Human Sexuality

Gender and Sexualities: An Inquiry provides an interdisciplinary and intersectional framework for thinking critically about the historical and contemporary applications of knowledge about gender and sexuality. This may be straightforward in some arenas, but we will find navigating gender and sexuality terminologies (e.g., sexual orientation, what constitutes “sex” in particular places and times, sexual identity, gender and gender identity, among many other discussions) to be a rigorous historical, personal, political, philosophical, and anthropological study (to name just a few of the intellectual traditions we encounter). Throughout we encourage readers to interrogate social ideals and other narratives that aim to “naturalize” gender and sexuality. In other words, we will address gender and sexual identities and practices and meaning as historical, cultural, and political phenomena. We will question whether contemporary categories infer that bodily practices, pleasures, and knowledge are permanently tethered to universal, transhistorical ideals and thought. We will investigate the intersectional contexts where sexualities and genders take shape and provide. Finally, throughout readers and students should begin to understand the rich and deep efforts of gender and sexuality based social movements and thought and appreciate the ethical significances of various claims about gender and sexuality.

When terms such as LGBT and queer cross borders they evolve and adjust to different political thinking. Queer became kvir in Kyrgyzstan and cuir in Ecuador, neither of which hold the English meaning. Translation is about crossing borders, but some languages travel more than others. Sexualities are usually translated from the core to the periphery, imposing Western LGBT identities onto the rest of the world. Many sexual identities are not translatable into English, and markers of modernity override native terminologies. All this matters beyond words. Translating sexuality in world politics forces us to confront issues of emancipation, colonisation, and sovereignty, in which global frameworks are locally embraced and/or resisted. Translating sexualities is a political act entangled in power politics, imperialism and foreign intervention. This book explores the entanglements of sex and tongue in international relations from Kyrgyzstan to Nepal, Japan to Tajikistan, Kurdistan to Amazonia.

LGBTQ Studies: An Open Introduction will be an introductory level LGBTQ Studies OER text. The few textbooks in this area tend to lack a social science perspective, focusing instead on the humanities and the arts. This project will address contemporary LGBTQ social issues from the perspective of the social sciences — sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, and the human services. In addition to the main text, the goal of the project is to create OER video introductions to key theorists and their work in LGBTQ studies.

This textbook introduces key feminist concepts and analytical frameworks used in the interdisciplinary Women, Gender, Sexualities field. It unpacks the social construction of knowledge and categories of difference, processes and structures of power and inequality, with a focus on gendered labor in the global economy, and the historical development of feminist social movements. The book emphasizes feminist sociological approaches to analyzing structures of power, drawing heavily from empirical feminist research.

Every course on Coursera is taught by top instructors from world-class universities and companies, so you can learn something new anytime, anywhere. Hundreds of free courses give you access to on-demand video lectures, homework exercises, and community discussion forums. Paid courses provide additional quizzes and projects as well as a shareable Course Certificate upon completion.

Navigating through the complexities of Gender & Sexuality is a necessity in our world, now more than ever. Engage with globally renowned scholars from top Canadian universities to learn concepts and practices that advance respect and human rights. This course will teach you to better understand and apply knowledge about gender and sexuality -- a critical first step in addressing social, economic and cultural inequalities.

This intersectional approach to Gender & Sexuality Studies will cover key topics in the fields of literature, language, geography, history, political science, sociology, anthropology, cinema and media studies, law and medicine. Some questions we will address include:

What is gender and sexuality?
What does this mean in different contexts?
How do we think critically and creatively about identity, communication, and community?
How are gender and sexuality organized in media and popular culture?
How do people, young and old, negotiate knowledge about gender and sexuality?
This course is for anyone who wants to build their own cultural competence and the capacity of those around them to understand gender and sexuality and the intersections of these core facets of culture and nature, with other differences, like race, age or disability.

MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity.