English R1A

Other Readings and Media

"Allison, D. Bastard out of Carolina

Kingston, M.H. The Woman Warrior

Morrison, T. The Bluest Eye

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 above 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 four short analytical essays with selected rewrites, culminating in a final paper which combines autobiography and analysis. "