Gender and Black Masculinity (334-0-20)

Instructors

Marquis Bey

Meeting Info

Locy Hall 214: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

This course will take as its focus not only discussing (cisgender) black men but, more rigorously, interrogating gender as a racialized regime and masculinity itself as a subtle form of violence. Students will be invited to think about race and gender as co-constitutive (rather than simply and innocently intersectional), and about what might be possible after the interrogation—and possibly dismantling—of masculinity even when affixed to blackness. Overall, our aim in this course is to establish a robust understanding of gender, of racialized gender, of blackness, and of masculinity as a gendered and racialized mode of imposed existence. To examine these topics, we will explore the writing of Richard Wright and Percival Everett, documentaries on manhood, black feminist critiques of masculinity, and transgender perspectives on gender and trans masculinity.

Learning Objectives

Define and accurately use core terms (e.g., racialization, gender as regime, masculinity, patriarchy, co-constitution) in speech and writing

Analyze masculinity as an organizing practice—social, cultural, and institutional—rather than a natural attribute of particular bodies

Evaluate black feminist critiques of masculinity and articulate what those critiques illuminate about power, harm, and relationality

Practice rigorous academic discussion: summarize positions fairly, ask incisive questions, and respond to peers with intellectual generosity and precision

Class Materials (Required)

All materials will be provided, at no additional cost, in a digital format

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: PRE-REG: Reserved for Black Studies majors & minors.