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Overview

MAIS 628: Gender and Sexuality introduces students to the theories and empirical research that form the backbone of gender and sexuality studies. The course directly challenges the sociopolitical imperative that there are only two biological sexes and that heterosexual desire and practice are the norms against which all other desires and practices are measured and found to be “deviant.” The course invites a critical examination of the two-sex binary order and the ways in which this order is reproduced but also resisted through feminine, masculine, queer, and trans performances of identity. It also pays attention to the intersections of gender and sexuality with other social identities such as race and disability.

Outline

MAIS 628 will be studied over the course of 13 weeks:

Learning outcomes

MAIS 628 has six major learning outcomes. After completing this course, students should be able to

1. develop a clear understanding that sex, gender, and sexuality are not rooted in biology but are socially constructed categories;
2. provide an overview of the historical and social changes to Western culture’s understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality since the Middle Ages;
3. recognize and demonstrate some of the ways in which gender and sexuality intersect with other socially constructed categories, such as race, ethnicity, indigeneity, class, and disability;
4. provide examples of performances of cis femininity and cis masculinity, and explain how these reproduce and/or challenge the two-sex binary order;
5. illustrate the disruption of the two-sex binary order through queer and transgender theory and identity; and
6. draw on the theories and empirical research presented in this course, and apply them to mediated and real-world scenarios.

Evaluation

To receive credit for this MAIS 628, students must participate in the online activities, complete and submit all of the assignments, and achieve a final mark of at least C− (60 percent). Students should be familiar with the Master of Arts—Interdisciplinary Studies grading system. Please note that it is the students’ responsibility to maintain their program status. Any student who receives a grade of F in one course, or a grade of C in more than one course, might be required to withdraw from the program.

Students will be evaluated on their understanding of the concepts presented in the course and on their ability to apply those concepts. The final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.

Materials

Important links

• Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
• Focus Areas
• Courses
• Fees and Funding