Chapman University
Fall 2023
English 547: topics in literary and cultural studies; queer theory
Land Acknowledgement (from Chapman's Wilkinson College website)
Wilkinson College believes all students should be taught the importance of recognizing land to understand the colonizing roots of academia and the way many fields of higher education have been used in the ostracizing, marginalization and disempowering (as well as the stealing of land, forced removal, and genocide) of communities. In doing so, we hope to inspire our students to use their education to challenge institutional and structural barriers to work toward equality, respect, and the lifting of their communities. Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences collectively acknowledges that Chapman University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Acjachemen Peoples in the Juaneño Territory, adjacent to our Tongva/Kizh neighbors to the North and Payomkawichum/Luiseño and Kumeyaay neighbors to the South. In addition, we recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of California’s 109 federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in California, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty, and consistent with our values of community and diversity, acknowledge our responsibility to hold the university more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.
Statement on Diversity and Inclusion
Department of English, Chapman University
December 2016
For at least half a century now, English as an academic discipline has been at the forefront of scholarly work and pedagogy in feminist theory, critical race studies, ecocriticism, queer theory, disability studies, working-class studies, postcolonial theory, multiculturalism, linguistic diversity, and student agency. The English Department at Chapman University works in all these areas and endorses Chapman’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. We pledge to vigorously support all our students; to welcome all students into our classrooms irrespective of immigration status; to contest racism, sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, imperialism, anti-Semitism, and anti-environmentalism; and to resist deportations.
Wilkinson College Interdisciplinary Minors Statement of Solidarity with Black Lives Matter, June 2020
English Department Statement of Solidarity with Black Lives Matter and endorsement of the statement by the Association of Asian American Studies on heightened anti-Asian bigotry during the Coronavirus pandemic, June 2020
Instructor Information:
- Ian Barnard, Ph.D.
- Office: 428 N. Glassell #104
- Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment, in person or via Zoom (email me to schedule)
- Email Office Hours: [email protected]
Catalog Course Description:
In this course, students investigate significant themes and movements in literature and culture. Topics may cross periods, genres, and national traditions. Letter grade. Repeatable for credit if the topic is different.
This particular section of English 547 offers a graduate level overview of queer theory and attention to foundational texts in queer theory, contemporary issues taken up by queer theorists, intersectionality, transgender theory, drag, and the relationship between queer theory and political activism in the context of current attacks on queer people worldwide.
Student Learning Outcomes for This Course:
Required Texts:
Grade Information:
This course uses the contract grading system (also known as labor-based grading) that is becoming increasingly common in educational institutions. This means that I will not be “giving” you a grade at the end of the course; rather, you will determine and work toward your own grade, based on the criteria below. I will also not be assigning grades to individual class projects but will give you plenty of feedback on your work. Like other faculty, I am using contract grading primarily for four reasons: 1) research has demonstrated that traditional grading practices are inequitable; 2) since what constitutes “good” or “bad” student work is subjective, contract grading gets rid of this kind of subjectivity because I will not be grading the content of your work; 3) I prefer to give you constructive feedback on your work, rather than have to rank you by assigning a grade to your work; 4) studies have shown that grades inhibit student learning, and students learn more and produce better work when they are not “writing for a grade.” It’s up to you to decide which grade you’d like to work for in this course—I won’t hold your choice against you; a student’s grade is not a comment on their intelligence or indicative of if they’re a good or likeable person or not!
Grade Contract:
A
B
1-4 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete OR 1 large (L) course component late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). See also attendance policy below.
C+
5-8 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete OR 1 large (L) course component missing OR 1-4 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete and 1 large (L) course component late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). See also attendance policy below.
Below C+
Don’t meet C+ requirements
Attendance: seminar discussions are a central component of this course, so your attendance in class is crucial. You have two free absences to use for medical and other emergencies, no questions asked; you may miss a third seminar meeting without penalty if you give me advance notice and provide documentation of your emergency; if you miss a third seminar meeting without advance notice or documentation of emergency, your final course grade will be negatively impacted. Note that you cannot pass the class if you miss more than three seminar meetings for any reason. According to the official university catalog, “The University recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20 percent of the course should be failed.” However, I don’t want anyone to fail the course. So if you need to miss more than three seminar meetings, I will encourage you to withdraw from the course, and I’ll support your late withdrawal petition.
