UCL - Identity, Gender and Sexuality

[SOC2005]

[30h] 5 credits

This course is taught in the 1st semester.

Teacher(s): Jacques Marquet

Language: French

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

The student will be able to :
- present the most important markers of sociologic thought for a specific question related to the issues studied in the course;
- present the thought of an author on those issues ;
- deconstruct the argument of an author and put it in perspective with other authors.

For those who chose to present a personal essay during the lectures, the quality of the oral presentation will be considered as part of the training.
For those who chose to do a written personal work, the quality of written expression will be considered as part of the training.

Main themes

- Present the different theories and sociological researches on gender relations, social, cultural and political constructions of gender categories, gender identities, and multiple sexualities, explaining their emergence from a historic point of view, as well as their foundations.
- Establish a link between the theories presented.
- Elaborate/ present problematic questions in order to start the construction of an argument articulated to a problematic question on the one hand and, on the other hand, to demonstrate the possible articulation of divers approaches of dif-ferent authors.

Content and teaching methods

This course aims at giving the student a first approach to the sociological approach of gender relations, of social, cultural and political constructions of gender categories, gender identities, and multiple sexualities. What is at stake is, first, to con-sider the theme of gender, sexualities, sex and gender identities, not as questions limited to a particular field (sociology of sexuality, for instance), but as transversal questions concerning every field of society. Second, the aim is to consider the masculine/feminine difference as a social, cultural and political construction and, from that point on, study the evolution of men and women relationships, putting the stress on the question of gender identities affected by this dynamic. In this per-spective, the sexuality approach focuses on the meaning actors give to their practices.
The course gives a central place to today's issues and recent research. Some examples of the issues that will be viewed in the course: gender discrimination in public and private life, diversification of men and women relations and exacerbation of identity questions, norms defining gender and sexuality, contemporary politicization of sexual questions, etc.
The course combines lectures, for its major part, with some more participative sessions which will take the form of a debate. On the other hand, the students who wish to present, alone or in group, a essential question in the context of the course will be allowed to do so with the teacher's consent

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Pre-requisite : Basic notions of sociology. Having followed a course on the sociology of family is a plus.

Evaluation and Course materials: To be defined by the teacher

Training : Nothing specific.