Page 19 - fall2011

FALL 2011 . ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE 17
Queer theory asks why our society
functions within the “normal” notion
that there are only two sexes (man and
woman), two genders (male and female),
and one accepted sexuality (heterosexual-
ity); we studied the identities of people
outside those traditional boundaries, such
as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender/
transsexual, queer, asexual, and many
more. It is controversial because it rejects
heteronormativity as the only legitimate
way of being or expressing oneself. Rather,
it suggests that all identities are socially
constructed, and there’s no such thing as
“natural” identities.
We examined performances such as mu-
sicals and advertisements to help us better
understand how to apply queer theory.
Tese helped us engage complicated ideas,
and ofen generated heated discussions.
I learned how to recognize features of a
given art form that could be queer (strange
or nontraditional), as well as how to
“queer” a text by subversively analyzing
it to reach a new level of insight into the
text’s themes.
For example, one day we discussed
how the Harry Potter book series has
queer elements, and can also be “queered.”
Te series is queer in that it represents a
fantastical, abnormal world full of sorcery
and unrealistic events. A “queered” read-
ing of the books can provide commentary
on racial purity via the tensions between
pure-blood wizards and those of mixed
magical and non-magical blood. A queer
theorist might correlate the wizards’ racial
purity to racial tensions in the U.K., and
ask what messages are conveyed about
the human world via the battle between
Voldemort’s evil purebloods and Harry’s
goodly, mixed-raced supporters.
Queer Teory and Performance inspired
me to think critically about society, art
and myself. I’m still unsure of how to talk
about myself at the most basic level—what
does it mean if I call myself a woman, a fe-
male, a heterosexual? I still debate if I want
to call myself queer, but overall I think it is
an empowering word. Perhaps being queer
just means you think outside the box.
Eddie Richter ’12
Major: Biology
Hometown: Genoa, N.Y.
Favorite Course: Winter Ecology
My favorite course at SLU took
place on snowshoes. Each
week, Prof. Karl McKnight of
biology and the class would tramp into
a nearby state forest and spend six hours
learning about the adaptations of plants
and animals to the cold North Country
winters. Some weeks, we tracked mam-
mals, while other times we gathered data
on the insulative values of diferent types
of snow. Te fnal weeks were spent con-
ducting independent research projects on
some aspect of the transition from winter
to spring.
It is because of this course that I now
look forward to and appreciate the subtle-
ties of winter. From the tiny tracks of a
deer mouse scampering across the snow to
the freeze tolerance capabilities of North
Country trees, winter has much more to
ofer than freezing cold temperatures and
snow. All you have to do is take the time
to look.
Djifa Kothor ’11
Major: African Studies/Government
Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.
Favorite Course: Making Modern Africa
Many courses have challenged my
political and cultural beliefs.
My favorite course, Making
odern Africa, a sociology course taught
by Abye Assefa, introduced me to difer-
ent points of view from which to analyze
how the dynamics of global and local
political and socio-economic factors afect
Africa and Europe.
Given my combined major and my
atypical background in relation to Africa,
the course gave me a unique perspective
from which to strive toward objectivity in
my study of African afairs vis-à-vis inter-
national politics. My interest in African
politics increased because of this course;
I studied in Ghana for one academic year
and plan to pursue doctoral studies in
political science, concentrating on Africa.
Perhaps being queer just means
you think outside the box.