In this course, we will read recent work in queer and trans studies addrressing a number of topics that have been central over the last several decades. We will address the ongoing expansion of the field in historical and geographical directions, overlaps and tensions between queer and trans studies, AIDS historiography, social class in trans life writing, queer environmental studies, the persistence of gay and lesbian studies, black feminism and disciplinary history, uses of the first person in criticism, and a queer critiques of liberalism in the present. In addition to new theoretical and critical writing, we will also consider recent queer and trans cultural production, considering the relation between politics, theory, and experience. Although this is designed as an advanced graduate seminar, we will ground our discussions in canonical readings in the field, which will make it accessible to students with different levels of preparation.

Although Asians have lived in the Americas for centuries, the Asian American community and experience tends to be defined by the post-1965 wave of immigration to the United States. In an effort to correct this narrative this course will explore the histories, experiences, and contributions of some of the forgotten Asians of the Americas. In particular, we will focus on the earlier labor migrations of Chinese and South Asian individuals to the Caribbean and the United States. The experiences of these individuals, who built railroads, cut sugarcane, and replaced African slave labor, complicate our understandings of race today. By examining the legal and social debates surrounding their labor in the 19th century and exploring how their experiences are forgotten and their descendants are rendered invisible today, we will complicate what is Asian America and consider how this history shapes immigration policies today.

How do people make sense of the multiple experiences that the simple words "love" and "loss" imply? How do they express their thoughts and feelings to one another? In this course, we will explore some means Japanese culture has found to grapple with these events and sensations. We will also see how these culturally sanctioned frameworks have shaped the ways Japanese view love and loss. Our materials will sample the literary tradition of Japan from earliest times to the early modern and even modern periods. Close readings of a diverse group of texts, including poetry, narrative, theater, and the related arts of calligraphy, painting, and music will structure our inquiry. The class will take an expedition to nearby Woodlands Cemetery to experience poetry in nature. By the end of the course, you should be able to appreciate texts that differ slightly in their value systems, linguistic expressions, and aesthetic sensibilities from those that you may already know. Among the available project work that you may select, if you have basic Japanese, is learning to read a literary manga. All shared class material is in English translation.

This course explores the intersection of gender, sexuality, and race in Asian America. Through interdisciplinary and cultural texts, students will consider how Asian American gender and sexualities are constructed in relation to racism while learning theories on and methods to study gender, sex, and race. We will discuss masculinities, femininities, race-conscious feminisms, LGBTQ+ identities, interracial and intraracial relationships, and kinship structures.

An introduction to African-American literature, ranging across a wide spectrum of moments, methodologies, and ideological postures, from Reconstruction and the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights Movement. See the English Department's website at www.english.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.

What is feminist theatre? How do artists use live performance to provoke social, political, and personal change? This course will examine a wide array of feminist plays and performances from the late twentieth century to the present moment, and will include viewing of both live and recorded productions, as well as the opportunity for students to create their own artistic provocations. See the English Department's website at www.english.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.