Critical Social Inquiry 0211 - Gender, Self-Representation, and Pop Culture

Examines through a philosophical approach to representational theory the ways in which gender marginalized and gender diverse individuals and groups represent themselves, their bodies, and their power. In particular, the course explores why women and other gender-marginalized/diverse groups engage in self-representation, and what strategies they have used to reject or revise controlling images and stereotypes. Considerable focus will be placed upon the philosophical, social, and political contexts that shape the representation of gender and its intersections with factors such as race, class, sexuality, nationality, disability, and others. As a philosophical investigation of self-representation activities, this course includes materials from a variety of self-representational mediums in popular culture, including written autobiography, self-portraiture, film/video, performance, art, dance, and self-representations via social media platforms. Keywords:Intersectional/Multi-Dimensional Theory, Feminist Theory, Queer Theory, Critical Philosophies of Race, Critical Theory The content of this course deals with issues of race and power

In/Justice Students should expect to spend 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time