LGBT 3725

Femininity as Masquerade

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2016-2017 Catalog.

"One is not born a woman, but rather becomes one" wrote Simone de Beauvoir. How does such an odd becoming happen? What can literature teach us about it? Does anyone ever achieve "being a woman" and how do we ("we"??) survive always falling short of the implicit ideal? We will think about the power afforded by receptivity, passivity, bottoming, emotionality and openness, whether or not these are enacted by people born, designated or living as female.  What are some of the dimensions of femininity's diversity, even in the United States, today? This course is intimately informed by intersectional queer, women of color and trans* perspectives, which will be at the center of our inquiry. It will cover film, literature, personal essays and gender theory.

Distribution Category (LA-AS)

When Offered Spring.

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