History 177: Gay Men and Lesbians in United States History
Nancy C. Unger
Santa Clara University
Why is it important for both homosexual and heterosexual Americans to understand the gay and lesbian history of our nation?
“If we do not know our own history, we are doomed to live it as though it were our private fate.” Hannah Arendt, political theorist
This course will examine the incredibly amorphous topic of homosexuality in American history. What is homosexuality? Did it exist prior to modern industrialization and urbanization? What’s the difference between homosexual acts and homosexuality? What’s the relationship between gay and lesbian history, Queer History, and Queer Theory?
We will trace the history of same-sex desire from the pre-Columbian period to the present within the larger, rich history of the changing social, economic, political, and intellectual life within the United States. Issues of gender, race, class, geographic setting, and ethnicity will merit appropriate attention. Through a variety of primary and secondary sources, we will examine self-conceptions and self-identifications of gay men and lesbians as well as the constructs of homosexuality and the resultant prescribed roles. The course is designed to familiarize you with the some of the best current scholarship in the field and challenge you to think critically about the role of homosexuality in American history and society. To take full advantage of the lecture/discussion format, regular attendance and informed participation are of the essence.
View study/discussion questions.
Course Requirements
Course requirements include a midterm, a final exam, and a research paper. Grades will be determined as follows:
Attendance/participation/quizzes 10%
Midterm 25%
Final Exam 35%
Research Paper 30%
I will provide a sample exam before the midterm to show you the kind of questions to anticipate. The format will be a selection of essay questions. If you are uneasy about your in-class essay writing ability, I suggest that you write out answers to one or more of the sample questions (or questions from the discussion/study sheet), and I will be happy to go over your answer(s) with you individually before the exam. After the exam photocopies of “A” answers will be available in my office.
Three Required Books
- A Desired Past: A Short History of Same-Sex Love in America, Leila Rupp, 1999.
- Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America, Lillian Faderman, 1991.
- Cures: A Gay Man’s Odyssey, Martin Duberman, 1991. (either the original or the 2002 edition)
(don’t wait until the night before this assigned reading in particular—we’ll do HUGE hunks, so read ahead!)
Optional
There are a number of student guides to the study of history that offer suggestions on note taking, writing reviews, studying, etc. If you think one might prove helpful to you, I recommend Jules R. Benjamin's A Student's Guide to History, 8th edition (2001). A particularly good guide to carrying out the research for the paper is The Information-Literate Historian: A Guide to Research for History Students (2006) by Jenny L. Presnell, and for writing the paper, particularly when it comes to proper citations of research, see Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (1996).
You are also required to read all of the articles compiled in the class packet, which were selected from the following books:
- Queer Theory, Annamarie Jagose, 1996.
- Living the Spirit: A Gay American Indian Anthology, Will Roscoe, ed., 1988.
- Major Problems in the History of Sexuality, Kathy Peiss, ed., 2002.
- The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in Black Communities, Delroy Constantine-Simms, ed., 2000.
- Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past, Martin Duberman, Martha Vicinus, and George Chauncey, Jr., eds., 1989.
- Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War II, Allan Berube, 1990.
- Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay and Lesbian Studies, Kevin Jennings, ed., 1994.
- Asian American Sexualities: Dimensions of the Gay and Lesbian Experience, Russell Leong, ed., 1996.
- Modern American Queer History, Allida M. Black, ed., 2001.
We will also see and discuss in class three films:
- Before Stonewall (1985)
- After Stonewall (1999)
- The Celluloid Closet (1995)
All readings are to be completed BY the date listed on the syllabus. This means you are to have completed ALL the readings listed by that date, to have thought about them, and to be prepared to provide meaningful commentary and/or questions. The discussion/study questions are designed to aid you in optimal use of the material.
For the readings from the class packet: The numbers in brackets refer to the hand written page number at the bottom right hand corner of each page in the packet.
Class Schedule
Jan. 8
Introduction to course
Jan. 10
Introduction to DESIRED PAST, pp. ix-11
Jogose, reading from QUEER THEORY [pp. 1-12]
Jan. 12
Continued
Jan. 15
Holiday—no class!!
Jan. 17
Pre-Columbian America:
DESIRED PAST, pp. 12-27
reading from LIVING THE SPIRIT “Sex/Gender Systems in Native North
America” [pp. 13-21]
reading from THE GREATEST TABOO “Hearing Voices” [pp. 22-31]
Jan. 19
RESEARCH PROPOSAL DUE at beginning of class
Pre-Columbian America continued, plus Colonial America:
DESIRED PAST pp. 27-36
plus reading by Godbeer, “Sodomy in Colonial New England” [pp. 32-39]
Jan. 22
Homosexuality and Enslavement:
reading from THE GREATEST TABOO “Rereading Voices from the Past” [pp. 40-49]
Jan. 24
Industrializing America:
DESIRED PAST pp. 32-72
Jan. 26
Industrializing America continued, plus
reading from HIDDEN FROM HISTORY “She Even Chewed Tobacco” [pp. 50-57]
Jan. 29
Sexual Transformation at Turn of the Century through the 1920s:
DESIRED PAST, pp. 73-123
reading “Mabel Hampton Recalls” [pp. 58-59]
Jan. 31
1920s (continued) and 1930s:
DESIRED PAST, pp. 123-139
ODD GIRLS AND TWILIGHT LOVERS, pp. 93-117
Feb. 2
Review: First 20 minutes of film BEFORE STONEWALL
plus World War II:
DESIRED PAST, pp. 130-169
readings from COMING OUT UNDER FIRE [pp. 60-75]
ODD GIRLS AND TWILIGHT LOVERS, pp. 118-125
Feb. 5
World War II continued, plus
15 minutes of film BEFORE STONEWALL
Feb. 7
MIDTERM—covers all readings, lectures, film, and discussions since Jan. 8
Feb. 9
Postwar Activism/Cold War:
ODD GIRLS AND TWILIGHT LOVERS pp. 125-38
Reading from COMING OUT UNDER FIRE “Legacy of War” [pp. 76-88]
Feb. 12
Postwar Activisim/Cold War continued
reading from BECOMING VISIBLE “The Trouble With Harry” [pp. 89-98]
Feb. 14
McCarthyism and Aftermath
DESIRED PAST, pp. 140-153
ODD GIRLS AND TWILIGHT LOVERS, pp. 139-187
Feb. 16
CURES, prologue, p. 62
Feb. 19
Holiday—no class!!
