English R1B

Reading and Composition: Female subjects: an exploration of harm

Other Readings and Media

"Dorothy Allison, Bastard out of Carolina

Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

And a course reader "

Description

"This course will take a brief look at what it is to be a woman in American culture. We will pair readings in psychoanalysis and philosophy with the texts listed below to flesh out the questions they raise about our society: Why are these girls' coming-of-age stories scored by sexual violence, racked by the dictates of beauty, scarred by what it takes to become 'American feminine'? We will address theories of power, trauma, and ideology in forging an understanding of race, class and gender-based subject formations.



The development of analytical reading and argumentative writing skills is a central objective of this course. To this end, a large portion of class time will be devoted to individual writing exercises and group writing workshops. Students will be required to write three analytical essays with selected rewrites, culminating in a final research paper. "