Introduction to Transgender Studies: GWSS 374

Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies

University of Washington
Fall 2023
Tuesdays and Thursdays—1:30-3:20
Tuesdays: Physics and Astronomy Auditorium A118
Thursdays: Synchronous via Zoom: https://washington.zoom.us/j/93570116853

Course canvas: https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1662699

Instructor: Amanda Swarr

Email: aswarr@uw.edu
Office: Padelford B110Q and Zoom at https://washington.zoom.us/j/96754521334
Office hours: Virtually on Thursdays 3:30-4:30 and by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Saad Khan

Email: saakh494@uw.edu
Office: Padelford B111 and Zoom at https://washington.zoom.us/j/7821145363
Open Office hours: Virtually on Mondays from 1:00-3:00 and by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Ramon Johnson

Email: rj44@uw.edu
Office: Padelford B111 and Zoom at https://washington.zoom.us/j/95588405762
Open Office hours: Virtually on Mondays from 2:30-4:30 and by appointment

Course Description:
Over the past three decades, Transgender Studies has emerged as an important site of inquiry and activism.
This class will engage this field by exploring film and media, activist initiatives, autobiographical texts, and
academic scholarship. Definitions of sex and gender will be our starting point as we attempt to distinguish
among and blur these categories as inseparable from sexuality, race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender
identity, class, and ability, as well as history, and location. We will explore issues of intense contemporary
relevance including education, childhood, sports, medicine, law, and more. We will also address what the
category “transgender” enables and obscures on a global scale. This class challenges the idea that there are
two simple ways of being—male and female, man and woman—looking beyond these categories from a
decolonial anti-racist perspective.

Required Readings:
All of your required readings for this class are available through our course canvas site in PDF form and are
listed in the course schedule below.

Optional Readings:
You may want to optionally reference the following books, which will inform our discussions:

Awkward-Rich, Cameron. The Terrible We: Thinking with Trans Maladjustment. Durham: Duke
University Press, 2022.
Clare, Eli. Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure. Durham: Duke University Press, 2017.
Erickson-Schroth, Laura, ed. Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource by and for Transgender
Communities. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022.
Kobabe, Maia. Gender Queer: A Memoir. Portland, OR: Oni Press, 2020.
Meronek, Toshio, and Miss Major. Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary.
Version, 2023.
Course Goals and Objectives:
1) To question and destabilize the binary of man/woman from a decolonial anti-racist perspective
2) To develop historical and global understandings of the field of Transgender Studies
3) To critically analyze how medicine, law, academia, and activism have defined the borders of gender
4) To respectfully learn about the theories and views of those who define themselves as trans, trans*,
transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, nonbinary, agender, intersex, with other terms, or otherwise
5) To apply what we read and learn to our own perspectives and lives
6) To improve writing, analytic, interpersonal, and self-reflective skills

Course Requirements:
This class has a teaching team of three people—one Professor and two Teaching Assistants—and we will
collectively work with you this quarter. Our responsibility is to organize interesting and useful classroom
sessions and to facilitate your development as writers, critical thinkers, and active participants in our
classroom community. Your responsibilities as students in this course include the following:

Pop Quizzes 25%

Persuasive Argument Assignment 15%
Film Log 30%
Final Exam 30%

Pop Quizzes (25%): GIVEN FIVE TIMES DURING THE QUARTER IN CLASS
This quarter, you will complete five pop quizzes. Think of these pop quizzes as in-class writing
assignments that will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of readings and key concepts and to get
regular feedback. Pop quizzes will consist of two short essay questions related to the readings assigned for
the class. If you miss class because of illness or extenuating circumstances, please be in touch with the
teaching team immediately.

Persuasive Argument Assignment (15%): DUE ON OCTOBER 31 by 1:30pm (submit via canvas)
Activism, critique, and concerns about social change have been integral to the development of Transgender
Studies. To complete this assignment you will research and write about an issue that you think would
benefit from a persuasive intervention. What is an issue in contemporary politics related to trans studies
that you think should change? What audience do you think needs to be persuaded to change when it comes
to trans* politics and lives? This assignment will allow you complete research and articulate your opinion
in a convincing and informed written form.

This assignment has three parts that should be compiled into one PDF:

1) Persuasive letter: written in a formal format, your letter should be at least 2 double-spaced
pages and directed to a specific publication, policy-making body, or institution. It should
describe the change you are suggesting and convince the reader of your argument.

