ENGL 220 A1: Reading Gender and Sexuality

J. Sheckter

How do we understand categories like "male," "female," “gender expression” or “trans”? What does it mean to have and express a "sexuality," and is sexuality tied to gender? How do gender and sexuality intersect with constructions of race, class, and physical ability? How does knowledge like this affect our understanding of the world we live in? This course introduces students to how these questions are formed, contested, and extended in critical theory relevant to literature. It will also teach students basic skills in reading and writing about theory, as well as introducing students to how to apply theory and thereby to develop their own ideas and to enter into scholarly conversations.