How to be gay

[BeaStKid]

Oh I thought that had already happened, I mean don't we have a picture of him at the bbq, after he received that crown?

[FrenchCanadian]

 

Just to know, BK, what is that smiley supposed to mean??

[Tiger]

 

 

Just to know, BK, what is that smiley supposed to mean??

It means, "I don't know."

[FrenchCanadian]

It means, "I don't know."

 

Thanks Tiger, it's good to know,,,, It wasn't that clear

[Tiger]

Thanks Tiger, it's good to know,,,, It wasn't that clear

That's what shrugging one's shoulders means.

[Rabble_Rouser]

That's what shrugging one's shoulders means.

 

 

Hmm, I guess I need a bigger monitor or get the perscription on the glasses updated. Looked like head scratching and wings to me.

 

 

BTW, when I was taking some classes at Ryerson in Toronto, I saw that you could get an Arts degree in Queer Studies but I don't think they had any instructional type courses like the U of M one!

[FrenchCanadian]

Hmm, I guess I need a bigger monitor or get the perscription on the glasses updated. Looked like head scratching and wings to me.

 

 

BTW, when I was taking some classes at Ryerson in Toronto, I saw that you could get an Arts degree in Queer Studies but I don't think they had any instructional type courses like the U of M one!

 

LOL, when I first look it I thought it was more scratching his ass to me

 

But, OMG, really, an Arts degree in Queer Studies?!?!?!? I wonder what you can do afterward with that degree...

[scoopny]

Oh they have Queer studies at Michigan too. Generally, you can go to law school, you can get a Ph.D. or I dunno, work in the non-profit world.

[JamesSavik]

In my humble opinion, if you need to take a college course to know how to be gay, then you are probably a breeder.

 

Besides lots of us had moved on to advanced studies by junior high.

[FrenchCanadian]

In my humble opinion, if you need to take a college course to know how to be gay, then you are probably a breeder.

 

Besides lots of us had moved on to advanced studies by junior high.

 

by junior high? ummm I think I must have taken the late intensive class

[scoopny]

by junior high? ummm I think I must have taken the late intensive class

 

I think you've been a quick study.

[colinian]

Via Towleroad, this is quite a contemporary concept for college study. The University of Michigan offers this credited course:

 

http://www.towleroad.com/2008/01/university-of-m.html.

 

Pour a glass of chardonnay, turn on your favorite Broadway musical score and read this. The latest Room and Board catalog can wait.

 

Jack

That's very cool!

 

The article was based on a UM news release for the course that was first offered during the fall term of 2003. The course has changed somewhat, and is still offered during fall term, English 317 - Literature and Culture - How to be Gay: Male Homosexuality as a Cultural Practice. Click here to read about the fall 2007 course.

 

Click here to check out the course guide; you might find something interesting in the UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) if you live close to Ann Arbor or any of the other UM campuses.

 

Colin

[Tiger]

In my humble opinion, if you need to take a college course to know how to be gay, then you are probably a breeder.

 

Besides lots of us had moved on to advanced studies by junior high.

I would rather earn a useful degree such as the one I am working on.

[colinian]

I would rather earn a useful degree such as the one I am working on.

This isn't a degree program, it's a single course. The 317 series at UM are elective English courses, probably taken by most students to fulfill a liberal arts requirement. We have the same sort of classes at Cal.

 

Colin

[Tiger]

This isn't a degree program, it's a single course. The 317 series at UM are elective English courses, probably taken by most students to fulfill a liberal arts requirement. We have the same sort of classes at Cal.

 

Colin

Someone else mentioned a BA in Queer Studies. I have no idea if the degree program actually exists.

[FrenchCanadian]

Someone else mentioned a BA in Queer Studies. I have no idea if the degree program actually exists.

 

me neither, and I'm sure i wouldn't take a BA in queer studies.

[Tiger]

me neither, and I'm sure i wouldn't take a BA in queer studies.

I wouldn't either. I would rather complete a BA in IT or a BA in MIS (Management of Information Systems.)

[BeaStKid]

I wouldn't either. I would rather complete a BA in IT or a BA in MIS (Management of Information Systems.)

Engineering...Computer Hardware...

[scoopny]

Someone else mentioned a BA in Queer Studies. I have no idea if the degree program actually exists.

 

There are schools with majors in queer studies, at Michigan you can minor in Queer Studies as part of another major.

[Rabble_Rouser]

I checked Ryerson's website and found they no longer offer the program (I was taking IT courses there in the mid-90's) and it was a Degree in Sociology with an Emphasis in Queer Studies. I also found an article saying there were attempts by a number of universities to establish Queer Studies programs but most failed to attract students.

 

Steve

[Menzoberranzen]

Makes for an interesting resume, dont you think?

 

So Lola, what unique qualities do you think you can bring to the board room?

 

Well, gee, sir, my background in Queer Studies will definitely be an asset in, like, creating letterhead and office design.

 

What a candy-ass degree. I agree that a course or three in the sociological evolution of gay people could be rigorous, informative and useful but an entire degree program in Queer Studies ranks up there with degrees from Crackerjack boxes.

[AFriendlyFace]

Well I'll defend this course.

 

Just as a disclaimer, my own degree is psychology/sociology, with a heavy anthropology slant.

