Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2024 - GSWS 332 B100

Intro to Porn Studies: The Poetics and Politics of Sex (4)

Class Number: 7346

Delivery Method: Blended

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2024: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    15 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores the circulation of images and ideas that constitute pornography and study the anxieties that it has generated at various moments in time and how these anxieties are related to the disciplining and policing of sexuality. Students who have taken GSWS 320 or GSWS 321 under the title "Introduction to Porn Studies" may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

On delivering the verdict on charges of obscenity in the film Les Amants, Potter Stewart uttered the now famous lines, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description ["hard-core pornography"]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.” Why is pornography so difficult to define but yet very easy to recognize? This course will explore the circulation of images and ideas that constitute pornography and study the anxieties that it has generated at various moments in time and how these anxieties are related to the disciplining and policing of sexuality. It traces the various academic debates, and events in film- making, literature, law, and everyday life related to pornography, which will be used as prisms to understand and study sexuality.  If we locate pornography as the site where we can study the fantasies and desires of our culture then what do these fantasies tell us about the human condition and why do cinematic or visual depictions of these fantasies make us nervous and incite panic? Using pornography as an entry point, we will study the fantasies of our culture and how they link up with notions of health, morality, governmentality, citizenship and censorship.

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%
  • Attendance and participation in class 10%
  • Midterm Essay 30%
  • Final Essay 30%

NOTES:

GRADING DETAILS

Weekly Precis  (30%) - At the end of the week, each student is required to submit a short precis (not more than 150 words) that summarizes the thoughts and questions that the student has collected after participating in the discussion and having done the readings. One way to submit a precis is to keep it as a learning log. These submissions will be graded and count towards your grade. This will also help me keep track of your progress through the semester.

Attendance and participation in class  (10%) - The first 3 absences will require students to submit Academic Concession Self-Declaration Form (this was previously known as unexcused absences). Absences beyond the permitted three will require documentation. Please find the form and details regarding attendance and absences at https://www.sfu.ca/students/academic-success/academic-concessions.html

Midterm Essay  (30%)

Final Essay  (30%)

Both the Midterm Essay and the Final essay should be at least 5 double-spaced pages in 12-point Times New Roman font. The instructions and grading rubric will be uploaded on Canvas. A letter grade will be deducted for every late submission.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All textbooks will be accessed through the library.


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

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.