Sociology of Sex(es), Gender(s) and Sexuality(ies)

Catalog description

Gender is an organizing principle of society and affects every element of social life. Ideas about gender and sexuality shape identity and suffuse interactions, institutions and the societies within which we live. These ideas vary from individual to individual, but also across time and place. This course surveys research on sex, gender and sexuality with the goal of providing students with a theoretical grounding for analyzing sex, gender and sexuality from a sociological perspective. We will explore outdated theories like essentialism and biological determinism, and newer theories rooted in social constructionism. Central to this course is intersectionality, a theoretical perspective that reveals ways in which race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality and other social categories are inextricably connected and form interlocking systems of inequality. Additional topics to be explored include: the sexual revolution, the hook-up culture, gendered families, gendered health, occupational segregation, sexual harassment and gendered violence, reproduction, social change and feminist activism. Offered as SOCI 384 , SOCI 484 , and WGST 384 . Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Prereq: SOCI 101 .