AP/CCY 2990 3.00

Gendered Childhoods

CCY 2990 takes a historical and cross-cultural approach to examine how gender and sexuality are constructed in childhood. The course begins with a historical perspective on the genealogies of current discourses of childhood and girlhood. Students will examine how other categories of difference such as class, sexuality, race, and immigration intersect with gendered childhood identities. Topics include the role of parents and children in the gendered construction of childhood; the role of institutions such as media, state, and schools; the sexualization of children; transgender and gender non-conforming children; similarities between childism and sexism, sexuality and body image; the commercialization of girlhood. Particular attention will be given to ‘girlhood’ as a construct: what does it mean to be a girl and how has the concept of girl and girlhood been constructed in historical and global contexts? Attention will also be given to the analysis of masculinity and boyhood.