Extensions (h/t Sawyer Kelly and Samantha Dressel): each seminar member has three available extensions. These extensions are for one day, two days, and one week respectively. Each extension may only be used once throughout the semester and can be used on any assignment except the draft of your first project, the draft/plan of your second project, and presentation of second project. If you would like to use an extension, send me an email letting me know which extension you plan to use before the assignment’s original due date. The extensions enable you to turn in assignments late without penalty.
Major Assignments:
Additional Course Policies and Resources:
In this course, students investigate significant themes and movements in literature and culture. Topics may cross periods, genres, and national traditions. Letter grade. Repeatable for credit if the topic is different.
This particular section of English 547 offers a graduate level overview of queer theory and attention to foundational texts in queer theory, contemporary issues taken up by queer theorists, intersectionality, transgender theory, drag, and the relationship between queer theory and political activism in the context of current attacks on queer people worldwide.
Student Learning Outcomes for This Course:
- demonstrate knowledge of queer theory's history, major theorists, and critical concerns
- engage with issues treated by queer theorists in creative, critical, and activist projects
Required Texts:
- McCann, Hannah, and Whitney Monaghan. Queer Theory Now.
- Peters, Torrey. Detransition, Baby.
- Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality, Volume I: An Introduction.
Grade Information:
This course uses the contract grading system (also known as labor-based grading) that is becoming increasingly common in educational institutions. This means that I will not be “giving” you a grade at the end of the course; rather, you will determine and work toward your own grade, based on the criteria below. I will also not be assigning grades to individual class projects but will give you plenty of feedback on your work. Like other faculty, I am using contract grading primarily for four reasons: 1) research has demonstrated that traditional grading practices are inequitable; 2) since what constitutes “good” or “bad” student work is subjective, contract grading gets rid of this kind of subjectivity because I will not be grading the content of your work; 3) I prefer to give you constructive feedback on your work, rather than have to rank you by assigning a grade to your work; 4) studies have shown that grades inhibit student learning, and students learn more and produce better work when they are not “writing for a grade.” It’s up to you to decide which grade you’d like to work for in this course—I won’t hold your choice against you; a student’s grade is not a comment on their intelligence or indicative of if they’re a good or likeable person or not!
Grade Contract:
A
- Attend seminar meetings (see attendance policy below)
- Carefully and critically read/view all assigned class texts (S)
- Thoughtfully and vigorously participate in seminar discussions (I expect each seminar member to participate at least once per class session in our seminar discussions; if you would prefer not to participate in seminar discussions, please see me so that we can come up with an alternative assignment sequence for you; if you tend to talk a lot in class, please make an effort to make space for other seminar members to participate in seminar discussions as well) (S)
- Complete eight Hypothesis annotation assignments/Canvas discussion posts following the instructions I post on Canvas (S)
- Give one recorded or live oral presentation on an issue of the journal Transgender Studies Quarterly following the guidelines below (L)
- Post a substantial draft of your first project on Canvas (S)
- Post a substantial draft of your second project or a detailed plan for your activist project on Canvas (S)
- Get feedback on your draft of your first project in an in-class peer workshop (S)
- Get feedback on your draft/plan of your second project in an individual conference with me (S)
- Post a revision of your first project on Canvas that engages with workshop feedback if you had a workshop (L)
- Post a revision of your second project on Canvas that engages with conference feedback if you had a conference or complete your Activist Project and demonstrate that your completed project engaged with conference feedback if you had a conference (L)
- Present your second project during our final exam time (S)
- Post/present all assignments by the assigned due date and time (for exceptions, see extension policy below)
B
1-4 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete OR 1 large (L) course component late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). See also attendance policy below.
C+
5-8 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete OR 1 large (L) course component missing OR 1-4 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete and 1 large (L) course component late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). See also attendance policy below.
