Prerequisites: Permission of instructor. (Seminar).
This course studies the intersection of feminism and disability studies as a critical problem, a theoretical rubric, and a site of cultural production. These fields have much in common, including the fact that both grew out of movements for rights and social justice, take the body as a key area of concern, and are concerned with intersectionality of such terms as gender, ability, race, ethnicity, and class. However, they have not always been in dialogue.
In this course, we will consider the evolution and key questions behind each field, where they overlap and disagree, and what might be gained through a productive conjunction of the two. We will study the sometimes competing perspectives of feminism and disability on debates over reproductive choice, dependency and care, and the representation of the non-normative body as we seek strategies for intersection and reconciliation.
We will begin by assuming a close connection between aesthetic and social/political representation, putting narratives in a variety of media – essays, fiction, memoir, film, and visual arts — at the center of our analysis. Narrative will be paired with critical readings that will provide historical, social, political, and theoretical context for our discussion.
Application instructions:
E-mail Prof. Adams (rea15@columbia.edu) with the following information:
- Name, school (BC, CC, etc.), major, year of study
- a list of relevant courses you have taken
- any other pertinent courses you have taken
- a brief statement explaining why you are interested in taking the course
Admitted students should register for the course; they will automatically be placed on a wait list from which the instructor will in due course admit them as spaces become available.
