NOT JUST STUFF: OBJECTS AND THE MAKING OF GENDER

Credit Hours: 3 · Undergraduate Lower-Level

This course asks the following questions: What can material objects and cultural representations of these material objects teach us about gender? What can feminist thought teach us about objects, especially, perhaps, those that are not overtly gendered? In answering these questions, we will consider a wide range of sites responsible for the production of cultural ideas about gender and objects, including: thrifting; art deco movements; trad wives; interior design, and garage sales and estate sales. To think through these questions and cultural sites, students will have the opportunity to acquire and transform objects into original pieces of art through working with local artists and artisans, including woodworkers, textile artists, and painters. Collectively, we will curate our objects into a a multi-media public-facing exhibition. Cross-list: ENGL 243 .