2) Support for your persuasive letter: this could be a fact sheet that describes the issue you chose
in accessible terms, including bulleted points and compelling pieces of information intended
to stimulate action; it could be a set of memes you create or a hashtag campaign; or it could be
an art piece or poster that will convince the audience of your letter of the need for social
change. Your reading by Dunham from Trap Door (10/12) gives examples that might be
useful in thinking about the “support” for your letter or follow your own approach; check-in
with the teaching team if you have questions or want to propose your own idea.

3) Bibliography: this should include at least three sources, use Chicago, MLA, or APA format.
This can be a separate page at the end of the PDF. The teaching team will use this to evaluate
the sources you have used.

Please submit via canvas and come to class on 10/31 prepared to informally discuss your assignment.

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Film Log (30%): DUE ON DECEMBER 5 by 1:30pm (submit via canvas before class)
Documentary films are key texts in our class and will be the focus of our Thursday classes. Before each
film is screened, you will be given questions to answer as part of your film log. You will keep track of
your responses to the films we watch and turn them in as a set at the end of the quarter. In your film log,
your reflections on films shown during class will provide a way to analyze what you are reading, watching,
and learning. Your complete film log will serve as an important study guide for you for the final exam.

Final Exam (30%):

Your final exam will take place during the time assigned to our class—Monday, December 11th from
4:30-6:20pm—in our regular classroom, PAA A118. It will cover materials assigned for the class,
including films, readings, and discussions during our class meetings. Please take careful notes and keep up
with assignments throughout the quarter to prepare for this exam. You will be allowed to use one page of
handwritten notes to complete the exam (double-sided is permitted), but technologies such as laptops,
tablets, and cellphones will not be permitted. The exam will include short answer and essay questions. We
will review important concepts throughout the quarter and provide a study guide and thorough in-class
review session during the last week of class.

Grading Criteria:
4.0 – achievement outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements
3.0 – achievement significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements
2.0 – achievement meeting the basic course requirements in every respect
1.0 – achievement worthy of credit that does not meet basic course requirements

Please refer to the following link for the details of the GWSS grading scale:
https://gwss.washington.edu/sites/gwss/files/documents/gwss_grading_scale.pdf

Workload Expectations:

GWSS Weekly Reading Expectations

200 Level 60 Pages
300 Level 80 – 100 Pages
400 Level 100 – 140 Pages
500 Level 200 – 250 Pages

Please note that you are responsible for reading all materials assigned, but due to time constraints all
materials may not be covered extensively. Because this course is 5 credits, the UW expectation is that you
should expect to spend 15 hours a week dedicated to coursework, including time spent in class, reading,
communicating or meeting with the teaching team, and working on assignments. Here are details on credit
expectations: https://www.washington.edu/students/reg/credit.html

Classroom Procedures and Special Notes:

Our class canvas page is the most essential online resource for our class. This is where you will find all of
the readings for the quarter; most are in PDF form and a few are online links. You can post about our class
discussions, begin or join virtual conversations, and share events and resources. Your Teaching Assistants
and I will also post announcements and share materials related to the class on this site. We will expect you
to check our canvas site at least twice a week for class updates.

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Teaching Assistants are advanced graduate students who are completing doctorate degrees in the
department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies. TAs are critical members of our teaching team and a
key resource to aid in your learning. Please contact your TAs directly with logistical questions related to
this class and for help in understanding the concepts, readings, and assignments. Both TAs will hold open
office hours each week or can make appointments to talk about course materials and assignments.

Our goal is to create a classroom community dedicated to mutual respect and active listening. We strongly
recommend that you take notes on each classroom session by hand; pedagogical studies have consistently
demonstrated that most students learn and retain more when they take notes in writing. But we leave this
decision up to you. If you use your laptop or tablet to take notes or review PDFs, do not use class time to
check email, use the internet, or work on projects unrelated to the class. Audio recording, photographing,
or videotaping this class without specific permission is prohibited.

