground our understanding of key categories like "gender", "trans" and "nonbinary" as they are shaped by political, medical, and cultural discourses. Using performance as research method, we will employ methods from trans oral history and newspaper theatre to explore and represent real world people and events as they relate to the topics presented in class.

Learning Objectives

1. Locate the emergence and trajectory of trans studies and feminist studies in relationship to one another within the field of gender and sexuality studies
2. Interpret and critique the commonalities and tensions between trans politics and feminist theorizing
3. Characterize the challenges faced by trans communities at the level of the educational, academic, cultural, political, medical, and legal
4. Question the relationships between sex, gender, identity, race, class, citizenship, empire and performance
5. Apply the concepts and ideas developed during the course in both analytic papers and creative work

Teaching Method

- Discussion during class
- Performance exercises
- Oral history project
- Newspaper theatre
- Reading and writing assignments

Evaluation Method

- Class participation
- Performance exercises
- Group assignments
- Individual writing assignments

Class Materials (Required)

All in Canvas

Class Attributes

Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area