Below C+
Don’t meet C+ requirements
Attendance: seminar discussions are a central component of this course, so your attendance in class is crucial. You have two free absences to use for medical and other emergencies, no questions asked; you may miss a third seminar meeting without penalty if you give me advance notice and provide documentation of your emergency; if you miss a third seminar meeting without advance notice or documentation of emergency, your final course grade will be negatively impacted. Note that you cannot pass the class if you miss more than three seminar meetings for any reason. According to the official university catalog, “The University recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20 percent of the course should be failed.” However, I don’t want anyone to fail the course. So if you need to miss more than three seminar meetings, I will encourage you to withdraw from the course, and I’ll support your late withdrawal petition.
Extensions (h/t Sawyer Kelly and Samantha Dressel): each seminar member has three available extensions. These extensions are for one day, two days, and one week respectively. Each extension may only be used once throughout the semester and can be used on any assignment except the draft of your first project, the draft/plan of your second project, and presentation of second project. If you would like to use an extension, send me an email letting me know which extension you plan to use before the assignment’s original due date. The extensions enable you to turn in assignments late without penalty.
Major Assignments:
- Hypothesis Annotations: we’ll be engaging with many class readings in the form of Hypothesis social annotations. This means that you will annotate readings alongside, in collaboration with, and in response to your colleagues, and you’ll all be able to see, build on, and learn from each other’s annotations. Many students enjoy the collaborative aspect of social annotation more than just annotating or responding to readings on their own. In addition, social annotation helps you to get a handle on difficult readings (many minds are better than one!), and gives you a sense of how other class members are responding to the texts. The social annotation will thus also help prepare you for seminar discussions and will form the basis for one or both of your two major projects. Since the purpose of social annotation is to build our collaborative understanding of a text, if others have annotated a text before you, you need to read your colleagues’ annotations so that you don’t merely repeat what others are saying, but build on and/or respond to what others are saying. For each annotation assignment, I suggest that you read the entire text quickly first to get an overview of it, and then read more slowly a second time, adding your annotations during your second reading. I will post specific instructions on Canvas for each annotation assignment. Some of these texts are challenging to read. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything the author is saying (in fact, one of the pleasures of social annotation is that we can better figure things out together): it’s fine to ask questions about something you don’t understand, or just to focus on what you do understand.
- Oral Presentation: you will give a 5-10 minute presentation on one of the themed issues of Transgender Studies Quarterly. You may prerecord your presentation and screen the video in class or present live. You will select a specific journal issue to cover. You want to give us an overview of your issue of the journal, but your presentation shouldn't just summarize the contents of the journal—we are interested in your take on it, on what you find interesting or significant or troubling about your journal issue or about individual articles in it, and how it connects or doesn't connect to issues we have been discussing in class. Avoid the temptation to give an exhaustive summary of your journal issue—you need to be selective in your material. If you choose to use slides, don’t make these slides text-heavy and don’t read what’s on your slides--slides are supposed to enhance or summarize what you are saying, not act as teleprompters! Each presentation will be followed by live questions and discussion from class members. The cumulative purpose of these presentations is to give seminar members a sense of what is happening in recent scholarship in transgender studies.
- First Project: develop one of your Hypothesis annotation assignments 1-3 or your Canvas discussion post 1 into a 5-10 page essay. Your goal is to build on an idea that you touched on in your annotation or discussion post, or perhaps build on your growing understanding of the text/exhibit as a result of class discussion and other seminar members’ annotations/discussion posts. You will need to engage with at least one other class member’s annotation/discussion post and at least one outside scholarly source, in addition to engaging with the text/exhibit you are focusing on. You are welcome to bring in other class readings (including films) as well, and to include links, screenshots, video clips, images, and other digital elements in your essay. Conclude your essay with a Works Cited list that includes your primary and secondary sources (including class members’ Hypothesis annotations/Canvas posts that you cite). We’ll discuss in class the target audience for this assignment.
