INTRODUCTION TO LESBIAN AND GAY STUDIES New York University, Spring 1994 [posted by Ed Stein, steined@acfcluster.nyu.edu] [posting includes syllabus, list of films shown, items in photocopy packet, three paper assignments] H72.0419 (Cinema Studies-Tisch), V97.0419 (Women Studies-Arts & Sciences) Mon. 1:20-2:35 (Room LC5, Tisch Bldg, 40 W. 4th St) Wed. 1:20-4:10 (Room 651, 721 Broadway) Professors: Edward Stein Department of Philosophy College of Arts and Sciences 503 Main Building Chris Straayer Department of Cinema Studies Tisch School of the Arts 721 Broadway, Room 600 COURSE RATIONALE AND DESCRIPTION: In 1969, a few blocks from Washington Square in Greenwich Village, the Stonewall rebellion occurred. This rebellion provided a catalyst for the national and international gay and lesbian liberation movement and, in turn, sparked scholarly inquiry into issues closely connected to sexual orientation and its relation to society. Over the past decade, the field of lesbian and gay studies has become one of the fastest growing and intellectually exciting areas of study both in and out of the academy. With connections to the humanities, the arts, and the social and natural sciences, lesbian and gay studies offers the potential for an integrated approach to human culture through the examination of human sexuality. Introduction to Lesbian and Gay Studies is an interdisciplinary course. It is designed to introduce students to historical and theoretical research through a series of units: the essentialism vs. constructionism debate; a sampling of lesbian and gay histories; intersections of race and sexual orientation; science and representation; and ethics, politics and law. We will consider such topics as the historical shift from an emphasis on homosexual acts to homosexual persons; the history of the study of gay men and lesbians by the medical, psychology, and sexology professions; intersections of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sex, and sexual orientation in literary and visual texts; homophobia and hate crimes; activism and outing; and gender and sexual orientation performativity. Class activities include lectures (including several guest lectures), film/video screenings, and discussions. The course also requires several field trips to cultural and academic events (e.g., a theater production, the Lesbian Herstory Archives and a screening/discussion at the Pan-African Cinema conference) which provide a practical interface with the New York City community. There are three papers for this course. The first two papers will be approximately five pages in length and the final paper will be approximately ten pages long. Lesbian and gay studies examines human sexual and erotic desires, preferences and orientations: how they differ (and remain the same) when the variables of time, place, culture, gender, class, race, et cetera, are changed; how they are constructed; and how they interact with other human phenomena such as government, reproduction, family, morality, art, popular culture, scientific inquiry and education. This course will provide students with the foundations for exploring questions relating to human sexual desires and behaviors: how they develop, how they are expressed, how they are understood, and how they are regulated. Lesbian and gay studies is a rapidly growing field with wide- ranging connections to various academic disciplines including anthropology, the arts, cultural studies, history, legal theory, literature, media studies, philosophy, psychology, the sciences, sociology, and women's studies. The methodologies used by educators and scholars in lesbian and gay studies vary extensively: from literary theory to evolutionary theory, from psychoanalytic techniques to oral history. This collage of disciplines and methods is one of the strengths of a field that has just started to develop, and it exemplifies what makes lesbian and gay studies such an exciting field. Introduction to Lesbian and Gay Studies is divided into specific units of study; nevertheless, disciplinary overlap occurs throughout the syllabus. For example, methods from literary criticism and cultural studies are used to interpret and deconstruct