Introduction to Gender, Sexuality and Literature

This course offers an introduction to the ways in which literature reflects, influences, creates, and reveals cultural beliefs about gender and sexuality. We will read a wide range of novels, poems, and plays from a diversity of eras and national traditions; we will also study seminal works in feminist theory, queer studies, and the history of sexuality, from early thinkers to today's cutting-edge theorists. Throughout the course, we will explore the ways in which gender intersects with other crucial cultural issues such as race, nationhood, globalization, and class. 3 hrs. lect./disc.