Course Schedule
*This schedule is open to change at the instructor’s discretion.
Week 1 (September 11): Introduction+Syllabus
“Childhood and Poetry” by Pablo Neruda
“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin
On The Importance of Art Education
*Add/Drop ends September 15*
Unit One: Focusing on Form
Week 2 (September 18): Short Stories
Reading:
Excerpt from Art Objects by Jeanette Winterson
“Free Love” by Ali Smith (optional: “To The Cinema” by Ali Smith)
“A Perfect Day for Bananafish” by J.D. Salinger (pages 3-9)
“The Thing in the Forest” by A.S. Byatt
Week 3 (NO CLASS): Antigone
Reading:
Antigone *the Braun Translation (entire play)
**Antigone Reading Questions due on Canvas 9/25 at 5:00 pm
Week 4 (October 2): Antigone cont.
**Antigone Annotations Due
Reading:
Antigone *the Braun Translation (entire play)
Watch:
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Rungano Nyoni, 2024)
*Available to stream on HBO Max, YouTube, and Hulu
Unit Two: Sula and the Idea of the ‘Other’
Week 5 (October 9): I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni, 2017)
Watch:
I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni, 2017)
*Available to stream on Kanopy
Week 6 (October 16): Sula
Reading:
Sula pages 1-79
“The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” by Audre Lorde
Selections from Burn This Book edited by Toni Morrison (Essays 1, 5, 7, and 11)
Week 7 (October 23): Sula cont.
Reading:
Sula pages 79-174
Selections from Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
“Approaching Abjection” by Julia Kristeva (pages 1-6)
~First Draft of Literature Statement Due~
Unit Three: The “Theory” Behind Fun Home
Week 8 (October 30): Fun Home
Reading:
Fun Home pages 1-54 (laptop free class; please bring physical books)
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
“The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus (in-class reading)
Watch:
Week 9 (November 6): Fun Home cont.
** Reading Quiz 4
Reading:
Fun Home pages 54-150
Epistemology of the Closet by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick (available on Canvas)
“Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence” by Adrianne Rich (available on Canvas)
Listen (optional):
Alison Bechdel on the Gender Reveal podcast
Paper 1 Revisons Due by Sunday, November 8th at 11:59pm
Week 10 Blog Posts Due by Thursday, November 12 at 11:59 pm
Week 10 (November 13): Fun Home cont.
** Reading Quiz 5
Reading:
Fun Home pages 150-232
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Listen (optional):
Unit Four: Small Things, Safe, and the Inhospitable Present
Week 11 (November 20): Small Things Like These
** Reading Quiz 6
Reading:
Small Things Like These chapters 1-6
Cruel Optimism by Lauren Berlant (available on Canvas)
Paper 2 Draft 1 Due November 22nd at 11:59pm
Week 12 (THANKSGIVING BREAK): Small Things Like These cont.
Reading:
Finish Small Things Like These
Watch (optional):
Small Things Like These (Mielants, 2024)
Week 13 Blog Posts Due by Thursday, December 3 at 11:59 pm
Week 13 (December 4): Small Things Like These cont.
** Reading Quiz 7
Reading:
“Create Dangerously” by Albert Camus (available on Canvas)
Second Draft of Literature Statement Due + Peer Review
Week 14 Blog Posts Due by Thursday December 10 at 11:59 pm
Week 14 (December 11): Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995)
Watch:
Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995)
Final Portfolio Due December 18th
~Final Portfolio Due December 18th~
