AJL16171 Queer Studies

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Michael Matthew Kaylor, PhD.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable of Seminar Groups
AJL16171/01: Mon 16:00–17:40 G22, except Mon 18. 11. to Sun 24. 11., J. Vanderziel
AJL16171/02: Mon 10:00–11:40 G22, except Mon 18. 11. to Sun 24. 11., J. Vanderziel
Prerequisites (in Czech)
AJL01002 Practical English II || AJ01002 Practical English II
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 54/40, only registered: 6/40, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 4/40
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the development, history and current state of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer culture in the English-speaking world, in particular in the United States and United Kingdom. The main body of the course is divided into five modules, with each two-week module focusing on a specific historical period/topic. During the first week of the module, socio-historical and cultural aspects of the issue at hand will be addressed. During the second week of the module, a work of literature (novel, short story) that deals with the module's theme will be examined.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to discuss the writing of others with sensitivity and appreciation; have an understanding of Gay Studies and Queer Theory, particularly in an Anglo-American context; and be familiar with the key events, themes, and figures involved in those contexts from roughly 1850 to the present.
Syllabus
  • Week 1: Introduction
  • Week 2: Read Introduction and Chapter 1, “Before Identity,” from Finding Out
  • Week 3: Read Chapter 2, “Sexologies,” from Finding Out; Watch Christopher and His Kind (2011), directed by Geoffrey Sax
  • Week 4: Read Chapter 3, “Toward Liberation,” from Finding Out; Watch Carol (2015), directed by Todd Hayne
  • Week 5: Read Chapter 4, “Queer Normalization and Beyond,” from Finding Out; Watch American Experience: Stonewall Uprising (2011), directed by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner
  • Week 6: Read Chapter 5, “Nature, Nurture, and Identity,” from Finding Out; Watch Gay Sex in the 70s (2005), directed by Joseph Lovett
  • Week 7: Read Chapter 6, “Queer Diversities,” from Finding Out; Watch The Times of Harvey Milk (1984), directed by Robert Epstein and Richard Schmiechen
  • Week 8:READING WEEK; Read Chapter 8, “Queer Literatures,” from Finding Out; We will be attending the Mezipatra Film Festive during this week
  • Week 9: Read Chapter 7, “Intersectionalities,” from Finding Out; Watch Tongues Untied (1989), directed by Marlon Riggs, and Paris is Burning (1990), directed by Jennie Livingston
  • Week 10: Read Chapter 9, “Visual and Performing Arts,” from Finding Out; Watch Nanette (2018) by Hannah Gadsby
  • Week 11: Read Chapter 10, “Film and Television,” from Finding Out; Watch The Normal Heart (2014), directed by Ryan Murphy
  • Week 12: Read Chapter 11, “Queers and the Internet,” from Finding Out; Watch We Were Here (2011), directed by David Weissman
  • Week 13: Read Chapter 12, “Queer Cultures,” from Finding Out; Watch the BBC documentary Out There (2013) by Stephen Fry
Literature
    required literature
  • Judith Butler, “Imitation and Gender Subordination”. In Diana Fuss, Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories (New York: Routledge, 1991), pp. 13-31.
  • ALEXANDER, Jonathan, Deborah T. MEEM and Michelle A. GIBSON. Finding out : an introduction to LGBTQ studies. Third edition. Los Angeles: Sage, 2018, xxxv, 426. ISBN 9781506337401. info
    recommended literature
  • Mary Renault (1905-1983), The Charioteer (New York: Pocket Books, 1967)
  • Francis King (1923-), An Air That Kills (Kansas City, MO: Valancourt Books, 2008 [1948])
  • Rictor Norton (1945-), The Myth of the Modern Homosexual. Queer History and the Search for Cultural Unity (London: Cassell, 1997)
  • Wendy Peters, “Queer identities: Rupturing identity categories and negotiating meanings of queer”. In Canadian Woman Studies / les cahiers de la femme, 24 (2/3): 102-107.
  • Randy Shilts (1951-1994), And The Band Played On. Politics, People and The AIDS Empidemic (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990)
  • David Eisenbach, Gay Power: An American Revolution . (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2006)
  • David M. Halperin (1952-), One Hundred Years of Homosexuality and Other Essays on Greek Love (New York: Routledge, 1990)
  • Sharon Marcus, “Queer Theory for Everyone: A Review Essay”. In Signs, Autumn 2005, 31(1): 191-218.
  • Richard Canning (editor), Vital Signs: Essential AIDS Fiction (New York: Caroll & Graf Publishers, 2007)
  • Allan Berubé (1946-2007), Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two (New York: The Free Press, 1990)
  • Paul Monette (1945-1995), Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992)
  • Edmund White (1940-), A Boy’s Own Story (London: Pan Books, 1983)
  • Alan Hollinghurst (1954-), The Folding Star (London: Vintage, 1995)
  • ALEXANDER, Jonathan, Deborah T. MEEM and Michelle A. GIBSON. Finding out : an introduction to LGBTQ studies. Third edition. Los Angeles: Sage, 2018, xxxv, 426. ISBN 9781506337401. info
Teaching methods
One 100-minute seminar per week. Attendance at the Mezipatra Queer Film Festival.
Assessment methods
Assessment will be based on the following items: (1) An in-class credit test given during the exam period. This exam will cover all the readings as well as material presented in the seminar. The test will account for 75% of the final mark. [The prerequisite for taking the exam is handing in a film review--see the highlighted note below.] (2) The compulsory Mezipatra element will account for 15% of the final mark, with review making up 10.5% and the quiz on the documentary Celluloid Closet 4.5% of the final mark (2) Seminar participation and attendance will account for 10% of the final mark. Class participation means speaking in class.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
Teacher's information
https://elf.phil.muni.cz/24-25/course/view.php?id=304
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2021, Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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