English 382WH - Advanced Topics in English: 'Critically Examining Whiteness in U.S. Literature and Popular Culture'

What can literature and popular culture teach us about the construction of whiteness and the United States' history of white supremacy? How can literary analysis be used to examine, confront, and contest whiteness's social and political power? This seminar will critically analyze literary and cultural texts that emphasize whiteness's visibility, and that challenge whiteness as the presumed default in U.S. culture. Authors may include Dorothy Allison, Chang-rae Lee, Toni Morrison, Claudia Rankine, and Philip Roth, as well as select contemporary films and television episodes.

This course is open to juniors and seniors