"You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can't, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to the world. The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way a person looks or people look at reality, then you can change it"
-James Baldwin
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In The Cambridge Companion to Gay and Lesbian Writing, Hugh Stevens writes that the categorization of LGBTQIA+ literature "constitutes a problematic category, in large part because the meanings of 'gay,' 'lesbian,' and other related concepts such as 'queer' and 'homosexual' have been so intensely contested. Defining gay and lesbian writing is by no means a straightforward, or even a desirable, task" (2). Perhaps we shouldn't attempt to define literature that depicts and manifests alternatives to cishet normativity. Indeed, definitions and straightforward tasks seem to be antithetical to the sort of freedom that queerness promises. Thus, let us engage in a sort of "queerforward" task: embrace queerness as a nebulous, world-making epistemology that potentializes itself in a multitude of ways.
To undertake this queerforward task, we'll be examining a wide body of what we could call "Queer Literature" while questioning what those course terms even mean. We'll pay attention to a predominant meaning of "queer," as all of our texts will focus on characters whose gender or sexual identities fall under the umbrella of queerness, particularly those who identify as gay, lesbian, two-spirit, and transgender. Additionally, all of the texts that we'll be reading are authored by individuals who similarly identify as queer. How does queerness drive social and cultural ramifications, both for the characters and the worlds that they inhabit and (re)make?
Our queerforward task also asks that we consider how queerness is a freeing potentiality that allows us to question and deconstructive normativity. How can we actively queer hegemonic assumptions surrounding the literary production of knowledge? In addition to the novel, we'll be engaging with a wide variety of literary genres and forms, including AIDS Literature, the graphic novel, theatrical drama, and the YA novel. We'll pay attention to how authors queer expectations of literary mediums and how each medium uniquely presents queerness.
Given the wide range of queer embodiments and knowledges that occur in our texts, to form scholarly reading of the texts requires us to engage with different schools of Queer Theory, including theorizations of race/ethnicity, form, performance, temporality, and affect. Such critical engagements will allow us to form readings that are both unique to a text and that perhaps even teach us something about our own queer sensibilities.
In The Cambridge Companion to Gay and Lesbian Writing, Hugh Stevens writes that the categorization of LGBTQIA+ literature "constitutes a problematic category, in large part because the meanings of 'gay,' 'lesbian,' and other related concepts such as 'queer' and 'homosexual' have been so intensely contested. Defining gay and lesbian writing is by no means a straightforward, or even a desirable, task" (2). Perhaps we shouldn't attempt to define literature that depicts and manifests alternatives to cishet normativity. Indeed, definitions and straightforward tasks seem to be antithetical to the sort of freedom that queerness promises. Thus, let us engage in a sort of "queerforward" task: embrace queerness as a nebulous, world-making epistemology that potentializes itself in a multitude of ways.
To undertake this queerforward task, we'll be examining a wide body of what we could call "Queer Literature" while questioning what those course terms even mean. We'll pay attention to a predominant meaning of "queer," as all of our texts will focus on characters whose gender or sexual identities fall under the umbrella of queerness, particularly those who identify as gay, lesbian, two-spirit, and transgender. Additionally, all of the texts that we'll be reading are authored by individuals who similarly identify as queer. How does queerness drive social and cultural ramifications, both for the characters and the worlds that they inhabit and (re)make?
Our queerforward task also asks that we consider how queerness is a freeing potentiality that allows us to question and deconstructive normativity. How can we actively queer hegemonic assumptions surrounding the literary production of knowledge? In addition to the novel, we'll be engaging with a wide variety of literary genres and forms, including AIDS Literature, the graphic novel, theatrical drama, and the YA novel. We'll pay attention to how authors queer expectations of literary mediums and how each medium uniquely presents queerness.