scientific and legal texts. Legal and scientific documents provide primary materials for historiographic analysis. Fiction is read for its reflection, appropriation, exploitation, and confrontation of "factual" discourses. Overall, Philosophy and Cinema Studies inform the course design and provide a matrix for a selection of topics from other disciplines. With its humanistic approach to the arts and sciences, this course interrogates the definition and potential of lesbian and gay studies. REQUIRED TEXTS: Abelove, Henry, Michele Aina Barale, David M. Halperin, eds., The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader, New York: Routledge, 1993. D'Emilio, John, Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983. Duberman, Martin, Martha Vicinus, and George Chauncey, Jr., eds., Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past, New York: New American Library, 1989. Gross, Larry, The Contested Closet: The Politics and Ethics of Outing, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993. Plato, Symposium, Alexander Nehamas and Paul Woodruff, trans., Indianapolis: Hackett, 1989. Puig, Manuel, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Thomas Calchie, trans., NY: Knopf/Random House, 1979. Schulman, Sarah, Empathy, NY: Penguin, 1993. Stein, Edward, ed., Forms of Desire: Sexual Orientation and the Social Constructionist Controversy, New York: Routledge, 1992. Coursebook of additional readings available at NYU Bookstore. Xerox of article by MacCowan available at NYU Bookstore. Xeroxes of Nestle and Califia handed out in class. OPTIONAL TEXTS (Readings from these texts also available as Supplementary Packets I-VI at the NYU Bookstore): Crimp, Douglas, AIDS: Cultural Analysis/Cultural Activism, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1987. Katz, Jonathan Ned, Gay American History: Lesbian and Gay Men in the U. S. A., revised edition, NY: Penguin, 1992. Hypatia 7.4 (Fall 1992). Law and Sexuality 2 (Summer 1992). Robeson, Ruthann, Lesbian (Out)Law: Survival Under the Rule of Law, Ithaca, NY: Firebrand Books, 1992. Weeks, Jeffrey, Sexuality and Its Discontents: Meanings, Myths & Modern Sexualities, New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Successful completion of this course requires regular attendance in class and required activities outside of class, regular and active participation in class discussions, and the completion of all assignments. PAPERS: There are three papers for this course. The first two papers will be approximately five pages in length. The first paper, due Feb. 28, will analyze gay and lesbian representation in a novel, a film/video, a scientific article, or a current political or cultural event. The second paper, due Mar. 28, will discuss an issue such as gay and lesbian historiography, psychological approaches to homosexuality, the relation of gay and lesbian studies to women's studies or African-American studies, the structure of oppression, and essentialism vs. constructionism. The final paper, due May 6, will be approximately ten pages long. It will be a critical paper on a topic related to the issues of this course. On Apr 25, a one-page abstract of the final paper must be submitted. We will review the abstract in order to determine the appropriateness of the topic and make suggestions for the paper. Papers and abstracts are due in class on the designated dates. We will grant extensions only in case of special circumstances (e.g., sickness), only when provided official documentation of such circumstances, and only when notified in advance of the due date. Unexcused lateness will negatively effect your grade on a paper. PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is a serious offense and will be punished severely. Plagiarism is when you use someone else's words without attribution. Plagiarism includes using portions of a previously published work in a paper without citing the source, submitting a paper written for another course, submitting a paper written by someone else, and using the ideas of someone else without attribution. You are encouraged to read additional texts and/or to discuss the issues of this course and your papers with us, your friends, family, classmates, or