Undergraduate Course: Introduction to Queer Studies (DESI08141)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will provide undergraduate students with an introduction to the study of sexual identity and sexuality across a variety of disciplines, incorporating a wide array of historical and international perspectives. It will provide a grounding in key terms and debates, and explore the ways in which diverse fields of study explore and interrogate questions of queerness. The historical development of queer studies will be traced and challenged. The course will be taught by a number of staff from across the University of Edinburgh who are renowned for their research into LGBTQ+ culture, history and politics. |
| Course description |
This course will be delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars. Each week, guest tutors from across the University of Edinburgh - from subject areas including Design, History of Art, Anthropology, German, Sociology, Law, African Studies, and Health Sciences - will deliver lectures which introduce key concepts and terms in queer studies in relation to their fields of research and study.
The course will explore a variety of key questions and topics, such as:
- The birth of queer theory, and its relation to lesbian and gay studies
- Analysis of same-sex identities, communities and relationships in a global context
- Issues relating to LGBTQ+ representation in the media, popular culture, and other forms of creative practice
- Intersections between queerness and gender, race, class, etc
- The history of LGBTQ+ activism and rights, including backlashes and anti-gay politics and movements
- The relationship between queerness and various Institutional frameworks (such as law, religion, and medicine)
- The evolution of trans* politics
Seminars will be centred on set readings, which will be used as the basis for class discussion.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 190 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
| Course Start Date |
16/09/2019 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Formative assessment (due in week 5): one 500 word blog post on Learn, which discusses a text (film, novel, essay, academic book, etc) of direct relevance to the course. This post should evaluate the text's merits and the questions it raises, and identify how it has contributed to queer history, culture and politics. In addition, each student will have to read and comment on posts by two other students of their choice
Summative assessment (due end of semester): one 2500 word essay. Essay questions will be provided, but students will be encouraged to develop their own questions (with the agreement of the course convenors). |
| Feedback |
The formative assessment task will be evaluated through the Learn blog site; students will comment on each other's blog posts. This feedback will be provided within 7 days of the submission deadline.
Feedback on the summative assessment will be provided in written form to students through Learn. This feedback will be provided within 15 working days. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically evaluate the evolution of queer studies as a discipline.
- Identify core concepts in queer studies and apply these to a variety of historical and global examples.
- Discuss the variety of ways in which queerness has been explored by diverse fields of academic enquiry.
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Reading List
Henry Abelove, Michele Aina Barale, and David M. Halperin, 'The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader' (Routledge, 1993).
Reina Gossett, Eric A. Stanley, and Johanna Burton (eds), 'Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility' (MIT Press, 2018).
Donald E. Hall and Annamarie Jagose (eds), 'The Routledge Queer Studies Reader' (Routledge, 2012).
Annamarie Jagose, 'Queer Theory: An Introduction' (New York University Press, 1997).
Jeffrey Weeks, 'Coming Out: The Emergence of LGBT Identities in Britain from the 19th Century to the Present' (Quartet, 2016, revised and updated edition).
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- undertake critical analysis, evaluation and/or synthesis of ideas, concepts, information and issues in relation to queer studies
- draw on a range of approaches to formulate and critically evaluate evidence-based responses
- convey complex information to a range of audiences and for a range of purposes
- exercise autonomy and initiative in some activities at a professional level |
| Keywords | queer,queer studies,LGBTQ,LGBT,sexuality,lesbian and gay,queer history,queer politics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Glyn Davis
Tel: (0131 6)51 5772
Email: Glyn.Davis@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Georgia Dodsworth
Tel: (0131 6)51 5712
Email: georgia.dodsworth@ed.ac.uk |
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