Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2020 - GSWS 320 D100

Special Topics in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (4)

Global Trans Studies

Class Number: 7511

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 8, 2020: Thu, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    15 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A specific theme within within the field of gender, sexuality, and women's studies, not otherwise covered in depth in regularly scheduled courses, will be dealt with as occasion and demand warrant.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course will look at how trans people craft their lives across the world. Every week we shall look at a particular issue or a particular cultural context to parse out the specific set of freedoms and challenges trans people face. This shall help us look at how a particular question, or challenge, or freedom, takes a different form in a different place, thereby revealing how trans people become a site for national and cultural anxieties. For e.g. the bathroom debate in the U.S. and Canada loses its urgency in contexts of poverty in India. By looking at trans bodies in Indonesia and Iran we will see how different histories reveal different meanings of the word trans and hence de-stabilizes a universal, or global, or standardized experience or definition of trans. Yet, certain desires are recognized across cultural contexts such as Gender Affirmation Surgeries to graft onto other global economies such as medical tourism; how do the different legislations dealing with sex work impact the lives of trans sex workers; what do trans people reveal to us about poverty and policing? One of the questions that the readings of this course will pursue is to track the similarities and differences between the lives of trans people across cultural contexts. By using trans as the lens to view the world, we shall see how it reveals larger questions such as what constitutes masculinity, femininity, the body, and how should we define health.

 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

For more detailed information please see the GSWS website: http://www.sfu.ca/gsws/undergraduate/courses/Educational_Goals.html

Grading

  • Weekly precis 30%
  • Midterm Essay 30%
  • Final Essay 30%
  • Attendance: (only 2 unexcused absences will be allowed. Every unexcused absence after that without a note from a medical professional or the dean’s office will result in losing a grade). 10%

NOTES:

SYNCHRONOUS and/or ASYNCHRONOUS CLASS SCHEDULING

Each week of the course will be divided into 4 different components that will be delivered synchronously and asynchronously.

 

  • Lecture: This part of the course will be delivered synchronously which means all students will have to log onto Canvas Blackboard at the same time. The lecture will discuss the topic of that week. Only this part of the course will be delivered synchronously. For some weeks even the lecture may be delivered asynchronously through a recording that will be uploaded.
  • Reading: Every week I shall upload articles from popular media, short write-ups from scholars, activists, local experts in addition to the weekly assigned readings. Students can do these readings after the lecture whenever it is convenient for them. This is important for students to learn how to frame a research question and collect materials to analyze. This practice is essential for students in order to write their research paper.
  • Film: A short documentary film will be made available through the library and it is important that students watch the film before the lecture.
  • Writing: At the end of the next day, each student is required to submit a short precis (not more than 500 words) that summarizes the thoughts and questions that the student has collected after watching the film, participating in the lecture, having done both sets of readings (weekly assigned readings and popular write-ups). These submissions will be graded and count towards your grade. This will help me keep track of your progress through the semester.

 

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All the weekly assigned readings will be uploaded on canvas and will be made available through the library. Students will not be required to buy any books. Readings will be around 50-75 pages, and students will be expected to do these readings before the lecture.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2020

Teaching at SFU in fall 2020 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).