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IARTS 4QT3: QUEER AND TRANS ART IN THE 20^TH AND 21^ST CENTURIES

IARTS 4CS6B, Winter 2025

NOTE ON CORRESPONDENCE: The instructor will use Avenue to Learn as a communication forum for general announcements, changes to the course schedule, and relevant class news. For personal correspondence between instructor and student, you are required to use the McMaster email as listed above. Please do not communicate with the instructor through the Avenue email.  Instructor’s emails are checked on weekdays only. Students will receive responses to relevant inquiries within 48 hours. A response not received within this timeframe indicates that the message was not received. It is the student’s responsibility to follow-up.

CLASS FORMAT – IARTS 4QT3 is scheduled to take place in person, consisting of lectures, student presentations, visiting speakers, and group discussions that will take place on campus. Students will also be expected to use Microsoft Teams in addition to Avenue to Learn to engage in course content and to find information including project outlines, deadline changes, general announcements, technical information etc.

Although a certain amount of time will be allotted for in-class project work, students will also be required to spend a minimum of 4 hours/week outside of class developing techniques and strategies introduced in the course, conducting independent research, completing assigned projects, and preparing for discussions and presentations.

The School of the Arts is committed to anti-oppression, anti-racism, open-minded curiosity, and collective learning. This means that, together, faculty and students will support each other in social justice practices, sharing and using chosen names and pronouns, respecting the expertise that comes from lived experiences of oppression, understanding one’s own privilege, embracing diversity, and deepening our cultural literacy. Members of oppressed groups will not be expected to represent those groups or take on the labour of educating others. All of us are learning – students and faculty alike.

REQUIRED READINGS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: An up-to-date schedule of all required readings will be uploaded to Avenue to Learn throughout the duration of the course. It is the student’s responsibility to check Avenue on a regular basis for updates and communication. The success of this course requires students to complete the readings in time for scheduled in class discussions.

In addition to participating in course activities and completing assignments students will be encouraged to attend talks and events pertaining to contemporary art. This includes artist talks facilitated by the Studio Art department (schedule will be sent out to students). The community and peer engagement throughout this course will provide a wider context for the course material.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines the historical trajectory of queer and trans artistic practices and representation throughout the 20th century up until the present. From famous to lesser-known figures and artistic movements, the course looks critically at individual artists lives and works, as well as examining important exhibitions, performance, and moments in queer and trans art history. After providing historical context, the course will move into critically examining contemporary queer and trans art practices over the past 30 years, with a large focus on artists living and working today. The course will include lectures, field trips to archives, galleries, and museum, and guest speakers ranging from artists, historians, and curators.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES / OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course students will:

· Have gained an expanded knowledge of historical and contemporary Queer and Trans art practices Across Turtle Island and beyond

· Foster the development of personal creative research methods, tools and techniques through textual and experiential research, idea generation, and project development

· Refine core communication strategies and language techniques related to students’ ideas through written proposals, project design, and visual presentations

· Write effectively and meaningfully about exhibitions and contemporary art

· Reflect on the historical and contemporary challenges facing Queer and Trans artists and practices

· Engage in conversation, critical feedback, and collaborative production with a community of peer support

The success of this course is dependent on the active engagement of all participants. Learning is accelerated in an environment where work and ideas can be regularly discussed, and challenges and successes can be shared. Class discussions empower individuals to learn from each other. It is of utmost importance that all students participate fully by attending all classes and remaining welcoming and open to diverse points of view.

REQUIRED FEES & MATERIALS: There will be a series of required readings for this course with a detailed reading schedule.

Required Text to purchase – Prince Faggot by Jordan Tannahill  - E-text available through bookstore

All additional readings will be accessible online – links will be posted on Avenue to Learn.

ASSIGNMENTS & LATE PENALTIES: Feedback can be given on in progress projects, completed projects, as well as projects that have already been graded. A minimum of 10% of your final grade must be submitted before the midterm deadline of March 16, 2026.

Scheduled presentations of your work are the equivalent of exams. Projects that are not presented by the student during their scheduled time or on the deadline day will result in an automatic 0. In cases where a MSAF has been submitted, late assignments will be graded but will not receive the benefit of detailed verbal/written feedback from the instructor or other members of the class.

METHOD OF ASSESSMENT: Assignments are designed as frameworks for creative and academic investigation and will incorporate the techniques and content learned and discussed in class. Students are encouraged to personalize, explore, and expand on the expressive and communicative potential of these skill sets. A portion of your final grade will be made up of participation in group discussions that will take place during class time. A schedule for weekly group discussions and presentations will be posted for students on Avenue.

Note: A Mid-Term grade of a minimum of 10% for this course will be given before March 27

Handing in Projects: All assignments will be either be submitted in class and/or online in the appropriate submission folder on Avenue to Learn.

PROJECTS & DUE DATES: See project descriptions on Avenue to Learn for detailed guidelines.

15% Project 1: Artist Zine Research Project Due Jan 19

15% Project 2: Creative Response Due Feb 23

20% Project 3: Critical Essay Due March 16

25% Project 4: Exhibition Catalogue Due March 30

15% Research Log + Reading Reflections Due April 6

10% Participation / Engagement