LGBT Politics Spring 2013

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY WS 390/POS 378 LGBTI Politics Spring 2013, Mondays 2:30 to 3:50; Wednesdays 1:00 to 2:20, Smith Hall 245 Professor Jyl Josephson Office: 716 Hill Hall Phone: 973‐353‐5125 Office Hours: M 4 to 5 pm W 2:30 to 3:30 pm email: jylj@andromeda.rutgers.edu NOTE: this syllabus will not be printed and distributed; with the exception of quizzes, printed materials will not be distributed in this course. All materials will be available through Blackboard. Thus, if you wish to have a printed copy of course materials you should print them. My apologies if this creates inconveniences; this is both a cost‐cutting and an environmental measure on the part of the university. Course description: This course explores LGBTI political movements and related public policies in the United States,and locates these within historical contexts and with reference to theories about gender and sexuality. The importance of intersecting identity categories such as race, class, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity will be explored as they impact political mobilization and public policy strategies and impacts of the movement. What role should the state play in regulating the relation between sexual identity and expression? What is at stake in the debates over same‐sex marriage and the claims by sexual minorities for equal rights? How have responses to the LGBTI movement, including anti‐gay political organizing, affected the political landscape and the strategies of the movement? Is it possible for sexual minorities to become full participants in democratic citizenship? How is the US context for LGBTI activism unique, and how is it similar to other national political contexts? The modern gay and lesbian movement in the United States emerged out of the New York City Stonewall uprising of 1969. What began as an appeal for basic human dignity has emerged today inside mainstream American interest group politics. At the ballot box, in Congress and state legislatures, through protests and in the courts, gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex, and transgender people are seeking recognition and asserting claims to rights and protections under law. LGBTI issues – such as non‐discrimination laws, hate crimes, AIDS funding, marriage, and so forth – are increasingly prominent in mainstream political debates. Yet, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender and intersex persons remain the nation’s most controversial, misunderstood, and disliked minority, and most Americans remain deeply ambivalent and conflicted over the movement’s struggle for rights and visibility. Specific Learning Outcomes • • • • Students will understand the history of LGBTI political mobilization in the U.S. and the background for current claims for changes in public policy. Students will examine specific political claims of the U.S. LGBTI movement, and the use of different strategies such as appeal to courts, legislatures, executive agencies, and public opinion in making these claims. Students will examine the normative and empirical claims and conflicts that are central to LGBTI mobilization and to anti‐gay responses to LGBTI movement. Students will examine the conflicts within the LGBTI movement over claims, strategies, norms, values, citizenship, and inclusion. • Students will develop their writing skills through participation in the class blog discussion list as well as two written papers on the course readings. Required Texts Carlos A. Ball, From the Closet to the Courtroom (Beacon Press, Boston 2011) Linda Hirshmann, Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution (Harper 2012) Urvashi Vaid, Irresistible Revolution (Magnus 2012) • Additional readings available in Blackboard Required Assignments and Grading • Two Reading Reaction Papers, 3‐5 pages (two, 20% each) • Three in‐class reading comprehension quizzes (out of five opportunities): • Class Blog Reading Summary • Class Blog Participation • Class Attendance and Participation 40% 30% 10% 10% 10% TWO READING REACTION PAPERS: During the course of the semester you will submit two papers (out of three opportunities) covering the units we discuss. Paper deadlines are noted in the syllabus. All papers should be submitted through the “Assignment” feature of Blackboard. Papers will be graded and returned in Blackboard. The purpose of the paper is to briefly summarize the key points of the reading (no more than two paragraphs) and then critically analyze the reading in light of class discussion and other readings. The paper should present your informed conclusions about the reading and its content. It should be in standard essay format, with a thesis statement and key points that develop that thesis. What does the author do well? What arguments are clear and well supported? Are there points that the author makes that leave you with more questions than answers? What do other course readings provide in the way of confirmation or contradiction to the reading? QUIZZES: Approximately every two weeks throughout the semester I will give a short quiz at the beginning of class that is intended to assess your basic comprehension of the reading for that class day. Some of these quizzes will be announced; others will be unannounced. There will be at least five quizzes during the semester, and your final grade will include your top three scores on these quizzes. The quizzes are intended to provide you with an incentive to actually read the course materials ahead of class. In general quizzes will consist of 8 to 10 questions of the short answer, multiple choice, or true/false variety though some quizzes may include slightly longer answers (e.g. in one sentence summarize the main point of this article). CLASS BLOG READING SUMMARY: Students will be required to provide a brief written summary of one (1) of the course readings; a sign up sheet will be passed around during the first three class sessions, and you should sign up for one reading. For purposes of this assignment, a course reading is, for example, one chapter in an assigned book or one essay or article. Your summary should outline and highlight the key points in the reading, and raise questions for class discussion. The written summary and questions should be about three paragraphs in length, and must be posed to the class blog site in Blackboard prior to the class during which that reading will be discussed. The class