anyone else, but if you use ideas that come from others, you must acknowledge their help. It is always better to err on the side of acknowledging other people than to fail to do so. If you have any questions about how to cite sources, what constitutes appropriate use of a text or the like, please discuss them with us. Anyone who is caught plagiarizing will fail the course and be subject to disciplinary action through the University. CLASS PARTICIPATION: Attendance in class and required activities outside of class is crucial and is a part of the requirements for this course. Even if you miss a class, you are responsible for the material discussed in that class session. If you miss a class, you should get notes from someone who attended that class. If you miss more than one consecutive class, you should come see one of us to talk over the material you have missed. In addition to attending class, you should participate in discussion during class. GRADING: The final paper is worth forty percent of the final grade and the other two papers and class participation are worth twenty percent each. No incompletes will be given in this course except in extreme circumstances and under the conditions listed for extensions in the above section on papers. SCHEDULE: Note that the schedule that follows is tentative. We may spend more or less time on a topic depending upon the character of class discussions on that topic. We may also substitute or prioritize assigned readings. These changes will be announced in class. If you are absent for a class in which such announcements are made, you are responsible for them nevertheless. (See Class Particpation above.) UNIT ONE: INTRODUCTION Jan. 19 Start reading D'Emilio book now for Jan. 26 class. Screenings: Before Stonewall (Greta Schiller, et. al., USA, 1984, 16 mm, 90') Thinking (Homo)sex Jan. 24 Rubin, Gayle, "Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 3-44. Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky, "Epistemology of the Closet" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 45-61. Jan. 26 D'Emilio, John, Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983. Bronski, Michael, "War Culture: War, Language, Rape and AIDS" Z Magazine 4 (March 1991), 77-83. Anonymous, "I Hate Straights," Outweek 59 (August 15, 1990). 43. Reyes, Nina, "Queerly Speaking," Outweek 59 (August 15, 1990). 40- 42, 44-45. Field Trip: Discussion at Henrietta's on Hudson, Greenwick Village, with refreshments Jan. 27, 4. pm Recommended Event Michael Bronski will speak as part of the Lesbian and Gay Writers Series, Fales Library, second floor of Bobst UNIT TWO: ESSENTIALISM VS. CONSTRUCTIONISM Case Studies Jan. 31 Chauncey, Jr., George, "Christian Brotherhood or Sexual Perversion? Homosexual Identities and the Construction of Sexual Boundaries in the World War I Era" In Hidden from History. 294-317. Frye, Marilyn, "Lesbian Sex" Sinister Wisdom 35 (Summer/Fall 1988). 46-54. Constructionism Feb. 2 Foucault, Michel, "The Perverse Implantation" In Forms of Desire. 11-23. McIntosh, Mary, "The Homosexual Role" In Forms of Desire. 25-42. Screening: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Part I (55') Essentialism Feb. 7 Start reading Puig book for Feb. 14th class. Stein, Edward, "Conclusion: The Essentials of Constructionism and the Construction of Essentialism" In Forms of Desire. 325-353. And either Boswell, John, "Concepts, Experience, and Sexuality" In Forms of Desire. 133-173. or Weinrich, James, "Reality or Social Construction?" In Forms of Desire. 175-208. Open-ending the Debate Feb. 9 Wittig, Monique, "One is Not Born a Woman" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 103-109. Hinds, Hilary. "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit: Reaching Audiences Other Lesbian Texts Cannot Reach" In New Lesbian Criticism: Literary and Cultural Readings, Sally Munt, ed., New York: Columbia University Press, 1992. 