Sexuality is a fundamental part of the human experience, individual identity, and, unfortunately, political life. Just as strongly as individuals desire to express themselves and live true to their own wishes, states and rulers have tried to control that expression and truth for their own purposes. In this monthly online seminar series, discussion leader and professor of philosophy at The College of New Jersey Dr. James Stacey Taylor will lead participants through discussions of sexual identity, individualism, and the many state and social attempts to impose restrictions or controls on sexual expression. From Gore Vidal’s classic and powerful example of “the gay novel,” “The City and the Pillar” (1948), to Prof. Abigail Saguy’s contemporary sociological account of many different “coming out” experiences, discussants will gain a richer understanding of sexuality as individualist expression and the struggles against constituted power which have characterized modern sexual politics.
Sessions will take place one Friday each month for four months, via Zoom, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Participants will receive an honorarium of $125, plus a $30 stipend for book purchases, per session (international participants will receive all payments at once upon completion of the program). Please note this means you are expected to purchase your own readings from your preferred vendor. Applicants will be notified of an acceptance as quickly as possible.
Readings:
February 18: Gore Vidal and “the Gay Novel”
- Gore Vidal, The City and the Pillar, Vintage: 2003. (Originally Published: 1948)
March 18: Class and Sexuality
- Kennedy & Davis, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community, Penguin. 1994.
April 22: Sexuality and Spirituality
- Dillon, Out of the Ordinary: A Life of Gender and Spiritual Transitions, Fordham University Press (2018).
May 20: Coming Out
- Abigail Saguy, Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are, Oxford University Press (2020).
