CLIT 396 Spring 2017

Comparative Literature 396 | Spring 2017

Special Topics: This Revolution Was Not Meant For Us
MW: 15:30-17:20 (DEN 213)
Instructor: Alan-Michael Weatherford
Email: amgw@uw.edu
Office Hours: M & W 1200-1300

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Revolution |ˌrevəˈlo͞ oSH(ə)n|

noun
1 a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system.
•(the Revolution) the American Revolution
•(often the Revolution) (in Marxism) the class struggle that is
expected to lead to political change and the triumph of communism
•A dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works
or is organized or in people’s ideas about it: marketing underwent a
revolution.
Figure 1: Child labor during the Industrial
2 an instance of revolving: one revolution a second. Revolution in Chicago

•the movement of an object in a circular or elliptical course around another or about an

axis or center: observing the revolution about the axis of rotation.
•a single orbit of one object around another or about an axis or center.

The word revolution has many meanings: it can be political, social, cultural
and material. But how have revolutions historically taken shape – especially within
the context of the Americas? What have been their strengths and their pitfalls? How
have they been achieved and/or squashed? What were the stakes involved? Who have
they included and excluded and for what reasons? Figure 2: Why Women Don't Need White
Feminism
This course will provide a critical,
comparative survey of various
revolutionary moments. By engaging with a multitude of cultural production (films,
speeches, novels, music, slam poetry and theory) it will specifically interrogate the
rubric of “revolution” as an all-inclusive event. Jumping through space and time across
the Americas, we will explore areas from the States to Haiti and Brazil, Uruguay,
Canada, Cuba, and Mexico, as well as their respective movements from Independence,
Decolonization and Feminism, Zapatismo, Civil Rights and the #BlackLivesMatter
movement.
The course is informed by intersectional feminist, anti-/post-/decolonial and
queer of color theoretical frameworks. Students will develop their knowledge of these
Figure 3: Live the Zapatista Army movements through group presentations, discussion leading, podcasts and/or video
essays. The writing component is optional.
We will critically think about and explore whether or not we are in a contemporary revolutionary moment
ourselves. Classes will be a mixture of small groups and class discussions, most of which will be student-led.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. Students will explore and discuss critical concepts related to the fields of Semiotics,
Poststructuralism, Postcolonial Studies, and Queer of Color Critique.
2. Students will critically examine and reflect on privilege, power and oppression relating
to their own socially intersecting identities as well as those of others.
3. Students will critically and comparatively analyze various revolutionary moments in
thinking about their specific cultural, historical, socio-political, and linguistic
differences.
4. Students will synthesize and further their analytical skills by producing a series of
multimedia materials.

EXPECTATIONS

Provided that the material we cover in this class is meant to elevate and center the voices and concerns
of minoritized groups who have historically been locked out of sites of revolutions and knowledge
production, there will be no “debate” about the permissibility of racism, transphobia, homophobia,
classism, ableism, heterosexism, misogyny etc. in our logic(s), research and classroom. Therefore, I
expect for you to hold yourself accountable in both your actions and words. If you are unable to meet
this expectation, you will be in violation of the Student Code of Conduct insofar as your actions
disrupt and/or interfere with our class. You will first be given a warning, and then, if not heeded,
asked to leave. Please contact me for more information or clarifications.

The following are expectations that I not only hold for myself but also expect of my students.
These are borrowed from Laverne Cox’s speech at the UW in May 2015:
1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t take anything personally.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

CULTURAL PRODUCTS & THEORETICAL READING

Cultural Products
Antes que anochezca. Directed by Julian Schnabel. 2000.
Carillo, Jo. “And When You Leave, Take Your Pictures With You.” This Bridge Called My Back:
Writing By Radical Women of Color 1983.
Chapman, Tracy. Tracy Chapman. Elektra. 1988.
Chrystos. “I Walk in the History of My People.” This Bridge Called My Back: Writing By Radical
Women of Color 1983.
——. “Ceremonty for Completeing a Poetry Reading.” This Bridge Called My Back: Writing By
Radical Women of Color 1983.
Davis, Kai. “Ain’t I A Woman?”
Denver Team. “Feminism.”
Después del Zapatismo. Directed by Leticia Agudo. 2009.
Douglass, Frederick. “What To The Slave Is The Fourth of July?” 1852.
James, CLR. The Black Jacobins. 1938.
Porsha O. “Angry Black Woman.”
Wong, Nellie. “When I was growing up.” This Bridge Called My Back: Writing By Radical Women of
Color. 1983.

