SOCb3014 Gender and intimacy

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2022
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Martin Fafejta, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Kateřina Nedbálková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Iva Šmídová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Iva Šmídová, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 15. 9. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 29. 9. 14:00–17:40 U33, Thu 13. 10. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 20. 10. 14:00–17:40 U33, Thu 3. 11. 14:00–17:40 U33, Thu 24. 11. 14:00–17:40 U33, Thu 8. 12. 14:00–17:40 U33
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 2/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
  • Gender (programme FSS, B-SOC)
Course objectives
The aim of this seminar is to discuss the ways in which the institution of sexuality and family has changed over time and place, and with it, our notions of gender, love, and sex. Through exploring the connections people make in their private lives, we will investigate the structural outline our society imposes on the private and intimate matter par excellence, the family. Our background will be interdisciplinary, spanning from sociology, anthropology, and history to gender and queer studies. We will read and discuss the social organisation of intimacy, its forms that are diverse and at the same time shaping our understanding and experiencing of the contemporary “family” in North Atlantic culture, i.e. the United States and Europe. We will shed light on the connections between private and public, past and present. We will contest the notion of the “normal family” and explore various forms of familial configurations ranging from the mainstream nuclear family as the basis of biological reproduction, to emerging forms of gay and lesbian kinship and parenting. While paying attention to socially relevant aspects of ethnicity and class, our primary focus will be on gender as a category of social stratification and identification as well as a unit of social analysis.
Learning outcomes
Students will learn sociological approaches to intimacy, will understand the interconnectedness between the public and private sphere, and will be able to apply theoretical approaches to everyday problems.
Syllabus
  • 1. What is Sex, Sexuality and Gender in this course? 2. Social construction of sexuality and intimacy 3. Social construction of gender sexual identity 4. Sexual scenarios I 5. Sexual scenarios II 6. Sexuality and intimacy in the light of gender stereotypes 7. Intimacy and family. What is Family? Family at Different Times and Places 8. Normal Family? 9. Intimacy and fatherhood 10. Family, Ethnicity, and Class 11. Family and intimacy seen by the ombudsman 12. Love, Autonomy, and Intimacy 13. Presentation of student projects
Literature
    required literature
  • Jamieson, L. (2002) Intimacy Transformed? A Critical Look at the “Pure Relationship”. In C. L. Williams, A. Stein (eds.). Sexuality and Gender. Oxford: Blackwell
  • COONTZ, Stephanie. The way we never were : american families and the nostalgia trap. New York: Basic books, 1992.
  • Giddens, A. (2012). Proměna intimity: sexualita, láska a erotika v moderních společnostech. Praha: Portál.
  • Laquer, T. (2018). Rozkoš mezi pohlavími - Sexuální diference od antiky po Freuda. Praha: Karolinum.
    recommended literature
  • Foucault, M. (1999). Dějiny sexuality I: Vůle k vědění. Praha: Herrmann & synové
  • Gagnon, J. H., Simon, W. (2005). Sexual Conduct. The Social Sources of Human Sexuality. New Brunswick, London: Aldine Transaction
Teaching methods
conceptual and theoretical outlines, critical seminar discussions, team projects
Assessment methods
feedback on interim papers, final team project, discussion of course readings
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Kurz je určen výhradně studujícím Bc. specializace gender.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2022/SOCb3014