Overview
This course examines literary representations of self-pleasure within broad cultural, historical, and institutional frameworks. Students study selected works and archival materials from premodern, early modern, modern, and contemporary contexts, with attention to regional and cultural variation.
Topics include religious and moral regulation, medicalization, sexology, obscenity law, censorship, publishing history, colonial and postcolonial discourse, gender and family norms, queer history, disability studies, race and respectability, consumer culture, visual and digital media, and online communities. The course distinguishes historical practices from modern categories and examines the limits, biases, and ethical implications of archival evidence.
Students situate texts within their production and reception contexts, compare competing cultural narratives, analyze institutional regulation of intimate expression, and assess how literary form mediates historical knowledge. Coursework emphasizes careful citation, privacy protection, respectful engagement with marginalized histories, and responsible handling of explicit or potentially disturbing materials.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze literary and archival representations of self-pleasure across diverse historical and cultural contexts.
- Evaluate the influence of religious, medical, legal, publishing, and social institutions on intimate expression.
- Compare competing historical and cultural narratives without imposing universal meanings on bodily experience.
- Interpret how literary form, genre, and media shape the representation and transmission of historical knowledge.
- Critique the evidentiary limits, silences, and biases of archival and historiographical sources.
- Synthesize primary and secondary research in ethically responsible arguments using appropriate scholarly citation practices.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Archival source analysis | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Historiographical essay | 25.00% |
| Assignment | Comparative literary case study | 25.00% |
| Capstone | Research project using primary and secondary sources | 30.00% |
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.