Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - SA 337 D100

Sexuality and Society (S) (4)

Class Number: 3215

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Suzanna Crage
    scrage@sfu.ca
    Office Hours: TBA, via Zoom and office

  • Prerequisites:

    SA 101 or 150 or 201W.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

The categories that organize our understandings of sex, gender and sexuality have powerful histories and roles in organizing social relations in western society. Social activists and academics contest the naturalness of these categories, particularly that of the binary opposition between male and female, and related assumptions about sexuality and sexual orientation. This course encompasses a range of perspectives on sex/gender identity, sexuality, and the relationship between the two. These perspectives include feminist, lesbian and gay, and queer and transgender challenges to traditional understandings of sex/gender identity and sexuality.

COURSE DETAILS:

What a time for a course about the complexities of sex and society! Canada is getting ranked by international publications as the most gay-friendly country, but the Department of Justice is writing reports on continuing social and legal problems faced by sexual-minority residents. Different leagues for Canadian colleges and universities have different policies about which that play in different sports leagues are being told different things about which athletes can play on which teams, and a province has made an exception to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to enforce a law that says only sex assignment at birth matters. Meanwhile, just South of us, professors have been fired after students have reported them for teaching material rooted in state-of-the-art research findings about the biology of sex.

Sexuality's role in society is just as unsettled. Sex work has three different legal statuses in the three different North American countries. People is getting ready to declare its 2025 Sexiest Man Alive, even though Esquire stopped naming a Sexiest Women Alive in 2015. Even though biologists, psychologists, sociologists and activists all say that being LGBT is not just about being sexual, that seems to be the focus of many Gay Pride parades and associated events. And books that had been on required reading lists are getting pulled from school shelves, in the US and Canada, after parents see links with sexuality.

 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

What Will You Learn?

Social categorizations and conceptualizations of sex, sexuality and gender are full of contradictions, confusions and disagreements. We will use examples like these to help you work through and understand research and theoretical perspectives about what those conceptualizations are; how they intersect with other socially defined attributes like race and class; and how they are used by and shape power struggles in political, cultural and scientific arenas of social life. You will practice engaging constructively with these complex topics, while building expertise through your own research.

 

What Will You Do?

Three hours of this course are in person, and one hour is online. You will get a deeper understanding through reading articles and books chapters, writing about them online and discussing them in class, and by delving more deeply into a topic that you choose. You will write a paper on it, and work with students who chose related topics to discuss what you have all learned with the class. The course will include in-class writing in which you will draw on your understanding of course material to respond to prompts.

Grading

  • Synthesizing Readings 20%
  • In-class Writing 30%
  • Paper Proposal 5%
  • Paper Outline/Draft 15%
  • Class Discussion 10%
  • Final Paper 20%

NOTES:

Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraws from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.

Grading System: The undergraduate course grading system is A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F, N (N standing indicates student did not complete course requirements). Intervals for the assignment of final letter grades based on course percentage grades are as follows:

A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements                                                

Academic Honesty and Student Conduct Policies: The Department of Sociology & Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T20.01), and academic honesty and student conduct procedures (S10‐S10.05). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website.

Centre for Accessible Learning: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (1250 Maggie Benston Centre) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.

The Sociology and Anthropology Student Union, SASU, is a governing body of students who are engaged with the department and want to build the SA community. Get involved!  Follow Facebook and Instagram pages or visit our website.

 

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Will be posted on 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

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.