Oberlin College
CAST 321
Fall 2008
Time: T/Th 9:30 – 10:50
Location: King 235
Dr. Meredith Raimondo
Phone: 775-5291
Email: meredith.raimondo@oberlin.edu
Office: King 141G
Office Hours: W 2 – 4, Th 11- 12
TRANSNATIONAL SEXUALITIES
Description:
How does the globalization of sexualities shape the study of sex in national contexts? What is a
transnational approach to the study of sexualities? This interdisciplinary course uses the United
States as a starting point to consider sexual identities and practices in a transnational perspective.
In the first section of the course, we will explore key theoretical concepts and examine an
ethnographic case study examining local sexual meanings in the context of the global AIDS
crisis. In the second section of the course, we will focus on issues of global migration, exploring
the historical relationship between colonialism, racial formation, and sexuality in order to
consider contemporary case studies on sex tourism and immigration. The final section of the
course considers the politics of the transnational circulation of commodities, concepts, and
coalitions, with a particular focus on media and social movements. Throughout the course, we
will examine the production of gendered, raced, and classed bodies and explore the significance
of transnational analysis of sexuality to social justice. In addition to discussion of assigned
readings, students will complete independent research on topics of their choosing.
**This course serves as an elective in the Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies major**
Course Objectives:
1) To develop competency in the use of key concepts in the study of political economies of
sexualities and genders, including transnationalism, globalization, modernity, and
neoliberalism
2) To place sexualities and genders in a comparative, cross-cultural context sensitive to the
social politics of naming and categorizing
3) To situate case studies in the transnational politics of sexualities and genders in historical
and social context
4) To understand key concerns in the transnational studies of sexualities and genders
including migration, diaspora, sex work, the globalization of identity politics,
militarization, colonialism, and empire
5) To think critically about the intersections of Queer Studies, Feminist Studies, Ethnic
Studies, and Postcolonial Studies
6) To utilize intersectional approaches in a transnational context
7) To develop advanced critical thinking skills through reading, writing, and discussion
8) To conceptualize and execute independent research, working with both primary and
secondary sources
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Required Texts:
Books are available at the Oberlin College Bookstore or on reserve in Mudd Library. Articles
with a * are available under Course Documents on Blackboard.
Constable, Nicole. Romance on a Global Stage: Pen Pals, Virtual Ethnography, and “Mail
Order” Romances. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003.
Hirsch, Jennifer. A Courtship After Marriage: Sexuality and Love in Mexican
Transnational Families. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003.
Hoad, Neville. African Intimacies: Race, Homosexuality, and Globalization. Minneapolis:
University of Minnesota Press, 2007.
Manalansan IV, Martin. Global Divas: Filipino Gay Men in the Diaspora. Durham: Duke
University Press, 2003.
Padilla, Mark. Caribbean Pleasure Industry: Tourism, Sexuality, and AIDS in the
Dominican Republic. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2007.
Puar, Jasbir. Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times. Durham: Duke
University Press, 2007.
Various assigned articles are available on Blackboard under the “course documents” tab. You
are required to bring either copies or detailed reading notes to class.
Course Requirements:
Discussion: The academic study of genders and sexualities often raises issues which are
controversial or evoke strong personal feelings. There are few “right” answers to the questions
we are exploring; my goal in this course is to help you to develop the skills to articulate your
own positions. It is therefore critical that everyone commits to making this classroom a space
for the honest and open expression of difference. I ask that course members respond to
carefully thought-out ideas and questions with patience and respect.
Reading: This course is an upper-level reading intensive seminar. It is important to cultivate the
skills that allow you to manage lengthy reading assignments. If you find you are having
trouble finishing the reading, please see me so we can identify more effective strategies.
Lateness: It is your commitment to this class and your classmates that you will be present and ready
to begin work at the start of class. Repeated lateness may result in significant deductions to your
final grade in this course.
