Mickey R Mahoney

This seminar explores the history and culture of transgender and gender non-conforming communities and identities, with a particular focus on moving image work encompassing cinema, television, and new media. Themes and approaches include transfeminist, postgenderist, and queer/trans theories which challenge essentialized notions of gender and sexuality. The course consists of weekly discussions based on screenings of moving image work, as well as critical and theoretical texts that investigate identity, embodiment, technology, and representation as they relate to trans issues. Some of the scholars and artists we will study include Susan Stryker, David Valentine, Zachary I. Nataf, C. Riley Snorton, Paul B. Preciado, Helen Hok-Sze Leung, Sam Feder, Lilly Wachowski, Chase Joynt, Tourmaline, Wu Tsang, Silas Howard, Angelo Madsen Minax, Jules Rosskam, Annalise Ophelian, Zackary Drucker. Course work will include in-class discussions, reading assignments, reading/screening response essays, a midterm critical response essay, and a final research paper.