Interdisciplinary Arts 0302 - Difficult Women

This seminar course will take as its starting point the idea that all women's lives are complex, valuable, and interesting, and that creative writers can benefit from closely and courageously imagining, exploring, and textualizing them. Our readings will focus on women writers whose work - including biography, philosphy, poetry, and fiction - is considered 'difficult' - strange, complicated and provocative. We will use these writings as a springboard for our own weekly written work. Formal assignments include 2 class presentations and 3 revised creative writing pieces. Among the authors to be considered are: Audre Lorde, Helene Cixous, Irena Klempfisz, Assata Shakur, Maria Ndiaye, bell hooks, May Sarton, Maggie Nelson, Sandra Cisneros, Warsan Shire, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Instructor Permission only: NO PERMISSIONS GRANTED UNTIL FIRST WEEK. NO WRITING SAMPLES. ALL INTERESTED STUDENTS MUST ATTEND THE FIRST CLASS.

Independent Work In this course, students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time.