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Course assignments must be submitted on time in order to receive full credit. Assignments due in
class must be turned in at the start of class to receive on-time credit. I will deduct 1/3 of a grade
for each 24 hours an assignment is late (i.e., from B+ to B). Assignments submitted later than 1
week past the original deadline without a written extension will be given credit at the instructor’s
discretion and will generally earn no greater than a minimum passing grade. Requests for
extensions must be submitted by email at least 48 hours prior to the assignment due date and are
generally available only for extraordinary circumstances. If you receive an extension, you must
include a printed copy of my approval (including revised due date) with your assignment in order
to receive on-time credit. Late papers may not receive written comments.
Please note that no late assignments will be accepted past the end of reading period without an
approved incomplete from the Dean of Studies. Extensions on final projects also require an
incomplete. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Assignment Format: Written assignments should word-processed, double-spaced, and use a
standard font type and size (12 point Times New Roman or the equivalent). Include your
name, the date, a title, and page numbers. If you are required to submit a paper copy, you must
staple the pages. Please be sure to proofread carefully for style and grammar. Papers that do
not follow proper formatting instructions may receive a 1/3 of a grade deduction.
P/NP: If you are taking this course P/NP, you must fulfill all course obligations and complete all
assignments in order to receive credit for the course.
Honor Code: This course will follow the policies described in the Oberlin College Honor Code and
Honor System. Please include the statement “I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this
assignment” in all written work. If you have any questions about academic honesty, citation, or the
relationship of the Honor Code to your work in this course, please let me know.
Students with Disabilities: If you need disability-related accommodations for your work in this
course, please let me know. Support is available through Student Academic Services—please
contact Jane Boomer, Director of the Office of Disability Services, for assistance in developing
a plan to address your academic needs.
Assignments:
1. PARTICIPATION (10%): In order for our time in this course together to be as productive
as possible, you will be expected to contribute to three areas as follows:
Attendance: This course will be primarily conducted as a discussion course; therefore,
your consistent on-time attendance is required. After two absences, additional absences
will generally lower your final grade in the course (1/3 of a grade per two additional
absences). Each late arrival will be counted as one-half of an absence. In case of illness
or personal emergency, absences may be excused through a doctor or dean’s note.
Discussion: Your thoughtful spoken analysis and active listening will be a central
component of your work in this course. If you are uncomfortable speaking in class,
please come and see me and we can discuss strategies for your participation.
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In-class Activities: In-class activities may include discussion in small groups, writing
assignments, or other collaborative work.
2. BLACKBOARD POSTING (5%). You are required to post to the course Blackboard site
twice during each week. Postings must contain brief analytical engagements (3 -5 sentences)
with course materials in order to receive credit.
3. GROUP PRESENTATION (10%). Due various dates to be assigned. In a group of 2 -3,
you will develop a fifteen minute presentation on a topic of your choice related to course
themes. Each group will identify a subject or primary source to present to the class, using
additional secondary research to develop an interpretation/argument. Groups must submit a
complete bibliography at the time of presentation to receive full credit.
4. 2 POSITION PAPERS (20% each). 4 - 5 pages each. Due Oct 13 and Nov 17 at 4 p.m. to
King 141-G. These papers will enable to you analyze assigned readings; you may either
answer a provided prompt or design one of your own. More specific directions will be
provided in class. I am happy to meet with you to discuss your papers as you develop your
ideas. If you would like me to read a draft, please submit it via email attachment at least 3
days before the deadline.
5. RESEARCH PROJECT. Each student will chose a topic related to course themes as the
basis of a research paper. Research projects should include both primary and secondary
sources; more information will be provided in class.
a. PROPOSAL (5%). 2 – 4 pages (1 – 2 pages description; 1 – 2 pages annotated
bibliography). Due November 3 at 4 p.m. to King 141-G.
b. PRESENTATION (5%). Due Dec 2 – 11. In class, provide a ten minute overview of
your research project. Presentations must include a clear thesis and supporting evidence
and utilize visual aids (1 page handout, PowerPoint, or other relevant sources).
c. FINAL DRAFT (25%) 10 – 12 pages. Due Dec 18 at 11 a.m. in King 141-G.
