This course offers a deliberately uneven introduction to queer theory and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) studies. Such deliberation in the face of unevenness reflects one of the central premises of the course: that studying sexual cultures is neither an easy nor a straightforward task. The construction of sexuality across different historical periods, geopolitical spaces, and cultural practices varies tremendously. Studying such a complex field requires students to grapple with difficult concepts and to develop and practice new critical skills. The course is therefore designed to be challenging, but ultimately extremely rewarding. Our reading will focus on a few late twentieth poems and novels alongside key theoretical texts in queer or LGBT studies. The novels will include work by James Baldwin, Jeanette Winterson, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jessica Hagedorn, and Rabih Alameddine.