Sexuality in U.S. History

Catalog description

Exploration of the social construction of sexualities from the early seventeenth century to the present day. This course will focus on the United States, but we will begin with the history of sexuality in early modern Europe to see where ideas of sexuality in colonial America had their roots. We will proceed through the chronological development of the history of sexuality in North America. Throughout the semester, we will explore dominant and alternative constructions of sexuality; trace the changing and contested meanings of sexuality; and explore the implications of these understandings in sexuality for power relations in the history of the United States. While issues of gender and race frequently intersect with sexuality, we will be focused primarily on the latter.