“The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's

House:” An Introduction to Critical Feminisms

ENGLISH 4360/6360
Fall 2021: Aug. 18 — Dec. 10, Daniel 210
Dr. Jamie Ann Rogers
Department of English, College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities
jar6@clemson.edu

In-Person Office: Strode Tower 615

Zoom Office: https://clemson.zoom.us/j/2383411519
Office Hours: Online or outside by appointment

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my
own.” — Audre Lorde

Course Description

“The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house,” Audre Lorde declared in 1979 at
the Second Sex Conference in New York. In this groundbreaking speech, Lorde challenged
conference goers to consider their (often unacknowledged) imbrication in systems of domination
and oppression, and insisted that if feminist projects of liberation were to be liberatory at all, the
must be liberatory for all. She reiterated this assertion in her 1981 speech, "Uses of Anger," when
she declared: “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very
different from my own.” This course takes such an imperative as its starting point. Throughout
the course, we will draw from foundational and contemporary works of feminist literary theory
and criticism, as well as from examples of feminist film, literature, and popular culture, in order
to 1) trace the historical emergence of a variety of feminist theories; 2) contextualize debates
among feminist scholars, artists, and activists; 3) contextualize feminist analyses of race,
ethnicity, sexuality, class, ability, nation, and global capitalism; and 4) interrogate the
relationship of literature and cultural productions to power, politics, history, and economic
processes through a feminist lens. Our examinations will introduce feminist methodologies,
concepts, and debates related to critical race theory, queer theory, poststructuralism,
postcolonialism, performance theory, Marxism, and affect theory. In doing so, we will develop
genealogies of feminist theory that highlight the work of Black, Third World, decolonial,
women-of-color, and queer feminists as central to, rather than derivative of, mainstream feminist
movements. We will analyze their contributions to the tools of literary and cultural criticism, and
consider the role of such tools in projects of liberation. While the course provides a broad
overview of feminist thinking, our aim is to enter into detailed conversation about specific
works. To that end, depth of analysis will be emphasized over breadth. Students will produce
written responses to readings, work collaboratively on class projects, and engage in lively class
discussions.

Note on COVID 19, Masks, Quarantine, and Online Instruction

As we all know, we are living in trying times. My job as a professor is not only to facilitate your
learning, but also to ensure that your learning environment is a safe one. With that in mind, I
respectfully ask that you wear a mask during class time. Clemson policy does not mandate a
mask and choosing not to wear one will, of course, have no effect on your grade. However, for
the safety of your classmates and instructors, I hope you choose to do so. In the event that you
test positive for COVID, have COVID-like symptoms, or have been in proximity to someone
who has tested positive, please plan to quarantine. If you are in quarantine, or if I am in
quarantine, lectures will be available online, quizzes can be taken online, and Engagement
Assignment presentations can be delivered via video or rescheduled, time permitting. If you are
too ill to work, we will arrange extensions for your assignments and quizzes. Should the class
pivot to an online format, lectures will be delivered via video, quizzes will be taken online, and
Engagement Assignment presentations will be delivered via video, with discussion occurring
either via message boards or zoom meetings, depending on if we meet asynchronously or
synchronously. Any other changes will be discussed as a class.

Course Values

In this class, we will strive together to create a space that is inclusive and collaborative, and in
which we treat each others’ contributions with generosity. Our goal is to think through our
learning together as part of an ongoing process that takes place both in our classroom, and in the
world beyond it. Our material is challenging, both emotionally and intellectually. With that in
mind, we will remain sensitive to various perspectives brought to this class, and to the personal
experiences that shape them, while also remaining open to new or differing modes of thinking.
Trolling, bullying, or general carelessness with each other will not be tolerated. If you have any
concerns about the material or the class atmosphere, please contact me immediately. If you
would like to remain anonymous, I have created a survey under "Quizzes." You can leave any
comment or information anonymously there at any time. Additionally, information specific to
Clemson Title IX (sexual harassment) policies can be found below.
 Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify major concepts, tensions, and exclusions in feminist literary, cultural, and
political theories;
• Analyze the ways in which gendered and raced discourses shape literary and cultural
texts, shape their publication processes, and shape their reception;
• Develop interpretations of various forms of texts, from theoretical to creative, through
multiple critical feminist lenses;
• Produce a variety of forms of texts
• Apply feminist critical approaches to a variety of major theoretical traditions, including
poststructuralism, postcolonialism, Marxism, critical race theory, queer theory, and affect
theory;
• Engage in close readings of course materials in writing, multimedia forms, and
conversation;
• Produce clear, developed, and persuasive essays about our course topic for an academic
audience;
• Produce a variety of forms of responses (written, visual, aural, etc.) to our course
materials that express rhetorical awareness;
• Produce a variety of forms of responses beyond the formal academic essay (written,
visual, oral, etc.) to our course materials that express rhetorical awareness and feminist
approaches.

