Prospectus

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The Premodern in the Modern: Historicizing Gender and Sexuality

Course
2024-2025

Admission requirements

Students must be enrolled in a MA or ResMA program.

Description

“Who’s afraid of the distance past?” Feminist historian Judith Bennett asks us to think about the importance of historicizing our modern understandings and lived experiences of gender and sexuality systems. When we examine the evolution of these ideas and practices, we begin to question the deeply entrenched assumptions and to imagine liberating possibilities. In this course, we will put into historical contexts concepts such as woman, family, friend, manliness, girlhood, labor, disability, sex, and so on. How did their meanings vary in different times and regions? How did the modern, Western ideas challenge or replace the “non-modern” ones? How might these histories inform radical imaginations about gender and sexuality in contemporary scholarship and politics?
Students are expected to contribute to the discussion by bringing their disciplinary expertise and area-studies perspective. A central component of this course is to think about the relationship between theory and practice—how does historical methodology help us theorize better and formulate better empirical research questions?

Course objectives

  • Understanding and practicing historical method

  • Cultivating ability to engage with critical theories

  • Developing ability to devise research methodology

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Seminar

Assessment method

Academic integrity

Students should familiarize themselves with the notion of academic integrity and the ways in which this plays out in their own work. A good place to start is this page. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students may not substantially reuse texts they have previously submitted in this or other courses. Minor overlap with previous work is allowed as long as it is duly noted in citation. For information on plagiarism (in the context of academic writing at large), see clips 4-5-6 in this series of video clips.

Students must submit their assignment(s) to Brightspace through Turnitin, so they can be checked for plagiarism. Submission via email is not accepted.

ChatGPT: What is possible and what is allowed? Dos and Don'ts.

Assessment and weighing

Partial Assessment Weighing
Participation 10%
Weekly assignments 40%
Final paper 50%

The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. In order to pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.50 (=6) or higher.

The course is an integrated whole. All assessment parts must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.

Resit

  • Only if the total weighted average is 5.49 or lower and this is the result of the final paper graded 5.49 or lower, a re-sit of the paper is possible (50%). In that case the convener of the course may decide to assign a (new) topic. The deadline for this version will be determined by the course convener, after consultation with the student.

  • A re-sit for other course components is not possible.

Inspection and feedback

Feedback will be supplied primarily through Brightspace. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the assessment results, a review will be organized.

Inspection and feedback

Feedback will be supplied primarily through Brightspace. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the assessment results, a review will be organized.

Reading list

The course convener will provide information on the material to be reviewed and any other preparatory activities for each session through Brightspace.

Registration

Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.

General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.

Contact

  • For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.

  • For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office Herta Mohr

Remarks