ENG 395
ST: Queer Memoir & Autotheory
Grinnell College · UGRD · Fall 2026
Catalog description
Advancd Special Topic: Queer Memoir and Autotheory. Also listed as GWS-395. This course examines how queer writers use memoir and autotheory to narrate and theorize queer life. How do queer writers challenge chrono-normativity in a genre that often seems to demand a linear beginning, middle, and end? Throughout the semester, we will ask what it means to tell a queer life story and to queer the conventions of memoir. We will also examine queer autotheory, a form of life writing that combines autobiography and critical theory.Prerequisite: GWS-111 and one 200-level GWS course or ENG-120 or 121 and one 200 level literature course in English.
Sections
Current meeting, instructor, credit, and enrollment details
01
FullSeats: 16/15 seats Last recorded: Aug 13, 2026, 3:48 PM- Days & times
- Mo We · 10:00 – 11:50 AM
- Meeting dates
- Aug 27 – Dec 18
- Location
- Humanities and Social Studies S3321
- Instructor
- Leah Claire Allen
Section notes
Cross-list GWS-395-01. Writing intensive. Faculty will give substantial oral and/or written feedback to students on writing assignments and provide students with opportunities to apply that feedback to future assignments or revisions. At least 50% of the final grade is based on graded writing assignments.
02
FullSeats: 12/12 seats Last recorded: Aug 13, 2026, 3:48 PM- Days & times
- Tu Th · 7:00 – 8:50 PM
- Meeting dates
- Sep 8 – Sep 24
- Location
- Humanities and Social Studies S2333
- Instructor
- Ralph Savarese
Section notes
Meets 09/08/26 to 09/24/26. Short course deadlines apply. Writing intensive. Faculty will give substantial oral and/or written feedback to students on writing assignments and provide students with opportunities to apply that feedback to future assignments or revisions. At least 50% of the final grade is based on graded writing assignments.