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 world. The course will begin by providing students with theoretical groundings in 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 C. Riley Snorton. The rest of the course will be dedicated to critically reading and engaging with literary texts by authors from various parts of the Black world. We will read stories and watch films by authors and filmmakers such as Audre Lorde, Akwaeke Emezi, and Cheryl Dunye. The course will explore a range of literary genres and forms through which ideas of sex and gender have been represented, including short stories, novels, biomythographies, and films.

This course will meet twice a week for 1.5 hours each. This is a reading intensive and highly interactive course. You are expected to keep up with weekly readings, and encouraged to ask questions and comment on readings during class. You will be encouraged to debate, reflect, bring personal experiences and share opinions in a generous, generative and collaborative manner.