Seminar: Problems in Performance Studies (515-0-1)

Topic

Performative Writing

Instructors

E. Patrick Johnson

Meeting Info

Meets in Non-General PurposeRm: Mon 2:00PM - 5:00PM

Overview of class

This course introduces performative writing as a methodological approach to representing research, particularly in fields where embodied knowledge, affect, and narrative are central. Performative writing resists traditional academic conventions by embracing voice, vulnerability, and aesthetic experimentation as legitimate forms of scholarly inquiry.
Through critical engagement with scholars and artists students will explore how performative writing can serve as both a mode of analysis and a form of scholarly intervention. The seminar will examine key themes including:
• The epistemological foundations of performative writing
• Autoethnography and embodied research practices
• The politics of voice, citation, and representation
• Genre hybridity and experimental forms
• Writing as intervention
Students will be expected to produce original performative texts that reflect their research interests. Assignments will include weekly writing exercises, critical reflections, and a final project that may take the form of a staged reading, multimedia presentation, or written portfolio.
This course is designed for doctoral students seeking to expand their methodological toolkit and explore alternative modes of scholarly expression.