Given the wide range of queer embodiments and knowledges that occur in our texts, to form scholarly reading of the texts requires us to engage with different schools of Queer Theory, including theorizations of race/ethnicity, form, performance, temporality, and affect. Such critical engagements will allow us to form readings that are both unique to a text and that perhaps even teach us something about our own queer sensibilities.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this course, you will:
In this course, you will:
- open yourself up to queerness as an epistemology
- question how the concepts of "queer" and "literature" sustain and/or deconstruct normative ideologies
- use characters in queer literature to investigate how a wide range of gender and sexual identities are performed
- apply critical theory to scrutinize the social and cultural issues that manifest in queer characters and texts
- investigate the intersectional relationships between queerness and other identifications, such as race, ethnicity, gender, and class
- explore how queerness as a rhetorical device deconstructs normative ideas of form and genre by embracing a diverse body of literary forms
- produce both multimodal projects and essays that make a critical intervention in the study of Queer Literature
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will develop:
Students will develop:
- Skill in crafting a compelling thesis-driven essay, with substantiating evidence
- Skill in finding, analyzing, and utilizing secondary sources (including the appropriate methods of citation)
- Skill in writing grammatically, coherently, and persuasively
- Apply to explain and apply significant theoretical and critical approaches in the field of English studies
- Skill in critical reading, or the practice of identifying and interpreting the formal, rhetorical, and stylistic features of a text
- Ability to identify and compare key literary movements and genres
CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
Given the collaborative nature of learning, I expect you to attend all class meetings and to be on time. Should you plan on being absent, reach out to me ahead of time so I can update you on what you'll be missing.
If you test positive for COVID-19 or are exposed to someone who has tested positive, I ask that you follow current Chapman and CDC guidelines regarding quarantine. If this happens, you have the option to attend class virtually via Zoom. However, this is not required, as I completely understand if you'd rather focus on recovering without the added pressure of class attendance. If you do wish to attend class virtually, you'll need to email me and let me know so I can open up a Zoom meeting in our classroom.
Class participation is a substantial part of your overall class grade. I will be grading your participation by taking into consideration both my own perceptions of your participation over the course of the semester and a self-evaluation that you will fill out at the end of the semester.
Given the collaborative nature of learning, I expect you to attend all class meetings and to be on time. Should you plan on being absent, reach out to me ahead of time so I can update you on what you'll be missing.
If you test positive for COVID-19 or are exposed to someone who has tested positive, I ask that you follow current Chapman and CDC guidelines regarding quarantine. If this happens, you have the option to attend class virtually via Zoom. However, this is not required, as I completely understand if you'd rather focus on recovering without the added pressure of class attendance. If you do wish to attend class virtually, you'll need to email me and let me know so I can open up a Zoom meeting in our classroom.
Class participation is a substantial part of your overall class grade. I will be grading your participation by taking into consideration both my own perceptions of your participation over the course of the semester and a self-evaluation that you will fill out at the end of the semester.
ASSIGNMENTS, GRADES, AND DEADLINES
The late policy for assignments is as follows:
- Class Participation–10%
- Discussion Facilitation–20%
- Staged Queer Performance–20%
- Multimedia Project–20%
- Mock Conference Presentation–10%
- Mock Conference Paper–20%
The late policy for assignments is as follows:
- There is a 10-minute grace period for all assignments, meaning that it only counts as late if you turn it in more than 10 minutes past the deadline.
- Major projects and papers will be docked half of a letter grade if turned in late. They won't be accepted more than one week late.
- Since the Discussion Facilitations are Credit/No Credit, they cannot be made up.
COURSE FORMAT
Our class sessions will consist of various formats, including small-group sessions, student-led discussions, and mock conference panels. I don't expect to spend much time lecturing. I'd prefer that we all act as mutual participants in class discussions. I encourage you to actively participate and address your questions and comments to your peers, as their responses are just as valuable as my own. I fully believe in a classroom environment wherein we all act as mutual learners and teachers to one another.
Our class sessions will consist of various formats, including small-group sessions, student-led discussions, and mock conference panels. I don't expect to spend much time lecturing. I'd prefer that we all act as mutual participants in class discussions. I encourage you to actively participate and address your questions and comments to your peers, as their responses are just as valuable as my own. I fully believe in a classroom environment wherein we all act as mutual learners and teachers to one another.
