University of Chicago—SIFK Autumn 2017 1 Sex and Enlightenment Science KNOW 21314/HIST 22218/GNSE 21314/HIPS 21413 Autumn 2017: Monday/Wednesday 3–4.20pm * SIFK 104 Canvas website: https://canvas.uchicago.edu/courses/10546 Instructor: Dr. Margaret Carlyle Email: mcarlyle@uchicago.edu Office: SIFK 309 Office hours: Wednesday 4.30–6pm or by appointment Course description: What do a lifelike wax woman, a birthing dummy, and a hermaphrodite have in common? This interdisciplinary course seeks answers to this question by exploring how eighteenth- century scientific and medical ideas, technologies, and practices interacted with and influenced contemporary notions of sex, sexuality, and gender. In our course, the terms "sex," "Enlightenment," and "science" will be problematized in their historic contexts using a variety of primary and secondary sources. Through these texts, as well as images and objects, we will see how emerging scientific theories about sex and gender contributed to new understandings of the human, especially female, body. We will also see how the liberating potential of Enlightenment thought gave way to sexual and racial theories that insisted on fundamental human difference. Topics to be covered include theories of generation, childbirth, homosexuality, monstrosities, race, and hermaphrodites, as well as questions about the "sex" of the enlightened scientist and the gendering of scientific practices. Assessment: 1. Participation 10% 2. One-page reading responses 10 x 2% = 20% 3. Take-home midterm & final essay 2 x 30% = 60% 4. Field trip source analysis 1 x 10% = 10% Participation (10%) à Attendance in class and contributions to discussion form the basis of your participation grade. Regular attendance is expected. Please come prepared to share your thoughts on the assigned material.