Content Advisory:
This course addresses a range of challenging topics that may be emotionally distressing for some students. Because individual experiences and sensitivities vary, it is not always possible to anticipate in advance which materials may elicit difficult responses, or for whom. You should be aware that classroom discussions will involve scholarly engagement with issues of gender and sexual violence, racism, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and related forms of structural inequality. You will view films from global cinema, some of which are rated R, and some others are not yet rated in the United States. These films are assigned for critical analysis and discussion. Students who have concerns about specific films are encouraged to contact me before the scheduled live reading, so that expectations can be clarified, and, in rare circumstances, alternatives discussed. The classroom is intended to be a space that is intellectually challenging while also being respectful, supportive, and attentive to individual well-being.

Discussion Norms:
Because this course addresses sensitive and personal topics, all class discussions are expected to take place in an atmosphere of mutual respect. You are encouraged to engage thoughtfully with differing viewpoints and to avoid language or behavior that is discriminatory or symptomatic of systemic bias against an individual or an identifiable community. Intellectual disagreement is welcome—even encouraged—as part of learning, but ad hominem attacks will invite disciplinary intervention.

Class Structure:
The class will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students are expected to watch each week’s film in full and at least once on their own before the Tuesday session, and to complete all assigned readings before the Thursday session.

• The Tuesday session will be devoted to a collaborative live reading of the week’s film. Selected sequences will be screened in class and analyzed closely to develop skills in attentive and imaginative viewing. Active participation in this exercise will contribute to the final grade.
• The Thursday session will extend these discussions by turning to the critical texts assigned for the week. We will situate our close readings of the film within broader theoretical frameworks, introducing key concepts, terms, and debates in the history and contemporary practice of sexuality studies. Active and engaged participation in the Thursday discussions will also contribute to the final grade.

Assignments and Grading:
The final grade for the course will be based on the following components:

1. Class participation: 30%
   This course is structured around dialogue and collective inquiry, making active class participation essential. You are expected to contribute regularly by sharing questions, comments, and observations during both the Tuesday live reading sessions and the Thursday sessions on discussing critical texts. These discussions will shape how we think and engage as a community of learning.
   You are expected to attend both sessions of the class every week. If you face extenuating circumstances, including illness, accidents, or other unforeseen challenges, please send me an email to communicate the reasons for your absence beforehand. An excused absence will not impact your points. However, if you are unable to communicate beforehand, please send me an email afterwards to explain your absence. In a limited number of cases, an absence may be excused retrospectively.
   You must also ensure that you arrive at the scheduled time for each session. If you arrive up to 15 minutes late, you will be automatically excused up to four times during the semester. Arriving more than 15 minutes late, however, will adversely affect the attendance points for that day. Arriving more than 30 minutes late will count as an absence, and I will expect an email to determine whether you might be excused.
2. Midterm Paper (800–1000 words): 30%
   The midterm paper will consist of a short close reading of a film clip or video not on the syllabus. You will select a brief visual text (around 15 minutes or less) and analyze it through careful attention to its details, deriving meaning and argument from close observation. Engagement with theory is optional and should be used only if it clearly strengthens the analysis. Papers will be evaluated on the precision of observation, interpretive insight, and creativity of argumentation. All midterm papers must be submitted by 8:00 PM on October 18, 2026.
   
   
3. Final Essay or Documentary Film Script (2000-2500 words): 40%
   Option 1, Essay: This will consist of an argumentative essay on a film or video chosen in its entirety, not listed on the syllabus. Unlike the midterm, this assignment requires sustained engagement with the theories of sexuality discussed in the course. Papers will be evaluated on the strength of their close readings, the effective and accurate use of theoretical frameworks, and the clarity and coherence of the overall argument. I invite you to discuss your projects ahead of submission during office hours.
   Option 2, Documentary Film Script: As an alternative to the final paper, you may submit a documentary film script addressing any aspect of sexuality. The project should function as a critical intervention and demonstrate engagement with theories discussed in the course. Scripts will be evaluated on the choice and framing of the subject, the strength and effectiveness of the storytelling and cinematic vision, and the thoughtful deployment of theoretical frameworks. I invite you to discuss your projects ahead of submission during office hours.
   All final papers and documentary scripts must be submitted by 8:00 PM on December 20, 2026. 

   Note on assignments:

   1. Late Assignments
      Students are expected to submit all work by the assigned deadlines. If exceptional circumstances arise, please contact me as soon as possible and at least 24 hours before the deadline so that we can discuss possible arrangements.
   2. Assignment Completion Requirement
      All course assignments must be completed to receive a passing grade. 
   3. llness or Other Contingencies
      If you experience illness, caregiving responsibilities, disruptions to internet or technology access, or other circumstances that interfere with your ability to keep up with the course, please notify me as soon as you are able so that we can discuss alternative arrangements. 
   4. Code of Academic Conduct
      You are expected to adhere to CCNY’s policy on Academic Integrity. Please familiarize yourself with the policy by reviewing it in detail.
   5. Citations and Plagiarism
      All sources must be cited clearly and consistently using an accepted citation style (e.g., MLA, Chicago, or APA). Plagiarism, including the failure to properly acknowledge sources, will not be tolerated in this course.

   Policy on the Use of AI Tools:
   I strongly discourage the use of AI tools for this class. As an introductory course in cinema and sexuality studies, it is designed to help you inculcate the very fundamentals of these disciplines, and using AI at this stage of your learning will only impede your growth.

   Since we will be watching difficult films and reading a lot of challenging theory, using AI to procure arguments or summarize texts is, first and foremost, a disservice to yourself. AI functions primarily as a recombination tool; it depends on existing datasets and generates new permutations of what it has already been trained on (some of which is stolen data). While it can be useful for certain tasks, such as translating languages one does not know, experimenting with prose styles (although AI prose can often be a disaster), or assisting with rhetoric and vocabulary at early stages of drafting, it is not (at present) well suited to generating new arguments, counterintuitive insights, or surprising critical interventions.

   Some of the central skills this course aims to cultivate, such as critical and creative reading, interpretation, and argumentation, cannot be outsourced to AI. As our live reading exercises and theoretical discussions will demonstrate, interpretation depends not only on what we know or can summarize, but on what we are willing to venture: new meanings, new problems, and new lines of thought. Such ventures may be provisional, imperfect, or eventually untenable, but they are essential to how knowledge advances. Learning to take these risks remains a human practice, one that this course deems fundamental.

   You should also be mindful that AI usage carries significant environmental costs, and that ecological considerations should factor into decisions about whether, when, and how to use such tools.

   Finally, any use of AI must comply fully with the CCNY policy on academic integrity. AI tools may not be used in ways that constitute plagiarism or misrepresentation of authorship. If you choose to use AI in your work, you must include a brief note of acknowledgment (around 500 words) indicating what tasks AI assisted with. For guidance on how to draft that note, refer to this.