Sex and Society

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course provides an introduction to the vibrant and interdisciplinary field of sexuality studies, and investigates the ways in which sex and sexuality are shaped by society, and the ways in which they are connected to power and inequality in our world. We will begin the course by exploring some key theories and concepts within the field, and situate them alongside the history of LGBTQ activism in the United States and elsewhere. We will then consider how these concepts can be applied to a variety of contemporary issues such as sexual identity and the state, same-sex marriage, representations of sexuality in popular culture and the media, transnational sexualities and sexual identities, and consumerism. Throughout the course, we will examine how sexuality intersects with other social categories such as gender, race, class, nationality, age and ability/disability.