Terri Griffith

Why do we love books and movies about people going mad? What is so interesting about those at the edge? In this writing course, students consider the character of the ¿madman¿ in literature and film, and ask why this character continues to speak to audiences. Readings and screenings will include ¿The Yellow Wallpaper,¿ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Monkey King by Patricia Chao, and the classic film Harvey. In addition to weekly writings, students will write essays with an emphasis on revision, culminating in a final research paper exploring the idea of the ¿madman¿ in popular culture.

Cyber Feminisms explores the intersections of feminism, technology, and digital culture through a research-driven lens. Students will critically engage with a range of topics, including the influence of digital spaces on gender identities, the consequences of algorithmic bias, and the ways marginalized communities use technology for resistance and self-expression. This course will analyze the role of the internet in shaping feminist discourse while developing digital literacies essential for academic writing in the 21st century. Students should expect to write 20 to 25 pages of formal, revisable writing (i.e. a semester-long research-based essay with multiple drafts) as well as homework exercises and in-class writing. Much in-class writing will be included, as emphasis is on development of the intellectual skills of reading and responding critically, which forms the basis of each student's career at SAIC. Furthermore, peer review of student papers, and individual meetings to discuss each student¿s writing should be expected.

American and European literary tradition has long included authors that contemporary readers would recognize as queer. Yet works that openly address queer sexualities and gender are relatively new. In this course students read a variety of works starting from ?the invention of homosexuality? (1890s) to the present with particular focus on issues germane to the genre: societal constraints on content, the subtext of cloaked sexuality, and authorial responsibility to the queer community. Assignments include two 10-page literary analysis papers. Readings include works by Walt Whitman, James Baldwin, and Susan Sontag.