- Second Project (may be individual or collaborative): Creative Option: using Ten Cents a Dance and Detransition, Baby as models, create an original short story, creative non-fiction, short film, screenplay, play, series of photographs, artwork, zine, or series of poems that discusses/embodies/illustrates/enacts one or more of the concepts that we have discussed this semester and that you believe is important for queer theory. Your creative work should be comparable in effort, time, and substance to a polished 5-10 page essay. Include a brief artist statement and bibliography to accompany your creative work. We’ll discuss in class the target audience for this assignment. Critical Option: develop your Canvas discussion 2 or 3, or your Hypothesis annotation assignment 4 or 5 into a 5-10 page essay. Your goal is to build on an idea that you touched on in your annotation or Canvas discussion post, or perhaps build on your growing understanding of the text/show as a result of class discussion and other seminar members’ annotations. You will need to engage with at least one other class member’s annotation/Canvas discussion post and at least one outside scholarly source, in addition to engaging with the text/show you are focusing on. You are welcome to bring in other class readings (including films) as well, and to include links, screenshots, video clips, images, and other digital elements in your essay. Conclude your essay with a Works Cited list that includes your primary and secondary sources (including class members’ Hypothesis annotations or Canvas discussion posts that you cite). We’ll discuss in class the target audience for this assignment. Activist Option: the debates about Queer Theory’s relevance for queer activism and the current culture wars around LGBTQIA+ identities in the US make queer theory a particularly important topic for an activist project. Develop an activist project that speaks to our political moment and is informed by or responds to the queer theory we have studied in this class. If you’d like to pursue this option, please discuss your idea with me prior to beginning work on the project. You must complete your project by the time of our final exam and should also include a brief theoretical statement and bibliography laying out the project rationale that you will post on Canvas. MA Thesis Proposal Option: see me if you'd like to pursue this option.
Additional Course Policies and Resources:
- Citation of Sources: Plagiarism is a contested and context-specific topic. We will discuss effective ways of using sources and issues around plagiarism. View Chapman's policy on academic integrity here. It's important to cite all sources you use in your work, including AI applications like ChatGPT.
- Email Protocol: Email is the best way to reach me. I acknowledge all email messages within 48 hours. If you email me but don’t get a response, I haven’t received your email. Feel free to email me concerning any questions you have about the course or your work.
- Class Dynamics: I do not spend much time lecturing and expect you to participate vigorously in the many discussions around which the course is organized. We all teach and learn in this course--I do not believe in a one-way transmission of “knowledge” from instructor to students. I don’t have all the answers, and I look forward to learning as much as teaching in this course. You should direct your questions and comments to your colleagues as much as to me. I encourage you to speak during each discussion and to encourage your colleagues to do the same.
- Diversity: I share with Chapman University, the English Department, and the LGBTQ Studies program a commitment to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Any violations of Chapman's Harassment and Discrimination Policy should be discussed with me, the Dean of Students, and/or otherwise reported in accordance with this policy.
- Students With Disabilities: Please let me know me early in the semester if you have a documented disability, so that we can discuss what accommodations, if any, I might make to help you succeed in this class.
- The Chapman Writing Center is a free service where you can get feedback on class projects.
- Student Psychological Counseling Services is a free service for Chapman students, and offers assistance with mental health challenges and other issues.
- Electronic Devices: Please bring your laptop to seminar meetings, but do not use electronic devices for non course-related work. Also, it's very important to put away all electronic devices when we watch films in class--light and sound from devices are distracting and ruin everyone's viewing experience. If you need to take notes while we are watching films in class, please use pen and paper.
- Do not record class meetings without prior permission from me.
tentative schedule
All readings are on Canvas except Queer Theory Now and Detransition, Baby
8/30/2023:
FIELD TRIP TO THE BROAD MUSEUM TO VIEW KEITH HARING EXHIBIT
9/27/2023:
FIELD TRIP TO DRAG SHOW AT HAMBURGER MARY'S
10/18/2023:
Final Exam, 12/13/2023, 4:15 p.m.-6:45 p.m.: party and presentation of final projects!
