Course description
Gender, Sexualities, and Women's Studies 1102 introduces students to major contemporary issues in sexuality studies. Students will explore sexualities in relation to current political, social, and philosophical debates. Students will examine sexualities via interdisciplinary texts and current media. Topics will include an overview of sexuality theories, health and sex, media representations, and intersectional approaches to gender and identity.
Course content
A sample course outline will include topics such as:
- Theories of Sexuality
- Identities and Labels
- Indigenous Perspectives and Experiences
- Masculinities and Gender
- Sex and Health
- Virginity
- Disability
- Social Media and Culture
- Technologies
- Pornography
- Religion and Law
- Sex Work
- Rape Culture
Learning activities
The course will employ a number of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some or all of the following:
- Lecture
- Seminar discussion
- Oral presentations
- Small group discussions
- Creative group engagement
- Guest lectures
Means of assessment
Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy and will include both formative and summative components. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation must be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
Evaluation will be based on some or all of the following:
- Course Engagement and/or Attendance
- Group Projects and/or Presentations
- Exams/Quizzes
- Research Portfolio
- Reading Responses
- Term Papers or Creative Projects
- Journal Reflection
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, successful students will be able to identify, discuss, and evaluate:
- sexualities from theoretical and practical perspectives;
- intersectional approaches to sexualities;
- contemporary issues in sexuality from social, political, cultural, and philosophical perspectives;
- sexuality as connected with race, gender, colonialism, and other forms of marginalization;
- cultural contexts in relation to sexual identities, practices, norms, and taboos;
- how cultural contexts shift over time and differ among populations;
- lived experiences and current events in relation to course material.
Textbook materials
A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided on the Instructor’s Course Outline, which is available to students at the beginning of each semester.
Possible texts include:
- Fischer, Nancy L., and Steven Seidman, eds. Introducing the New Sexuality Studies. New York: Routledge, current edition.
- FitzGerald, Maureen, and Scott Rayter, eds. Queerly Canadian: An Introductory Reader in Sexuality Studies. Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press, current edition.
- Naugler, Diane, ed. Canadian Perspectives in Sexuality Studies: Identities, Experiences, and the Context of Change. Toronto: Oxford University Press, current edition.
- Course Reader designed by instructor