Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2021 - GSWS 306 D100

Gender, Sexuality and Autobiographical Media (4)

Class Number: 7060

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Mon, 5:30–9:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    30 units including three units in GSWS or WS or GDST.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An examination of autobiographical expressions of gender and sexuality across diverse media, including print and visual culture, performance arts, and digital media. Students who have completed WS 306 may not complete this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

Humans have represented their lived experiences through various forms of artistic representation for some 32,000 years, and in the course of that time, autobiographical representations have been used to both reinscribe and to challenge normalizing discourses about gender and sexuality. In this course, we shall examine representations of queer life across diverse media, including print, visual culture, and performance arts. Students will complete an autobiographic project produced through individual responses to course materials, structured prompts, and exercises, peer critique, and revision. 

 

Students will learn how to analyze and critique artistic representations and consider how they have been influenced by cultural and historical contexts (including racism, sexism, colonialism, ableism, ageism, and heteronormativity). Students will both apply and construct their learning through their final project.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

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

Grading

  • Participation in collaborative feedback 20%
  • Autobiographical sketches 20%
  • Autobiographical project 30%
  • Autobiographical analysis and critique 20%
  • Review of an autobiographical text 10%

NOTES:

We will meet in synchronous sessions Mondays 5.30 – 8.30 p.m. weekly. We will use primarily Canvas (Blackboard Collaborate) and Zoom as a back-up. Asynchronous work will be expected using the discussion space on Canvas.

Access to internet and a computer with camera and microphone will be required.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Robson, C. (2020). Writing Beyond Recognition: Queer Re-Storying for Social Change. Myers Education Press.

Gadsby, H. (2018). Nanette. Directed by Madeleine Parry and John Olb, performances by Hannah Gadsby, 19 June 2018. Netflix, https://www.netflix.com/title/80233611

Additional texts will be available on Canvas


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 SPRING 2021

Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 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).