Course Description
Summary
This course will examine representations of non-normative bodies and corporeal difference. Employing concepts from Disability Studies and queer theory as a lens, we will consider some of the paradigm-shifting propositions in these powerful fields of study, with a particular emphasis on the intersectionality of marginalized identities. We will learn to recognize and critique the circulation of normative standards of bodily comportment and image which permeate contemporary culture, and consider the various strategies that scholars, activists, and dance and performance artists employ to create space for more inclusive representations of body and self. Guest artists will share their work throughout the course, and movement/embodiment practices will occasionally be incorporated (prior dance or performance experience not necessary). This course is open to students across all academic disciplines interested in exploring these issues through both theoretical and practical means.
In this class, we will engage with scholarly, activist and theoretical texts as well as artistic and practical applications of concepts, with the expectation that students will do a considerable amount of reading, writing and viewing of work outside of class hours. Some formal writing will be required, as well as a final independent research project in which students will apply course concepts to their own research and/or artistic work.