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Scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw has coined the term intersectionality to describe the interlocking mechanisms of race, gender, and sexuality. In this course we will focus on writers whose intersectional perspectives shape their work and reveal compelling aspects of human existence. With an eye towards intersectionality, we will explore the way race, gender, and sexuality contribute to major works of literature. We will consider how literature can help us to understand questions of power and liberation. We will develop an understanding of the way that creative expression and literary critique can foster change and social justice.

Students in this course will master the skills that are required for literary interpretation. While doing so, we will read a range of literature including plays, poetry and novels. We will focus on writers like Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich; consider how girlhood is depicted in the American novel; and figure out why theorist Susan Stryker argues that Frankenstein’s monster evokes a sense of transness.