This is an asynchronous class. So you’ll not be attending in person, but you need to do the work, and—to get your participation and attendance grades—respond to the questions on Canvas.
A: The Aliens Are Coming
Imagine that aliens landed on earth tomorrow. You happen to run into one, and they say (in their strange, alien voices): Earthling, what is gender?
What would your response be? Write a dialogue between yourself and one of these alien visitors.
B: Judith Butler on Gender
Watch this short talk by Judith Butler on Gender: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD9IOllUR4k
Make notes as you watch. This will give you a bit more background to the Butler chapter.
C: A Gender Autobiography
Think about your own experience of gender, and what it means. How has it changed throughout your life? What did gender mean to you when you were a child? What does it mean to you now? What puzzles, challenges, difficulties and opportunities have you experienced in personally making sense of gender?
Spend 20 minutes writing your own gender autobiography. You will not need to share this.
D: Getting to Grips with Concepts
-
What does Butler mean by performativity?
-
What ethical case is Butler making for us rethinking our approaches to gender?
Share your Work
Share at least your notes from A and D on the discussion board. You can share more thoughts as well if you like. We’ll look at these together next time (Thursday 13th).