Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Uses lectures, music, film and images to explore the beliefs and social practices through which sexual identities are created and transformed over time. Introduces some of the main theories and concepts used in the field. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

The History of Sexuality: Uncovering the Secrets Behind Identity

Why do we love who we love? When did "being gay" become an identity? Who decided what counts as "normal"?

This course will challenge everything you thought you knew about sex and sexuality. We're not talking about a biology class here—we're diving deep into the historical revelation that sexual identity as we know it today is actually a recent invention.

Journey through time to discover how powerful forces—from religious authorities to colonial governments to medical "experts"—have shaped, controlled, and redefined what sexuality means.

What You'll Discover:

The Big Reveal: How sexuality, gender, race, and class are all interconnected social constructions that have been used to control and categorize people throughout history

Detective Skills: Learn to think like a historian by analyzing original documents, questioning official narratives, and developing your own groundbreaking conclusions

Real Stories, Real Impact: Through powerful firsthand accounts like Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Maria Campbell's Halfbreed, witness how real people navigated sexuality, identity, and survival under oppressive systems

Mind-Bending Connections: See how moral panics, medical theories, and political movements have shaped everything from marriage laws to who gets to be considered "normal"

You'll uncover how concepts we take for granted today simply didn't exist 200 years ago, and explore the revolutionary idea that nothing about human sexuality is "natural" or unchanging.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Skills That Will Change How You See the World:

Critical Analysis: Question everything you've been told about what's "natural" or "normal"

Research Mastery: Navigate archives and libraries like a pro to uncover hidden histories

Powerful Writing: Craft compelling arguments that challenge conventional wisdom

Historical Thinking: Understand how the past shapes the present—and how change happens

This isn't just about the past—it's about understanding the forces that continue to shape identity, relationships, and power today. By the end of this course, you'll never look at sexuality, identity, or social "norms" the same way again.

Ready to have your assumptions challenged and your worldview expanded?

Materials

REQUIRED READING NOTES: