COML1027 - Sex and Representation

In this course, students will engage with themes of gender, queerness, race, sex and representation in literature, particularly of the Black and Brown world. The course will begin by providing students with theoretical groundings in queer of color critique, gender theory, and intersectional theory. These theoretical texts will allow us to consider the ways in which people of color have grappled with their multifaceted identities and how those shape their experiences in the world. Theorists will include Hortense Spillers, Judith Butler, bell hooks, and Saba Mahmood. The rest of the course will be dedicated to critically reading and engaging with literary texts by authors from various parts of the world, including the US, West and North Africa, and South Asia. We will read stories by authors such as Audre Lorde, Lamya H., Ismat Chughtai, Akwaeke Emezi, Leila Aboulela, and Marjane Satrapi. The course will explore a range of literary genres and forms through which ideas of sex and gender have been represented, including short stories, autobiographies, film, and graphic novels.