Late or incomplete work: If any situation arises during the quarter that affects your ability to complete the
work for this class, please notify your TAs immediately so we can determine how to proceed. We can
work with you! Taking an “incomplete” (I) for this class is strongly discouraged and will be allowed only
under extenuating circumstances with prior arrangements. An incomplete is given only when a student has
been in attendance and has done satisfactory work until within two weeks of the end of the quarter and has
furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other
circumstances beyond the student's control. A written statement of the reason for the giving of the
Incomplete, listing the work which the student will need to do to remove it, must be filed by the instructor
with the head of the department or the dean of the college in which the course is given.

Academic dishonesty includes cheating on assignments, plagiarizing (misrepresenting work written by

another author as your own, including paraphrasing or quoting sources without acknowledging the original
author, or using information from the internet without proper citation), and submitting the same paper or a
substantially similar paper to meet the requirements of more than one course without instructor approval.
Academic dishonesty in any part of this course is grounds for failure. To avoid unintentional misconduct
and clarify the consequences of cheating see the Student Academic Responsibility Statement at the
following link: http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf

Please make note of the religious accommodation policy at the UW: Washington state law requires that
UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith
or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about
how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy
(https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations
must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request
form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

The teaching team for this class is dedicated to supporting all students in their learning, and it is the policy
and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments
consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability
Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how
they will be implemented in this course. If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a
temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but
not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts),
contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes
reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu. The staff for this class will gladly work
with you to facilitate your learning.

The UW Writing Studio is sponsored by GWSS and offers tutoring sessions for students working on
projects in our field. Tutors have experience writing and tutoring in GWSS and can work with you on all
aspects of writing and research from brainstorming and planning, through writing and revising. This is a
great resource for your persuasive argument assignment. Please check out their website here:
https://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/

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This class fulfills requirements for the GWSS major and minor including Global Identity Formations,
Feminist Knowledge Production and Radical Critique, and Building Social, Cultural, and Political
Movements for Change. Please contact our undergraduate advisor or our teaching team if you have
questions about these requirements or are considering a major or minor in GWSS!

What can I do with a GWSS major or minor? The GWSS Advisor can help you navigate the ins and outs
of the major and minor requirements as well as point you to other departments that could be offering
content that matches the focus of your course of study. But that is not all. Your GWSS advisor is available
to help you thrive in your time here at University of Washington, from helping with your internship
placement or filling out a Hardship Withdrawal. Helping you in your academic success is more than
helping you pick classes, it’s helping you access the support services you need to reach your highest
potential.

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 GWSS 374 COURSE SCHEDULE
Fall 2023

WEEK ONE
Thursday, September 28 (Synchronous Zoom):
Introductions to the Class and Each Other
Film shown in class: “Do I have Boobs Now?” (2019, Canada)
Optional readings to provide background:
Hale, Jacob. “Suggested Rules for Non-Transsexuals Writing About Transsexuals, Transsexuality,
Transsexualism, or Trans____.” 1997. http://sandystone.com/hale.rules.html
Ashley, Florence, and Blu Buchanan. “The Anti-Trans Panic is Rooted in White Supremacist
Ideology.” Truthout, May 19, 2023. https://truthout.org/articles/the-anti-trans-panic-is-rooted-in-
white-supremacist-ideology/?s=09
Currah, Paisley. “To Set Transgender Policy, Look to the Evidence.” Nature, September 29, 2022.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03036-
5?fbclid=IwAR1TnpJszwgaYwR64iNnJfpkQhZugswOO5WcPiisONeY6pkbvWsL_xF1EBc
Spade, Dean. “Some Very Basic Tips for Making Higher Education Accessible to Trans Students and
Rethinking How We Talk about Gendered Bodies.” Radical Teacher 92 (2011): 57-62.

WEEK TWO
Tuesday, October 3 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
Framing Transgender Studies as a Field
Readings to complete before class:
Aizura, Aren Z., Trystan Cotton, Carsten Balzer/Carla LaGata, Marcia Ochoa, and Salvador Vidal-
Ortiz. “Introduction.” [Special Issue on Decolonizing the Transgender Imaginary] TSQ:
Transgender Studies Quarterly 1(3): August 2014, 308-319.
Ellison, Treva, Kai M. Green, Matt Richardson, and C. Riley Snorton. “We Got Issues: Toward a
Black Trans*/Studies.” TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 4(2): May 2017, 162-169.
Stryker, Susan, with V. Varun Chaudhry. “Ask a Feminist: Susan Stryker Discusses Trans Studies,
Trans Feminism, and a More Trans Future with V. Varun Chaudhry.” Signs 47(3): Spring
2022, 789-800.
Optional Reading: Stryker, Susan. “Contexts, Concepts, and Terms.” Transgender History: The Roots
of Today’s Revolution. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press, 2017. 1-44.

