FYSP 186 - Sex and Identity

Semester Offered: First Semester
Full Course
Credits: 4 credits
Attribute: 4HU, WINT

“Baby, I was born this way,” declared Lady Gaga in the lead single from her eponymous 2011 hit album. In her message of self-empowerment and queer sexual liberation she expressed an increasingly shared cultural assumption that sexual identity is something one is born with. On what bases, however, is this relationship between sex and identity thought? In this class we will explore some of the most influential modern theories of sexual identity in conversation with contemporary cultural and political debates about sex and gender identity. On what grounds is normalcy established in sex? How is sex understood to express identity?

Enrollment Limit: 16
Instructor: D. Schultz

Consent of the Instructor Required: Yes