History 164 - Queer American History, 1625-1890

(Offered as HIST 164 and SWAG 164.) Long before terms such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender were coined, people challenged gender norms and engaged in same-sex sex, love, and relationships. This course introduces students to the dynamic, contested, inspiring, and sometimes quite challenging histories of this wide-ranging group of queer and trans people in the first 250 years of American history. We will learn about the lives, loves, values, and occupations of a racially and geographically diverse group of people. What laws existed to regulate the freedom and lives of queer and trans early Americans? What role did religion play in shaping dominant attitudes? Were queer and trans people isolated or in community? Did they live in all parts of the country, whether rural, urban, or suburban or did they more commonly reside in certain regions? By working extensively with primary source documents such as laws, diaries, personal letters, court records, newspaper articles, novels, and memoirs, we will learn not only about individual experiences but also how their friends, neighbors, and families understood them. How did individuals navigate contradictions between their own desires, prevailing cultural norms, religious beliefs, and existing legal codes? While individuals survived and thrived in many contexts from Puritan New England to the U.S. military to working class enclaves in New York city to rural homesteads, they faced tremendous hardship while doing so. Students will walk away with a rich and nuanced understanding of what life was like for queer and trans Americans before the emergence of visible, safe, and organized LGBTQ communities.

Two class meetings per week. Limit to 25 students.  Spring semester. Professor Manion.  
 

How to handle overenrollment: Preference to first and second year students.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Students should expect to read, write, work in groups, and make public presentations.