Sexuality and Gender in History (HIST*3020)

Code and section: HIST*3020*01

Term: Winter 2022

Instructor: Peter Johnsson

Details

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY – Winter 2022

HIST3020 – A Global History of Sexuality and Gender 
Instructor:  Dr. Peter Johnsson 
e-mail: pjohnsso@uoguelph.ca

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Method of Delivery:

Online until further notice

Lectures and discussions will take place via Zoom on Wednesdays 7:00 pm – 10:00pm. 

Course Synopsis:  

Unpacking the history behind modern notions of sexuality and gender requires the development of a certain perspective. The starting point is that sexuality is itself historically constructed.  Sexual categories whose meanings may seem to be self-evident and unchanging—straight and gay, homosexual and heterosexual, “normal” and “deviant,” for example—have taken shape and changed over time. In this course, students will explore the importance of race, class, religion, and ecology on sexual and gender identities across the globe and to emphasize that sexuality not only has a history, but multitudes. Spanning millennia and continents, from ancient Assyrian eunuchs to the encrypted diaries of Anne Lister, we will investigate how social, cultural, political, and economic conditions have affected changing meanings of sexuality, gender, and corporeality itself. We will explore and compare dominant and alternative constructions of sexual identities; unpack the socio-political power of sexuality; and explore the implications of these understandings for struggles against oppression in our contemporary world.

Methods of Evaluation and Weights:

Weekly reading response    20%    
Take-home Midterm 20%      
Podcast project    20%     
Final examination 40%    

Texts and/or Resources Required:

All reading material will be available online

**Please note:  This is a preliminary web course description only.  The department reserves the right to change without notice any information in this description.  The final, binding course outline will be distributed in the first class of the semester.**