153-72. Screening: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Parts II and III (55', 55 ') Performativity Feb. 14 Butler, Judith, "Imitation and Gender Insubordination" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 307-320. Vicinus, Martha, "They Wonder To Which Sex I Belong" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 432-452. Feb. 16 Puig, Manuel, Kiss of the Spider Woman. Screening: Kiss of the Spider Woman (Hector Babenco, 1985, USA, 16 mm, 159') UNIT THREE: HISTORIES (Feb. 21: Washington's Birthday-NYU holiday) Homosexual(?) Indians Feb. 23 Roscoe, Will, "They Left This Great Sin" In Zuni Man-Woman, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1991. 170-194. Nanda, Serena, "Hijras as Neither Man Nor Woman" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 542-552. Screenings: Honored by the Moon (Mona Smith for the Minnesota American Indian AIDS Task Force, USA, 1989, video, 15') Jareena: Portrait of a Hijda (Prem Kalliat, India, 1990, video, 25') Ancient Greece Feb. 28 ---> First Paper Due at beginning of class <--- Halperin, David, "Sex Before Sexuality: Pederasty, Politics, and Powe r in Classical Athens" In Hidden from History. 37-53. Plato, Symposium . Mar. 2 Halperin, David, "Why Diotima Is a Woman" In One Hundred Years of Homosexuality, New York: Routledge, 1990. 113-151. Guest Speaker: David Halperin, "Topics in Greek Love" Visibility in the Hypermasculine Environment of War Mar. 7 Berube, Allen, "Marching to a Different Drummer: Lesbian and Gay GIs in World War II" In Hidden from History. 383-394. Rigdon, Elizabeth, "Be All That You Can Be In the Army--Just Don't Be Lesbian or Gay" Law & Sexuality 2 (Summer 1992). 209-236. Documents from the contemporary Executive Ruling on Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military. UNIT FOUR: HOMOSEXUALITY: RACE, ROLES, REPRESENTATION Race and Sexuality: Representation and Viewership Mar. 9 Mercer, Kobena, "Dark and Lovely Too . . " In Queer Looks, Martha Gever, et. al., eds., New York: Routledge, 1993. 238-256. Mercer, Kobena, "Looking for Trouble" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 350-359. Meyer, Richard, "Robert Mapplethorpe and the Discipline of Photography" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 360-380. Screening: Tongues Untied (Marlon Riggs, USA, 1989, video, 55') Looking for Langston (Isaac Julien, Great Britian, 1992, film, 45') Note: The following two videos are on reserve for optional viewing for this class, under Straayer's name, at the Avery Fischer Media Center, 2nd fl. Bobst Library: State of the Art: Art of the State (MAC Attack!! Branda Miller, producer; Part II of Deep Dish TV series Behind Censorship, USA, 1991, video, 28') Robert Mapplethorpe (BBC documentary) Spring Recess: March 14-19 Start reading Schulman book for Mar. 30th class. Homosexual Art: the Target of Censorship Mar. 21 Dubin. Steven, "Gay Images and the Social Construction of Acceptability" In Arresting Images, New York: Routledge, 1992. 159- 196. Guest Speaker: Allen Ellenzweig, "History of Erotic Male Photography" Butch-Femme Mar. 23 MacCowan, Lyndall, "Re-collecting History, Renaming Lives: Femme Stigma and the Feminist Seventies and Eighties" In The Persistent Desire, Joan Nestle, ed., Boston: Alyson Publications, Inc., 1992. 299-328. Nestle, Joan, "The Femme Question" In The Persistent Desire. 138- 146. Nestle, Joan, "My Woman Poppa" In The Persistent Desire. 348-350. Califia, Pat, "The Femme Poem," "I Love Butches," and "Gender Fuck Gender" In The Persistent Desire. 416-423. Note: Instead of meeting at our usual place, we will use this afternoon to attendAngels in America (see fieldtrip below) The readings assigned for this day will be discussed with Joan Nestle during our March 26th field trip. March 23, Wednesday, 2-7 p.m. Field trip: Angels in America (Tony Kushner, author; George C Wolfe, director) at Walter Kerr Theater. After the theater, we'll go for pizza. March 26, Saturday, 2 p.m. Field Trip: Tour of Lesbian Herstory Archives in Brooklyn and discussion of butch/femme with Joan Nestle Mar. 29, Tuesday, 7 p.m. Field Trip: Kobena Mercer lecture at the Conference on Black Cinema: A Celebration of Pan-African Film with screening of The Attendant (Isaac Julien, England, 1992 film 8'. (place TBA) UNIT FIVE: SCIENCE AND REPRESENTATION Representations of AIDS Mar. 28 ---> Second Paper Due at beginning of class <--- Alonso, Ana Maria and Maria Teresa Koreck, "Silences: 'Hispanics,' AIDS, and Sexual Practices" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 110-126. Gilman, Sander, "AIDS and Syphilis: The Iconography of Disease" AIDS: Cultural Analysis/Cultural Activism. 