LALS 245 - Making Waves: Topics in Feminist Activism

Semester Offered: Spring
1 1 unit(s)

(Same as AFRS 245 and WMST 245) Topic for 2020/21b: Queer and Trans of Color Interventions. This course examines queer and transgender of color art, theory, and activism, in order to understand the intersections between different modes of “making waves” in our current moment. We explore not only the specific contexts of works and their authors, but also the social, political, and economic changes manifest. The course asks students to develop their own trans of color critique, and asks what benefits such a critique holds for persons of a variety of identifications and texts that might seem outside a “trans” purview. We interweave written texts with audio, visual, and performative theory, in order to explore the many forms of trans of color critique across the world that do not exist in written form. Students are encouraged to make connections between queer and trans of color activism(s) today and other historical and present social justice movements within and outside the U.S. Creative and critical written assignments provide opportunities to develop self-reflexivity, hone analytical skills, and make connections between our everyday lives and larger social, political, and economic systems. The course harnesses performance as a mode of “doing” theory, not only in the objects we study but also as an analytic for understanding complex social texts and their contexts. Ultimately, the course invites students to think about how queer and transgender of color theory is imbricated with social justice and artistic formations in our contemporary world. Elias Krell.

Prerequisite(s): WMST 130 or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS