Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons^™

Woman, Queer, Jewish: The Sociopolitical Importance And Impact Of Identity Labels, Megan Polun

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

In this thesis, I trace and analyze the historical, social, and political uses of three identity labels: woman, queer, and Jewish. These three identity categories are personally important to me because I identify as a queer, Jewish woman. The questions motivating this analysis are as follows: How have these words been defined and who gets to define them? What has it meant historically to move through the world with one of these labels, and what does it look like today? What qualifies someone to identify with one of these labels, and what experiences or qualities do we share? What challenges …

Introduction To Gender Studies (Circa 2002-2008) (Whitman College), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

This course was taught by Robert Tobin at Whitman College. Professor Tobin worked at Whitman for 18 years as associate dean of the faculty and chair of the humanities, and was named Cushing Eells Professor of the Humanities. Several of the courses he developed at Whitman would make the transition to Clark, where they continued to evolve.

"'Introduction to Gender Studies' provides students with the intellectual framework to understand and analyze gender. Using a variety of sources from theory, literature, and other media, we will study femininity, masculinity, and some of the steps inbetween."

Analyzing Alternative Spaces: Queer Social Networks And Notions Of Belonging In Morocco, Adam Griffin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Because of the presence of both legal and cultural discrimination in Morocco, the Moroccan queer community operates largely in secret and is unable to occupy public space. Additionally, the patriarchal structure of Moroccan society creates a culture of toxic masculinity that limits queer expression. This paper examines how queer Moroccans operate in the face of this discrimination. It also explores the extent to which alternative spaces, or spaces that subvert the norms and practices of mainstream society, contribute to the creation of LGBTQ+ social networks. Alternative spaces can be physical spaces—such as bars, cafes, and live music venues—or virtual spaces—such …

The Notions Of The "Closet" And The "Secret" In Oscar Wilde's, The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Jessica Maria Oliveira

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will discuss the notions of the “closet” and “secret” within Oscar Wilde’s, The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as offer a clear and precise definition of queer theory to assist in elucidating many of the concepts being discussed. Close reading techniques will be utilized to further uncover the metaphoric, symbolic, and otherwise figurative importance of certain aspects of The Picture of Dorian Gray and supporting texts. Through Judith Butler’s conceptualization of sex and gender, as well as Jacques Derrida’s interpretation of the “secret”, this paper will explicate the intricacies of Wilde’s work and unveil queered aspects …

Growing A Garden Of Healthy Masculinities: Combating Homophobia In The Imagine Project Workshops, Mia Lloyd

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This qualitative research study examines how peer educators can combat homophobia within the Imagine Project workshops. The Imagine Project is a three country initiative which aims to engage young men to work against sexual violence and sexual harassment through peer education. Combating homophobia is not stated as an official goal of the Imagine Project, and consequently it has not received that much attention within the workshop curriculum and preparation. A literature review and six interviews were conducted to gather information about homophobia, it’s role within the Imagine Project workshops, and how it can be combated in that context. Relevant literature …

Performing, Sensing, Being: Queer Identity In Everyday Life, Justin J. Rudnick

Communication Studies Department Publications

Drawing from performance, affect, and queer theories, I explore how queer identity is storied, performed, and sensed in everyday life. I access performance and sensory ethnographic practices to examine how queer persons “do” their identities on a daily basis. I draw from data collected through ethnographic participation in a queer-friendly district of Columbus, Ohio in addition to in-depth interviews with fourteen self-identified queer persons I met through my fieldwork. My approach privileges observations and reflections of mundane moments of everyday life to position queer identity as a routine, repetitive, habitual, and otherwise performative practice. I question the emphasis on verbal …

Course Syllabus (W16 Online) Coli 331: "Pulp Fiction And Quentin Tarantino", Christopher Southward

Comparative Literature Faculty Scholarship

Course Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes:

Rejecting the standpoint of the passively entertained consumer, our shared objectives in this course will be (1) to bring our selected cinematic and written texts into interaction in such ways as to produce high-quality scholarly writing. It is hoped that, by the end of the semester, each student’s active engagement with our course material should have enabled him/her, (2) to deepen and broaden his/her knowledge base concerning the social problematics we will have treated in such ways as to inform and encourage constructive social action.

