Instructor:
Can listening to the past intimately connect people across time and space? This course examines queer histories through sound and sonic performance the 20th and 21st century United States. During our time together, we will listen to a diverse range of queer artists and activists including stand-up comics, popular musicians, drag performers, and community organizers to address the following questions: How have sounds like protest chants, throwing shade, and laughter shaped queer life? How do these queer sounds intersect with race, class, health, age, gender, and citizenship? How do we listen with care? How can historical sounds linger into the present, and shape our individual and collective identities?