Global Sexual Politics (GEN570)
How and why is the global an important lens for understanding sexual and gender politics in their contemporary and historical manifestations? This course will address this question by engaging with scholarship that details the dynamics of, on the one hand, the global growth in progressive movements, ideologies, and political rights and scholarship on LGBTQI+ diversities and rights in recent decades, and their rising counter-movements on the other: transnational, well-organized campaigns that resist LGBTQI+ rights and that are based on morally conservative and traditional values, oftentimes centring religious and national identities. . The course engages with some of the top scholarship in this fast-expanding interdisciplinary field, and students will thus be encouraged to explore and understand diverse forms of social life and perspectives in contemporary world politics.
Specific focus will be on 1) the formation of sexual subjectivities and collective mobilizations in a critical historical and global context, 2) key theories and methodologies of ‘queer’ and gender diverse experiences, and 3) case studies of the contentious politics of border-crossing broadly conceived, e.g. symbolically, geographically, and categorically.
By engaging with these topics, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the urgency of gender and sexual politics in a global perspective, enable them to reflect deeply on a diverse range of case studies, and gain vital analytical tools to consider their impact on academic research and knowledge regimes as well as contemporary and historical struggles for (and against) justice, equity and recognition.
Course description for study year 2025-2026. Please note that changes may occur.
Course code
GEN570
Version
1
Credits (ECTS)
10
Semester tution start
Autumn
Number of semesters
1
Exam semester
Autumn
Language of instruction
English
Content
How and why is the transnational an important lens for understanding sexuality in its contemporary and historical manifestations? This course will address this question by exploring the dynamics of sexuality and nation, gender and sexuality norms, racialization, citizenship and otherness, globalization, modernity, universalism, im/migration, de/post/colonialism, securitization and militarism. We use these concepts to rethink borders and categories, and to understand social and political life in a transnational context.
Specific focus will be on 1) the formation of sexual subjectivities and collectivities in a critical historical and transnational context, 2) theories and methodologies of queer and transgender sexualities, 3) the contentious politics of border-crossing - historically, geographically, symbolically, and corporeally.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
- Knowledge about key concepts, contexts, and differences.
- Knowledge about theoretical perspectives on comparative, global topics related to interdisciplinary, critical sexuality studies.
- Knowledge of the relationships between sexuality, gender, inequality and difference across historical periods and locations.
Skills
- Analyze and critically discuss how concepts such as gender and sexuality change across locations and temporalities.
- Critically assess different information sources and use this skill to structure and develop an academic argument.
- Apply relevant theories for analytical purposes.
Competences
- Ability to formulate your own opinion on debates about global genders and sexualities, using sources from inside and outside of this course.
- Ability to communicate research and perspectives, making oral and written presentations.
- Ability to apply research knowledge critically across various contexts, inside and beyond the academy, and ability to apply a relevant perspectives in professional and educational situations
- Contribute towards the solutions for a sustainable society by explicitly addressing central Sustainable Development Goals, including inequity, minorities, environmental and climate crises, and embedding these perspectives in the course's interdisciplinary and global scholarship on gender and sexuality.
Required prerequisite knowledge
Recommended prerequisites
Exam
| Form of assessment | Weight | Duration | Marks | Aid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home exam | 1/1 | 6 Days | Letter grades |
The exam for this course is a home exam.
Coursework requirements
There are three coursework requirements for this course:
- A mid-term essay (ca 600 words) on a topic determined by the instructor. It will be evaluated according to a Complete/Incomplete grade.
- Class Attendance: at least 60%.
- Group work and presentation: Students will work in smaller groups on assignments related to a course theme and present their positions and findings in at least one class presentation.
Failure to pass these compulsory assignments will disqualify the student from taking the final exam.
Course teacher(s)
Course coordinator:
Elisabeth Lund EngebretsenMethod of work
The course consists of weekly sessions. These sessions will include lectures, seminars, group work and individual work adapted to different modes of study. All students are expected to read the syllabus and participate in group discussions and thereby develop analytic reflections in a productive environment with fellow students. This will be done on and off campus and the course coordinator will facilitate a digital learning platform (Canvas). The working language for this course is English.
The literature for this course consists of a collection of articles and book chapters to be found in Leganto. Information about the article collection can be found on Canvas before the start of the course. Any changes to the curriculum will be announced on Canvas before the start of the course. The curriculum consists of approximately 1000 pages.