Women, Domesticity Am Cult

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course will examine the relationship between women and their homes in American novels, films, television shows, and new media. While the idea of showing a woman in her home is deeply traditional—as in, “a woman’s place is in the home”—there are ways to do it that queer the relationship between women and domesticity. As we put such films as Grey Gardens, novels like Beloved, and shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians in a transnational context, we will consider the following questions: How does the relationship between women and domesticity iterate and change across space and time? How do different kinds of genres (e.g., the domestic novel, the horror film) grapple with this longstanding relationship? Why are texts that take place in the home often referred to as “guilty pleasures?” What are the political implications of off-kilter depictions of women in their homes? Upon completion of the course, students will be able to perform close reading in order to consider how visual and literary texts engage with the broader sociopolitical contexts from which they emerge, understand the history of the relationship between women and the home, and also think critically about the stakes of this ever-evolving connection in today’s culture.