Religion, Gender, and Sexuality

This course considers how religion is used to shape, maintain, and transform gender and sexuality in U.S. society. We will pay close attention to a new and growing body of sociological research that uses qualitative case studies to examine the intersection of religion, gender, and sexuality from a feminist/queer theoretical perspective. This research tackles questions like: What makes women and men different? How do religious beliefs and practices structure gender relations? How do LGBT people understand and interact with religious teachings about natural sex differences?  In addition to reading and discussing recent studies in the subfield of religion, gender, and sexuality, students will learn about sociological research methods and learn to think critically about how our identities shape what we find intellectually relevant and empirically puzzling.

Instructor: A. McDowell
TTH 11 - 12:15, Lamar 518
Crosslisted as SOC 425