Thursday, October 5 (Synchronous Zoom):

Anxiety at the Archive and Trans Agency
Film shown in class (include in film log): “Framing Agnes” (2018, US)
Readings to complete before class:
Joynt, Chase, and Kristen Schilt, “Anxiety at the Archive.” Transgender Studies Quarterly 2.4 (2015):
635-644.
Gill-Peterson, Jules. “’Trans Kids are Not New’: A Historian on the Long Record of Youth
Transitioning in America.” 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/01/trans-
children-history-jules-gill-peterson-interview

WEEK THREE
Tuesday, October 10 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
Early Trans* Critiques and Reclamations
Readings to complete before class:
Hall, Clyde M. “You Anthropologists Make Sure You Get Your Words Right.” Two Spirit People:
Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality. Sue-Ellen Jacobs, Wesley
Thomas, and Sabine Lang, eds. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois, 1997: 272-275.
Lopez, Alan Pelaez. “trans*imagination.” WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly 51.1/2: 233-240.

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 Towle, Evan B., and Lynn M. Morgan. “Romancing the Transgender Native: Rethinking the Use of
the ‘Third Gender’ Concept.” GLQ 8(4), 2002, 469-497.
Dutta, Aniruddha, and Raina Roy. Selection from “Decolonizing Transgender in India: Some
Reflections.” TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 1(3): August 2014, 320-337.

Thursday, October 12 (Synchronous Zoom):

Centering Trans Agency
Film shown in class (include in film log): “Major!” (2016, US)
Readings to complete before class:
Lamble, Sarah. “Retelling Racialized Violence, Remaking White Innocence: The Politics of
Interlocking Oppressions in Transgender Day of Remembrance.” The Transgender Studies
Reader 2. Susan Stryker and Aren Z. Aizura, eds. New York: Routledge, 2013: 30-45.
Griffin-Gracy, Miss Major, and CeCe McDonald. “Cautious Living: Black Trans Women and the
Politics of Documentation.” Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility.
Reina Gossett, Eric A. Stanley, and Johanna Burton, eds. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2017. 23-37.

WEEK FOUR
Tuesday, October 17 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
Gender Administration and Segregation
Film shown in class: “Toilet Training” (2003, US)
Readings to complete before class:
Adair, Cassius. “Bathrooms and Beyond: Expanding a Pedagogy of Access in Trans/Disability
Studies.” TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 2(3): August 2015, 464-468.
Beauchamp, Toby. “Bathrooms, Borders, and Biometrics.” Going Stealth: Transgender Politics and
U.S. Surveillance Practices. Durham: Duke University Press, 2019. 79-106.
Chess, Simone, Alison Kafer, Jessi Quizar, and Mattie Udora Richardson. “Calling All Restroom
Revolutionaries!” That’s Revolting: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation. Mattilda
Sycamore, aka Matt Bernstein, ed. Brooklyn, NY: Soft Skull Press, 2004: 189-205.

Thursday, October 19 (Synchronous Zoom):

Representation, Activism, and Creative Interventions
Film shown in class (include in film log): “Across Gender” (2016, Indonesia)
Readings to complete before class:
Dunham, Grace. “Out of Obscurity: Trans Resistance, 1969-2016.” Trap Door: Trans Cultural
Production and the Politics of Visibility. Reina Gossett, Eric A. Stanley, and Johanna Burton,
eds. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2017. 91-119.
Hart, Benji, and Kung Feng. “Activism, Politics, and Organizing.” Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A
Resource by and for Transgender Communities. Laura Erickson-Schroth, ed. 2022: 638-658.
Optional Reading: Hegarty, Benjamin. “The Value of Transgender: Waria Affective Labor for
Transnational Media Markets in Indonesia.” TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 4(1):
February 2017, 78-95.

