Spring 2007
TR 1:30 - 2:45
Sakamaki C103
Department of English, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
(3 credits upper-division DL + W Focus Requirement)
Instructor:
John Zuern zuern@hawaii.edu
Office: Kuykendall 429
Office Hours: TR 10:30 - 12:00 and by appointment
Objectives
This class will examine the links between the figural language of literary texts, which from antiquity has been considered to be a departure from or an estrangement of "normal" uses of language, and the literary representation of modes of desire, identity, and action that we currently designate as "queer." Some of the questions we will discuss include
- the sex-gender-desire dichotomies: how does our everyday language represent the relationships among "physical" male/female sexual difference, gender, and erotic desire? how do these representations reinforce hegemonic assumptions about those connections? how are they contradicted in actual performances of gender and sexuality?
- sexual metaphors: how is our understanding of the experience of sexuality shaped by the terms and figures of speech to we use to articulate sexual identity and erotic desire, such as "orientation," "tendency," "straight," "gay," "queer," and the myriad euphemisms and slang terms of our various cultures and languages?
- representations of sexuality: how is the experience of sexuality, gender, and the associate social roles depicted in fiction and poetry? what can these literary representations tell us about our capacities to understand and represent this experience? how do literary texts reinforce dominant ideas about sexuality, and how do they critique and destabilize them?
- theories of sexuality: how have philosophers and theorists attempted to account for the experience of sexuality, gender, and the associated social behaviors and roles? what are the advantages and limitations of commonly held assumptions about the way sex and gender "work?"
- sex, race, and class: how do other aspects of a person's identity, such as socio-economic status, ethnicity, race, and fluency in the dominant language intersect with gender and sexuality in shaping that person's experience of selfhood and of the social world?
Assignments
As this is a Studies course, your work will focus on coordinating your reading of primary literary texts and secondary critical, theoretical, philosophical, and historical materials. Class discussion will emphasize the techniques of close critical reading within particular theoretical frameworks.
Your final grade for this class will be based on the following assignments:
- weekly blog postings 10%
- 2 analytical essays (3 pages) 15% each
- 1 research paper 30%
- an in-class teaching presentation 10%
- 1 midterm and 1 final exam 10% each
Texts
(books will be available from Revolution Books):
- Dorothy E. Allison, BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA;
- Lee Edelman, NO FUTURE: QUEER THEORY AND THE DEATH DRIVE;
- Judith Halberstam, IN A QUEER PLACE AND TIME;
- R. Zamora Linmark, ROLLING THE R'S;
- Thomas Mann, DEATH IN VENICE;
- E. Annie Proulx, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (story and screenplay);
- Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick: EPISTEMOLOGY OF THE CLOSET;
- a course packet of selected readings (at Campus Copy in the UHM Student Center)
Grading
Assignments are due by class time on the day on which they appear in the schedule. You must complete all assignments to receive a passing grade in this class. Grades for late assignments will be lowered by one letter grade for every day past the due date. I will not comment on alpha or beta versions that are submitted more than two days past the deadline.
I will assign grades based on the +/- system. I will use the following values to compute your final grades:
A+ = 4.0 A= 4.0 A- = 3.7
B+ = 3.3 B = 3.0 B- = 2.7
C+ = 2.3 C = 2.0 C- = 1.7
D+ = 1.3 D = 1.0 D- = 0.7
F = 0.0
In compliance with university policy, I will give incompletes only in cases of documented medical or family emergencies.
Attendance
I expect that you will attend this class regularly and on time. It is especially important that you show up promptly fro MOO sessions, as late arrivals in the MOO space can be especially disruptive for others in the class. More than three (3) unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the class. If circumstances arise that make it difficult for you to attend on-campus classes and MOO sessions, or to complete your assigned work, please inform me immediately. Don’t wait until the end of the semester, when it will be harder to make accommodations.
Conduct
Your relationships with your classmates and with me are governed by the Student Conduct Code, which also applies in all the online environments we will be using this semester. I expect you to act in a professional and respectful manner in all of these settings. I also expect you to adhere to the UH Executive Policy on the Use and Management of Information Technology Resources and the policies of the English Studies Computing Center.
If you feel that the conduct of another student in the class is interfering with your ability to work productively, please speak with me about the problem immediately.
Scholastic Dishonesty
The University of Hawai‘i regulations strictly forbid plagiarism and collusion. Submitting someone else’s work as your own, arranging for someone else to do your writing for you, or purchasing papers will earn you a failing grade for the assignment and may result in a failing grade in the class. Please review the Department of English Statement on Plagiarism and ask about any issues you do not understand.
Access
If you feel you need reasonable accommodations because of the impact of a disability, please contact the KOKUA Program at 956-7511 or 956-7612 in Room 013 of the QLCSS. You should also speak with me privately to discuss your specific needs. I am happy to work with you and the KOKUA Program to meet your access needs related to your documented disability.