Feb. 21
First hour of film CELLULOID CLOSET
Feb.23
CURES, pp. 63-158
Feb. 26
final 55 minutes of BEFORE STONEWALL
Feb. 28
Stonewall
ODD GIRLS AND TWILIGHT LOVERS, pp. 188-214
March 2
FINAL DAY TO HAND IN RESEARCH PAPER DRAFTS (OPTIONAL!!)
Post-Stonewall: CURES, pp. 153-301
March 5
Post-Stonewall continued
March 7
The 1980s:
DESIRED PAST, pp. 191-199
ODD GIRLS AND TWILIGHT LOVERS, pp. 246-292
First 35 minutes of film AFTER STONEWALL
March 9
FINAL DUE DATE FOR RESEARCH PAPERS (AND reading for today!!)
AIDS and Issues Beyond
ODD GIRLS AND TWILIGHT LOVERS, pp. 292-99
reading from THE GREATEST TABOO, “Homophobia in Black Communities” [pp. 99-103]
readings from ASIAN AMERICAN SEXUALITIES
“Asian American Lesbian” [pp. 104-106]
and “In Our Own Way” [pp. 107-111]
March 12
Final 50 minutes of film AFTER STONEWALL
March 14
Conclusions
ODD GIRLS AND TWILIGHT LOVERS, pp. 299-308
Final 40 minutes of film CELLULOID CLOSET
reading from MODERN AMERICAN QUEER HISTORY
“Where are we Now?” [pp. 112-119]
March 16
Conclusions continued, plus evaluations and review
March 23
Final exam Friday at 9:10
covers all readings, lectures, film, and discussions since February 5th
It is violation of university policy to take a final exam at anything but the appointed hour on the appointed day. Please keep this in mind as you make your end-of-the-academic year travel plans, as our exam is on the LAST day of finals’ week.
PLEASE BRING YOUR READER TO THE FINAL EXAM AND TURN IN—THANK YOU!
Both exams will be in essay form. I will be giving you a sample exam before the midterm so you can see exactly what to expect. If you are uneasy about your essay writing ability, here is a suggestion: Prepare one or two answers from the sample exam or the study/discussion questions before the exam. I will gladly go over your essay with you individually and show you how to improve. After both exams I will make photocopies of the best answers available for reading in my office. Students have found these samples enormously helpful. Let me know of anything else you might think of to help you do your best.
Attendance will be taken frequently, since it figures into your final grade, and you are expected to attend every class. If you are hit by a bus, or have some other verifiable emergency, or have brought me to the appropriate paperwork from your sports’ team or other official SCU entity, your absence will be noted as excused. If you miss class for any reason, it is your responsibility to keep up to date with the course, which usually involves getting the notes you missed from a classmate and then letting me know if you have any questions about those notes. Do recognize that whether an absence is or is not excused, failure to attend class cannot help but negatively impact your ability to do your best in the class, and often this affects final grades.
Chit-chatting and sleeping in class: DON’T!!!! Making comments to fellow classmates is very distracting to others (especially me). The class only lasts 65 minutes—please wait until it is over to talk to your friends. If you missed a phrase or concept, please ask me, not your neighbor. If you feel yourself falling asleep in class, please get up, go home, and take a nap. You cannot learn anything while you are asleep and you’ll rest better in bed. Otherwise, TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE and plan to stay in your seat the entire 65 minutes.
Please do not hesitate to ask me questions or make comments openly during class. If you don't understand something (whether from the book or a lecture) chances are excellent that others are also confused and could benefit from clarification. Your comments (not just questions) are also welcome and are valued as significant contributions. Some of the greatest teaching comes from in-class student comments. And as an added bonus, class participation does constitute 10% of your grade.
If you are interested in subscribing to H-HISTSEX, the email service that circulates book reviews, conference announcements, queries, etc., concerning the history of sexuality, here’s how you do it:
Go to http://www.h-net.msu.edu/
look at the left hand column. Click “subscribe to a network”
look at the left hand column. Click “subscribe” and follow the prompts
you can either get each email from H-histsex individually, or request that they come in a single mailing once a day. Click “manage your subscription” and mark “digest” for this option.
If you try this service for a few days, and decide you don’t like it, return to “manage your subscription” and, near the bottom, click “unsubscribe.”
If you have ANY questions or problems with this service, please let me know.
The reading packet was funded by a “Building Partnerships for Diversity” grant from the Center for Multicultural Learning
Finally—I realize that this course requires a great deal of effort. I give you the words of Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks’s character in A League of Their Own), who is responding to the resignation of his star baseball player because “it just got too hard”: “It’s SUPPOSED to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everybody would do it. The ‘hard’ makes it great.”