Friday

Swarthmore College Introduces ‘Queering the Bible’ Course

Swarthmore College Introduces ‘Queering the Bible’ Course
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by TOM CICCOTTA 22 Dec 2017

Next fall, the prestigious Swarthmore College will introduce a course called “Queering the Bible.”
The course, which will launch in the fall of 2018 through Swarthmore’s religion department, will examine the Bible through a queer lens. It will examine issues of sex, gender, and identity as they present themselves in one of human history’s most influential texts.

“This course surveys queer and trans* readings of biblical texts. It introduces students to the complexity of constructions of sex, gender, and identity in one of the most influential literary works produced in ancient times,” the course description reads. “By reading the Bible with the methods of queer and trans* theoretical approaches, this class destabilizes long held assumptions about what the bible — and religion — says about gender and sexuality.”

According to a report from The College Fix, “Queering the Bible” is the only religious course at Swarthmore that centers on the Bible.

The course will be taught by Gywnn Kessler, an associate professor of religion at Swarthmore. Kessler has her Ph.D. in Rabbinics and has focused her research on “rabbinic constructions of gender and identity.”

In another course offered in the department called “Queering God: Feminist and Queer Theology” the attempt is made to argue that God is a female.

The God of the Bible and later Jewish and Christian literature is distinctively masculine, definitely male. Or is He? If we can point out places in traditional writings where God is nurturing, forgiving, and loving, does that mean that God is feminine, or female? This course examines feminist and queer writings about God, explores the tensions between feminist and queer theology, and seeks to stretch the limits of gendering-and sexing-the divine.

REBLOG from
http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/12/22/swarthmore-college-introduces-queering-the-bible-course/

The 10 Best LGBT Films of 2017 (REPOST from the Advocate)

