ENGL 380-01, Introduction to Queer Theory, Spring 2012

Abstract

The course aims to introduce students to the key debates and concepts that have arisen with the development of an academic field of inquiry called ‘queer theory.’ We will read various theoretical texts (queer theory) that we will attempt to make use of through application to our own lives/sexual identities, gender identities, as well as to films, non-fiction texts as well as selections of fiction. We will be asking questions such as: What are the problems inherent in the concepts homosexual, gay, lesbian, straight and bisexual? What is the relationship of queer to feminist? What of transsexuals, transgenders, intersexed people and polysexualities? Does queer provide us with the possibility of a political program of action or is queering all a game? What assistance does Queer Theory offer to our grasp of the complexities of sexual and geder identity?