Connections and Intersections: Identity, Relationships, Culture

Though we have a tendency to think of the “self” as fixed and immutable, the reality is that identity is a set of social constructs and practices. We all create, communicate, and perform the multiple facets of our selves (or have them constructed for us by others) every single day. Using communication theories, acting/performance analyses, and embodied practice in classroom interaction and performance, we will explore the means by which we create our various selves, while also examining the idea that none of these selves are "natural" or singular. We will discover the performative nature of how selves are socially positioned, exploring gender and sexuality, race, and socioeconomic class, as well as delving into the intersections (both positive and negative) created between these various performances of self.

We will use various genres of texts, with different styles of writing, speaking, and research, as well as embodied/enacted learning to problematize the notion of the “self” as a fixed entity and how identities are created and performed in U.S. dominant and popular cultures. There’s no need for previous performance experience in this class, but you must have a willingness to try various kinds of embodied learning (improvisation, movement, performance, etc.) and to talk critically about performing/communicating yourself to others and to the broader culture(s) we live in/that live through us.