ProfessorMerrillCole
M-Cole@wiu.edu http://faculty.wiu.edu/M-Cole/
Office: Simpkins109
Hours: MW,2:00-3:00p.m.
TTh,3:30-4:30p.m.
QueerStudies100,Section001
SpringSemester2016
M,5:30–8:00p.m.
Simpkins114
Texts
Aoki,Ryka.SeasonalVelocities.
Bechtel,Alison.FunHome:AFamilyTragicomic.
Bordo,Susan.TheMaleBody.
Foucault,Michel.TheHistoryofSexuality,Volume1.
Freud,Sigmund.ThreeEssaysontheTheoryofSexuality.
Gibson,MichelleA.,etal.FindingOut:IntroductiontoLGBTStudies.
Kaufman,Moisés.TheLaramieProject.
Winterson,Jeanette.OrangesAreNottheOnlyFruit.
Wojnarowicz,David.ClosetotheKnives.
Wewillalsowatchfilms,viewartworks,andlistentomusic.Therewillbematerialto
downloadfrommywebsiteandonWesternOnline.
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Course Introduction
Whatare“QueerStudies”?Forculturalconservatives,thesewordssignifyatbestthe
declineofacademicstudyintothetrivialandtheobscene,andatworsttherecruitment
ofinnocentyouthintoalifeofdepravity,despair,anddisease.Manyself-identified
lesbiansandgaymen,moreover,objecttotheword,“queer.”Somearguethatithasan
implicitmasculinebias,liketheword,“gay,”beforeit;othersfinditanuglytermof
derogation;stillothersseeitastooinclusive,deeplyuncomfortablewiththefactthat
certainpracticingheterosexualshaveappropriated“queer”astheadjectiveofchoicefor
theirownactivities.Oftenqueeractivistsoutsideacademiadisparage“queerstudies,”
alongwithitskissingcousin,“queertheory,”asivorytowermumbo-jumbo,uselessto
people’severydaystruggles.Evenqueerstudiessupportersdisagreeaboutwhatthis
relativelynewfieldshouldbecome,afieldofstudyjustestablishedatWIU.
Yetthedisciplineofqueerstudiesprovidesindispensabletoolsforstudyingsexual
diversity,thediversitythatthisclasswillexploreinavarietyofmedia,including
literature,film,andvisualart.Thecoursewillalsoprovidehistoricalcontextanddelve
intopoliticalcontroversies.Queerstudiesdoesnotsimplyaffirmnon-normativesexuality
andgender,butinterrogatesthemeaningofhumaneroticisminallofitsforms,including
theheterosexualandcisgender.Queerstudiesofferspowerfulmodesofsocialcritique.
Perhapsthisconjunctionofsexandstudyappearsnonsensical,orsilly.Listen,then,tothe
wordsofAudreLorde:“Oureroticknowledgeempowersus,becomesalensthrough
whichwescrutinizeallaspectsofourexistence,forcingustoevaluatethoseaspects
honestlyintermsoftheirrelativemeaningwithinourlives.Andthisisagrave
responsibility,projectedfromwithineachofus,nottosettlefortheconvenient,the
shoddy,theconventionallyexpected,northemerelysafe.”
Requirements
IntroductiontoQueerStudies(IQ)involvestwofive-pageclosereadingessays,one
personalnarrative,andafinal,self-reflectiveessay.Youwillreceiveanassignmentsheet
foreach.Allassignmentsandhomeworkshouldbeforwardedtomebeforethestartof
classbyemailasMicrosoftWordattachments.
Formostclasses,Iwillassigntwotofourstudents,onarotatingbasis,theresponsibility
tofashionfivetypeddiscussionquestions.Thequestionsshouldbesenttomeas
MicrosoftWordattachmentsbeforeclassbegins.
Participationmeansdoingthereadingsandjoininginclassdiscussionregularly.
Seehttp://www.wiu.edu/provost/students.phpforstudentrightsandresponsibilities.
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Grading
Participation:
20%
Homework:
10%
DiscussionQuestions:
10%
PersonalNarrative:
10%
FirstEssay:
20%
SecondEssay:
20%
Self-ReflectiveEssay:
10%
Missingclasses,orarrivinglate,willaffecttheparticipationgrade.Astudentwithmore
thantwounexcusedabsencesautomaticallyfailsthecourse.Iamlenient,though:ifyou
givemeavalidreasontomiss,ortohavemissed,asession,Iwillprobablyexcuseyou(I
mayaskfordocumentation.).
Allessays,excepttheSelf-ReflectiveEssay,canberewritten.
Pleasetaketheopportunitytomeetwithmeduringmyofficehours,orbyappointment,
totalkaboutthereadings,oryourwriting.Iverymuchappreciateanykindoffeedback
aboutthecourse.
Students with Disabilities
InaccordancewithUniversityvaluesanddisabilitylaw,studentswithdisabilitiesmay
requestacademicaccommodationswherethereareaspectsofacoursethatresultin
barrierstoinclusionoraccurateassessmentofachievement.Tofileanofficialrequestfor
disability-relatedaccommodations,pleasecontacttheDisabilityResourceCenterat309298-2512,disability@wiu.eduorin143MemorialHall.Pleasenotifytheinstructoras
soonaspossibletoensurethatthiscourseisaccessibletoyouinatimelymanner.
Schedule
Iamopentomakingchangestokeepthelearningsituationactiveanddynamic.Therewill
beabreakfor15minutesaroundthemiddleofeachsession.
January25:
Introduction to the course. Audre Lorde handout. Paris Is Burning
(video).
February1:
FindingOut:Chapters1&2;OrangesAreNottheOnlyFruit,1-124.
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February8:
February15:
February22:
February29:
March7:
FindingOut:Chapters3&4;finishOrangesAreNottheOnlyFruit;52
Tuesdays(video).
TheLaramieProject;52Tuesdays(video).
FindingOut:Chapters5&6;TheMaleBody,3-104.
EssayOnedue.
TheMaleBody,153-225.VideoTBA.
FindingOut,Chapters7&8;ThreeEssaysontheTheoryofSexuality,
xxix-38(Prefaces&“TheSexualAberrations”).
Spring Break
March21:
ThreeEssaysontheTheoryofSexuality,39-109(“InfantileSexuality”&
“TheTransformationsofPuberty.”)
PersonalNarrativedue.
March28:
FindingOut,Chapters9&10.HistoryofSexuality,3-73.Seasonal
Velocities,3-29.
April4:
HistoryofSexuality,75-114.FinishSeasonalVelocities.
RykaAokireadingonApril7at7:00p.m.
April11:
FinishHistoryofSexuality.FunHome,1-86.
April18:
FindingOut,Chapters12&13.FinishFunHome.
April25:
ClosetotheKnives,3-63.DamnedintheUSA(video).
SecondEssaydue.
May2:
FindingOut,Chapters14&15.ClosetotheKnives,64-110;111-23;
138-42.
Self-ReflectiveEssaydueonMonday,May9at1:00p.m.,orThursday,May5at10:00
a.m.forcomments.