 

Anyway, I think this is a very important course (from the sound of it that is, obviously I haven't taken it myself). There IS more to being gay than who you sleep with. Just like there's more to be black than having dark skin, or more to being cajun that being in Louisiana with a French heritage, or more to being Jewish than simply what you believe religiously. There are whole cultures attached to these groups!

 

Yes, obviously no one needs to know the history and course of gay culture in order to be "gay" in the orientation sense, but knowing a little bit about our unique historical and cultural experiences, and being able to take the context of the times into account is most definitely something I wholeheartedly encourage.

 

It's every bit as important as any other historical or cultural class. If you're the sort that thinks studying history and culture are inherently pointless...well then we're in complete and total disagreement and I won't even bother arguing with you. However, if you're the sort that can see the value in studying history and cultures of any other type...well then IMO it's hypocritical (and very sad coming from a gay person) that you can't stop and think for a bit and see the value in this one as well.

 

Yes, it explores stereotypes, but as the description says the point is to show that there are MANY different ways in which to express one's gayness, and whether or not you actually want to accept and embrace these stereotypes and employ them in your own life is completely irrelevant. At least you will have learned about them. You'll know what people (both gay and straight) are talking about when they reference them. You'll perhaps find it enriching. You'll get a better perspective on who YOU as a gay individual are by comparing which ones directly apply to you and which don't.

 

I've studied gay history and culture pretty extensively on my own, and I'm also pretty up on current trends in the community. I can say with complete confidence that the majority of what I've seen, read, watched, etc. doesn't directly apply to me in my own life whatsoever. However, having learned these things makes me better able to relate to gay people of different generations, helps me put things into context, and gives me a yardstick by which to measure my own life.

 

In other words the societal pressures that existed in the past aren't such that they would ever be able to force me deep into a closet and force me into a loveless, sexless marriage*, but they prevent me from being so arrogant as to assume this could not have happened to me in a different time and place, and they give me strength and hope in bad times, by remembering that I'm not like those past generations.

 

Those are certainly not things I regret having learned, and a class designed to teach them is certainly not something I would trivialize.

 

-Kevin

 

 

 

*I'm not trying to criticise those who did enter straight relationships. In fact quite the opposite I'm attempting to express respect for them. I also believe that if there is love in these relationships - which is definitely possible - they may not necessarily have been a mistake at all.

Edited January 10, 2008 by AFriendlyFace

[NaperVic]

I've studied gay history and culture pretty extensively on my own, and I'm also pretty up on current trends in the community. I can say with complete confidence that the majority of what I've seen, read, watched, etc. doesn't directly apply to me in my own life whatsoever. However, having learned these things makes me better able to relate to gay people of different generations, helps me put things into context, and gives me a yardstick by which to measure my own life.

 

I'll just add to what Kevin has said. The field of Queer Studies is much more broad that one might first assume.

 

My Ex developed and taught a class on queer studies and I was fascinated with the topics he discussed in the class. There is also a tremendous amount of literature (and I'm not talking about Domluka Gay Fiction Literature ) and gay history. I was particulary 'surprised' at the amount of gay history where I never really considered pre-stonewall & AIDS.

 

Author's like John D'Emelio & Peter Nardi are just a few of the scholars who write about Queer Study topics.

 

If your college(s) offer classes in Queer Studies, I'd suggest taking one for your own edification.

 

Take Care®,

 

Vic

[Jack Scribe]

Anyway, I think this is a very important course (from the sound of it that is, obviously I haven't taken it myself). There IS more to being gay than who you sleep with. Just like there's more to be black than having dark skin, or more to being cajun that being in Louisiana with a French heritage, or more to being Jewish than simply what you believe religiously. There are whole cultures attached to these groups!

 

Yes, obviously no one needs to know the history and course of gay culture in order to be "gay" in the orientation sense, but knowing a little bit about our unique historical and cultural experiences, and being able to take the context of the times into account is most definitely something I wholeheartedly encourage.

 

Wow, Kevin. What a well-thought out response. We're mostly an unrecognized minority - citizens experiencing life's challenges, rewards and disappointments on a daily basis. The "Millenniums" are dealing with our minority status differently than the "Y" and "X" generations. And certainly on a whole other plane than my "Boomer" group.

 

Here's an short collage of photographs that was sent to me recently that's worth a reflective look. The male couples shown couldn't even begin to imagine where our/their sub-culture would progress over the past century. http://www.musicmisfit.com/affectionatemen/affectionate.html.

 

Jack

[BeaStKid]

Wow, Kevin. What a well-thought out response. We're mostly an unrecognized minority - citizens experiencing life's challenges, rewards and disappointments on a daily basis. The "Millenniums" are dealing with our minority status differently than the "Y" and "X" generations. And certainly on a whole other plane than my "Boomer" group.

 

Here's an short collage of photographs that was sent to me recently that's worth a reflective look. The male couples shown couldn't even begin to imagine where our/their sub-culture would progress over the past century. http://www.musicmisfit.com/affectionatemen/affectionate.html.

 

Jack

Yeah...some of those pictures were soooooo sweet and beautiful. And the background music was so apt! Both of them... Thanks Jack, for sharing this with us..