NMC1608H: Gender Issues in Jewish Law

The topic to be covered is Constructions of Sexes, Genders, and Sexualities in Rabbinic Literature. We shall deal with legal and biological definitions of sex and intersex in classical Jewish writings from the Bible through rabbinic literature, legal codes, and modern Jewish approaches, including biomedical ethics on sex assignment. We shall examine texts dealing with the legal definitions of sex acts and their legal repercussions. Constructions of the very different male and female genders and rabbinic attempts to categorize the gender of an intersex will be studied as well as sexualities (heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality, and solitary sexuality). We shall attempt to discern trends in their constructions and the impact of cross-cultural influences on Jewish approaches to sex, gender, and sexuality.

0.50
St. George
In Class