Body, intimacy and sexuality

How do you think of your body? Where do you start when you think about your own body? To what degree do you have control of your body, or is it subject to the production of the multi-faceted social, cultural and political processes? Our body is not simply what we have and what we do things with and to – because we are bodies. What is the role of body in intimacy, is it physical or emotional or sexual? Who and how are we supposed to do intimacy with? How about sexuality? How should we make sense and live our lives with respect to people of different genders, sexualities, classes, ethnicities, ages, and bodies? This course is an investigation of the social processes and practices in constructing our understanding, management and expression of our bodies, intimacies, and sexualities. We draw upon theories and studies in sociology, cultural studies and queer studies with special attention to East Asian societies.

Besides learning from theoretical approaches and debates about body, intimacy and sexuality, students will be able to reflect on their own lived experience and connect personal narratives to cultural analysis through an autoethnographic project and other class discussions.