COURSE VALUES
For many of us, the themes and identities that we're discussing are incredibly personal. As a result, it's likely that our discussions will contain strong opinions. I strongly believe in the pedagogical value of debate; feel free to disagree with each other and me, that's how we learn and develop. However, let's make sure we always assume positive intent, meaning that we are not trying to hurt each other. We are academic peers, equals who engage in educated, empathetic discussions. Although we're all coming from different places, by working collaboratively, even in disagreement, we can learn from each other. That being said, there is no space in our classroom for deliberate forms of hateful speech or actions, whether they be racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or any other form of personal hate. Any form of personal attack will be swiftly shut down. Remember to be respectful and open-minded, but don't be afraid to disagree with me or one of your colleagues. You can also ask questions, as asking questions and being open to the learning process are how we grow. If you ever need anything, you can always reach out to me.
For many of us, the themes and identities that we're discussing are incredibly personal. As a result, it's likely that our discussions will contain strong opinions. I strongly believe in the pedagogical value of debate; feel free to disagree with each other and me, that's how we learn and develop. However, let's make sure we always assume positive intent, meaning that we are not trying to hurt each other. We are academic peers, equals who engage in educated, empathetic discussions. Although we're all coming from different places, by working collaboratively, even in disagreement, we can learn from each other. That being said, there is no space in our classroom for deliberate forms of hateful speech or actions, whether they be racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or any other form of personal hate. Any form of personal attack will be swiftly shut down. Remember to be respectful and open-minded, but don't be afraid to disagree with me or one of your colleagues. You can also ask questions, as asking questions and being open to the learning process are how we grow. If you ever need anything, you can always reach out to me.
REQUIRED COURSE TEXTS
Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Mariner Books, 2007.
Callender, Kacen. Felix Ever After. Balzer + Bray, 2020.
Crowley, Mart. The Boys in the Band. Samuel French, 2010.
Lopera, Juliana Delgado. Fiebre Tropical. Amethyst Editions, 2020.
Schulman, Sarah. People in Trouble. Vintage, 2019.
Silvera, Adam. They Both Die at the End. Quill Tree Books, 2018.
Whitehead, Joshua. Jonny Appleseed. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2018.
Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Mariner Books, 2007.
Callender, Kacen. Felix Ever After. Balzer + Bray, 2020.
Crowley, Mart. The Boys in the Band. Samuel French, 2010.
Lopera, Juliana Delgado. Fiebre Tropical. Amethyst Editions, 2020.
Schulman, Sarah. People in Trouble. Vintage, 2019.
Silvera, Adam. They Both Die at the End. Quill Tree Books, 2018.
Whitehead, Joshua. Jonny Appleseed. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2018.
COURSE UNITS AND DESCRIPTIONS
Unit I–Queer Literature, Queer Readings
Primary Text: Fun Home (Alison Bechdel)
Secondary Texts: "Paranoid Reading and Reparative Reading" (Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick), Fun Home: The Musical
Key Concepts: Lesbian Experience, Gay Male Experience, Queer Comics, Paranoid vs. Reparative Reading
Description: In this opening unit, we'll begin to contend with how queerness rethinks normative ideologies. We'll begin to apply this to our conceptualizations of "literature" by engaging with a queer graphic novel. We'll also apply this to the practice of reading by engaging with Sedgwick's reading models.
Unit I–Queer Literature, Queer Readings
Primary Text: Fun Home (Alison Bechdel)
Secondary Texts: "Paranoid Reading and Reparative Reading" (Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick), Fun Home: The Musical
Key Concepts: Lesbian Experience, Gay Male Experience, Queer Comics, Paranoid vs. Reparative Reading
Description: In this opening unit, we'll begin to contend with how queerness rethinks normative ideologies. We'll begin to apply this to our conceptualizations of "literature" by engaging with a queer graphic novel. We'll also apply this to the practice of reading by engaging with Sedgwick's reading models.
