Course description and objective

This graduate seminar will consider the diverse ways in which intimacy and power mix with sex and gender in an increasingly transnational world. We will read and discuss various theorizations and ethnographies by scholars in anthropology, history, and cultural studies, as well as in feminist studies. Topics will include, but won't be limited to, new forms of romance mediated by the Internet and global economy; non-heteronormative sexualities in diverse locales; diasporic cultures and intimacies; commoditized sex and romance in tourist circuits; and the impact of globalization on youth and family relationships. The course will focus on recent and innovative ethnographic writing based on studies carried out in the US and beyond, in areas of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and their diasporas.  Videos and occasional recommended outside lectures will complement course material.

Syllabus (In PDF Format)