A seminar course designed to involve Ethnic Studies students directly in the research process. Emphasis on examination and analysis of primary sources, methodology, and the development of theoretical constructs. A major research paper is required.

This course examines histories of how bodies have been gendered through the medical idea of the sex hormone. We consider scientific imaginings of the endocrine system within Western medicine in the late 19th century alongside earlier traditions (such as Medieval Christian and Islamic texts) that provided other mappings of the gendered body. We read historical and analytic conceptions of the hormonal body in light of contemporary uses of Hormone Replacement Therapy for transgender expression. We inquire about other vernacular, DIY or suppressed practices of transgender embodiment. the texts selects for discussion pay particular attention to the deployment of racial discourse in the social construction of gender within a variety of scientific, historical and social contexts.

This course is reserved for PhD level students only. Contact Latonya Minor at msminor@berkeley.edu, for enrollment access.

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