PHIL 356 What is Gender Identity?

What is gender identity, and how does it develop, persist, or change? This course takes gender identity itself as its central question. Are we born with a sense of our gender identity, or does it emerge through social experience? What about our sexual orientation? How do biology, neuroscience, medicine, philosophy, trans theory, and gender studies each contribute to answering this question?

Students will study gender identity through multiple lenses: philosophy of sex and gender, feminist and trans theory, developmental biology, endocrinology, neuroscience, and clinical medicine. Case studies, including intersex conditions, twin studies, and neuroanatomical research, will be paired with philosophical and ethical debates about selfhood, embodiment, and transition.

By engaging these diverse perspectives, students will not only learn to critically assess the evidence and arguments offered within each discipline, but also to recognize the limitations of single-disciplinary approaches. The aim is to cultivate an appreciation for the value of interdisciplinary study and to practice integrating scientific and humanistic insights into a more comprehensive understanding of gender identity.