Women's Self Representation

Catalog description

This course will explore the ways in which women have utilized various forms of self-representation (art, craft, music, performance, etc.) in order to create meaning, express culture, and actively resist oppression. It is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Women’s and Gender Studies with a particular focus within the arts and humanities. One of the key aspects of this class is to examine women and their cultural position at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, and nation. Additionally, students will examine the ways in which the media and its various forms/genres represent women and how using a feminist lens can help them to scrutinize the ways in which language, power, image, and location interact within these representations. They will have the opportunity to analyze popular culture (music, movies, TV, etc.), art, poetry, and graphic novels. A central goal of this course is to foster an informed and reasoned openness to, and understanding of, difference.