A History of Sex (377-0-20)

Instructors

Zavier Nunn

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-435: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Is sex binary? Does "biology" mean destiny? Can sex change? What, precisely, is sex? These questions shape contemporary political debates, from reproductive rights to trans politics, but they also have deep historical roots. This course examines how "sex" has been defined, debated, regulated, and lived across different times and places. Rather than treating sex as a fixed biological fact, we will approach it as a historical category whose meanings have shifted alongside transformations in science, law, empire, medicine, media, and governance.

Registration Requirements

Attendance at first class mandatory.

Learning Objectives

• Historicize the concept of sex by explaining how its meanings have changed across different contexts and how scientific, medical, political, and social institutions shaped those changes. • Analyze and interpret primary sources using historical methods, including contextualization, close reading, and evaluation of authorship, purpose, and significance. • Evaluate historical arguments and historiographical debates concerning sex, gender, race, identity, and governance, based on historical evidence. • Assess how concepts of sex have structured systems of power, social classification, and lived experience across a plurality of international historical settings. • Develop and communicate evidence-based historical arguments clearly and persuasively in written and oral form.

Evaluation Method

Participation and Engagement — 25%; In-Class Primary Source Assessments — 20% (2 × 10%); Paper — 25%; Final Exam — 30%

Class Notes

History Major Concentration(s): Global
History Minor Concentration(s): Europe, United States, Science and Technology, Law and Crime

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Registration is restricted to History Majors and Minors only until the end of pre-registration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites (if any)