123045 PS Literary Studies / Proseminar Literature (2021S)

Intergenerational family narratives imagine ways in which the lives of successive generations are connected, how privilege and forms of oppression can transform and be passed on, and how characters try to distance themselves from the legacies of (or imposed on) their families. Rather than depicting the family as a primarily intimate sphere, detached from public life, the texts studied in this course show family structures as deeply affected by political, social, and cultural events. By analyzing the uneven, often exclusionary effects of identity markers like race, national origin, and gender, we will critique nativist, heteronormative conceptions of the family and try to envision it more expansively.

In addition to the thematic focus, the course will cover the stages of the academic writing process, including developing a topic suited for literary analysis, conducting research, referencing, drafting, and revising. Most of the written tasks will be stepping stones towards the final assignment, the proseminar paper.