WGSS 07.14 Black Women's Activism: 1970-Present
In this course we will explore several genres of writing, grounded in an intellectual engagement with the creative, scholarly, and activist writing of Black women of all genders from 1970 to the present. How does Black women’s activism constitute a political intellectual tradition that impacts how we do research and pose questions? How does black women’s activism refigure the categories and categorization of knowledge and knowledge production? What does it mean to write oneself into existence if and when knowledge is premised on their epistemic and actual disappearance? This course approaches Black women’s intellectual and cultural production as one entry point into the project of creating from nothing, writing to become, writing as an act of survival, and writing to envision and practice new worlds. These are all vital skills in a rapidly transforming social, economic, political and climatic landscapes. This course is a First Year Writing Seminar and thus will be focused on developing creative and technical writing skills, writing voice, argumentation, and style. We will write and peer review each other’s writing in some form or fashion in just about every class period. Be prepared to work.
Professor Ellison
10A Hour