Battle of the Sexes

Beyond trouncing proud male chauvinist Bobby Riggs in the legendary 1973 Battle of the Sexes tennis match, Billie Jean King was a proponent for equal pay early in the game. The film from Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, the directing team behind Little Miss Sunshine, recounts the story of how that famous battle came to pass at the same time it tracks King’s love affair with hairstylist Marilyn Barnett. Both Emma Stone, who stars as King, and Steve Carell, who plays Riggs, received Golden Globe nominations for their performances. Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue, and Natalie Morales costar. 
Beats Per Minute
Beats Per Minute is an essential new film that chronicles a hitherto neglected part of LGBT history: the ACT UP movement in France. Directed by Robin Campillo, a former member of the direct action advocacy group, the film shows the AIDS epidemic in 1990s Paris through the eyes of these activists, who stage die-ins, throw fake blood at pharmaceutical representatives, and debate among themselves the best ways to compel those with power into action. Actors Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Arnaud Valois comprise the beating heart of this drama, as serodiscordant lovers who are drawn together by an epidemic that also threatens to tear them apart. See it in select theaters this weekend, and don't miss an interview with the director and stars at Advocate.com.
Thelma
While Carrie certainly had its queer appeal, Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s (Louder Than Bombs) supernatural thriller takes it next-level with a queer bent. The film focuses on Thelma (Eili Harboe), a teenager whose special powers become more prevalent as she navigates falling in love for the first time with another girl while facing pressure from her oppressively religious family. 
Tom of Finland
When Touko Valio Laaksonen — known by his artist's name, Tom of Finland — began drawing erotic images of men in 1940s Europe, such an act was an illegal. Yet for decades, Laaksonen labored for his art, surviving shady dealers on the black market as well as threats from law enforcement, which considered not only his art but his very being as a gay man a threat to society.
Directed by Dome Karukoski, the sweeping biopic Tom of Finland shows Laaksonen's (Pekka Strang) journey as well as the evolving acceptance of gay people throughout the latter half of the 20th century. From World War II to the AIDS crisis, Laaksonen subverts each era's agents of oppression through his art's embrace of sexuality without shame. The film offers a must-see history lesson in Resistance, which takes on renewed importance in today's world.
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is the fascinating tale of the man who created Wonder Woman, William Marston (Luke Evans); his wife, Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall); and their lover, Olive (Bella Heathcote). Directed by Angela Robinson, the film, set in the early 20th century, portrays a polyamorous relationship without negative judgment and provides a shout-out to the enduring, empowering superhero Marston brought to life. Read Advocate contributor Alexander Cheves's take on the movie here.
Call Me by Your Name
Call Me by Your Name, a dream of a film directed by Luca Guadagnino, has enchanted both audiences and critics with its postcard-perfect depiction of northern Italy and its central romance between 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and his father's 24-year-old graduate student, Oliver (Armie Hammer). An Oscar contender, the film has already garnered Golden Globe nominations for its central actors, who shine in their portrayal of first love and heartbreak. But it's a capstone speech from Elio's father (A Serious Man's Michael Stuhlbarg) to his son that will linger in your mind for days, if not live on in film history.
A Fantastic Woman
Directed by Sebastián Lelio, A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica) is a fantastic Chilean film that follows a transgender woman, Marina (Daniela Vega), in the wake of her partner's death. In addition to loss, Marina endures many hardships and indignities, facing eviction, suspicion, and rejection from the family of her loved one. International audiences have embraced Marina's story, earning a spot on the coveted shortlist for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards.
God’s Own Country
Move over, Brokeback Mountain. There's a new gay shepherd film in town. The acclaimed God's Own Country, a British drama about a sheep farmer's (Josh O'Connor) relationship with a Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu), was a hit at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the directing award in world cinema for first-time filmmaker Francis Lee. It's easy to see why. The film is a beautiful, visceral, and at times violent depiction of how self-hate, societal stigma, and prejudice can complicate queer love. Its themes resonate profoundly in a world where fear is threatening to close borders and reject outsiders. Perhaps it provides, if not an antidote, then a salve.
The Wound
The South African submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards is The Wound, a coming-of-age drama about ukwaluka, the Xhosa initiation into manhood. In this ritual, adolescents are circumcised and then spend time healing in the wilderness alongside male adult mentors. The film, directed by John Trengove, shows closeted characters on both sides of the generational divide, who grapple with the meaning of masculinity in history and modern times. 
Beach Rats
In Beach Rats, a 19-year-old Brooklyn native, Frankie, is grappling with his sexuality  — but also with many other issues. His father is dying of cancer. He has a dependence on prescription drugs. His "friends" — the beach rats in question — know nothing of his attraction to men, which Frankie pursues through a hookup site and consummates nightly on the shore where he spends his days. Directed by Eliza Hittman, Beach Rats is a mesmerizing coming-of-age story that is unafraid to show an unhappiness. And a star is born with the actor portraying Frankie, Harris Dickinson, whose beauty and complexity give this film its soul. 

Wednesday

Jobs related to "art history" found 10 new jobs.
Hope College in Michigan
posted on December 21
Lesley University in Massachusetts
posted on December 21
State Center Community College District
posted on December 21
Albright College in Pennsylvania
posted on December 20
posted on December 20
 Jobs related to "studio art" found 8 new jobs.
St. Louis Community College
posted on December 21
posted on December 19
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
posted on December 19
Please join Arcadia Contemporary at the 23rd edition of Los Angeles' largest international art fair, The LA Art Show.

When: January 10-14, 2018
Where: The Los Angeles Convention Center
Booth #917

For more information visit laartshow.com

Featuring new works from:

Nick Alm
Daniel Bilmes
John Brosio
Matthew Cornell
Shaun Downey
Kelly Grace
Patrick Kramer
Brad Kunkle
Malcolm T. Liepke
Jeremy Lipking
J. Louis
Stephen Mackey
Annie Murphy-Robinson
Rae Perry
Julio Reyes
Jeffrey Ripple
Denis Sarazhin
Jordan Sokol
Adam Vinson
Johannes Wessmark
Katie G. Whipple
Aron Wiesenfeld
Malcolm T. Liepke
Vincent Xeus
and many others.
A PREVIEW CATALOG WILL BE EMAILED PRIOR TO THE FAIR.
FOR COMPLIMENTARY PASSES, PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL WITH YOUR NAME AND HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE ATTENDING (LIMIT OF 2)
Arcadia Contemporary, Town Plaza, 9428 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232