Unit II–Queer Indigeneity
Primary Text: Jonny Appleseed (Joshua Whitehead)
Secondary Texts: Queer Indigenous Studies: Critical Interventions in Theory, Politics, and Literature (Qwo-Li Driskill et. al), Keywords for Transgender Studies (Transgender Studies Quarterly),
Key Concepts: Two-Spiritedness, Queer Indigeneity, Trans Studies vs. Queer Studies,
Description: In this unit, we'll engage with the burgeoning field of Queer Indigenous Studies to inform our reading of our primary text. Reflecting on the experiences of our two-spirit protagonist, we'll engage with Trans Studies to question queer formations of gender. What is the function of the "trans umbrella?" What is the relationship of indigeneity and two-spiritedness to our understanding of trans*-ness?
Primary Text: Jonny Appleseed (Joshua Whitehead)
Secondary Texts: Queer Indigenous Studies: Critical Interventions in Theory, Politics, and Literature (Qwo-Li Driskill et. al), Keywords for Transgender Studies (Transgender Studies Quarterly),
Key Concepts: Two-Spiritedness, Queer Indigeneity, Trans Studies vs. Queer Studies,
Description: In this unit, we'll engage with the burgeoning field of Queer Indigenous Studies to inform our reading of our primary text. Reflecting on the experiences of our two-spirit protagonist, we'll engage with Trans Studies to question queer formations of gender. What is the function of the "trans umbrella?" What is the relationship of indigeneity and two-spiritedness to our understanding of trans*-ness?
Unit III–Performing Queerness
Primary Text: The Boys in the Band (Mart Crowley)
Secondary Texts: The Boys in the Band (2020 film), "Notes on Camp" (Susan Sontag)
Key Concepts: Queer Drama, Performance Studies, Camp
Description: In this unit, we'll use a classic piece of queer theatre to think about the role that performance plays in the formation of queer identities. Not only will we be reading the play, but we'll also be staging scenes as to better theorize the performance and embodiment of our queer characters. We'll also watch the recent film adaptation of the play to consider the matter of adapting literature into film and the role of cinema in literary studies.
Primary Text: The Boys in the Band (Mart Crowley)
Secondary Texts: The Boys in the Band (2020 film), "Notes on Camp" (Susan Sontag)
Key Concepts: Queer Drama, Performance Studies, Camp
Description: In this unit, we'll use a classic piece of queer theatre to think about the role that performance plays in the formation of queer identities. Not only will we be reading the play, but we'll also be staging scenes as to better theorize the performance and embodiment of our queer characters. We'll also watch the recent film adaptation of the play to consider the matter of adapting literature into film and the role of cinema in literary studies.
Unit IV–On Blackness and Trans*-ness
Primary Text: Felix Ever After (Kacen Callendar)
Secondary Texts: "The Trans*-ness of Blackness, the Blackness of Trans*-ness" (Marquis Bey), "Is the Trans Child a Queer Child?" (Gabrielle Owen)
Key Concepts: Blackness and Trans*-ness, Trans Adolescence
Description: This unit will consider the relationship between blackness and trans*-ness, to borrow Bey's coinage. We'll also use our queer-trans protagonist to question the relationship between trans*-ness and queerness. Pairing the primary text with theorizations of race, trans*-ness and queerness, we'll reflect on what the YA genre contributes to the canon of Queer Literature and make a critical intervention in Black Queer Studies.
Primary Text: Felix Ever After (Kacen Callendar)
Secondary Texts: "The Trans*-ness of Blackness, the Blackness of Trans*-ness" (Marquis Bey), "Is the Trans Child a Queer Child?" (Gabrielle Owen)
Key Concepts: Blackness and Trans*-ness, Trans Adolescence
Description: This unit will consider the relationship between blackness and trans*-ness, to borrow Bey's coinage. We'll also use our queer-trans protagonist to question the relationship between trans*-ness and queerness. Pairing the primary text with theorizations of race, trans*-ness and queerness, we'll reflect on what the YA genre contributes to the canon of Queer Literature and make a critical intervention in Black Queer Studies.
