SEXUALITY AND SOCIETY
Sociology 440
Summersession 2004
Asia Friedman, Instructor
Campbell Hall, A4
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:15 PM to 9:45 PM
Office Hours: Before class, by appointment. I am available to meet with you to discuss any aspects of the course. Email me to arrange a time and place or ask me in class.
Course Description:
Most of us operate under the assumption that sexuality is an individual, private expression of a "natural" biological drive. However, much research suggests that, within a given culture, sexuality follows certain socially shared, regular patterns. Although it is often experienced as private and individual, sexuality is a social phenomenon that varies across time periods and cultures, and even sub-cultures within the contemporary U.S. In this course, we will explore various perspectives from which the idea that sexuality is socially constructed can be illuminated.
Grading:
In-Class Writing: 20 Points
Class Participation: 10 Points
In-Class Presentation: 10 Points
Exam #1: 30 Points
Exam #2: 30 Points
In-Class Writing: Each day at the start of class I will pose a question based on the reading and you will spend the first few minutes of class responding to that question, demonstrating that you have read and understood the reading for the day. The in-class writing will be closed book. These writing assignments will be collected daily and assessed as follows: I will select one of the assignments for each week and grade it out of 4 points (there are five weeks, including this week, but excluding the final week, so 4 points per week sums to 20 points total). If you miss class the day I choose to grade the assignments for a given week, you may not make up the assignment. Instead, I will grade one of the other writing assignments for that week, but you will automatically lose 1 point out of the 4 possible points for that week.
Class Participation: After everyone is warmed up by the in-class writing and your thoughts and questions about the readings are fresh in your minds, we will have a discussion about the readings/topic for that day. Everyone should contribute to the discussion. This part is the most subjectively graded. If you make an effort to respond to and ask questions on a regular basis, and are basically actively engaged in the course, you will get full credit.
In-Class Presentation: Each student will be responsible for making a presentation related to one of the readings. You will sign up for these presentations the first week. Depending on how many students there are, you might present in pairs. The presentations should not be a summary of the reading, but should be connected to it in some way. For instance, you could bring in some additional research on a topic raised in one of the readings, or a visual aid (for instance a film or video or TV clip or clippings from a magazine), or a newspaper article. Whatever you decide to do, it should be something that helps us process the issues raised in the reading.
Exam #1: This will be an in-class exam consisting of identification and short-answer questions related to the material in the first half of the course. It will take place in class on July 27th.
Exam #2: This will be an in-class exam consisting of identification and short-answer questions related to the material in the second half of the course. It will take place on August 12th.
Maturity and Respect: The material covered in this course is often controversial and/or personal. We all have opinions on these issues, and I will do my best to make sure everyone's viewpoint is heard. We need to listen to one another respectfully and keep an open mind.
The Text: The text for this course is an anthology of articles called Sexuality and Gender and is available at New Jersey Books.
Schedule of Readings:
July 13:
Introductions, syllabus review, sign up for presentations
July 15:
Introduction to Psychoanalytic Perspectives: Chapter 1
Psychoanalytic Perspectives Applied, All-Male Institutions: Chapters 5 and 17
July 20:
Introduction to Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives: Chapter 2
Psychoanalytic and Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives Applied, Studies of Childhood and Adolescence: Chapters 9 and 10
In class: Other articles on teen sex, to be distributed in class.
July 22:
Sex Tourism and Sex Trafficking: Chapter 24
NY Times article, to be distributed in class on July 20th.
July 27:
Mid-term exam in class
July 29:
Feminist Perspectives on Sexuality, Introduction to the Feminist Sex Wars: Chapter 14
Radical Feminism: Chapters 3
Sex Radical Feminism: Chapter 15
August 3:
Introduction to Queer Theory: Chapter 4
Queer Perspectives Debated: Chapters 19 and 21
August 5:
Queer Theory Applied: Chapters 26 and 27
August 10:
Troubling the idea of "normal" sex, gender and sexuality
Cross-cultural perspectives: Chapters 6 and 8
Transgenderism and Intersexuality: Chapter 32
In-class film, Gendernauts
August 12:
Final Exam in class.