87-107. Mar. 30 Schulman, Sarah, Empathy. Crimp, Douglas, "How to Have Promiscuity in an Epidemic" AIDS: Cultural Analysis/Cultural Activism. 237-271. Note: The following video is on reserve for optional viewing for this class, under Straayer's name, at the Avery Fischer Media Center, 2nd floor Bobst Library: And the Band Played On (Roger Spottiswoode, 1993, HBO, based on book by Randy Shilts) Guest Speaker: Sarah Schulman, "Contemporary Issues" The Etiology of Homosexuality and the Etiology of Science Apr. 4 Katz, Jonathan, Introduction and Selections from "Treatment" In Gay American History. 129-134 and selections from 134-209. Brown, Roger, "Sources of Erotic Orientation" In Social Psychology: The Second Edition, New York: Free Press, 1986. 344-377. LeVay, Simon, "A Difference in the Hypothalamic Structure Between Heterosexual and Homosexual Men" Science 253 (1991). 1034-1037. Apr. 6 Weeks, Jeffrey, "'Nature had nothing to with it': the role of sexolog y," "A Never-ceasing duel? 'Sex' in relation to 'society,'" and "Sexualit y and the Unconscious" In Sexuality and Its Discontents: Meanings, Myths & Modern Sexualities, New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986. 61-181. Terry, Jennifer, "Theorizing Deviant Historiography" differences 3.2 (Summer 1991). 55-74. UNIT SIX: ETHICS, POLITICS, LAW Lesbian Feminism Apr. 11 Radicalesbians, "The Woman Identified Woman" In Radical Feminism, Ann Koedt, et al., eds., New York: Quadrangle Books, 1973, 164-167. Trebilcot, Joyce, "Taking Responsibility for Sexuality" In Philosophy and Sex, revised edition, Robert Baker and Peter Elliston, eds., Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1984. 421-430. Lorde, Audre, "The Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power" In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. 339-343. Hoagland, Sarah, "Why Lesbian Ethics?" Hypatia 7.4 (Fall 1992). 195-206. Lesbian Sexuality Apr. 13 Robeson, Ruthann, "Developing Lesbian Legal Theory," "Searching for a Past," and "Crimes of Lesbian Sex" In Lesbian (Out)Law: Survival Under the Rule of Law, Ithaca, NY: Firebrand Books, 1992. 15-59. On, Bat-Ami Bar, "The Feminist Sexuality Debates and the Transformation of the Political" Hypatia 7.4 (Fall 1992). 45-58. D'Aumer, Elizabeth, "Queer Ethics, or The Challenge of Bisexuality to Lesbian Ethics" Hypatia 7.4 (Fall 1992). 91-105. Screening: Ten Cents a Dance (Parallax) (Midi Onodera, 1985, 16mm, 30') She Don't Fade (Cheryl Dunye, 1991, video, 23') The Making of Monsters (John Greyson, Canada, 16 mm on video, 1990, 35') Lesbian and Gay Rights Apr. 18 Irons, Peter, "Interview with Michael Hardwick," In Lesbians, Gay Men and the Law, William Rubinstein, ed., NY: The New Press, 1993. 125-131. "Bowers vs. Hardwick" in Lesbians, Gay Men and the Law. 132-151. Kaplan, Morris, "Autonomy, Equality, Community: The Question of Lesbian and Gay Rights, Praxis International 11 (July 1991). 195- 213. Love and Hate: Gay Marriage and Gay Bashing Apr. 20 Stoddard, Tom, "Why Gay People Should Seek the Right to Marry" In Lesbians, Gay Men and the Law. 398-401. Ettlebrick, Paula, "Since When Is Marriage a Path to Liberation?" In Lesbians, Gay Men and the Law. 401-406. Comstock, Gary David, "Dismantling the Homosexual Panic Defense," Law and Sexuality 2 (Summer 1992). 81-102. Guest Speaker: Paula Ettlebrick, National Center for Lesbian rights, "Contemporary Issues" Outing Apr. 25 ---> Abstract for Final Paper Due at beginning of class <---Gross, Larry, The Contested Closet. 1993.1-80 plus parts of Original Press Articles. Apr. 27 Gross, Larry, The Contested Closet. 