From: tom@cathy.flood.COM Wed Sep 21 21:15:52 1994 The Institute for Gay and Lesbian Education (West Hollywood, CA) is starting its fall semester next week (Sept 26). Space is still available in most of the classes. Offerings include: * Gay Sensibilities in Film * Writing the First Novel * Works-in-Progress (fiction writing workshop) * Lesbian and Gay Identity in 20th Century Western Literature * Queer Screenwriting *SOLD OUT* * Psychological Development of Gay Men * Introduction to Spanish * Moral Controversies in Lesbian and Gay Life (Detailed descriptions below.) Classes meet once a week for ten weeks, weeknights, generally 7-10pm. Class locations are all in West Hollywood. Typical class fee is $170 for the semester (some are a bit more or less). For information or to enroll, call 310/652-1786, visit the IGLE office at 626 N. Robertson M-F 3-7pm, or e-mail igle@aol.com. ----- Detailed descriptions: *** Gay Sensibilities in Film (Mon 7-10pm $170) This course will use various films as a starting point for exploring the history and meaning of one LA obsession--the movie. It is a cinematic journey through the evolving aesthetics and sensibilities of gay male directors, writers, designers, and audiences. This is a unique opportunity for the beginning or experienced student to study film history as seen through gay, faerie, or queer visions. Gay men have always been innovators of style, form, and content, reinventing ourselves and the world around us. The rich contributions of our community to the development of film will be examined through viewing feature-length and excerpted films. Topics to be explored include innovation, aestheticism, imagination, poetry, camp, role-playing, divas, queens, drag, anger, humor, and coded messages. The students' interests and viewing experience will be taken into consideration in choosing the films and excerpts. Films will be screened on a 40" television. David Fertik has an MFA in Cinema from USC, and has taught at USC, Cal State Long Beach, and Cerritos College. He was a longtime member of the Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Artists in the Entertainment Industry. *** Writing the First Novel (Thu 7-10pm $170) You want to write a novel, but where do you begin? This workshop will provide a safe, supportive and intimate setting in which to develop your idea. Topics include: plotting and outline; key elements of fiction---characterization, setting, point-of-view, dialogue; and submissions. Students will complete two at-home writing assignments and a first chapter or excerpt from their novels. Elisabeth Nonas, MFA, is a novelist and screenwriter whose novels include _For Keeps_, _A Room Full of Women_ (which is being made into a motion picture), and _Staying Home_. She has also written articles for the Advocate, and adapted Paul Monette's novel _Afterlife_ for the screen. She teached fiction writing at UCLA Extension. *** Works-in-Progress (fiction writing workshop) (Tue 7-10pm $170) This limited-enrollment workshop is designed to bring together writers who are working on stories or novels in progress. Students' work and needs will govern the direction of this course. Using the basic techniques covered in introductory level courses as a point of departure, the workshop focuses on students' writing, drawing on outside reading to further illustrate topics under discussion. Contents will be related to works-in-progress. Topics will include (but not be limited to): structure, content, voice and tone, theme, character, beginnings and endings. The class will culminate in a reading at A Different Light bookstore. Prerequisite: Introduction to Lesbian and Gay Fiction Writing, or instructors permission. Elisabeth Nonas, MFA, is a novelist and screenwriter whose novels include _For Keeps_, _A Room Full of Women_ (which is being made into a motion picture), and _Staying Home_. She has also written articles for the Advocate, and adapted Paul Monette's novel _Afterlife_ for the screen. She teached fiction writing at UCLA Extension. *** Lesbian and Gay Identity in 20th Century Western Literature (M 7-10 $170) This course draws upon works by lesbian, gay male and bisexual writers from the early 1900s up to Stonewall, in order to address the following issues: gay identity, public self, literary representations of queerness, autobiographical fiction, and looking within versus looking outward. We will read a variety of genres, including fiction, poems, autobiography, diaries, and letters. We will consider the following authors and how they attempted to bring a gay or lesbian identity into their work and how that process changed over the course of the century: Cavafy, Gertrude Stein, Marcel Proust, Anais Nin, Jane Bowles, May Sarton, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Alexis Deveaux, Jean Genet, and Monique Wittig. There are no requirements for this course other than a desire to read and talk about literature in a gay and lesbian context. Jennifer Eaves Nye has an MA in Women's Studies, with an emphasis on literature from Claremont Graduate School. She is interested in contemporary American lesbian, gay, and bisexual writings---particularly in how female writers depict women's desire for women, and how that desire is addressed and met under oppressive social circumstances. Luke Johnson has a PhD in English Literature from UCLA. He is interested in the development of gay and lesbian identity in literature, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries in England. He is also a member of Otter's Treasure, a men's performing group. *** Queer Screenwriting (Thu 7-10:30pm $190) *** SOLD OUT *** Class is fully subscribed -- look for it again in our winter semester. *** Psychological Development of Gay Men (Wed 7:30-9:30pm $135) This course will explore the development of gay men from conception until death. Topics will include: growing up as a gay child; the coming out process; dating and relationships; sexual politics; life span development; oppression and stereotyping; cultural influences on gay male personality; death and dying. The format will include readings, lectures, discussions, group process, and experiential exercises. The format is designed to make the class informative, provokative and growth-inducing. As are all courses at the Institute, this course is open to all regardless of sex or sexual orientation. Mark Danson and Greg Travis are clinical psychologists with a special interest in the mental health of gay men. Greg obtained his PhD in Counseling Psychology from USC in 1987; Mark obtained his PhD from the California School of Professional Psychology in 1990. They are co-founders of the Los Angeles Gay Psychotherapy Association. *** Introduction to Spanish (Tue 7-10pm $170) If you can't speak Spanish, you are missing out on half of Los Angeles' culture. This introductory course focuses primarily on how to speak and understand Spanish in a practical context, but emphasizes correct grammar and syntax too. It is designed both for beginners and for students with some limited knowledge of the language. By the end of the course, you will not be a fluent Spanish speaker, but you will have the basic tools to communicate with Spanish speakers and hence improve by practical experience. Jerry Hyde has many years' experience teaching Spanish at the high school level. He is now a corporate associate of the well-known night club Rage. He also has a gem-importing business which has involved him in extensive travel in South America. *** Moral Controversies in Lesbian and Gay Life (Tue 7-10pm $170) What does it mean to be a homo/hetero/bi-sexual person? What determines sexual identity? Is homosexuality in any sense immoral? Are homosexuals a "legitimate" minority? What is the philosophical basis of "gay rights"? This is a course in the philosophy of sex and sexuality, focusing on a wide variety of moral issues affecting lesbian, gay and bisexual lives. In the course we will have occasion to discuss such topics as: adultery and promiscuity, prostitution, paraphilias (pederasty, S/M, etc), pornography and censorship, gay marriage and parenting, homosexuality and the military, privacy, and outing. Since we cannot hope to answer moral questions without an understanding of the main theories of ethics, central moral principles and concepts, and moral argumentation generally, we shall begin with these topics. Most class time will be spent in instructor-led group discussion. All students will be asked to read assigned materials and participate in the discussions. No philosophical background is presupposed and there are no prerequisites, although any course in philosophy (logic, critical thinking, ethics) would be helpful. Jim Stramel is currently completing his PhD at USC. His primary research is in ethics, focusing on sexual ethics and sexual identity. He teaches Logic, Critical Thinking, History of Philosophy, and Social Ethics at various local colleges. Born and raised in Kansas, he "came out" to Los Angeles in 1983. Jim lives with his husband and cats in Santa Monica.