Sections of this course examine how histories of gender, sex and society have interacted and evolved throughout time. We will explore how, in various societies, social, cultural, political, legal, and medical views of gender and sexualities have both regulated gender and sexual norms and acted as levers of change. Topics include national and transnational histories of sexualities, gender and social change (in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia). Possible areas of exploration include: media and cultural depictions of masculinity and femininity; medical, legal, cultural, and theoretical discourses on gender and sexuality; race, class, ethnicity, and indigeneity; gendered performance and geographies of sexual possibilities; demographic continuities and change; artistic representations of sexuality and gender; and, finally, histories of the family, of labour, of migration, as well as of activism, resistance, and repression as they intersect with the history of gender and sexuality. Weekly hours: 2 Lecture hours and 1 Seminar/Discussion hoursAttention:A maximum of nine credit units Note: Students may not take this course more than once for credit, even if the specific focus is different. Note: Multiple sections of this course may be offered in the same term, each with a different focus. Consult the CRN for each section of the class in the Class Search to find its specific focus. The History Department’s annual handbook (on the department homepage) also contains this information.
Sections of this course examine how histories of gender, sex and society have interacted and evolved throughout time. We will explore how, in various societies, social, cultural, political, legal, and medical views of gender and sexualities have both regulated gender and sexual norms and acted as levers of change. Topics include national and transnational histories of sexualities, gender and social change (in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia). Possible areas of exploration include: media and cultural depictions of masculinity and femininity; medical, legal, cultural, and theoretical discourses on gender and sexuality; race, class, ethnicity, and indigeneity; gendered performance and geographies of sexual possibilities; demographic continuities and change; artistic representations of sexuality and gender; and, finally, histories of the family, of labour, of migration, as well as of activism, resistance, and repression as they intersect with the history of gender and sexuality. Weekly hours: 2 Lecture hours and 1 Seminar/Discussion hoursAttention:A maximum of nine credit units Note: Students may not take this course more than once for credit, even if the specific focus is different. Note: Multiple sections of this course may be offered in the same term, each with a different focus. Consult the CRN for each section of the class in the Class Search to find its specific focus. The History Department’s annual handbook (on the department homepage) also contains this information.