SEMINAR DESCRIPTION

This course will surface the ways in which LGBTQ+ people and communities have impacted the ways in which mainstream American culture has been shaped by cultural production derived from thinking that challenges heteronormativity in post-World War II America until the validation of same sex marriage in 2014 Through the lenses of queer theory, evolving queer history, Since the emergence of “homosexuality” and “transsexuality” as identities in the late 19th century, queer culture has been presumed to develop in the margins of American life, ancillary to and shaped by heterosexual norms. Yet, the vast majority of queer people in the last hundred years have lived (to at least some degree) in the closet, allowing them to exist in the mainstream while maintaining a distinctly non-normative identity. Thus, to quote bell hooks, allowing them "to bring the margin into the center." In 15 meetings over the course of the semester, through lectures, discussions, texts, slides, films and video, we will explore the ways in which transformative integration of queer designs for living have occurred. Highlighting pivotal events and shifts in American cultural, political, and creative history this course will provide food for thought about the ways in queerness is integral to American notions of progress and freedom.

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Xingyu Wang-Comics Code Authority

 In the West, LGBT comics grew differently from Japan, mainly after 1954 when the Comics Code Authority (CCA) started. This made showing LGBTQ+ stories in US comics hard. The CCA aimed to keep young readers safe and stop "immoral" content, like gay hints. So, LGBTQ+ characters and themes were often left out or just hinted at.

Back in 1954, US comics almost died out. The panic about comics, fueled by Fredric Wertham’s book The Seduction of the Innocent, led to government hearings on if comics were bad for kids. Big publishers like DC and Marvel faced the threat of government rules. They chose to follow the CCA's self-rules. This meant not just banning LGBT and sexual content but also rules like villains can't win and cops must not be shown as weak.

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Erika Bauer - Final Project

 Link to my final project https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10M3X31MtgSnCAicMzf6pDhINFAjSNRaGX8BJnh3_9Eg/edit