This document outlines the goals of a course on transnational perspectives of sexuality. [1] The first goal is to understand that terms like globalization and sexuality have relative, competing definitions that are not fixed and have mixed effects. [2] The second goal has three parts: knowledge is produced through Western institutions and reasoning, so we cannot know pre-Western cultures authentically, and claims of something being Western or original are suspect since everything is interconnected. [3] The third goal is that while there is no absolute truth, we can still study to learn about other cultures without claiming to know them, to understand how our own beliefs are situated, and to better understand Western knowledge production.

1. Transnational
Perspectives of Sexuality
What are we doing here?

2. There are 3 goals in this course. . .

3. Goal 1:
Understand relative nature of GLOBALIZATION & SEXUALITY
These terms/concepts have many, many definitions that are
often competing and contradictory.
They also have mixed effects.
These terms/concepts are not fixed, not pre-given, not
unidirectional, not right or wrong.

4. Goal 2: (this one has 3 parts)
A. Knowledge accumulation, analysis, and
interpretation as we understand it has a
history. We understand because we’ve
learned to understand--from a university
model that originated in Europe, flourished
in the U.S., and is based on post-
Enlightenment reasoning.

5. Univeristy of
Magnaura,
Constantinople
founded: 849

6. Wilhelm
von
Humboldt
founded
Humboldt University
in Berlin.
19th Century
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8. B. Because our knowledge is made through
western procedures that make meaning,
we cannot KNOW a pre-western, original,
or authentic form of culture or sexuality.

9. C. Any claims that something is WESTERN
or ORIGINAL/AUTHENTIC/PURE are
suspect. For our purposes, everything is
interconnected, even historical accounts,
even scientific accounts, even statistical
accounts.

10. Goal 3:
That doesn’t mean there’s no reason to
study--only that there’s no way to KNOW
an ABSOLUTE TRUTH.

11. Why Study Transnational
Perspectives?
We study TP to learn about other cultures
and practices without concluding we
KNOW.
We study TP to learn about how our own
beliefs are situated as “natural.”
We study TP to better understand
western knowledge production.