Course Materials

All of our course material is available via PDF. I have provided links to our books below and will
provide links to supplementary material in our Course Modules. I prefer that you print out the
chapters we are discussing, or bring a laptop, Kindle or other tablet-type device to read them in
class. Please do not rely on your cell phone to read them during class. You may also purchase
copies of the books at any online retailer. Here is a site in which you can purchase books from
independent bookstores, rather than Amazon, which has abysmal labor practices. And here is a
list of Black-owned bookstores, as now is a great time to support Black-owned businesses.

Books

• This Bridge Called My Back, 3rd edition, ed. Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa, Third
or Fourth Edition (1981, 2002 or 2015)
• Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, Second Edition by Judith
Butler (1990, 1999)
• Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity by Chandra
Talpade Mohanty
 • Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation by Silvia Federici
(2004)
• The Cultural Politics of Emotion, Second Edition by Sara Ahmed (2004, 2015)
• Cruel Optimism by Lauren Berlant (available electronically in Library Reserves) (2011)

Course Requirements and Distribution

10% Attendance and Participation

10% Yellowdig
5% What is Feminism? A Class Manifesto in Motion (Personal Reflection)
25% Quizzes
25% Engagement Assignments
25% Final Essay, Creative Project, or Community Engagement Project

Class Attendance and Participation

Participation: This course is run as a seminar, and therefore it relies heavily on our class
discussions. While I will lecture, it is imperative that you come to class prepared to engage
actively in conversation. To do so, it is necessary to have carefully read and thought through the
material before arriving. Read with a pen in hand, taking notes, asking questions, underlining
interesting, confusing, contradictory, or insightful passages, and allow yourself enough time to
read chapters or essays thoroughly. You can work with these notes to spark your memory during
discussion. You can also draw from your Yellowdig conversations to spark in-class discussion. I
understand that not everyone feels comfortable speaking out in large group settings. If you
suspect this is going to be a problem for you, please come see me during office hours so we can
discuss engagement strategies. In addition to participating in discussion, class engagement means
active and attentive listening. If you are obviously distracted, occupied by electronic sources
(phones, Web pages not related to class, online chats, etc.), sleeping, or otherwise not engaged
with the class, you will lose participation credit for the day (the equivalent of "half" an absence).
Your computers or tablets should be out ONLY when you are reading a text or taking notes.
Please keep your cell phone off and keep it stored. I will not necessarily stop class to inform
you that you are losing participation credit.

Attendance: As discussion and participation are key elements to the success of this course, so too
is attendance. If you frequently miss class or are late, it lessens our ability to work together as a
cohort to further our thinking, and damages your ability to do well in the course. You may miss
two classes with no penalty. You do not need to let me know when or why you are absent for
these two "free" unexcused absences. If you miss more than two class without a documented
excuse, your grade will be impacted. If you have five unexcused absences (the equivalent of two
and a half weeks of class time), you may fail the course. Excessive tardies will also impact your
grade. However, if you are running late, I would still like you to attend. For this reason, tardies
will be counted only as half an absence. If you miss role, see me after class (do not interrupt
class), and I will change your absence to a tardy.