Summary of Deadlines:
Summary of Grading Policy:
Weekly
Various
Oct 13
Nov 17
Nov 3
Dec 2 - 11
Dec 18
Participation……………….…..10%
Blackboard……………………...5%
Group Presentation….................10%
Paper 1………….………….…..20%
Paper 2………….……...............20%
Paper Proposal. ………................5%
Paper Presentation………………5%
Final Draft…………….…….….25%
Blackboard Posting
Group Presentation
Position Paper 1
Position Paper 2
Research Proposal
Research Presentation
Research Project
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Schedule of Readings:
SECTION 1: TRANSNATIONAL APPROACHES TO SEXUALITIES
T Sep 2:
Introductions
Colonizing/Decolonizing Sexualities
Th Sep 4:
The Erotics of Racial Formations:
∙Rudi Bleys, “Race, Sex, and the Semiotics of Genitalia,” 110 - 144*
∙ Petula Sik Ying Ho and Adolf Kat Tat Tsang, “Negotiating Anal Intercourse in
Inter-Racial Gay Relationships in Hong Kong,” 299 – 323*
T Sep 9:
Colonizing and Decolonizing Sexualities and Genders I:
∙ Evan Towle and Lynne Morgan, “Romancing the Transgender Native,” 469 – 487*
∙ KarinaWalters et al, “My Spirit in My Heart,” 125 – 149*
∙ Ramón Gutiérrez, “Warfare, Homosexuality, and Gender Status among
American Indian Men in the Southwest,” 19 – 31*
Th Sep 11: Colonizing and Decolonizing Sexualities and Genders II:
∙ Hoad, xi – xxxiii, 1- 47
Local, Global, Transnational
T Sep 16: Ethnographic Perspectives on the Transnational:
∙ Hirsch, 1 - 80
Th Sep 18: Genders and Sexualities in Motion:
∙ Hirsch, 81 – 170
T Sep 23: Sex, Love, Ideology
∙ Hirsch, 171 – 285
*** GROUP PRESENTATION
SECTION 2: MOBILITIES, IMMOBILITIES, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF DESIRE
Spaces of Labor, Spaces of Leisure: Sex/Work/Travel
Th Sep 25: Political Economies of Sexuality:
∙ Padilla, 1 - 75
T Sep 30: Fantasies, Roles, and Globalization:
∙ Padilla, 76 - 140
*** GROUP PRESENTATION
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Th Oct 2:
The Global Politics of “Risk”:
∙ Padilla, 141 - 216
T Oct 7:
Gendering the Global:
∙ Constable, 1 - 90
Th Oct 9:
Yom Kippur (no class meeting)
M Oct 13: Position Paper # 1 due at 4 p.m. to King 141-G
T Oct 14: The Transnational Politics of Love:
∙ Constable, 91 – 144
*** GROUP PRESENTATION
Th Oct 16: Desiring Migration:
∙ Constable, 144 – 225
T Oct 21: Fall Break
Th Oct 23: Fall Break
National Contexts, Transnational Subjects?
T Oct 28: Mapping the Borders:
∙Manalansan, 1 – 88
*** GROUP PRESENTATION
Th Oct 30: Queering Citizenship:
∙ Manalansan, 89 - 191
SECTION 3: GLOBAL FLOWS
Global Flows I: Mass Media and Sexual Subjects
M Nov 3:
Research Proposal due at noon to King 141-G
T Nov 4:
Desiring the Other:
∙ Sheldon Lu, “Soap Opera in China,” 25 – 48*
∙ Hugh Urban, “The Cult of Ecstasy,” 268 – 305*
*** GROUP PRESENTATION
Th Nov 6:
Global Texts, Local Audiences:
∙ Mark McLelland, “Local Meanings in Global Space”*
∙ Andrea Wood, “‘Straight’ Women, Queer Texts,” 384 – 414*
∙ Jigna Desai, “Homo on the Range,” 65 – 89*
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T Nov 11: Gendering Global Consumer Cultures:
∙ Neville Hoad, “World Piece,” 56 - 81*
∙ Jocelyn Cullity and Prakash Younger, “Sex Appeal and Cultural Liberty,” 96 –
122*
*** GROUP PRESENTATION
Global Flows II: Locating Transnational Politics
Th Nov 13: Neoliberal Sexualities?
