History or Western Sexuality explores how definitions of human sexuality have developed in particular social and national contexts, how social concerns about sexuality have been played out in personal and political realms, and how a wide range of sexual identities have been constructed in different historical contexts. The course is designed to provide students with broad overviews of sexual behavior and attitudes in given historical periods and will be supplemented by detailed examinations within those periods. It will explore various issues in the history of sexuality covering a wide range of theoretical and thematic questions. It will provide a brief introduction to issues of categorization, key theoretical innovations, and “social constructionist” perspectives on sexuality, and will probe the connections between sexuality and other social structures such as race, gender, class, violence, and politics.