Study of Women and Gender 360 - CULTURAL WORK OF MEMOIR

This course takes the foundational premise of SWG that culture constructs subjects and asks how do queer or non-normative subjectivities come into existence? By studying a selection of literary memoirs by women and men in the last half century in the U.S., we will explore the relationships between queer subjectivities, politicized identities, communities, historical moments, and social movements. The course depends on a second more radical premise that we do not have a life until we narrate it. How does life-writing as an expressive act create livable lives? Students will produce analytical essays and a memoir portfolio. Through the process of reflecting, re-imagining, and revising, we explore multiple writing strategies to turn our lives into art. Prerequisites: SWG 150 and at least one other course in the major, with preference for courses in queer studies and literature. Permission of the instructor and writing sample required. Enrollment limited to 15.

Writing Sample Required.