Hair does things. It covers and expose us. We pluck, conceal, wax, curl, and otherwise manage it. Its presence and absence serve as sites of critical engagement, personal and cultural expression, and political strife. This course will explore the social significance of hair, wherever, and on whomever it grows (or fails to grow). We will discuss daily practices, politics, histories, and legends about the manipulation of human and animal hair. We will draw on social theory, visual and social analyses, and cultural commentary to understand hair follicles as both incredibly ordinary and fantastically bizarre. This is an advanced discussion-based research seminar that is writing-intensive. |