ANTH 625 (01) - Sexuality in Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Sexuality in Cross-Cultural

Durham   Liberal Arts :: Anthropology
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Credits: 4.0
Term: Spring 2021 - Full Term (02/01/2021 - 05/11/2021)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Class Size:   25  
CRN: 54675
This course examines the ideologies and practices associated with sexuality from a broad perspective that incorporates diverse case studies from the ethnographic record. Working from the argument that much of human sexual behavior is culturally constructed rather than biologically determined, the course invites students to expand their notion of the "normal" and to consider the human condition from a cross-cultural perspective. Topics discussed include cross-cultural varieties of transgendered experience, same-sex sexualities, and heteronormative identities.
Department Approval Required. Contact Academic Department for permission then register through Webcat.
Only listed campus in section: Durham
Instructors: STAFF

Times & Locations

Start Date End Date Days Time Location
2/1/2021 5/11/2021 W 2:10pm - 5:00pm MUB 338/340
Additional Course Details: 

SPRING 2021: STUDENTS FROM ALL MAJORS ARE WELCOME and the course is designed to accommodate everybody! Have you always wondered how people in other times and places think about sex and gender? This course is a special opportunity to get out of our own cultural bubble and think about sexuality more broadly.  We will learn, for example, that nonbinary gender categories are neither unique to industrialized cultures nor new.  We'll learn about polygamy (multiple marriage partners); how different cultures view the issue of premarital sex; and how "love matches" compare to arranged marriages.  Later in the semester, we'll explore hotbutton isses related to campus sexual cultures; discuss a memoir written by a transgender professor living in Maine; and explore changing ideas about marriage by interviewing older family members or friends.  This course is an excellent opportunity for free-wheeling discussion!  In spring 2021, the class will meet in-person each Wednesday afternoon.  Cross listed with Women's and Gender Studies.    

Booklist

We will be using LaFont, Suzanne, ed. (2003) Constructing Sexualities: Readings in Sexuality, Gender and Culture. Prentice Hall. Used copies will be available at the Durham Book Exchange; and Jennifer Finney Boyland's (2003) She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders. Broadway. (ISBN: 0767914295). Many used copies are available on Amazon Market Place and Ebay. Other readings will be posted on Canvas.