Class Schedule for Summer 2018

Historical research shows, for instance, that many European groups were not considered “white” until around the 1930s-1940s. Why and how did this change? Similarly, many men and women in the Victorian era had romantic friendships that involved cuddling, to sleeping in the same bed, and even more--and no one considered that unusual. Indeed, “heterosexual” as an identity was not even used until the late nineteenth century, and it took decades for many people in the US to begin identifying as such. Even today, many men have sex with men, and women have sex with women, while still identifying as straight. What explains this? And why is it that today men usually cannot hold hands without being labeled as gay, bisexual, or feminine, whereas a century ago most people did not think of it as anything remarkable?

What do whiteness, heterosexuality, and masculinity mean today? How do they differ across contexts? How do they intersect, and what are the consequences? We will explore these questions and more to gain a critical understanding of these social categories and their place in American society.