English 478 - Contemporary Women of Color Writers

In this seminar, we will read and study living writers who build on the antiracist feminist tradition of This Bridge Called My Back: Radical Writings by Women of Color, the groundbreaking 1981 anthology that remains urgent in its call for intersectional analysis, coalition-building between U.S. and international freedom struggles, and “theory from the flesh.” How are contemporary WOC writers reflecting that legacy in literature and theory written in and for the present moment? This semester, our readings will concentrate on a handful of WOC writers who work across genres – such as poetry, memoir, YA fiction, essay, and academic scholarship – in order to explore the complexities of diasporic experience and introduce ways of seeing that challenge oppressive structures at all scales. Writers may include Dionne Brand, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Hala Alyan, Safia Elhillo, Leanne Betasomasake Simpson, Sara Ahmed, and Cristina Rivera Garza.

Limited to 20 students. This course is designed as part of a larger curriculum that includes ENGL-302: Women of Color Writers; experience in that course is most welcome, but not required. Preference given to English majors and seniors from other departments. Spring semester. Professor Mireles Christoff.

How to handle overenrollment: Preference given to English majors.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: close analysis of literary and critical works demonstrated in conversation, written assignments, and independent research