Staying Cool: RaceFemininity

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The concept of cool comprises many meanings from composure to popularity; but cool also offers a dynamic and conflicted optics or surface where race, gender, capital, illness, violence, and resistance, come together or fall apart. This course introduces students to theories and iterations of “cool” as it crosses contemporary African American, Asian American, and Afro Asian history, art, activism, and culture. Students will consider a range of cultural texts and histories such as the iconic Civil Rights-era images of Elizabeth Eckford and her children’s memoir; the Indian philosophy of non-violence and Black Civil Rights direct action; experiments with race and endurance in the performances of artists like Adrian Piper, Yoko Ono, Ayana Evans, and William Pope.L; the popular culture of Eastern spiritual practices and martial arts; and the composed women of color characters in the sensational television shows of the Shondaland franchise.