We will view Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, Reservoir …

Talking Mirrors: Experiences Of Older Transgender Adults And Culturally Competent Mental Healthcare Profes-Sionals With Talk Therapy In The Netherlands, Kate Cieplicki

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Historically, both the general population and mental healthcare providers specifically have misunderstood the transgender identity as pathological and unnatural. Despite persistent ignorance in the mental healthcare field about the background and needs of transgender adults, a psychoanalytic evaluation is required by the gender clinic for a transgender individual to begin the gender transition process in the Netherlands. This requirement creates a degree of tension and mistrust between the transgender individual and the mental healthcare field. Such discomfort is unfortunate because statistically transgender adults face more mental health problems than their cisgender peers, likely because of the stress that comes from …

Sexuality And Textuality (Fall 2014), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

"Sexuality and Textuality" serves as an introduction to gay and lesbian literary studies and queer theory. It looks at questions of sexuality and literature in ancient and early modern texts (from the Hebrew, Greek and English traditions), as well as in modern texts (from German, French, Spanish, Japanese, and English traditions). In addition to literary texts, students will work with a number of cinematic representations of queer sexuality. Besides these primary texts, students will work with important secondary literature about sexuality."

A photo of this Fall 2014 class was taken as part of Professor Bob Tobin's ongoing class photo tradition.

Sexuality And Human Rights (Spring 2014), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

What happens when we think of sexuality, with all of its transgressive and individualistic energies, in terms of rationally established universal human rights? Literary texts that focus on individual cases in the context of larger cultural and social traditions with a particular attention to the power of language can help us sort through some of the complex ideas that emerge from a discussion of sexual rights.

In this class, we will focus on issues such as sadism, masochism, polygamy, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, and transsexuality that bring questions of rights to the forefront.

A photo of this Spring 2014 class was taken …

Robby : A Gay Short Story, Michael C. Vocino

Technical Services Department Faculty Publications

A gay short story dealing with gay life, culture in the 1970s and 1980s and how one reluctant individual deals with his sexuality.

"The German Discovery Of Sex", Gwen Walsh

Publications

News article by The Scarlet, Clark University's student-run newspaper on the symposium "German Discovery of Sex", held on April 16, 2011. This event was part of the Henry J. Leir Chair Programming for the 2010-2011 season, a position that Robert Tobin held from 2008 up until his passing in 2022.

I Don't Remember Antwerp, But I Do Rome, Michael C. Vocino

Technical Services Department Faculty Publications

Brief short story of a fictional gay encounter in Antwerp, Belgium.

Gay And Lesbian Studies In Brazil: A Field In Construction, Berenice Bento

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

Traditionally, sexuality studies in Brazil have been organized around ideas of normalization. Specialists in the field have been trained to observe and comment on behaviours that did not conform to the imperatives of heterosexuality. Gender was polarized and hierarchical, and gained meaning from the idea of separate, complementary sexes. Heterosexuality gave meaning to human existence and reproduction, and every other kind of sexual expression was measured according to the rule of heteronormativity.

Sexuality And Human Rights (Spring 2008) (Whitman College), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

This course was taught by Robert Tobin at Whitman College. Professor Tobin worked at Whitman for 18 years as associate dean of the faculty and chair of the humanities, and was named Cushing Eells Professor of the Humanities.

"Since the Enlightenment, a discourse of human rights has emerged that began to be codified in international law after the Second World War. In this course, we ask whether sexuality can be understood in terms of rights. Do people have a right to sexual expression? If so, what limits can be placed on that right? How does sexuality differ from race or …

Sexuality And Textuality (Fall 2008), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

“Sexuality and Textuality” serves as an introduction to gay and lesbian studies and queer theory in an international and intercultural context. As we study the representation of sexuality in a variety of cultural contexts, we will ask and begin to answer such questions as:

How does the sexuality of a writer expresses itself in his or her writings?
How does the sexuality of a reader affect his or her reading?
How do rhetoric and language themselves inform sexuality?
Is there such a thing as a sexual culture or subculture?
Is sexuality comparable to gender, race or religion as a marker …

Sexuality, Gender And Human Rights (Spring 2006) (Whitman College), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

This course was taught by Robert Tobin at Whitman College. Professor Tobin worked at Whitman for 18 years as associate dean of the faculty and chair of the humanities, and was named Cushing Eells Professor of the Humanities. Several of the courses he developed at Whitman would make the transition to Clark, where they continued to evolve.

"The goal of this course is to learn how to use gender as a critical category to think about sexuality, human rights, and the intersection between the two. We will operate interdisciplinarily, studying philosophical, historical, literary, and legal texts. We will be constantly …

Sexuality And Textuality (Fall 2001) (Whitman College), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

This course was taught by Robert Tobin at Whitman College. Professor Tobin worked at Whitman for 18 years as associate dean of the faculty and chair of the humanities, and was named Cushing Eells Professor of the Humanities. Several of the courses he developed at Whitman would make the transition to Clark, where they continued to evolve.

"This class uses an introduction to gay and lesbian studies and queer theory to elucidate important concepts in literary theory, political theory, and gender studies. The first part of the class looks at the question of the historicity of sexuality. To what extent …