King’s College London Summer School 2013 – Deadline for Applications 15th May

‘Queer Streets of London’, 22nd July – 9th August

London has had a long and storied history of sexual dissidence. From the gender ambiguity of Shakespearean theatre, to the scandal of the Oscar Wilde trials, to the groundbreaking films of Derek Jarman, the city has been at the forefront of queer activism and academia, a touchstone for LGBT urban life. Situated in the heart of London, King’s College remains an epicentre of queer theorising in Britain.

Queer theory seeks to illuminate the ways sexuality is constructed, articulated and experienced in historically and culturally specific ways. How is desire shaped by the discourses which surround it? How are gender and sexuality performed and maintained through the policing of dissident bodies? And through the embodiment of hierarchies, exclusions and normativities, how has the queer political landscape changed over the past century? This course offers an exciting chance to think about queer theory in the very places, spaces and environments which have constituted its intellectual arrival and witnessed its effects.

This 3 week short course will introduce the grounding tenets of queer theory, set against the experiences of those queer men and women who have lived and loved in the streets of London. Reading theory in conjunction with literature and history we seek to unpack the social, cultural and political contexts under which sexuality operates and draw on exciting case studies from a number of sources, fostering an interdisciplinary approach. This course shall include visits to the Museum of London and the Victoria and Albert Museum to view their collections of objects with queer histories, as well as offer opportunities to experience the queer streets of the bustling metropolis.

For all the information relating to this course

Visit us: www.kcl.ac.uk/study/summerschool/courses/ArtsLiterature-and-Culture.aspx

and click on Queer Streets of London

Contact us: summerschool@kcl.ac.uk