If you have a serious illness, family or personal emergency, university-sponsored trip, or other
issue causing you to miss class, please bring documentation so that I may excuse the absence. I
would like to help you do well in the class, and have a strong learning experience. Please
come see me early if you know you will have multiple excused or unexcused absences, or
contact me as soon as possible after an illness or emergency, in order to discuss strategies
for participation. See note on COVID above for our class COVID protocols regarding
absences.

Yellowdig

Yellowdig is where we will engage with your classmates on a weekly basis outside of class. It is
meant to be a space to work through our material, continue conversations begun in class, ask
questions, and post relevant thoughts/material from outside our class. So, you might post a close
reading of one of our texts and ask your peers their thoughts; you might post links to relevant
articles, images, videos, etc., and discuss them with your peers; you might ask questions about
our material or an assignment, etc. Points are earned automatically based on the frequency of
your posts, engagement with your posts by peers, your engagement with your peers' posts,
instructor assigned "accolade" points, and more. See Yellowdig Directions for more information.

What is Feminism? A Class Manifesto in Motion (Personal Reflection)

Throughout the semester, we will frequently revisit the question "What is feminism?" We will
take stock as a class on our various perspectives on feminism, and our different ideas about its
utility in doing literary and cultural studies critique, its political and social function, its role as a
form of identity, and its potential as a social justice philosophy. This will be a project in-process
throughout the semester that will culminate with a collective class "manifesto" on feminist
literary and cultural criticism made up of various notes and texts we create throughout the
semester. Individually, you will write a short (one- to two-page) reflection on the manifesto.

Quizzes

Each Module will include a quiz, scheduled in advance. Quizzes are designed primarily to check
in on your understanding of readings, and understanding and retention of information provided in
lectures, class discussions, and supplemental materials. If class engagement seems lacking, pop
quizzes during class time are also a possibility, and will be included in your quiz grade. Your
lowest quiz score will be dropped.

Engagement Assignments

The purpose of these assignments are three-fold: First, they are designed to help you engage
together with the material and ideas that you have been working with throughout the class.
Second, they are designed to help you connect the work we are doing to the "real world" outside
our class. And lastly, they are designed to help you build skills in communicating those ideas in
a variety of creative and effective ways to different target audiences -- be they academics,
friends, parents, community members, employers, or others.

You will choose two assignments out of six options to produce throughout the semester, all of
which you will present to the class. The assignments will vary and you often have a choice in
what medium you would like to use for the presentation -- for example, PowerPoints, Prezis,
Adobe Spark, video or visual essays, arrt work such as paintings or songs, etc. Each assignment
will be accompanied by a short, formal essay. You will sign up for two assignments of your
choosing during the first week of class.

Essay or Creative Project

The course includes one formal essay, 8-10 pages for undergraduates and 15-20 pages for
graduates, that draws from material discussed throughout the entire course. Alternatively, you
have the option to produce a creative project or a community engagement project in lieu of a
final paper, which will be accompanied by a 3-4 page formal artist’s or artist's statement. Please
discuss your plans with me early in the course if you are thinking about choosing the creative
option. Regardless of the option you chose, you will present a portion of your essay or project
during the final week of class. Essays and artist statements will be uploaded to Turnitin via
Canvas.

*If you are considering using this paper as a writing sample to apply to graduate programs,
please consult with me early so I can provide additional guidance.
 Class Schedule
***NOTE: See Modules for assignment details and required supplementary material such as
lectures, videos and Web sites. The class schedule provided here is a general schedule of major
readings/screenings and assignments only. BOTH THE MODULE AND SYLLABUS
SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, especially in the event that we need to pivot to an
online environment.

