What is "gender"? What kinds of definitions have been advanced or implied for this perplexing word? How have thinkers - in fields as diverse as anthropology, history, literature, philosophy, psychology, science studies, and sociology - helped to define and even invent this category that we call "gender"? How have these definitions changed the way we think? What kinds of problems have these definitions created? In this module, we will analyse various moments in intellectual history when there has been a struggle over the meaning of "gender" (and seemingly related terms like "sex" and "sexuality") in order to understand the term's function as a category of analysis.
Note: This module has no S/U option
Student Reviews
Feng Linwan (@linwann) AY 23/24, Sem 2
About the Instructor
Prof is highly knowledgeable of the subject matter. He draws insights from a wide spectrum of domains - literature, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, film studies, psychology, and etc. - and is always able to explain complex ideas in the simplest manner
Content (Structure/Organization)
Extremely well-organised.
The syllabus is divided into four main themes:
First unit - Sex, Gender, and Sexuality: we interrogates these three terms sequentially, increasing in complexity and building on each other.
Remaining three units - more complex theories around gender & sexuality
a) Masquerade & Mimicry
b) Gender as Performative
c) Embodiment
The first two units build on each other, addressing the psychological, social, and cultural aspects of gender (we also explored the differences between these categories). The last unit focuses on the sensory and bodily aspects of gender. Every unit concludes with a cinematic discussion - students will lead class discussion of a film in relation to the overarching concepts of the unit.
Professor Lo provides a one-page overview for each theme, highlighting key concepts and noting what is excluded, clearly delineating the conceptual space we are exploring. These overviews also clarify the connections between themes.
In terms of actual delivery, the class is roughly divided into two parts -
Mini Lecture: Professor Lo unpacks difficult concepts from the readings, ensuring we align our understanding.
Guided Discussion: Often interwoven with the lecture, this part allows us to apply and deepen our understanding through discussion.
Accessibility
This course is the only 3k inquiry module for a good reason:)
However, Professor Lo is well aware of the challenges students face and does his best to help:
- He strikes out irrelevant paragraphs in readings and keeps difficult readings to a minimum (for example, a 3-page Hegel excerpt)
- During class, we do close readings of passages and unpack them together. His slides elucidate concepts and include innovative narratives and analogies that help students explore the concepts and reach a natural understanding on their own
- He also prepares concept trees to help us compare and contrast different theorists
Overall, I (a sociology major who has some gender studies & philosophical background) actually find this course to be more accessible than other 2k modules.
Manageability of Workload
I find it super interesting and so put in a lot of effort for this course (on average 8h a week?)
It's definitely heavier than sociology modules I've taken in NUS
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
Professor Lo is not known for being the most lenient in his marking, but I find it fair. Furthermore, he always provides a one-page comment with lots of actionable feedback, which I find super helpful.
Learning Value/Recommendation
Most thought provoking and memorable class so far.