Transgender Histories, Identities, and Politics

In this course, we will critically investigate the historical, political, social, and cultural conditions and contexts that have enabled the category "transgender" to emerge into its contemporary use by exploring topics such as: historical shifts in the medicalization and pathologization of gender and sexual deviance; differing and competing constructions of "sex" and "gender" in academia, feminist critiques of transexual identities and technologies, and the controversies and challenges surrounding transgender rights. We will examine these topics through a wide range of readings alongside a weekly documentary film screening. 3 hrs. lect./disc.