Readings/
Week Topic Assignments
Screenings
Class Syllabus and
Canvas Page

"We Should All Be

Feminists" TED Talk
Module 1: by Chimamanda
What is Ngozi Adichie
Weeks 1 Quiz 1: Syllabus and Canvas
(Aug. 18 to Feminism?
Aug. 21) "Trans responses to
Adichie: Challenging
Cis Privilege in
Popular Feminism"
excerpts, by Mia
Fischer (2017)
 "Uses of Anger" by
Audre Lorde

"Mapping the
Margins:
Intersectionality,
Identity Politics, and
Module 2: Violence against Engagement Assignment 1:
Feminist Women of Color" by Intersectionality, Then and Now
Weeks 2
Criticisms and Kimberlé Crenshaw
and 3
(Aug. 22 to Re-Visions (1991) Quiz 2: Intersectional
Feminisms
Sept. 4)
This Bridge Called
My Back, 3rd
edition, ed. Cherríe
Moraga and Gloria
Anzaldúa, Fourth
Edition (1981, 2015)
View: Understanding
Derrida,
Deconstruction; Of
Grammatology

Engagement Assignment 2:
Deciphering Cixous Writing Woman, Writing Gender,
Module 3: Poststructuralism,
Writing Race
Writing Woman,
Weeks 4
and (Re-)Writing "The Laugh of the
and 5
Medusa" by Hélène Quiz 3: Poststructuralism,
(Sept. 5 to Gender, Sexuality,
Cixous (1976) Writing Woman, and
Sept. 18) and Race
(Re-)Writing Gender, Sexuality,
and Race
"Mama's Baby,
Papa's Maybe: An
American Grammar
Book" by Hortense J.
Spillers (1987)
Module 4: Gender Trouble: Engagement Assignment 3:
Feminism and the Troubling Gender
Weeks 5, 6 Identity and Subversion of
and 7 Performativity Identity, Second
(Sept. 19 Edition by Judith Quiz 4: Identity and
to Oct. 9) Butler (1990, 1999) Performance
 Selections from
Disidentifications:
Module 5: Queers of Color and
the Performance of
Week 8 Politics, by José
(Oct. 10 to Queer of Color Esteban Muñoz Film Worksheet
Oct. 16, no Critique (2013)
class Oct.
12) The Aggressives, dir.
Eric Daniel Peddle
(2005)
Module 6: Feminism Without
"Third World," Borders: Decolonizing Engagement Assignment 4:
Weeks 9 Decolonizing Our Lives
Transnational and Theory, Practicing
and 10 Decolonial Solidarity by Chandra
(Oct. 17 to Feminisms Talpade Mohanty Quiz 5: Feminisms
Oct. 30) (2003)
 Caliban and the
Witch: Women, the
Body and Primitive
Accumulation by
Silvia Federici (2004)
(Selections)

"The Unhappy
Marriage of Marxism
and Feminism:
Toward a More Engagement Assignment 5:
Progressive Union" Bodies in Transition — From
Module 7: by Heidi Hartman Primitive Accumulation to
(1979) "White Supremacist,
Weeks 11 Marxism and [Heteronormative,] Capitalist
and 12 Feminism Patriarchy"
(Oct. 31 to Left of Karl Marx: The
Nov. 13) Political Life of Black
Communist Claudia Quiz 6: Feminisms and
Jones, Introduction Marxism
OR Chapter 1 by
Carol Boyce Davies
(2008) (TBD)

Making All Black

Lives Matter:
Reimagining Freedom
in the Twenty-First
Century by Barbara
Ransby (2018)
(Selections)
 Engagement Assignment 6:
Engaging Affect
The Cultural Politics
Module 8: of Emotion, Second
Edition by Sara
Weeks 13, Affect Theory and
Ahmed (2004, 2015)
Contemporary Quiz 7: Feminisms and Affect
14, and 15 (Selections) Theory
(Nov. 14 to Feminist Cultural
Dec. 4, No
Studies
class Nov. Cruel Optimism by
25) Lauren Berlant (2011) Re-visiting our Feminist (Re)-
(Selections) Visions: Feminist Manifesto
Personal Reflections
Week 16:
Final Paper or Project Due Dec.
Finals 8
Week

Course Evaluation Methods

I will use the following grade scale for work throughout the course:
A+ = 98-100, A = 94-97, A- = 90-93 B+ = 87-89, B = 84-86, B- = 80-83 C+ = 77-79, C = 74-76,
C- = 70-73, etc.

The following is the grade scale for final grades (I do not round up):
A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 69-60, and below 60 is an F.

Each assignment will include a detailed explanation of its specific evaluation criteria.