81-174 plus parts of Original Press Articles. Apr. 27, 1 pm -7 pm Recommended Event Panel on pre-Stonewall Greenwich Village, with four oral histories on gay life and gay activism pre-Stonewall and two historical papers on the era, location to be announced Conclusions and Evaluations May 2 ---> Final papers due: Friday, May 6, 4:30 PM <--- Deliver papers to Stein's or Straayer's office. You are responsible f or keeping a xerox copy for backup. LIST OF FILMS Jan. 19 Before Stonewall (Greta Schiller, et. al., USA, 1984, 16 mm, 90') Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Part I (Dir.: Barbara Kidron, Author: Jeannette Winterson, U.K., 1989, video, 55') Feb. 2 Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Part II (55') Feb. 9 Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Part III (55') Feb. 16 Kiss of the Spider Woman (Hector Babenco, 1985, USA, 16 mm, 159') Feb. 23 Honored by the Moon (Mona Smith for the Minnesota American Indian AIDS Task Force, USA, 1989, video, 15') Jareena: Portrait of a Hijda (Prem Kalliat, India, 1990, video, 25') Mar. 23 Tongues Untied (Marlon Riggs, USA, 1989, video, 55') Looking for Langston (Issac Julien, Great Britian, 1992, film, 45') Apr. 13 Ten Cents a Dance (Parallax) (Midi Onodera, 1985, 16mm, 30') She Don't Fade (Cheryl Dunye, 1991, video, 23') PHOTOCOPY PACKET Anonymous, "I Hate Straights," Outweek 59 (August 15, 1990). 43. "Bowers vs. Hardwick" in Lesbians, Gay Men and the Law. 132-151. Bronski, Michael, "War Culture: War, Language, Rape and AIDS" In A Certain Terror: Heterosexism, Militarism, Violence and Change, Richard Cleaver and Patricia Meyers, eds., Chicago: American Friends Service Committee, 1993. 209-217. Brown, Roger, "Sources of Erotic Orientation" In Social Psychology: The Second Edition, New York: Free Press, 1986. 344-377. Documents from the Executive Ruling on Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military. Dubin. Steven. "Gay Images and the Social Construction of Acceptability," in Arresting Images, New York: Routledge, 1992. 159-196. Frye, Marilyn, "Lesbian Sex" Sinister Wisdom 35 1988. 46-54. Halperin, David, "Why Diotima Is a Woman" In One Hundred Years of Homosexuality, New York: Routledge, 1990. 113-151. Hanson, Ellis, "Undead" In Inside/Out, Diana Fuss, ed., NY: Routledge, 1991. 324-340. Hinds. Hilary. "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit: Reaching Audiences Other Lesbian Texts Cannot Reach," In New Lesbian Criticism: Literary and Cultural Readings, Ed. Sally Munt, New York: Columbia University Press, 1992. 153-72. Irons, Peter, "Interview with Michael Hardwick," In Lesbians, Gay Men and the Law, William Rubinstein, ed., NY: The New Press, 1993. 125-131. Kaplan, Morris, "Autonomy, Equality, Community: The Question of Lesbian and Gay Rights, Praxis International 11 (July 1991). 195- 213. LeVay, Simon, "A Difference in the Hypothalamic Structure Between Heterosexual and Homosexual Men" Science 253 (1991). 1034-1037. Mercer, Kobena, "Dark and Lovely Too . . ," In Queer Looks, Eds. Martha Gever, et. al., New York: Routledge, 1993. 238-256. Radicalesbians, "The Woman Identified Woman" In Ann Koedt, et al., eds., Radical Feminism, New York: Quadrangle Books, 1973, 164-167. Reyes, Nina, "Queerly Speaking," Outweek 59 (August 15, 1990). 40- 42, 44-45. Roscoe, Will, "They Left This Great Sin" In Zuni Man-Woman, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1991. 170-194. Terry, Jennifer, "Theorizing Deviant Historiography" differences 3.2 (Summer 1991). 55-74. Trebilcot, Joyce, "Taking Responsibility for Sexuality" In Philosophy and Sex, revised edition, Robert Baker and Peter Elliston, eds., Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1984. 421-430. Paper #1 When people write or talk about lesbians and gay men, they often make implicit assumptions about the nature of the categories of sexual orientation, about the origins of sexual orientation and about whether sexual orientation is a determined or a choice. They might say that lesbians and gay men "are born that way" or that it was a "perverse" society that made lesbians and gay men "turn out that way." Steven Epstein, on p. 242 of Forms of Desire, examines a letter written to Ann Landers that assumes both an essentialist and a constructionist account of sexual orientation. The writer of the letter, . . . expresses concern that her fourteen-year-old son may be "seduced" into homosexuality (folk constructionism) by the boy's friend, who she has "no question" is gay, because of his "feminine mannerisms"(folk essentialism). Your assignment is to write a four to six page paper examining essentialist and/or social constructionist assumptions in a representation (for example, a newspaper article, a scientific report, a movie, a television show, an advertisement, a song) of lesbians and/or gay men (and/or heterosexuals and/or bisexuals). Possible topics: 1. Discuss the implicit essentialist and/or constructionist assumptions in the Executive Ruling on Gays and Lesbians in the U. S. Military (a text of which is part of the course book of required supplementary readings). 