ENGLISH 12Q: The Taboo

Course Description

In this seminar, we will explore and theorize 'the taboo' and the consequences for transgressing taboos. On our quest, we will read broadly--from William Shakespeare's drama Othello to Christina Rossetti's poem 'Goblin Market' to Trevor Noah's memoir Born a Crime--to see how taboos around issues such as race, gender, and sexuality change and carry across different cultural, historical, geographical, and familial contexts. This class fulfills the WRITE 2 requirement.