(Cross-listed with WGST 3080)

This course will explore the theories and cultural contexts underpinning contemporary debates on gender and sexuality. We will learn about knowledge, history, policies and norms about gender and sexuality and how they are produced, shaped, mediated and governed. First, we will trace the history of sexuality, before moving on to a survey of contemporary theories of sexuality and the representations of sexuality across race, class, gender, and place. Topics to be studied will include feminist theories of sexuality; queer theory; sexual assault; medicalization of sex; activism around issues of sexuality, rights and identity; reproduction debates; national and global politics around sexuality; and how gender and sexuality shape and are shaped by systems of inequality including race, class, religion, age, nationality and region. We will also explore the local and global politics of sexuality, as well as the historical and contemporary debates on identity, desire, and embodiment.