*Because this class involves intensive readings, and discussion assignments that rely on every
class members' punctual response, late work will not be accepted. If you are struggling to meet
deadlines for any reason, be in touch with me immediately.

Accommodations

Below, I have provided the university policy on accommodations for students with disabilities.
Beyond this policy, I will do whatever I can to help you in your learning and your success in the
class. Please contact me as soon as you can so that together we can arrange any accommodation
you may need.
Clemson policy on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Clemson University values the diversity of our student body as a strength and a critical
component of our dynamic community. Students with disabilities or temporary injuries/
conditions may require accommodations due to barriers in the structure of facilities, course
design, technology used for curricular purposes, or other campus resources. Students who
experience a barrier to full access to this class should let the professor know, and make an
appointment to meet with a staff member in Student Accessibility Services as soon as possible.
You can make an appointment by calling 864-656-6848, by emailing
studentaccess@lists.clemson.edu, or by visiting Suite 239 in the Academic Success Center
building. Appointments are strongly encouraged – drop-ins will be seen if at all possible, but
there could be a significant wait due to scheduled appointments. Students who receive Academic
Access Letters are strongly encouraged to request, obtain and present these to their professors as
early in the semester as possible so that accommodations can be made in a timely manner. It is
the student’s responsibility to follow this process each semester. You can access further
information at the Student Accessibility Web site.

Title IX (Sexual Harassment)

Clemson University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy,
national origin, age, disability, veteran’s status, genetic information or protected activity in
employment, educational programs and activities, admissions and financial aid. This includes a
prohibition against sexual harassment and sexual violence as mandated by Title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972. This policy is located at the Title IX Web site. Ms. Alesia
Smith, alesias@clemson.edu, is the Clemson University Title IX Coordinator. Her office is
located at 223 Holtzendorff Hall, phone number is 864.656.3181.

Support Services

Counseling and Psychological Services

Various counseling and mental health services are available through the university here.
Emergency psychological services and suicide prevention help can be found here. Please
don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need assistance in
finding services.
Writing Center
The University’s writing center is located in room 307 of the Academic Success Center. Tutors
are available to help you with your writing from 10AM to 4PM, Monday through Thursday. This
is an excellent resource if you are concerned about or struggling with your formal writing.

Academic Success Center

The Academic Success Center provides free services, including tutoring, academic coaching, and
academic skills workshops, for all Clemson students. Visit the Academic Success Center website
for more information on their services and workshops.

Communication

During regular business hours (M-F, 8-4:30), I will make every effort to respond to emails within
a few hours of receiving them. E-mails received after hours will likely be responded to the next
day, and e-mails received over the weekend will likely be responded to on Monday. Please be
sure to include your name and what class you are enrolled in with your question. Please also be
mindful of email etiquette. If you are uncertain of the etiquette expected when corresponding
with professors, please see this guide on How to Email Your Professor. Most importantly, please
read the syllabus carefully before e-mailing to make sure the answer isn’t there. Also, check in
with the class Q & A page — your question might already have been answered there. You might
also post your question in the Q & A page, especially if it is a weekend, in the event a peer can
provide a faster response than me. Otherwise, please be very specific with your question. Rather
than tell me “I don’t understand this essay,” describe what you think is being said, and then try to
articulate your confusion. This will allow me to respond helpfully.

Academic Integrity

Failure to cite secondary sources is plagiarism, as is reusing a paper from a previous class, as
well as the more obvious borrowing of other students papers or purchasing papers. The Clemson
code on plagiarism: “As members of the Clemson University community, we have inherited
Thomas Green Clemson’s vision of this institution as a ‘high seminary of learning.’ Fundamental
to this vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and responsibility, without which
we cannot earn the trust and respect of others. Furthermore, we recognize that academic
dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying,
cheating, or stealing in any form.” Plagiarized work will result in 0 points and possibly a failing
grade for the course. If the University records a second offense, you may be expelled. Please
consult me if you have any questions about plagiarism, and consult the MLA Handbook or the
Chicago Manual of Style for guidelines on citations. When in doubt, cite your source. Purdue
Owl is an excellent source for information on citation.