may make specific reference to the reading summary and the questions during class discussion of the reading. The goal of your summary and particularly of your questions is to engender class discussion. Grades for this reading summary will be based on both the quality of the summary and the quality of the questions for class discussion. CLASS BLOG PARTICIPATION: You are expected to participate in the class discussion board as a class member throughout the semester, just as you participate in class discussion in the classroom. You will be graded on the quality of your posts more than the quantity: how well informed and on topic is your participation? Do your posts demonstrate knowledge of the material? Is your post substantive (e.g., a paragraph in length should be the average post). I am not looking for statements of unsubstantiated opinion, but rather for engaged discussion of the course material. In the class blog discussion, you should respond to your classmates’ questions on the course reading (see “Class Blog Reading Summary” above) and you are expected to post throughout the semester. To receive full credit for discussion board participation you must post at least six times throughout the semester. Grading will be based on the quality of your posts, your contribution to the discussion, and on your participation throughout the course of the semester. Do not plan to complete this requirement entirely in the month of January, or entirely in the month of April; this will affect your grade negatively. Course Policies Please do not hesitate to talk with the instructor about the course materials. If you do not understand something, please ask. You are welcome to come see the instructor during office hours. Also, you may call at the office or contact the instructor via email. If you cannot make office hours, please email to schedule an appointment. This is what is expected of you: • Complete the assigned reading before class. • Take notes on the main points of the assigned readings. • Arrive to class on time every day. • Actively participate in the class discussion. • Ask questions about the material. • Take thorough notes in class. • Review the readings after class if necessary. • Turn in assignments on time. • Fully document all sources you use in your papers. • Abide by standards of academic integrity. • Call, email, or stop by my office hours if you have any questions or concerns. • Respect opposing views. The classroom is a place for open, vigorous, and civil discussion. Attendance and Class Discussion: Attendance is strongly encouraged, and attendance will be taken. Participation in class discussion is essential for better understanding and intellectual discourse. The class discussion component of your grade will be based on both the quantity and the quality of your participation. Absences beyond a total of three over the course of the semester will be excused only with advanced notice and for a legitimate reason that can be documented. Papers: Late papers will be penalized 5% of the grade per calendar day. Plagiarism: It is the policy in this course that any student who commits plagiarism or is guilty of some other form of academic dishonesty is subject both to penalties affecting his/her grade in the course and to University disciplinary action. These penalties range from failing the plagiarized assignment to failing the class to dismissal from the University. Please consult the “student code of conduct” for a full discussion of this issue. Cheating will not be tolerated. Topical Outline Note: This schedule and particular readings is not final and will be subject to change. WEEK ONE: January 23, 2013 Introduction to Gay and Lesbian Politics/Theory WEEK TWO: January 28, 2013 Read: Linda Hirschmann, Victory, Introduction and Chapter One January 30, 2013 Read: Linda Hirschmann, Victory, Chapters Two and Three WEEK THREE: February 4, 2013 Read: Linda Hirschmann, Victory, Chapters Four and Five February 6, 2013 Read: Linda Hirschmann, Victory, Chapter Six WEEK FOUR: February 11, 2013 Read: Carlos Ball, From the Closet to the Courtroom, Introduction and Chapter One February 13, 2013 Read: Linda Hirschmann, Victory Chapter Seven WEEK FIVE: February 18, 2013 Read: Carlos Ball, From the Closet to the Courtroom, Chapter Two February 20, 2013 Read: Carlos Ball, From the Closet to the Courtroom, Chapter Three ♦♦Reading Reaction Paper 1 due ♦♦ WEEK SIX: February 25, 2013 Class will meet during FREE PERIOD (11:30) for talk by Kelly Cogswell of the Lesbian Avengers in the Dana Room (4th floor) of the library. February 27, 2013 Read: Carlos Ball, From the Closet to the Courtroom, Chapter Four WEEK SEVEN: March 4, 2013 Read: Carlos Ball, From the Closet to the Courtroom, Chapter Five March 6, 2013 Women’s Studies Symposium: Attend the panel of the symposium held during class time from 1 to 2:20. Symposium is in the Paul Robeson Center. WEEK EIGHT: March 11, 2013 Read: Paisley Currah, “Expecting Bodies,” Women’s Studies Quarterly 2008 36:3&4 Read: Paisley Currah, “Gender Pluralisms Under the Transgender Umbrella,” from Transgender Rights 2006 (Blackboard) March 13, 2013 Read: A Finn Enke, “The Education of Little Cis” Read: International Transgender Bill of Rights SPRING BREAK WEEK NINE: March 25, 2013 Read: Cheryl Chase, “Hermaphrodites with Attitude: Mapping the Emergence of Intersex Political Activism,” in GLQ: A Journal of Gay and Lesbian Studies 4 (2):189‐211. (Blackboard) March 27, 2013 Read: Creighton et al, “Intersex Practice, Theory and Activism: A Roundtable Discussion,” GLQ 15:2, 2009. ♦♦ Reading Reaction paper number two due ♦♦ WEEK TEN: April 1, 2013 Read: Urvashi Vaid, intro and chapter 1 April 3, 2013 Read: Urvashi Vaid, chapter 2 Read: Cohen, Cathy J., “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: the Radical Potential of Queer Politics?” (Blackboard) WEEK ELEVEN: April 8, 2013 Read: Urvashi Vaid, chapter 3 April 10, 2013 Read: Urvashi Vaid, chapter 4 Read: Linda Hirschmann, Victory Chapter Eight WEEK TWELVE: April 15, 2013 Read: Urvashi Vaid, chapter 5 and 6 April 17, 2013 Read: Read: Linda Hirschmann, Victory Chapters 9 and 10 WEEK THIRTEEN: April 22, 2013 Read: Urvashi Vaid, chapter 7 April 24, 2013: Read: Urvashi Vaid, chapter 8 ♦♦Reading Reaction Paper 3 due ♦♦ WEEK FOURTEEN: April 29, 2013 Read: Urvashi Vaid, chapter 9 May 1, 2013 Read: Read: Linda Hirschmann, Victory Chapter Eleven Last Day of Class: May 6, 2013 Read: Linda Hirschmann, Victory Chapter Twelve