Women and Rural America ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

The groundswell of support that President Trump gained in the 2016 presidential election from voters residing in rural areas caught the nation by surprise. Since then, scholars, popular commentators and others have been looking at issues of race, economics, religion and gender in efforts to understand better not only the history and current socio-economics of rural and deindustrialized parts of the United States but also the role of women. Women both contributed to Trump’s popularity and formed significant coalitions in protest of the president’s racial, anti-immigrant and anti-feminist politics. This study uses a set of contemporary texts as a basis for delving into historic moments of the mid-20th through early 21st century that have contributed to shaping a rural American identity. Through readings and discussions – online and face-to-face – we use a feminist lens to analyze and critique texts that offer multiple perspectives. In doing so, we examine our own assumptions of rural America and the role that gender plays in shaping rural identities, perceptions, and critiques.