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.