SWMS 355: Transgender Studies
Dr. Chris FreemanFall 2010
TH 2-4:50 (34935)VKC 259
Office Hours: THH 436, MWF noon-1pm and by
“People are now wondering how uncertain and changeable
any person’s sex can be.”—New York Journal-American, 1953
“Truth! Truth! Truth! We have no choice left but confess—
he was a woman!”—Virginia Woolf, Orlando, 1928
“’Is it fiction?’ I am frequently asked. Is it true? Is it real? Oh, it’s real all right.So real it bleeds. . . .
Never underestimate the powerof fiction to tell the truth.”—Leslie Feinberg, 2003
The Course and Its Goals
From Adam and Eve to Plato’s Symposium to Victorian sexology to a pregnant man on Oprah, versions of human sexuality and gender identification/classification have been fraught with anxiety and uncertainty. In this course, we will consider numerous definitions of genders and sexualities in texts from history, science, anthropology, law, psychology, literature, and popular culture. We will explore, for example, understandings of the “normal” and the “perverse,” of the binaries that have defined our world (male/female; masculine/feminine; homo/heterosexual) and see how biology, psychology, and other cultural forces shape how we understand these categories and identities.
Through our readings and discussion and through your writing and presentations, we should come out of this course with a clearer understanding of gender and transgender issues as they relate to human sexuality and to our culture in general.
The Contract
In accepting this syllabus and becoming a member of this class, each student agrees to complete all assignments in a timely and serious fashion. You also affirm your commitment to the exploration of ideas in the liberal arts tradition, an exploration which is intellectual, creative, and respectful of others in the classroom. Your commitment to the quality and integrity of your work during the semester means that all work you hand in will be your own; any outside sources will be properly cited; and your work will be of the highest quality that you can produce. Plagiarism will have severe ramifications, and I will spot-check anything suspicious to ensure against it. If you have any questions about using outside sources, please ask me to help you.
As the instructor, my commitment to each student is that I have put considerable thought into developing this course; that I will work hard to invigorate and challenge you during the semester; that I will read your work carefully and with an open mind and will value it accordingly; that I will be prepared for class but that my agenda won’t get in the way of your input; and that I will be available to help you in your writing and thinking about the texts and issues we will be exploring.
Please note: Your Facebook status between the hours of 2 and 5pm on Thursdays is “IN MY FAVORITE CLASS.” It is rude and annoying to be on FB or otherwise texting, IMing, or NOT focusing on the work at hand. If James Franco can get called out for such violations, so can you. Out of respect to your classmates and instructor (and to the generous souls who are paying for your education), please silence or turn off your electronic friends/devices and refrain from any behavior not directly related to SWMS 355 during our class time. ALSO, please check your email for messages and updates the evening before class. I will sometimes send you things to read or think about between class meetings; if you miss class, email me for an update.
The Texts
Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues (1993; Alyson Books, 2003)
Aaron Raz Link and Hilda Raz, What Becomes You (Nebraska, 2007)
Joanne Meyerowitz, How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States (Harvard, 2002)
Renée Richards, No Way Renée: The Second Half of My Notorious Life (Simon and Schuster, 2007—note: order used copies online)
Susan Stryker, Transgender History (Seal, 2008)
Riki Wilchins, Queer Theory, Gender Theory (Alyson Books, 2004)
There will be occasional handouts, usually electronic, and we’ll watch several movies throughout the term.
Assignments
Careful reading will be one of the most important aspects of this course—reading and reflection. And, from that, conversation, so you will be expected to come to EVERY CLASS, barring major catastrophes, and to participate and engage actively with the material and with each other. We will watch several films, sometimes together, sometimes not. You will do a significant amount of writing: a critical essay (5-7 pages); a research project (8-12 pages, due ONE week after presentation)/presentation (10-15 minutes); a “gender journal,” which is where you can reflect on readings and daily observations relevant to our subject matter; and a take-home final exam essay, which we’ll discuss together when we meet during the final exam period (Thursday, 12/9, 2-4 pm.).
