Sexual Discoveries: the Reception, Interpretation and Purpose of Queer History
| Module title | Sexual Discoveries: the Reception, Interpretation and Purpose of Queer History |
|---|---|
| Module code | HISM479 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Professor Kate Fisher (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 16 |
|---|
Module description
Why do the history of sexuality? What is the relationship between historical research and contemporary sexual politics? How do different methodological approaches to doing queer history reflect different understandings of the purpose and relevance of history? Through a range of case studies you will explore the complex role of historical reasoning in sexual politics. You will ask: Is there a tension between rigorous and theoretically complex historical practice, public history, democratic history, and the needs of marginalised communities? How can we understand past sexualities without imposing our own categories on people’s experiences? Do historicising approaches make our queer ancestors invisible or alien? What is it to be a historian of sexuality committed to addressing inequalities and social injustices in the present?
Module aims - intentions of the module
- Explore the range of interpretations of historical sexual practices and how these are marshalled in contemporary social and cultural politics.
- Identify the range of purposes to which historical material about sex is put, including to make sense of experiences, to justify ideologies, to develop personal identities, to demonstrate civility, to challenge contemporary assumptions or to bolster calls for social, political or economic reform.
- Explore the political purposes behind the representations of the history of sex and sexuality.
- Reveal the politics at stake in writings about sex, sex customs, sexuality and sex reform, in popular culture as well as scholarly writing.
- Use various writings about sex in history to shed new light on the changing politics of sex, gender, morality, and identity.
- Explore emerging methodological and theoretical debates in the fields associated with uses of the past and the purpose of history.
- Consider the role of historians in society and the relationship between historical practice and contemporary politics.
- Consider the ethical responsibility of historical practice.
- Employ these methodologies and theoretical insights in the analysis of a very broad range of types of source material.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Understand the connection between the interpretation of the past and the political and social environment in which it is produced with a particular eye to the history of sexuality.
- 2. Analyse how various commentators analysis of sexuality in past/other cultures reveal the mentality and concerns of their present.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Synthesise widely different types of historical material and evidence.
- 4. Identify and understand the nature of original sources.
- 5. Research for yourself and present independent accounts and interpretations of different historical issues.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Apply key bibliographical skills (including the use of on-line finding aids).
- 7. Construct and defend a sustained argument, in written form or orally, using primary and secondary materials.
Syllabus plan
The content may vary from year to year. Topics chosen will reflect the interests of the students taking the module.
The module will begin by introducing students to the theoretical, conceptual and empirical debates within sexuality studies, queer studies and the history of sexuality. We concentrate on how approaches to the history of sexuality have developed during the past forty years. We will show how these approaches are situated within contemporary sexual politics.
Subsequent weeks will focus on case studies exploring how different approaches to the history of sexuality enable different approaches to sexual politics. We will investigate how history is marshalled in movements for sexual reform. Topics may include subjects such as:
- Ancient Greece and the politics of age differentials in sexual relationships.
- Ancient Pompeii, the ‘Secret Museum’ and the Politics of Pornography
- The in-born homosexual, twentieth century sexual science and campaigns to legalise homosexuality.
- The ‘female-husband’ and the politics of trans history.
- Footbinding and corsets: patriarchy and body positivity in sex education
- Saartjy Baartman and the sexualisation of the colonial subject
- Decolonisation and the rejection of queer Africa
- Desiring Arabs and white saviours: ancient Arabic erotica and the ‘Gay International’.
- The Kama Sutra and Hindu nationalisms in contemporary India
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 280 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching activities | 20 | 10 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 280 | Preparation for seminars and assessments |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literature Review | 35 | 2000 words | 1-6 | Oral and Written |
| Research Essay | 65 | 4000 words | 1-7 | Oral and Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literature Review (2000 words) | Literature Review (2000 words) | 1-6 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Research Essay (4000 words) | Research Essay (4000 words) | 1-7 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Doan, Laura L. 2013. Disturbing Practices: History, Sexuality, and Women's Experience of Modern War [in English]. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Fisher, Kate and Rebecca Langlands, eds. 2015. Sex, Knowledge, and Receptions of the Past . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gailey, Nerissa 2016. ‘Strange Bedfellows: Anachronisms, Identity Politics, and the Queer Case of Trans*’. Journal of Homosexuality 64 .
Halperin, David M. 2002. How to Do the History of Homosexuality . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lyons, Andrew P. and Harriet Lyons 2004. Irregular Connections: A History of Anthropology and Sexuality . Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Manion, J. E. N. 2021. Female Husbands: A Trans History. Cambridge: CUP.
Massad, Joseph A. 2008. Desiring Arabs . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Puri, Jyoti 2002. ‘Concerning Kamasutras: Challenging Narratives of History and Sexuality’. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 27 : 603-39.
Reis, Elizabeth 2004. ‘Teaching Transgender History, Identity, and Politics’. Radical History Review 88 : 166-77.
Reay, Barry 2009. ‘Writing the Modern Histories of Homosexual England’. The Historical Journal 52 : 213-33.
Reay, Barry 2020. Trans America : A Counter-History . Cambridge: Polity.
Weber, Shannon 2012. ‘What’s Wrong with Be(Com)Ing Queer? Biological Determinism as Discursive Queer Hegemony’. Sexualities 15 : 679-701Lewis, Brian 2015. British Queer History: New Approaches and Perspectives . Manchester University Press.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 07/05/2007 |
| Last revision date | 21/06/2023 |
