Introduction to Transgender Studies explores issues related to transgender identity and experience. The course begins with an overview of transgender history in the U.S. and North America, from the nineteenth century to the present. Next, students will learn some of the theoretical foundations and conflicts/debates of transgender studies – from gender performativity to embodiment. After that, homing in on questions of storytelling, memory, and autobiography, students will explore some of the narratological and representational questions that emerge when trying to tell stories about transness. Finally, students will examine the material conditions which shape trans life in the twenty-first century – from administrative violence to care and mutual aid. By the end of the course, students will be versed in transgender history, the field of transgender studies, and contemporary transgender issues/politics. Graded on A-F basis only.