Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1210qt: Queer Theory

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2015

What is "queer"? What relationship does queer have to "homosexuality," "LGBT," or any conventional understanding of gender, sexuality, culture, history or politics? This course surveys the interdisciplinary field of queer theory, from its emergence two decades ago to its present day articulations. We will examine queerness as a conceptual category, as identity (or anti-identity), and its relation to race, ethnicity, nationality, class, as well as to artistic production and activism. We will likewise interrogate "theory" itself, what it is, what it does, and what interventions it can perform. Other topics include recent work on futurity, utopia, place, risk and intimacy.