Professor: Judith Raiskin

4.00 credits

• CRN 26143: Monday & Wednesday, 2:00-3:50pm @ LIB 201

Much LGBTQ history has been suppressed by the imperatives of the closet and rendered invisible by library cataloging traditions embedded in systemic homophobia and heterosexism. This course allows students to explore the spectacular holdings in the University of Oregon Special Collectives and Archives that shed light on LGBTQ history, including the papers of renown writers, artists, film makers, activists, police detectives, and collections related to the Southern Oregon lesbian lands and the Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project https://outliersoutlaws.uoregon.edu/). This class meets in Special Collections in the Knight Library and introduces students to research methods using primary sources (such as diaries, correspondence, photographs, business records, and artifacts). Students develop their own interpretations of the material through short essays and a final research paper. This course requires independent research with guidance from Professor Raiskin and Linda Long, the Curator of Manuscripts. Students will have time to work in their chosen collection during some class sessions, but they should be prepared to spend additional time in Special Collections on their own.  Reading assignments and lectures will provide a brief contextual overview of 20th c. U.S. LGBTQ history and issues related to queer archives.

Graduation Requirement: This class will fulfill a Social Science Colloquium and the US: Difference, Inequality, Agency (US) cultural literacy requirement.  If the student has already taken a Social Science Colloquium, this class will fulfill both of the following requirements: an Elective Colloquium and the US: Difference, Inequality, Agency (US) cultural literacy requirement.