Grading
- Critical Essay300 points
- Research Project/Presentation400 points
- Final Exam Essays150 points
- Class Participation150 points*
NOTE: After your SECOND absence, you will forfeit all 150 class participation points
A: 930-1000; A-: 929-895; B+: 894-870; B: 869-830; B-: 829-795; C+: 794-770, etc.
Schedule of Assignments (subject to change)
ONE: Beginnings/Challenging the “Normal”
Week One
Introductions; Syllabus; viewNormal (Jane Anderson, 2003); Jacob Hale on writing/talking about Trans issues
Week Two
Meyerowitz, Ch. 1 and 2; Stryker, Ch. 1;begin Stone Butch Blues; watch Leslie Feinberg on Youtube:
Week Three
Continue Feinberg; Sedgwick excerpt; Warner; begin to discuss projects; wrap up part one
TWO: History and BackStory
Week Four
Finish Feinberg; Stryker, Ch. 2; Meyerowitz, Ch. 2-4; view Orlando (Sally Potter, 1992)
Week Five
Finish Orlando; discuss critical essay; wrap up part two; viewFemale Perversions (Susan Streitfeld, 1996)
THREE: Psychology/Feminism/Politics
Week Six
T: Stryker, Ch. 3 and 4; Meyerowitz, Ch. 4 and 5; Wilchins, Intro, Ch. 1-3
Week Seven
Begin Raz Link; British documentary on transgender people (youtube); sign up for presentations
Week Eight
Continue Raz Link, 1-66; ESSAY DUE; wrap up part three
FOUR: Queer Politics/Toward Theory
Week Nine
Finish Raz Link; Stryker, Ch. 5-end; Meyerowitz, Ch. 6 and 7; Presentations begin (2-3 per week)
TH: Wilchins, Ch. 4-7; Sedgwick handout, “How To Bring Your Kids Up Gay”; view Ma Vie en Rose (Alain Berliner, 1997); Roger Ebert film review
Week Ten
T: Finish Ma Vie discussion; Presentations continue
FIVE: Theory/Selves and Others
Week Eleven
Wilchins, Ch. 8-9; view Paris is Burning (Jennie Livingston, 1990); Presentations continue
Week Twelve
Roz Blumenstein, from Love, West Hollywood (pdf); Judith Butler and bell hooks on Paris is Burning (handout); Possible Guest; Presentations continue
SIX: Endings/Courts, Laws, and Others
Week Thirteen
Wilchins, Ch. 10-12; Renee Richards (half); Youtube: Film: Transamerica (Duncan Tucker, 2005; Presentations continue
Week Fourteen
No Class: Thanksgiving; finish reading Richards
Week Fifteen
Finish Richards; Possible guests this week from Fred Martinez Project; excerpts on handout from Walter Williams and Will Roscoe; Finish Richards; Research Project presentations conclude; wrap-up; discuss final exam topic; course evaluations
Final Exam: Thursday, 12/9, 2-4pm
NOTES
- If you need any accommodation due to a learning disability or any other circumstance, please speak to me during week one of the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made
- Attendance is required and roll is taken daily. More than two unexcused absences will be reflected in your final course grade, as you forfeit all 150 class participation points
- You MUST come to class having done your reading and prepared to DISCUSS the day’s reading assignment. BRING your texts to class—Underline and mark your copies with notes and tab passages that seem important to you; make notes about readings in your journal
- Late papers will ONLY be accepted by pre-arrangement. Papers must be word-processed in 12-point font size, with 1-inch margins, double spaced, and stapled. Please don’t put them in folders or binders
- Plagiarism will result in failure—work MUST be your own; it should be original. If you do research (including Wikipedia, Google, etc.), cite it within your essay and in a works cited/references list
Freeman, Transgender Studies 1