WEEK FIVE
Tuesday, October 24 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
Un-Banning Books and Collaborative Learning
Readings to complete before class:
Kobabe, Maia. Gender Queer: A Memoir. Portland, OR: Oni Press, 2020. Available online through
our library, read as much of this novel as you can: https://orbiscascade-
washington.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01ALLIANCE_UW/1juclfo/alma9916258336640
1452
Alter, Alexandra. “How a Debut Graphic Memoir became the Most Banned Book in the Country.”
New York Times, May 1, 2022.
Ellis, Danika. “Sex-Ed Books Don’t Harm Teens and Kids. They Protect Them.” Book Riot, April
27, 2022. https://bookriot.com/sex-ed-books-protect-kids/

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Thursday, October 26 (Synchronous Zoom):
Toward Abolition and Unsettling Carceral Politics
Film shown in class (include in film log): “Free CeCe!” (2016, US)
Readings to complete before class:
Bassichis, Morgan, Alexander Lee, and Dean Spade. “Building an Abolitionist Trans and Queer
Movement with Everything We’ve Got.” Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison
Industrial Complex. Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith, eds. Oakland: AK Press, 2011. 15-40.
McDonald, CeCe. “’Go Beyond our Natural Selves: The Prison Letters of CeCe McDonald.” TSQ:
Transgender Studies Quarterly 4(2): May 2017, 243-265.
Harrison, Da’Shaun. Selections from Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-
Blackness. North Atlantic Books: 2021.

WEEK SIX
Tuesday, October 31 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
Student-Led Discussion and Sharing Ideas
*PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT ASSIGNMENT DUE*: submit on canvas before class!
Students will discuss this assignment, complete a creative exercise, and share with peers during our class.

Thursday, November 2 (Synchronous Zoom):

Colonial Impositions of Gender in Sport and Medicine
Film shown in class (include in film log): “Too Fast to be a Woman: The Story of Caster Semenya” (2015,
South Africa)
Readings to complete before class:
Bavington, L. Dawn (2019). Sex Control in Women’s Sport: A History of the Present Regulations on
Hyperandrogenism in Female Athletes. In V. Krane (Ed.), Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in
Sport: Queer Inquiries. Routledge, 2019: 181-201.
Swarr, Amanda L. (2023). “#HandsOffCaster: Caster Semenya’s Refusals and the Decolonization of
Gender Testing.” Envisioning African Intersex: Challenging Colonial and Racist Legacies in
South African Medicine. Durham: Duke University Press. 103-131.
Optional Readings: Karkazis, Katrina, and Rebecca Jordan-Young. “The Powers of Testosterone:
Observing Race and Regional Bias in the Regulation of Women Athletes.” Feminist Foundations
30.2 (2018): 1-39.
Morland, Iain. 2014. “Keywords: Intersex.” Transgender Studies Quarterly 1, no. 1-2: 111-115.

WEEK SEVEN
Tuesday, November 7 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
TERFS and Trans Feminisms: Histories and Futures
Readings to complete before class:
Bassi, Serena, and Greta LaFleur (2022). “TERFs, Gender-Critical Movements, and Postfascist
Feminisms.” TSQ 9.3: 311-333.
Pearce, Ruth, Sonja Erikanen, and Ben Vincent (2020). “TERF Wars: An Introduction.” The
Sociological Review: Monographs 68.4: 677-698.

Thursday, November 9 (Synchronous Zoom):

Bodies under Scrutiny and in Motion
Film shown in class (include in film log): “Man Made” (2018, US)
Readings to complete before class:
Travers. “Transgender Kids and Sport Participation.” In Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Sport: Queer
Inquiries. Vikki Krane, ed. 2020. 163-177.
Heggie, Vanessa. (2017). Subjective Sex: Science, Medicine and Sex Tests in Sports. In E. Anderson
& A. Travers (Eds.), Transgender Athletes in Competitive Sport. Routledge, 131-142.
Pang, Bonnie, Denise Tse-Shang Tang, and Siufung Law. “Trans*, Female Bodybuilding and Racial
Equality: Narratives from a Hong Kong Chinese Gender-Fluid Bodybuilder.” Sport,
Education and Society 2022: 1-13.

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WEEK EIGHT
Tuesday, November 14 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
Desiring Development: Trans/Koti/Queer in South Asia
*Lecture conducted by your Teaching Assistant, Saad Khan*
Readings to complete before class:
Kumar, Pushpesh. 2018. “Desire, violence and ‘pink money’: Life of kothis in a small city of western
India.” in Re-Imagining Sociology in India, pp. 220-241. Routledge India.
Muñoz, José Esteban. 2009. “Gesture, Ephemera, and Queer Feeling: Approaching Kevin Aviance” in
Cruising Utopia: The then and there of Queer Futurity. NYU Press, 2009.

