ETHS 443A CDQ - Passing Narrative: Ethnic Amer Lit

Minimum Credit(s) Awarded: 4
Maximum Credit(s) Awarded: 4

The term passing refers to the disguises of elements of an individual’s presumed “natural” or “essential” identities, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and/or class. In this course, we will study selected works of various genres (fiction, memoir, and film) which narrate and negotiate acts of passing or reverse passing. We will examine the ways in which American writers and filmmakers from diverse ancestries imagine the possibilities of passing while grappling with its complexities and limitations.

The course explores the following key critical questions: What motivates passing, and what are the possibilities, consequences, and limitations of passing? What are the similarities and differences between passing and cultural appropriation? In what ways do passing narratives destabilize the binaries of White/non-White, man/woman, and authenticity/counterfeit while questioning the “absoluteness” of identity categories? In what ways does passing remain relevant in today’s U.S. cultural and sociopolitical contexts? Cross-listed ENG 443A

Offered Other

Course Fee: No
Prerequisite(s): ENG 110