Feminist Performance Methods

3 units

In our current political and social climate in which battles for representation, autonomy, and recognition for humanity are heightened, it is critical that scholars remain vigilant of the politics undergirding how we gain access to knowledge and the conclusions we impart. In this course, we will study the works of feminist-identified scholars and performers to examine how they use different mediums to excavate, stage, and theorize lives that place, front and center, the relationship between (P)olitics, embodied knowledge, and the methods used to gain access. The course will be divided into three units-oral history, theater, and ethnography-in which we will explore scholarship from various disciplines and fields (English, anthropology, theater, dance, queer studies, and history). Doing so familiarizes students with different research methods, as well as illustrating feminism and performance as contested styles and approaches. Consequently, a major aim of this course is to expose students to an arsenal of research techniques and explore how such techniques impact the creation and trajectory of research questions, our engagement with subjects (both living and not) and objects, and the final product of our research. Students will also engage in practice-based workshops during class to gain practical tips and experiences that will enhance their research capabilities.