Anthropology of gender and sexuality

This class examines the evolving places of gender and sexuality in anthropology, the theoretical perspectives that influence and stem from them, the methodological approaches and ethical questions they entail, and the impact of ethnographic studies on contemporary debates on issues related to gender and sexuality. It offers a carefully selected list of texts that will be critically examined and discussed in the class. The reading list reflects the organization of the class around the following themes: feminist anthropology: women, gender, and markers of difference (sessions 1, 2, 3); sexuality and queer studies in anthropology (sessions 4, 5, 6); methodological and ethical issues (sessions 7, 8, 9); and reflections on contemporary controversies (sessions 10 and 11).

Through the reading and discussions of selected texts, students of the class will develop competencies in the following areas: critical text analysis, application of conceptual and theoretical perspectives to specific analytical tasks (e.g., writing a reflexive essay), and oral/written communication in English. At the end of the class, they will gain a deeper understanding of gender and sexuality in anthropology in conceptual, theoretical, methodological, ethical, and empirical terms.

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

Reading the text assignment for each session is compulsory to participate in class discussions. Students can use English and/or French during these discussions.

The class comprises lectures, group presentations of required texts selected in the reading list available in Université Virtuelle (UV), and discussions. Other learning activities in the class include interactive lectures by invited scholars.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

The reading list and compilation of texts to read will be made available in the UV at the start of the class. The PDF of the slides used in lectures and group presentations will be uploaded to the UV after each class.

Course notes

• Université virtuelle

Additional information

Some topics in the class can be sensitive and emotional, which require mutual respect of different points of view and opinions while using anthropological lenses.

Contacts

asuncion.fresnoza@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• Personal work
• Group work
• Other

Personal work

Group work

Other

• teamwork: a 20-minute group presentation of a text selected from the reading list
• personal work: a critical essay of 4,000 words to be submitted on 15 May
• collective work: oral participation in class discussions

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

• teamwork:  30%
• personal work: 50%
• collective work (active participation in class discussions): 20%

Language(s) of evaluation

• english
• french