Fall 2021 - GSWS 320 E100

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

Global Trans Studies

Class Number: 5957

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 8 – Dec 7, 2021: Fri, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • 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.

Each week of the course will be divided into 4 different components.

  • 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 will do these readings during the lecture. 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 we will watch it together in class.
  • Writing: At the end of the class, each student is required to submit a short precis (not more than 250 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.

 

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: 200-250 words 30%
  • Midterm Essay: Midterm essay should be at least 5 double-spaced pages in 12-point Times New Roman font. 30%
  • Final Essay: Final essay should be at least 5 double-spaced pages in 12-point Times New Roman font. 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%

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 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 2021

Teaching at SFU in fall 2021 will involve primarily in-person instruction, with approximately 70 to 80 per cent of classes in person/on campus, with safety plans in place.  Whether your course will be in-person or through remote methods will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes.  You will also know at enrollment whether remote course components will be “live” (synchronous) or at your own pace (asynchronous).

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware 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.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the fall 2021 term.