Spring 2025 First-Year Writing (Barnard) BC1140 section 002

FEMINIST FAIRYTALES

Call Number 00213
Day & Time
Location
MW 11:40am-12:55pm
To be announced
Points 3
Grading Mode Pass/Fail
Approvals Required None
Instructor Penelope Usher
Type LECTURE
Course Description

In this class we will read and discuss feminist fairy tales: adaptations of classic tales and newly-imagined stories which—rather than promising a simple and tidy “happily ever after”—privilege female agency and offer up critiques of patriarchal structures. In dialog with texts that center women and other intersecting identities, we will talk about colorism, sexuality, desire, misogyny, motherhood, and more. Analyzing how these texts unmask and challenge various forms of oppression, we will explore how and why the magical and often didactic nature of the fairy tale genre lends itself to thinking critically about our current world and to envisioning more equitable futures. Readings include literary texts by Ovid, Julia Alvarez, Olga Broumas, Charles Perrault, Luisa Valenzuela, Nalo Hopkinson, Jeanette Winterson, Amal El-Mohtar, and Kelly Link. In dialog with these literary texts, we will also engage with various theoretical texts and perspectives; with film (Georges Méliès and Disney’s Frozen); with artwork; and with music (Taylor Swift). 

 

Web Site Vergil
Department First-Year Writing @Barnard
Enrollment 15 students (15 max) as of 11:06AM Thursday, December 5, 2024
Status Full
Subject First-Year Writing (Barnard)
Number BC1140
Section 002
Division Barnard College
Section key 20251FYWB1140X002