Overview
MAIS 628: Gender and Sexuality introduces students to the theories and empirical research that form the backbone of gender and sexuality studies. The course directly challenges the sociopolitical imperative that there are but two biological sexes and that heterosexual desire and practice are the norms against which all other desires and practices are measured and found to be “deviant.” The course invites a critical examination of the two-sex binary order and the ways in which this order is reproduced but also resisted through feminine, masculine, queer, and trans performances of identity. It also pays attention to the intersections of gender and sexuality with other social identities such as race and (dis)ability.
Outline
Unit 1: Biology, Binary Thinking, and Its Discontents
Unit 2: The Invention of Sex: Histories and Genealogies
Unit 3: Theorizing Sex and Gender and Intersectionality
Unit 4: Doing Cis Femininities
Unit 5: Doing Cis Masculinities
Unit 6: Sex and Desire
Unit 7: Making Things Perfectly Queer
Unit 8: Trans Matters
Note: The Study Schedule subdivides the thematic units into weekly study periods.
Learning outcomes
After completing this course, students will be able to
- develop a clear understanding that sex, gender, and sexuality are not rooted in biology but are socially constructed categories;
- provide an overview of the historical and social changes in the understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality in Western culture since the Middle Ages;
- recognize and demonstrate some of the ways in which gender and sexuality intersect with other socially constructed categories such as race, ethnicity, Indigeneity, class, and (dis)ability;
- provide examples of performances of cis femininity and cis masculinity and explain how these reproduce and/or challenge the two-sex binary order;
- illustrate the disruption of the two-sex binary order through queer and transgender theory and identity; and
- draw on the theories and empirical research presented in this course and apply them to mediated and real-world scenarios.
Evaluation
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 C− (60 percent). Students should be familiar with the Master of Arts—Interdisciplinary Studies grading system. Please note that it is the 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, might be required to withdraw from the program.
You will be evaluated on your understanding of the concepts presented in the course and on your ability to apply those concepts. Your final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.
| Activity | Weight |
| Online Participation | 15% |
| Short Essays | 25% |
| Research Proposal | 15% |
| Gender Journal | 10% |
| Research Essay | 35% |
| Total | 100% |