Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2023 - GSWS 306 D100

Gender, Sexuality and Autobiographical Media (4)

Class Number: 6862

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 4 – Apr 11, 2023: Fri, 12:30–4:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Apr 14, 2023
    Fri, 11:59–11:59 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:

“the act of writing one’s autobiography is a way to find again that aspect of self and experience that may no longer be an actual part of one’s life but is a living memory shaping and informing the present” (bell hooks remembered rapture 1999:84)

“Questions concerning the body and embodiment are at the heart of these autobiographic narratives on trauma. Women artists suggest the graphic form is productive because it helps to capture the nuances of an embodied experience that are often invisible and hard to articulate through words alone.”
(Donovan & Ustandag “Graphic Narratives, Trauma and Social Justice” 2017, 229)

Through the study of mainly various graphic texts [comics, manga, and graphic novels], this course investigates intersectional autobiographical narratives/representations of gender and sexuality. Students will learn about analyzing autobiographical media, how representations are influenced by cultural and historical context (including but not limited to colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, patriarchy, racism, and heterocentrism), and the purposes/uses of autobiographical representations.

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 15%
  • Quizzes 15%
  • Book Comparison 15%
  • Q+Q/Panels 15%
  • Autobiographical Presentation 16%
  • Take Home Exam 24%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

  • Fahmy, Huda. 2018. Yes, I’m Hot In This: The Hilarious Truth about Life in a Hijab. Adams.

  • Gao, Laura. 2022. Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American. Balzer & Bray.

  • Nanasaki, Ryousuke, and Yoshi Tsukizuki. 2022. Until I Meet My Husband. Seven Seas.

  • Satrapi, Marjane. 2007. The Complete Persepolis: Vols. 1 & 2. Pantheon.

  • Summers, A.K. 2014. Pregnant Butch: Nine Long Months Spent in Drag. Soft Skull.

  • Additional readings are available on or through Canvas

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website 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