Topics in Combined Studies (385-0-23)
Topic
LGBTQ Art and Activism in the United States
Instructors
Hannah Molly Chaskin
Meeting Info
University Hall 218: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
From the Civil Rights Movement to the AIDS crisis to the legalization of gay marriage, LGBT art and activism have been deeply intertwined. Queer writers in the U.S. have negotiated ever-shifting priorities and stigmas to represent queer life in literature and media. Yet stories have always been a way to have a voice, to account for oneself and one's community, and to connect to others who share one's experience. LGBTQ literature might be outward facing—representing queerness to a straight audience—or it might face inwards, speaking to a queer community of readers. This class will consider the relationship between sociopolitical movements and the art and literature that were produced from or around them. Focusing on flashpoints in the history of LGBTQ rights and culture in the United States, students will leave this course with a concrete sense of recent history, artistic diversity, and intersectional queer studies. In addition to a core set of literary and historical texts, students will give queer culture presentations on each of the primary periods this class covers. These presentations will provide the opportunity to bring in objects from outside of the class, which will supplement our understanding of queer art and activism.
Teaching Method
Discussion of assigned texts, as well as supplementary material presented in class.
Evaluation Method
Participation, short presentation, reflections, final paper or creative project.
Class Materials (Required)
Texts Include: Patricia Highsmith, The Price of Salt (1952); James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room (1956); Rita Mae Brown, Rubyfruit Jungle (1973); Tony Kushner, Angels in America (1991); Alison Bechdel, Fun Home (2006). In addition, we will read a series of activist documents, short stories, and essays, and watch the documentary How to Survive a Plague (2012).
Texts Will Be Available At: Novels will be at Beck's Bookstore; all other essays and films will be on Canvas.
Class Attributes
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
SDG Reduced Inequality
SDG Peace & Justice