Course Details

In this class, we will explore our understandings of who or what is seen as “normal.” Among the questions we will consider are: have our definitions of “normal” Americans changed over time? By what criteria are we measuring normalcy? As we examine individuals and groups that have been described as different, weird, deviant, strange, abnormal, disobedient, or unnatural, we will seek to understand the historical, sociological, and psychological underpinnings that helped to shape the cultural norms from which these “wayward” groups are/were excluded. The course will include lectures, slides, films (fiction & non-fiction), readings, and in-class discussions.