Queer Theory 101: Foundational Ideas [4-weeks, $200 Suggested]

Instructor: Stillman | Sundays 5:00-7:00 PM | September 4-25

Have you always wanted to get the basics of Queer Theory under your belt? Or maybe you have a loose grip on the canon, but it’s been a while since you’ve really gotten into it? Or perhaps you took a Queer Theory class once, but pretty much everyone on the syllabus was white? Or maybe you just want to hang out with some bookish Queer folx? Whatever your reason, if you’re interested in a gently guided frolic through some of the core texts of academia’s gayest discourse in the company of a rag-tag gang of online companions, then this is the class for you! People we’ll read may include, but are not limited to: Audre Lorde, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Eve Sedgwick, Cathy Cohen, Sara Ahmed, David Halperin, Lee Edelman, Lauren Berlant, Michael Warner, José Muñoz and/or Jack Halberstam. Some of the core questions we’ll address are: what does “Queer” mean? Can anyone identify as Queer, or are there criteria? If so, what could they be? Is “Queer” even an identity? What kind? Why or why not? Is there such a thing as “homonormativity?” What does it mean to “Queer” something? What is a “Queer” reading of something? I’m not saying all (or any) of these questions have definitive answers, but what I am saying is: we’re going to read some amazing stuff, talk about it, and in the end, you’ll know your Queer Theory 101!

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For each class, four (4) full tuition scholarships and five (5) 80% tuition scholarships are available. Due to limited scholarship funds, we are currently only able to offer one class per term at the full scholarship level to any individual student—if you need a full scholarship, please sign up for the class you most want to take and email us to waitlist for any additional classes. We will add you when funds become available. Direct student donations are a crucial aspect of our funding model, and without them, we are not able to pay instructors a living wage. We encourage you to pick the payment tier that corresponds with your needs, but ask that you please consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out or you would like to pay tuition on an installment basis, please email us directly, and we will work with you.

If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, please email us and we will reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.