∙ Hoad, 48 – 126
M Nov 17: Position Paper # 2 is due at 4 p.m. to King 141-G
T Nov 18: Terror/Normativity:
∙ Puar, ix – xxviii, 1 - 78
Th Nov 20: The Politics of Sexual Exceptionalism:
∙ Puar, 79 – 165
*** GROUP PRESENTATION
T Nov 25: (Re)thinking Queer Transnationally:
∙ Puar, 166 - 22
Th Nov 27: Thanksgiving (no class meeting)
SECTION 4: NEW RESEARCH IN TRANSNATIONAL SEXUALITIES
T Dec 2:
Presentations
Th Dec 4:
Presentations
T Dec 9:
Presentations
Th Dec 11: Presentations
T Dec 18: Research Project Final Draft is due at 11 a.m. to King 141-G.
***PLEASE NOTE TIME: LATE PAPERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Citations for Articles on Blackboard
Bleys, Rudi. “Race, Sex, and the Semiotics of Genetalia.” In The Geography of Perversion: Male-to Male Sexual
Behavior outside the West and the Ethnographic Imagination, 1750 – 1918. New York: NYU Press, 1995. 110
– 144.
Cullity, Jocelyn and Prakash Younger. “Sex Appeal and Cultural Liberty: A Feminist Inquiry into MTV India.”
Frontiers 25, no. 2 (2004): 96-122.
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Desai, Jigna. “Homo on the Range: Mobile and Global Sexualities.” Social Text 20, no. 4 (Winter 2002): 65-89.
Gutiérrez, Ramón. “Warfare, Homosexuality, and Gender Status among American Indian Men in the Southwest.”
In Long Before Stonewall: Histories of Same-Sex Sexuality in Early America, ed. Thomas Foster. New York:
New York University Press, 2007. 19 – 31.
Hoad, Neville. “World Piece: What the Miss World Pageant Can Teach about Globalization.” Cultural Critique 58
(Fall 2004): 56 - 81.
Lu, Sheldon. “Soap Opera in China: The Transnational Politics of Visuality, Sexuality, and Masculinity.” Cinema
Journal 40, no. 1 (Fall 2000): 25 – 48.
Hoad, Neville. “World Piece: What the Miss World Pageant Can Teach about Globalization.” Cultural Critique 58
(Fall 2004): 56 – 81.
McLelland, Mark. “Local Meanings in Global Space: A Case Study of Women’s ‘Boy Love’ web sites in Japanese and
English.” Mots Pluriels 19 (October 2001). Web Journal<http://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/MotsPluriels/MP1901mcl.html>;
accessed 20 January 2004.
Sik Ying Ho, Petula and Adolf Kat Tat Tsang. “Negotiating Anal Intercourse in Inter-Racial Gay Relationships in
Hong Kong.” “Negotiating Anal Intercourse in Inter-Racial Gay Relationships in Hong Kong.” Sexualities 3,
no. 3 (2000): 299 – 323.
Towle, Evan and Lynn Morgan. “Romancing the Transgender Native: Rethinking the Use of the ‘Third Gender’
Concept.” GLQ 8, no. 4 (2002): 469 – 497.
Urban, Hugh. “The Cult of Ecstasy: Tantrism, the New Age, and the Spiritual Logic of Late Capitalism.” History of
Religions 39, no. 3 (2000): 268 – 305.
Walters, Karina et al. “‘My Spirit in My Heart’: Identity Experiences and Challenges among American Indian TwoSpirit Women.” Journal of Lesbian Studies 10, no. 1/2 (2006): 125 – 149.
Wood, Andrea. “‘Straight’ Women, Queer Texts: Boy Love Manga and the Rise of a Global Counterpublic.”
Women’s Studies Quarterly 34, no. 1/2 (Spring/summer 2006): 384 – 414.