2. Discuss the implicit essentialist and/or constructionist assumptions of at least two of the following groups discussed in George Chauncey' s "Christian Brotherhood or Sexual Perversion?": the Navy officers, the decoys, the ministers and the queers. 3. Discuss the implicit essentialist and/or constructionist assumptions of Jess, her mother and, if desired, other characters in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, as evidenced in parts I and II of the movie. 4. Discuss the implicit essentialist and/or constructionist assumptions in "I Hate Straights." 5. Discuss the implicit essentialist and/or constructionist assumptions in Simon LeVay's "A Difference in the Hypothalamic Structure Between Heterosexual and Homosexual Men" (a text of which is part of the course book of required supplementary readings). 6. Discuss the implicit essentialist and/or constructionist assumptions in the photography and presentation of Hanh Thi Tham (Tues. Feb. 15, 10 am, rm. 636, 721 Broadway). 7. Discuss the implicit essentialist and/or constructionist assumptions in a recent movie or a newspaper article. You are not limited to these examples. You may chose another text for the focus of your discussion. If you choose a text that is not part of the course readings, make sure to turn in a copy of the relevant text with your assignment. Papers should be typed and double-spaced using a reasonable font size and average-sized margins. Make sure that your paper is clearly written, has a well-developed thesis, and has been carefully proofread. Papers are due in class on February 28. Papers turned in later than this date will receive a reduced grade. Paper Assignment #2 Your assignment is to write a four to six page paper that takes a position on one of the following questions. You should carefully explain the position you are taking, spell out the most persuasive arguments for this position, consider the most plausible arguments against this position, and explain why you think that these arguments against your position fail. The questions listed below raise issues that arise from particular texts that we have read and discussed. The course readings that you should be considering in association with the questions are listed in brackets after each question. Do not duplicate in this paper either the object of student or any principal sources that you used in paper #1. For example, if you wrote on Native American culture in your first paper, do not choose option 2 below for this paper. Equally, if you used the work of Foucault in your first paper, do not choose option 1 below for this paper. 1. Are Ancient Greek men who engaged in same-sex sexual activities "ancestors" of present-day gay men? [Halperin, "Sex Before Sexuality"; Boswell] 2. Is it productive to think of the hijra (or the berdache) as homosexual? [Nanda, "Hijras as Neither Man Nor Woman"; Jareena: Portrait of a Hijda; (or Roscoe, "They Left This Great Sin"; Honored by the Moon)] 3. Do political, legal, and social forces similarly situate a) gay men and/or lesbians and b) either prostitutes or people into S/M activities? If so, how? If not, why not?? In either case, how do these forces function as or in representational practices? [Rubin, "Thinking Sex"; Meyer, "Robert Mapplethorpe and the Discipline of Photography"; Dubin, "Gay Images and the Social Construction of Acceptability"; Robert Mapplethorpe--BBC Documentary (optional) State of the Art: Art of the State (optional)]] 4. According to at least one version of the military policy regarding homosexuality, saying that you are a lesbian (or a gay man or a bisexual) makes you a lesbian. The morality of the military's policy aside, is saying that you are a lesbian a