8/30/2023:
- In-Class Activities: introduction to the course, in-class reading, watch and discuss Ten Cents a Dance
- Homework Assignments for 9/6: read Queer Theory Now Chapters 1 and 7, and articles by Bey, Cohen, McCune, and Johnson (Johnson article optional); Hypothesis annotation 1 due by 3:30 p.m. on 9/6
- In-Class Activities: discuss readings and Hypothesis annotations; introduction to Foucault
- Homework Assignments for 9/13: read Queer Theory Now Chapter 2 and Foucault, History of Sexuality Part One and Part Two; Hypothesis annotation 2 due by 3:30 p.m. on 9/13
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading and Hypothesis annotations
- Homework Assignments for 9/20: read Queer Theory Now Chapter 3, Foucault, History of Sexuality Parts Three, Four, and Five; optional reading: chapter by Barnard
- In-Class Activities: discuss readings; watch and discuss Isaac Julien's The Attendant and short films by Barbara Hammer
- Homework Assignments for 9/25: read Queer Theory Now Chapter 4 and Queers Read This; Canvas discussion post 1 due by 3:30 p.m. on 9/27
FIELD TRIP TO THE BROAD MUSEUM TO VIEW KEITH HARING EXHIBIT
9/27/2023:
- In-Class Activities: discuss readings, Canvas discussion posts, Keith Haring exhibit, The Lesbian Avengers, Queer Nation, and ACT UP; watch and discuss Stop the Church
- Homework Assignments for 10/4: read Queer Theory Now Chapter 5 and Sedgwick, Introduction: Axiomatic from Epistemology of the Closet; Hypothesis annotation 3 due by 3:30 p.m. on 10/4
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading and Hypothesis annotations; assign first project
- Homework Assignments for 10/11: read excerpts from Butler, Gender Trouble (Chapter Three, Section IV; Conclusion; optional: Prefaces); post a complete draft of your first project on Canvas by 3:30 p.m. on 10/11
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading and Judy! zine; peer workshops on first project; mid-semester course feedback
- Homework Assignments for 10/18: post your revised first project on Canvas by 3:30 p.m. on 10/18; watch Paris is Burning on Kanopy; Canvas discussion post 2 due by 3:30 p.m. on 10/18; read articles on Paris is Burning (optional if you are attending field trip)
FIELD TRIP TO DRAG SHOW AT HAMBURGER MARY'S
10/18/2023:
- In-Class Activities: discuss film, readings, drag show, Canvas discussion post, and mid-semester feedback; first project debrief; special guest: Professor Ryan Ashley Caldwell, aka Sister Electra-Complex
- Homework Assignments for 10/25: read Queer Theory Now Chapter 8, Muñoz, Chapters 7 and 11 from The Sense of Brown (Chapter 12 optional), Edelman, Chapter 1 from No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive (optional), and queer temporalities roundtable (optional); Hypothesis annotation 4 due by 3:30 p.m. on 10/25; review presentation options
- In-Class Activities: discuss readings and Hypothesis annotations; assign presentation and presentation sign-up
- Homework Assignments for 11/1: read Queer Theory Now Chapter 6, articles by Keegan, Miller, Hsu,and Stryker (optional), and Snorton, Preface and Introduction to Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity (optional); Hypothesis annotation 5 due by 3:30 p.m. on 11/1
- In-Class Activities: discuss readings and Hypothesis annotations
- Homework Assignments for 11/8: work on your presentation; optional: watch Disclosure on Netflix; optional: review Trans Studies Syllabus for Bullshit Times
- In-Class Activities: presentations; discuss Disclosure
- Homework Assignments for 11/15: read Detransition, Baby; Canvas discussion post 3 due by 3:30 p.m. on 11/15
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading and Canvas discussion posts; special guest: Professor Eurydice Dye; assign second project
- Homework Assignments for 11/29: read articles by Morgensen and Escoffier, Ahmed, Introduction and Chapter 2 from Queer Phenomenology (optional), Puar, Preface, Introduction, and Conclusion from Terrorist Assemblages (optional)
- In-Class Activities: sign up for conferences; discuss readings, conference protocol, and final presentations; work on second project; course evaluations
- Homework Assignments for 12/6: post a complete draft of your second project or a detailed description of your activist project on Canvas at least 24 hours before your conference
- In-Class Activities: no class--individual conferences with me
- Homework Assignments for 12/13: post your revised second project on Canvas or complete your activist project by 3:30 p.m. on 12/13; prepare your presentation
Final Exam, 12/13/2023, 4:15 p.m.-6:45 p.m.: party and presentation of final projects!