Thursday, November 16 (Synchronous Zoom):

Negotiating and Reclaiming Medicine and Cure
Film shown in class (include in film log): “A Womb of their Own” (2017, US)
Readings to complete before class:
Awkward-Rich, Cameron. “Introduction: On Staying with the Terrible We.” The Terrible We:
Thinking with Trans Maladjustment. Duke University Press: 2023. 1-29
Clare, Eli. “Promise of Cure.” Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure. Durham: Duke
University Press, 2017. 171-187.
Schall, Theodore E., and Jacob D. Moses. “Gender-Affirming Care for Cisgender People.” Hastings
Center Report 53.3 (2023): 15-24.

WEEK NINE
Tuesday, November 21 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
Intersex Studies and Activism in Conversation with Trans Studies
Film shown in class (include in film log): “Intersexion” (2012, New Zealand) or “Every Body” (2023)
Readings to complete before class:
Morland, Iain. “Intersex Treatment and the Promise of Trauma.” In Gender and the Science of
Difference: Cultural Politics of Contemporary Science and Medicine, edited by Jill Fisher, New
York: Rutgers. 2011: 147-163.
Wolff, Michelle, David A. Rubin, and Amanda Lock Swarr. “The Intersex Issue: An Introduction.”
TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, 9(2): May 2022, 143-159.

Thursday, November 23: NO CLASS

WEEK TEN:
Tuesday, November 28 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
Histories and Futures of Trans Studies
*Lecture conducted by your Teaching Assistant, Ramon Johnson*
Readings to complete before class:
Smythe, SA, “Black Life, Trans Study: On Black Nonbinary Method, European Trans Studies, and the
Will to Institutionalization.” TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 8(2): 2021, 158–171.
Stryker, Susan. “Institutionalizing Trans* Studies at the University of Arizona.” TSQ: Transgender
Studies Quarterly 7(3): August 2020, 354-366.
Horbury, Ezra, and Christine “Xine” Yao. “Empire and Eugenics: Trans Studies in the United
Kingdom.” TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 7(3): August 2020, 445-454.
Mobley, Steve D., Ramon W. Johnson, Christopher J. P. Sewell, Jennifer M. Johnson, and Amon J.
Neely. “’We are Not Victims’: Unmasking Black Queer and Trans* Student Activism at
HBCUs.” About Campus 2021: 24-28.

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Thursday, November 30 (Synchronous Zoom):
Transfeminism and Travesti Theorists
Film shown in class (include in film log): “Indianara” (2019, Brazil) or “Your Mother’s Comfort” (2020)
Readings to complete before class:
Kaas, Hailey. “Birth of Transfeminism in Brazil: Between Alliances and Backlashes.” TSQ:
Transgender Studies Quarterly 3(1-2): May 2016, 146-149.
Silva, Joseli Maria, and Marcio Jose Ornat. “Transfeminism and Decolonial Thought: The
Contribution of Brazilian Travestis.” TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 3(1-2): 2016, 220-227.

WEEK ELEVEN
Tuesday, December 5 (Classroom Session: PAA-A118):
The Quarter in Review: Review and collective preparation for final exam
*FILM LOG DUE*: Turn in your film log for the quarter via canvas!

Thursday, December 7 (Synchronous Zoom)

Review Revisited: Further review and wrapping up the quarter together
Film shown in class: “Fractal: Stories Across the Gender Spectrum” (Four short films, 2022, 1:18)
Readings to complete before class:
Aizura, Aren, Marquis Bey, Toby Beauchamp, Treva Ellison, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Eliza Steinbock.
2020. “Thinking with Trans Now.” Social Text 38.4: 125-147.

FINAL EXAM
MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 4:30-6:20, PAA-A118 (our usual classroom)

Your final assignment will be an in-class exam made up of short answer and essay questions that will cover
materials assigned and discussions in class throughout the quarter. You may bring one double-sided page
of handwritten or printed notes to class to use during the exam (no electronic devices are permitted).
Remember to bring a new green or blue composition book and pen to class to use for this exam.

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