lesbian act? If so, in what sense? [Rigdon, "Be All That You Can Be . . ."; Documents from the contemporary Executive Ruling on Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military; D'Emilio, Sexual Politics/Sexual Communities; , Berube, "Marching to a Different Drummer" (optional); Butler, "Imitation and Gender Insubordination" (optional);] 5. In "Why Diotima Is a Woman," David Halperin argues that Diotima is not female but at best a "woman." Is this true of lesbians in our society? If so, in what sense? [Halperin, "Why Diotima Is a Woman"; Wittig, "One Is Not Born a Woman"; Vicinus, "'They Wonder to Which Sex I Belong': . . ."] 6. Using the conceptual tools provided by Eve Sedgwick (e.g., the open secret, double binds, unknowing, universalizing vs. minoritizing postions, separatist vs. integrative positions, plural identification, etc.) to argue whether racism and homophobia are similar or different in relation to "the closet." [Sedgwick, "Epistemology of the Closet"; Mercer, "Looking for Trouble"; Mercer, "Dark and Lovely Too";Tongues Untied; Looking for Langston] Papers should be typed and double-spaced using a reasonable font size and average-sized margins. Please number your pages. Make sure that your paper is clearly written, has a well-developed thesis, and has been carefully proofread. Papers are due at the beginning class on March 28. Papers turned in later than this will receive a reduced grade. Paper Assignment #3 Your assignment is to write a paper of five to seven pages on a topic that fits into one of the general subject areas from the list that follows. You should make use of at least three of the articles that are listed in the subject area you chose. Your specific topic should show original thinking. Your paper should demonstrate a mastery of issues we have been discussing in this course. Your paper should have a clear thesis that is supported by argument and evidence. Your paper should include a bibliography of relevant works and specific page numbers should be given (either in footnotes, endnotes or parenthetical references) when you are drawing from specific passages of works. On April 18 [note change of date from syllabus], you should turn in a paragraph-long abstract and a sentence outline of your paper which will be returned with comments by April 20. The outline should be very carefully produced. The sentences of the outline should concisely express and summarize the ideas that will make up particular paragraphs of your paper. You should include a list of the articles you plan to use in your paper. Your grade on the paper will be determined by your choice of topic, the quality of your argumentation, the effectiveness of your use of the texts, and the level of competence in your writing. Your outline is considered part of the graded assignment and these considerations apply to it as well. Do not duplicate in this paper either the primary objects of study or any principal sources that you used in either of the previous two papers. 1. AIDS [Alonso & Koreck; Gilman; Crimp; Bronski; Weeks; Terry] 2. Science and/or Psychology of Homosexuality [Brown; LeVay; Katz; Weeks; Terry; Weinrich; Stein] 3. Lesbian Sexuality [D'Aumer; On; Radicalesbians; Lorde; Robeson; MacCowan; Nestle; Frye; Rubin; Wittig; Trebilcot] 4. Lesbian and/or Gay Rights, Politics or Ethics [Bowers vs. Harwick; Kaplan; Irons; Stoddard; Ettlebrick; Comstock; D'Emilio; Gross; articles from the appendices of Gross; Rubin; "I Hate Straights"; Reyes; Rigdon; Robeson; State of the Art; Trebilcot; Butler; Hoagland; Berube] Papers should be typed and double-spaced using a reasonable font size and average-sized margins. Please number your pages. Make sure that your paper is clearly written and carefully proofread. Papers are due on May 6 at 4:30 p.m. in either Stein or Straayer's office. Papers turned in later than this will receive a reduced grade. It might be helpful for students who chose the same subject area to form study groups to discuss relevant articles. You are strongly encouraged to use each other as resources for these papers. If, however, a specific idea comes out of a discussion, you should credit the person for his or her assistance in your paper.