Unit V–AIDS Literature
Primary Text: People in Trouble (Sarah Schulman)
Secondary Texts: AIDS Literature and Gay Identity: The Literature of Loss (Monica B. Pearl), Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 (Sarah Schulman)
Key Concepts: AIDS Literature, AIDS and Queers of Color, Aids Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP)
Description: In this unit, we'll tackle AIDS Literature, a subgenre of Queer Literature that addresses AIDS/HIV and its impact on the queer community. We'll be engaging with a novel that was written at the height of the AIDS epidemic and consider how this genocide had lasting impacts on our contemporary queer ontology. We'll also read about AIDS activism, shining a particular light on the contributions of ACT UP.
Primary Text: People in Trouble (Sarah Schulman)
Secondary Texts: AIDS Literature and Gay Identity: The Literature of Loss (Monica B. Pearl), Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 (Sarah Schulman)
Key Concepts: AIDS Literature, AIDS and Queers of Color, Aids Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP)
Description: In this unit, we'll tackle AIDS Literature, a subgenre of Queer Literature that addresses AIDS/HIV and its impact on the queer community. We'll be engaging with a novel that was written at the height of the AIDS epidemic and consider how this genocide had lasting impacts on our contemporary queer ontology. We'll also read about AIDS activism, shining a particular light on the contributions of ACT UP.
Unit VI–Jota Longings: More Than Just Gender Trouble
Primary Text: Fiebre Tropical (Juliana Delgado Lopera)
Secondary Texts: Sexual Futures, Queer Gestures, and Other Latina Longings (Juana María Rodríguez), The Promise of Happiness (Sara Ahmed)
Key Concepts: Queerness and Gender, Queerness and Latinidad, Code Switching, Queer Affect
Description: We'll consider our primary text's concerns with Queer Latinidad, reflecting on how our text presents intersectional issues of ethnicity, queerness, and gender. The text's usage of code switching, alternating between English and Spanish, also raises questions about how language constructs identities. We'll also become familiar with affect theory, especially negative affects and our difficult queer relationship with (un)happiness.
Primary Text: Fiebre Tropical (Juliana Delgado Lopera)
Secondary Texts: Sexual Futures, Queer Gestures, and Other Latina Longings (Juana María Rodríguez), The Promise of Happiness (Sara Ahmed)
Key Concepts: Queerness and Gender, Queerness and Latinidad, Code Switching, Queer Affect
Description: We'll consider our primary text's concerns with Queer Latinidad, reflecting on how our text presents intersectional issues of ethnicity, queerness, and gender. The text's usage of code switching, alternating between English and Spanish, also raises questions about how language constructs identities. We'll also become familiar with affect theory, especially negative affects and our difficult queer relationship with (un)happiness.
Unit VII–Queer Futures
Primary Text: They Both Die at the End (Adam Silvera)
Secondary Texts: Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity (José Esteban Muñoz), No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive (Lee Edelman)
Key Concepts: Queer Time, Queer Futurity, Queer Death
Description: Building on Unit VI, we'll reflect on the relationship between queer and latinidad from the perspective of our adolescent joto protagonists. We'll also use affect theory in relation to theorizations of queer temporality, particularly Muñoz's model of queer futurity. Of additional consideration is also the cultural connection between queerness and death. How does the queer individual have a unique relationship to death, particularly when we consider our unique positionality outside of cishet time?
Primary Text: They Both Die at the End (Adam Silvera)
Secondary Texts: Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity (José Esteban Muñoz), No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive (Lee Edelman)
Key Concepts: Queer Time, Queer Futurity, Queer Death
Description: Building on Unit VI, we'll reflect on the relationship between queer and latinidad from the perspective of our adolescent joto protagonists. We'll also use affect theory in relation to theorizations of queer temporality, particularly Muñoz's model of queer futurity. Of additional consideration is also the cultural connection between queerness and death. How does the queer individual have a unique relationship to death, particularly when we consider our unique positionality outside of cishet time?