Gender and Sexualities: An Inquiry

simultaneously ask how this knowledge might already be embedded with sexist, homophobic, and heteronormative narratives. Chapter 3 explores a deeply influential theme in gender and sexuality studies: an inquiry into “historical sexuality.” Drawing upon Michel Foucault’s History of Sexuality, Volume 1 and the reading, “Why is the History of Heterosexuality Essential? Beliefs About The History of Sexuality and Their Relationship to Sexual Prejudice” the audio file introduces both works, introduces key questions about the relationship between historiography and theorizing a historicized sexuality, and then makes inquiry into key questions governing contemporary research in gender and sexuality. This Chapter then presents, “Early America,” a review by Thomas Foster. Chapter 4 offers a video panel discussion on the question: How can we theorize, articulate, and produce understanding on the social and cultural specificity of gender and sexuality, while simultaneously offering useful and meaningful interruptions to oppressive social practices? This discussion takes place on the Portland State University campus and includes faculty in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. Chapter 5 examines the sociological phenomenon and social codes of children “on the playground.” We ask our readers to consider the way children both are constructed by and participate in the social construction of gender and, thus, future sexualities. The readings envision children’s “daily worlds” as saturated with negotiations of gender and gendered meanings. Finally, this Chapter presents a reading from the other end of life. In “Reading the ‘Sexy Oldie’: Gender, Age(ing) and Embodiment,” the author asks us to think about how we perceive both negative and positive outlooks on ageing, desire, and bodily pleasure. Chapter 6 surveys the contemporary discussion and debate on marriage in Western societies. This Chapter introduces a practice assignment. This practice assignment asks readers to engage Web-based resources and forums in comparison to scholarly work on the changing institution and practices of marriage arrangements. We then encourage our readers to consider the ways these resources do, or do not, account for what Stephanie Coontz named the “World Historical Transformation of Marriage.” In offering this, we hope our readers will compare and contrast scholastic and historical knowledge on marriage with public discussion and governmental and juridical treatises on marriage. We, specifically, seek to help elucidate the way juridical discourses (court filings and briefs, lawyer statements, judges’ pronouncements, and political activism) both rely on and reject historical scholarship on marriage. Chapter 7 introduces queer theory with an audio introduction. We introduce “queer” neither as an umbrella term for various gender and sexual identities, nor as a contemporary political identity but, instead, as a method . The audio lecture and introduction “Asking Queer Questions” begins to assess and seeks to understand how abiding beliefs in the normalcy and universality of heterosexuality (as heteronormativity) remains unquestioned and unexamined in most social institutions and even in contemporary social science scholarship. We encourage our reader to practice queering by engaging with the methods offered by Andrea Daley and Nick J. Mule in “LGBTQs and the DSM-5: A Critical Queer Response.”