01 Tuesday March 22

Joey LoMonaco's Notes for March 22nd, 2011

Class on Tuesday, March 22nd, began with a brief reading quiz concerning the theory essays that were assigned the previous Thursday. Following the reading quiz, there was group presentation on the literary lens of Queer Theory. The group used the film "Brokeback Mountain" as its source material. The group defined queer theory itself, using quotations from Foucault. They questioned the aspect of why the film is defined by its sexuality as opposed to being a "love story" or a "western."

After the presentation, Dr. Mathur gave a lecture about Queer Theory assisted by a powerpoint. The history of the lens was discussed as were prominent theorists, such as Foucault, Sedgwick, and Butler. Butler speculated that feminism reinforces a binary view of gender relations. The idea of peniopticon as a dominant group maintaining its power was also discussed.

After the powerpoint, students were "partnered up" and asked to do a queer theory reading of a Shakespearean sonnet and poem by Whitman (To a Stranger)

Samantha Carter

Today’s class began with a presentation on Queer Theory. The presentation group began by discussing the history of queer theory and where it stands today. Originally the word queer was considered an insulting term but because of society’s changing sense of normalcy and the introduction of queer theory into the modern vernacular, the word queer has become acceptable. The key fact that queer theory reiterates is that sexuality is not fixed rather it is changed. Though we are both a specific sex, our gender can be changed based on society. To make the theory more understandable the group showed two short clips from the “Lord of the Rings” movies. Specifically the group examined the relationship between the characters Sam and Frodo. Though Sam and Frodo have an initial master servant relationship that dissipates and gives way to a deep friendship. The group showed a scene where Frodo tries to sneak away and leave Sam behind so he will not follow him to Mordor. Sam chases after Frodo’s boat, even running into the water though he cannot swim. Once Frodo rescues Sam the men conclude they cannot be apart and passionately embrace. This scene of devotion could be viewed as romantic. Or the scene could instead represent their platonic deep bond. In the second scene the class viewed Sam and Frodo have made it the mountain, and Frodo is very ill. Deciding he cannot lose his best friend Sam throws Frodo on his back and begins the long journey of carrying Frodo up the hill to destroy the ring. The group concluded that even if the men’s love is not romantic, on a basic level their love is there to help them survive emotionally. Dr. Mathur then began the slideshow presentation on what specifically occurred to start the literary examination of queer theory. After giving historical context to help us understand how it began she discussed what queer theory specifically examines. Queer theory seeks to encompass a wide range of genders and sexualities. Specifically it “focuses on the mismatches between sex gender and desire.” We then learned of three people who played key roles in the development of queer theory. Michael Foucault examines the historical perspective of how and why society’s beliefs and ideas change. He concluded that surveillance establishes what is normal and what is deviant, giving those in power more control. The class also discussed the definition of perverse implantation. Eve Sedgwick defined the idea of “homosocial.” Homosocial is a very broad term for the description of male to male bonds and female to female bonds. Homosocial is not the same as homosexuality. Judith Butler critiques feminism for giving way to binaries. She concludes that gender is performed, and women and men should be allowed to figure out their genders. The class then briefly broke into groups to discuss slideshow questions. After that the class did an analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 144 and Walt Whitman’s To a Stranger through the lens of queer theory.

=Katherine Diemer's Notes for March 22=

On Tuesday, the class began with a presentation that used the “Lord of the Rings” films to demonstrate queer theory, a type of theory that examines gender identities in literature. The presentation group discussed how queer developed from an insulting phrase to an accepted academic term. The group also examined gay and lesbian studies, or the analysis of homosexuality in different cultures, as well as the theory of social constructivism, which states that gender is subjective and can be changed.

The group demonstrated social constructivism in the relationship between the characters Frodo and Sam. At the beginning of the Lord of the Rings series, Frodo and Sam stay in the roles society has bestowed upon them. Frodo is a benevolent master, and Sam is his hard-working servant. Then, the presentation group used clips showing Frodo and Sam leaving together for the sinister land of Mordor, and Sam carrying the injured Frodo to demonstrate the characters’ growing love for each other. The group concluded that Frodo and Sam discarded their accepted roles to develop a deep bond with each other, transforming from master and servant to friends or lovers.

Next, Dr. Mathur showed the class a PowerPoint to demonstrate the history of queer theory. After homosexual men and women protested police raids of gay bars and clubs in Greenwich Village during the 1969 Stonewall Riots, interest in society’s view of homosexuality increased. Literary theorist Teresa de Laurentis coined the term “queer theory” for studies on discrepancies between sex, gender and desire. Philosopher Michel Foucault examined the development of institutions as controlling mechanisms of power through power knowledge. He developed the term “perverse implantation”, a theory that non-sexuality is medically classified as perverse. Author Eve Kofosky Sedgwick developed the term “homosocial desire" to describe social bonds, such as friendships, rivalries and romances between persons of the same sex. Finally, author Judith Butler critiqued feminism for reinforcing gender relations as binary and opposing, and argued that men and women should be allowed to choose their own gender identities.

At the end of the class, students discussed power knowledge, Sedgwick’s analysis of counterarguments against queer theory, and homosocial relationships between characters in She. The students then used queer theory to analyze poems such as William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 144” and Walt Whitman’s “To a Stranger."