Oberlin College
CAST 211
Spring 2009
Time: M/W 2:30 – 3:45
Location: King 123
Dr. Meredith Raimondo
Phone: 5-5291
Email: meredith.raimondo@oberlin.edu
Office: King 141G
Office Hours: M 10 – 12, W 1 – 2
or by appointment
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND
QUEER IDENTITIES
From the Supreme Court to reality television, the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and queer identities has drawn increased attention to the relationship of queer sexualities to
citizenship, inequality, and belonging. In this course, we will examine the production of nonnormative genders and sexualities in the United States as they intersect with important social
markers such as race, class, ability, and nation. Situating specific case studies in historical,
social, and comparative context, the class will explore a range of themes such as school-based
harassment, diversity in LGBT political organizations, processes of transgender identity and
community formation, the politics of citizenship at the national borders and in urban space, and
issues of disability and embodiment. Using an interdisciplinary range of methods and sources,
we will ask how a comparative perspective works to challenge fundamental assumptions about
the study of sexuality and consider the relationship to identity formation to social justice. Key
terms in our conversations will include normativity, intersectionality, and social structure.
Because this course offers a broad introduction to the field of LGBTQ studies, it is necessarily
selective. Students will have the opportunity to pursue specific questions and topics in more
depth in an individual research paper.
Course Objectives:
1) to understand the importance of an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach to
LGBTQ identities
2) to think critically about the politics of normativity as they shape a range of specific case
studies
3) to appreciate the historical importance of identity politics and to identify processes of
inclusion and exclusion in particular social contexts
4) to examine political challenges related to sexual identity in order to develop an
interpretation which addresses the prospects for social justice
5) to improve critical thinking through discussion and writing assignments that focus on
original interpretations of course materials
6) to pursue a particular interest, improve information literacy, and develop writing skills
through an independent research project
**This course serves as a gateway in the Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies major**
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Required Texts:
Articles marked with a * in the schedule of readings are available through Blackboard under the
“Course Materials” tab.
Books are available at the Oberlin College Bookstore or on reserve at Mudd Library:
Clare, Eli. Exile and Pride. Cambridge: South End Press, 1999.
Delaney, Samuel. Times Square Red, Times Square Blue. New York: New York University
Press, 1999.
Luibhéid, Eithne and Lionel Cantú, ed. Queer Migrations: Sexuality, U.S. Citizenship, and
Border Crossings. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005.
Mamo, Laura. Queering Reproduction: Achieving Pregnancy in an Age of Technoscience.
Durham: Duke University Press, 2007.
Pascoe, C.J. Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. Berkeley:
University of California Press, 2007.
Valentine, David. Imagining Transgender: An Ethnography of a Category. Durham: Duke
University Press, 2007.
Ward, Jane. Respectably Queer: Diversity Culture in LGBT Activist Organizations.
Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2008.
Course Policies:
It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the course policies described on this syllabus.
Please refer to them throughout the semester to guide your work in this course. Please let me
know if you have questions or need clarification of any of the requirements described below.
Discussion: The academic study of sexualities often raises issues that are controversial or which
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. In evaluating you participation, I
am not looking for the amount but the quality of your contributions, including the quality
with which you listen and respond to your classmates.
Reading: This class requires significant reading in preparation for discussions. Although we
may not discuss every reading directly, you must complete them in a timely fashion in order
to be prepared for course writing assignment. If you find you are having trouble finishing the
reading, please see me so we can identify effective strategies for completing the assignments.
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Late Policy: 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 (after three late arrivals) will result in
significant deductions to your final grade in this course.
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 only 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. You must submit late papers
electronically as well as by hard copy in order to verify when I received it (assignments submitted
only in electronic form will receive an additional deduction of one letter grade). 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 will 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
approved 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 these formatting instructions will receive a 1/3 of a grade deduction. No
electronic submission of papers will be accepted for this class.
CR/NE or P/NP: If you are taking this course CR/NE or P/NP, you must fulfill all course
obligations and complete all assignments in order to receive credit for the course.
Writing Proficiency: Your final paper will be evaluated using the rubric posted on the course
Blackboard site under the “Course Materials” tab. If your paper fails to achieve a “yes” rating in
two or more categories, you may not receive proficiency. Please feel free to make an
appointment to discuss writing proficiency evaluation in this 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.
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Assignments:
1. PARTICIPATION (10%): In order for our time in class 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.
In-class Activities: In-class activities may include discussion in small groups, writing
assignments, or other collaborative work.
2. BLACKBOARD THREADED DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT (5% total). You are
required to post to the course Blackboard site twice during each week of the course (20 posts
total). Postings should be analytical engagements with course materials. See handout for
further instructions.
3. 3 SHORT PAPERS (40% total; 10% each). 3 – 4 pages each. Each paper corresponds to a
section of the course and asks you to think critically about a key issue or concept. Due dates
are listed below; complete instructions for each essay will be provided in class and on
Blackboard under the “Assignments” tab.
a. Paper #1: Due Feb 20 at 12 p.m. to King 141-G
b. Paper # 2: Due Mar 13 at 12 p.m. to King 141-G
c. Paper # 3: Due Apr 17 at 12 p.m. to King 141-G
4. RESEARCH PROJECT (35% total). The research project is designed to allow you to
pursue a specific interest in more depth. More detailed instructions will be provided in class
and on Blackboard under the “Assignments” tab. Please remember that the writing associate
is an excellent resource for help in developing your project.
a. Proposal (5%). 2 - 3 pages. Due Mar 20 at the start of class.
b. Literature Review (15%). 4 – 6 pages. Due May 1 at the 12 p. m. to King 141-G.
c. Final Draft (35%). 8 – 10 pages. Due May 16 at 11 a.m. to King 141-G.
