Course Description:

Transgender leaders are everywhere, doing groundbreaking work in every field. We’ll study figures in transgender history across time periods and disciplines, including high priests in Mesopotamia; military leaders in WW2; miners in search of glory during the Gold Rush; surgeons; elected representatives; celebrated authors, poets, and playwrights; neurobiologists; hockey players; and more.

Students will have an opportunity to explore history from a different perspective than that offered in traditional courses. We’ll look at who is erased from the historical narrative, and we’ll consider why. Along the way, we can dip into the history of language (including the history of “they” as a versatile pronoun, representing both single and plural entities), and we’ll explore excerpts, poems, short stories, and speeches from transgender thinkers about gender identity, gender presentation, and gender roles.

Throughout the course, students will develop the critical thinking and analytical skills required in their history classes and they will have the opportunity to synthesize what they have learned into a brief essay or presentation on a topic of their choosing.