Leaders of social justice movements work towards visions of a better world—one that dismantles systemic barriers and injustices. This course will turn to intersectional fiction writing to examine how literature can contribute to social justice movements. In other words, we will ask how reading literatures of intersectionality may foster social justice movements. In doing so, we will situate contemporary intersectional literature in their historical contexts—looking to the theory and writing of feminist women-of-color, queer studies, disability studies, Indigenous studies, and Deaf studies. We will read some of these theories as literature and literature as theory—with attention to interlocking forms of oppression and privilege.

Writing has played a central role in racial justice activism, movements, and advocacy throughout history. In the United States, figures such as Frederick Douglas, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, James Baldwin, Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, Sheryl Lightfoot, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, and others, have employed writing to share and affirm truths, rewrite/correct histories and futures, reveal hypocrisies, cultivate identity, build community, and imagine liberated futures. Building on this legacy and these themes, a new intersectional movement of racial justice writers/activists has adopted emergent forms of writing, composition, and invention to address present-day injustices and to speculate on better possible worlds. In this course, students will be invited to join these scholarly and activist conversations through a range of different approaches which may include: learning key vocabulary, analyzing texts, exploring critical frameworks and historical contexts, reflecting on ethics and positionality, engaging case studies, and practicing forms of writing and composition that are consistent with racial justice literatures. Students will learn tools and perspectives in rhetorical invention and genre awareness, effective writing and composition practices for anti-racist, experimental, speculative, and multimodal approaches, and effective drafting, revision, and workshopping strategies, while positioning themselves as intellectual leaders and agents of change.

This course introduces students to Deaf Cultural Studies using stories about the Deaf experience. Students will interpret works in visual art, film, performing arts, and literature (ASL and English). Students will learn how historical/social/political and intersectional context, Deaf cultural values, and themes and symbols influence our interpretation of these creative works. Finally, the importance of collective memories for preserving Deaf cultural norms/values and promoting social justice will be addressed.

Writing Seminar is a three-credit course limited to 19 students per section. The course is designed to develop first-year students’ proficiency in analytical and rhetorical reading and writing, and critical thinking. Students will read, understand, and interpret a variety of non-fiction texts representing different cultural perspectives and/or academic disciplines. These texts are designed to challenge students intellectually and to stimulate their writing for a variety of contexts and purposes. Through inquiry-based assignment sequences, students will develop academic research and literacy practices that will be further strengthened throughout their academic careers. Particular attention will be given to the writing process, including an emphasis on teacher-student conferencing, critical self-assessment, class discussion, peer review, formal and informal writing, research, and revision. Small class size promotes frequent student-instructor and student-student interaction. The course also emphasizes the principles of intellectual property and academic integrity for both current academic and future professional writing.

Writing has played a central role in racial justice activism, movements, and advocacy throughout history. In the United States, figures such as Frederick Douglas, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, James Baldwin, Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, Sheryl Lightfoot, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, and others, have employed writing to share and affirm truths, rewrite/correct histories and futures, reveal hypocrisies, cultivate identity, build community, and imagine liberated futures. Building on this legacy and these themes, a new intersectional movement of racial justice writers/activists has adopted emergent forms of writing, composition, and invention to address present-day injustices and to speculate on better possible worlds. In this course, students will be invited to join these scholarly and activist conversations through a range of different approaches which may include: learning key vocabulary, analyzing texts, exploring critical frameworks and historical contexts, reflecting on ethics and positionality, engaging case studies, and practicing forms of writing and composition that are consistent with racial justice literatures. Students will learn tools and perspectives in rhetorical invention and genre awareness, effective writing and composition practices for anti-racist, experimental, speculative, and multimodal approaches, and effective drafting, revision, and workshopping strategies, while positioning themselves as intellectual leaders and agents of change.