Summary of Deadlines:
Twice a week
Feb 20
Mar 13
Mar 20
Apr 17
May 1
May 16
Blackboard Threaded Discussion
Paper 1
Paper 2
Preliminary Research Proposal
Paper 3
Literature Review
Research Project
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Summary of Grading Policy:
Participation………………….10%
Blackboard Participation............5%
Paper 1………….…………….10%
Paper 2………….…….............10%
Paper 3…………………...…...10%
Research Proposal………….…..5%
Literature Review......................15%
Research Project……..…..……35%
Schedule of Readings:
LGBTQ STUDIES AND THE PROBLEM OF NORMATIVITY
M Feb 2:
Introductions
W Feb 4:
Key Terms and Questions
∙ Cathy Cohen, “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens,” 22 – 51*
∙ Margot Weiss, “Gay Shame and BDSM Pride,” 87 – 101*
M Feb 9:
Masculinity, Intersectionality, Normativity:
∙ Pascoe, 175 – 193, 1 – 52
*Trigger Warning: This book describes various forms of violence, including gender and sexualized harassment.
If you need more information in order to take care of yourself, please contact me ASAP.
W Feb 11: How Does Social Power Work?
∙ Pascoe, 52 - 114
M Feb 16: Gender Maneuvering:
∙ Pascoe, 114 - 174
IDENTITY POLITICS
W Feb 18: The Politics of “Diversity”
∙ Ward, 1 - 49
F Feb 20: ***Paper # 1 due to King 141-G by 12 p.m.
M Feb 23: Queer Diversity?
∙ Ward, 50 – 103
W Feb 25: Organizing for Social Justice
∙ Ward, 104 - 150
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M Mar 2:
The Production of Identity
∙ Valentine, 3 - 70
W Mar 4:
Identity and Community
∙ Valentine, 71 - 139
M Mar 9:
Knowledge, Power
∙ Valentine, 140 - 203
W Mar 11: From Identity to Subjectivity?
∙ Valentine, 204 – 256
F Mar 13: ***Paper # 2 due to King 141-G at 12 p.m.
M Mar 16: Library Session
GEOGRAPHIES OF SEXUAL CITIZENSHIP
W Mar 18: The Queerness of Migration:
∙ Lubhéid and Cantú, ix – xlvi, 3 - 60
F Mar 20 ***Research proposal due to King 141-G at 12 p.m.
M Mar 23: Spring Break
W Mar 25: Spring Break
M Mar 30: Borders and Citizenship:
∙ Lubhéid and Cantú, 61 – 122
W Apr 1:
Diasporic Lives:
∙ Lubhéid and Cantú, 123 - 187
M Apr 6:
The Politics of Desire
∙ Delaney, xiii – xx, 3 - 57
W Apr 8:
Segregation, Structure, and Contact
∙ Delaney, 57 - 127
M Apr 13: Sex, Space, and Social Change
∙ Delaney, 128 - 188
W Apr 15: Urban Normativity?
∙ Clare, 17 - 64
F Apr 17: ***Paper # 3 Due to King 141-G at 12 p.m.
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QUEER BODIES IN THE AGE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
M Apr 20: Queer Bodies and Social Justice:
∙ Eli Clare, Exile and Pride, 1 – 13, 67 – 138*
W Apr 22: Scientific and Medical Normativities:
∙ Morgan Holmes, “Queer Cut Bodies,” 84 – 110*
∙ Jennifer Terry, “‘Unnatural’ Acts in Nature,” 151 – 193*
M Apr 27: Biomedicalizing Queer Bodies
∙ Mamo, 1 - 85
W Apr 29: The Politics of Reproduction
∙ Mamo, 86 - 156
F May 1: ***Literature review due at King 141-G at 12 p.m.
M May 4: Queering Kinship?
∙ Mamo, 155 – 223
W May 6: Queer Futures
∙ Mamo, 224 – 249?
F May 16: ***Research project due to King 141-G at 11 a.m.
PLEASE NOTE TIME: LATE PAPERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Citations for Articles on Blackboard
Cohen, Cathy. “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential of Queer
Politics?” In Black Queer Studies: A Critical Reader, ed. E. Patrick Johnson and Mae
Henderson. Durham: Duke University Press, 2005. 22 – 51.
Holmes, Morgan. “Queer Cut Bodies.” In Queer Frontiers: Millennial Geographies, Genders,
and Generations. Ed. Joseph Boone et al. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press,
2000. 84 – 110.
Terry, Jennifer. “‘Unnatural Acts" in Nature: The Scientific Fascination with Queer Animals.’”
GLQ 6, no. 2 (2000): 151-193.
Weiss, Margot. “Gay Shame and BDSM Pride: Neoliberalism, Privacy, and Sexual Politics.”
Radical History Review 100 (Winter 2008): 87 – 101.