Fall 2005 Courses

English 270: Literature and Sexuality (Shmurak)

TTh 2:45-4:15
CAR 304

This course examines representations of desire and sexuality in Anglo-American literature of the last two centuries. We will read a variety of texts--drama, novels, poetry, memoir, and short fiction--that engage questions about sexuality and its impact on identity. Our texts will explore changing ideas about gender roles, marriage, the body, homosexuality, and sexual desire in texts ranging from Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to Tony Kushner's Angels in America. Other texts will likely include poetry by Walt Whitman and Adrienne Rich, short works by David Sedaris and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and novels by Henry James, Jeffrey Eugenides, Toni Morrison, and Jeanette Winterson. We will also read a number of historical and theoretical texts that deal with such issues as the Oscar Wilde trial, female suffrage, and gay rights. In addition to active participation in class and on a discussion board, students will write regular responses to texts as well as two papers.

Fall 2005 Course Listings