Introduction

MAIS 630 Pushing the Boundaries of Gender and Sexuality takes off from the first Master of Arts-Integrated Studies gender and sexuality course-MAIS 628-in that it presupposes knowledge of the debates in that course concerning social history and psychoanalysis. In this course, we will explore more recent approaches to gender and sexuality that attempt to take us beyond the conceptual limitations of the concept of gender in order to critically think about sexuality in new ways. The course will be divided into three sections, each of which is connected to a significant new book in the field that attempts to think about sexuality in non-gendered ways.

Course Objectives

The objectives for this course fall under three headings. After completing this course, you should be able to fulfill the objective under each category.

1. The Biology of Sexuality: Know the important issues being debated in the biology of sexuality and develop a strong critical perspective on these issues.
2. Queer Theory: Develop a solid knowledge of the thinking of Judith Butler, the major theorist behind the development of queer theory, and understand how Butler pushes the debate over sexual identity in new directions.
3. Psychoanalytic Theory: Develop a stronger knowledge of Lacanian attempts to understand gender and sexuality and make sense of and evaluate the attempt by Dean to move that debate forward.

Student Evaluation

Please be prepared to devote the time necessary to completing the various activities in this course: reading actively and critically; writing succinct, critical answers to online discussion questions and student postings; researching and writing academic papers that are both critical and integrative. You will be expected to demonstrate a willingness to work.

You will be assessed on your participation in the online discussions and on three essays. Additional details about the online activities and about completing the written assignments can be found in the "Assignment File" near the end of this Course Guide.

To receive credit for this course, students must participate in the online activities, successfully complete the assignments, and achieve a final mark of at least 60 per cent. The Master of Arts-Integrated Studies grading system is available online at the MAIS home page. Please note that it is students' responsibility to maintain their program status. Any student who receives a grade of "F" in one course, or a grade of "C" in more than one course, may be required to withdraw from the program.

The following table summarizes the activities on which you will be evaluated and their credit weights.

Activity	Weighting
Online Postings and Reponses to Postings	25 %
Essay 1: Sexing the Body	25 %
Essay 2: Undoing Gender	25 %
Essay 3: Beyond Sexuality	25%
Total	100%

Course Materials

The course materials for MAIS 630: Pushing the Boundaries of Gender and Sexuality include the items listed below. If you find that any items are missing from your course package, please contact the Course Materials Production department at Athabasca University as soon as possible. You may call Athabasca University, toll-free, from anywhere in Canada or the United States at 1-800-788-9041 and ask to speak to someone in Course Materials Production (ext. 6366). Students in the Edmonton and Calgary dialling areas are asked to call the Learning Centres to connect with the automated attendant, and then dial the four-digit extension. You may send e-mail to cmat@athabascau.ca, or write to Course Materials Production at Tim Byrne Centre, 4001 Hwy 2 South, Athabasca AB T9S 1A4.

Textbooks

• Fausto-Sterling, Anne. (2000). Sexing the body: Gender politics and the construction of sexuality. New York: Basic Books.
• Butler, Judith. (2004). Undoing gender. New York: Routledge.
• Dean, Tim. (2000). Beyond sexuality. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Athabasca University materials

Course Guide: The Course Guide contains the course objectives, reading assignments, course part introductions, online activities, assignments, and other information that you will need to complete the course successfully. The "Study Schedule" identifies the course activities and assignments that you are to complete each week.

Forms: The forms that you will need to request an extension, register in a course, or request a letter of permission are included with the course materials.

Online DRR: The MAIS 630 Digital Reading Room includes many of the supplementary materials that are listed for this course. There is a link to the Digital Reading Room on the MAIS 630 home page, or you may access it via the AU Library home page.

Athabasca University Library: Students are encouraged to browse the Library's Web site to review the Library collection of journal databases, electronic journals, and digital reference tools: http://library.athabascau.ca.