Social Norms and Social Power
AMST 118
Spring 2009
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
FGSS 119 |
This seminar is an interdisciplinary exploration of the privileges and penalties associated with "the normal" in the United States. We will think through the intersections of such categories of identity as race, ethnicity, religion, class, ability, gender and sexuality in terms of social power: the ways regimes of normativity are produced, reproduced, and challenged by various social groups. Drawing on a wide range of genres, including novels, ethnographies, theory, memoirs and films, we will pay particular attention to the ways bodily difference and social identity interarticulates with "normalness" to locate individuals within hierarchical power structures, and we will think creatively about ways to challenge this. |
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Essential Capabilities:
Interpretation
The class will encourage students to develop skills to analyze the key concepts "difference," norm and power across multiple genres--fiction, ethnography, film, theory, etc. This requires them both to develop their own interpretive frameworks and to understand those of our authors', who are often working from different subject positions and social locations.
Email me at mdweiss@wesleyan.edu for finalized list of course texts.
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS AMST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Eli Clare, EXILE AND PRIDE
Chrys Ingraham, WHITE WEDDINGS
Michael Warner, THE TROUBLE WITH NORMAL
Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, NOBODY PASSES
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Examinations and Assignments:
Attendance and participation, in-class discussion leader/presenter, 5 reading response papers; final paper. |
| Instructor(s): Weiss,Margot Times: ..T.R.. 10:30AM-11:50AM; Location: CAMS 3; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: X | JR major: X | | |
| Seats Available: -1 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: X | JR non-major: X | SO: 7 | FR: 8 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 9 | 1st Ranked: 1 | 2nd Ranked: 3 | 3rd Ranked: 2 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 3 |
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