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NOTE: There are four ways to view films: 1) online streaming, 2) renting a DVD privately
(which I can give you), 3) watching on a streaming service like Netflix, or 4) at Suzzalo library’s
Media Arcade (DVDs on reserve). If needed, we will schedule an actual viewing. Whichever you
choose, you must have watched the movie before the week starts. Many of these movies are
available for purchase on sites like www.amazon.com, if you particularly enjoy any of them. But
you will not have to buy any for this class.

Theoretical Reading
Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. 1991.
Anzaldúa, Gloria. “To(o) Queer the Writer — Loca, escritora y chicana.” The Gloria Anzaldúa Reader.
2009.
Berlant and Warner. “What Does Queer Theory Teach Us About X?” PMLA. 110:3. 1995.
Butler, Judith. Contingent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of ‘Postmodernism’. 1992.
Chandler, Daniel. Semiotics for Beginners. 1-32.
Cohen, Cathy J. “Punks, Bulldaggers and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential of Queer Politics?” 74-
95.
Derrida, Jacques. “La structure, le signe et le jeu”. 1-9.
Eng et al. “What’s Queer About Queer Studies Now?” Social Text. 2005.
Ferguson, Roderick. “Introduction: Queer of Color Critique Historical Materialism, Canonical
Sociology.” Aberrations in Black: Toward a Queer of Color Critique. 2004.
Foucault, Michel. “Nietzsche, Genealogy, History.” Truth and Method. 76-100.
——. “Truth And Power.” Power/Knowledge 109-133.
Fanon, Frantz. Peau noire, masques blancs. 1952. Selected Readings.
Hong, Grace. “Introduction: Neoliberal Disavowal and the Politics of the Impossible.” Death Beyond
Disavowal: The Impossible Politics of Difference. 2015.
Johnson, E. Patrick. “’Quare’ Studies, or (Almost) Everything I Know About Queer Studies I Learned
From My Grandmother.” Text and Performance Quarterly. 21:1. 2001.
Loomba, Ania. Postcolonialism.
Macat. “An Introduction to Edward Said’s Orientalism.” 2015.
——. “An Introduction to Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin White Masks”. 2015.
——. “An Introduction to Gayatri Spivak’s Can the Subaltern Speak?” 2015.
——. “An Introduction to Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”. 2015.
Melamed, Jodi. “Making Global Citizens: Neoliberal Multiculturalism and Literary Value.” Represent and
Destroy: Rationalizing Violence in the New Racial Capitalism. 2011.
Mignolo, Walter. “Preface: Uncoupling the Name and the Reference”. The Idea of Latin America. x-xx.
Rabasa, José. “Of Zapatismo: Reflections on the Folkloric and the Impossible in a Subaltern Insurrection.”
399-431.
Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. “Queer And Now” The Routledge Queer Studies Reader. 3-17.
Williams, James. Understanding Poststructuralism. 2005.
NOTE: Provided that some texts are written in either French or Spanish, it is recommended,
if possible, that students read them in the original languages. I have copies of both original as
well as the English translations. All required readings are available on the Canvas website, ready
for download.

ASSESSMENT

Podcasts and/or Vlogs 20%

Metacognitive Journals 25%
Multimedia Presentation 25%
Facilitation/Participation 30%

Final Paper* W-credit

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Facilitation/Participation. A large part of this course is invested in student-led and -centered

pedagogy. Therefore, part of your grade will be derived from having to facilitate a discussion on
the theoretical material that we read as well as participating in others’ discussions (meaning
showing up on time, having read/viewed the materials beforehand, actively discussing the
material and synthesizing the concepts). I will give you a guide on how to best succeed at
facilitating a discussion as well as a list of various discussion formats so that we aren’t constantly
using the same one.

Metacognitive Journals. Every two weeks you will have a metacognitive journal due with a
total of five altogether. Each journal will have a different prompt according to where we are at in
the quarter. This will give you the opportunity to actively reflect on your learning process as well
as help you synthesize the information better as we move through the course. Each journal should
range from 1000-1250 words (about 4 pages).

Multimedia Presentation. At the beginning of each week, we will have a multimedia

presentation led by a small group. This presentation will address the who, what, where, when,
how and why of a revolutionary moment. In other words, your group will lay out in a quite
detailed fashion the hard facts of what went down while also paying special attention to a certain
group that was excluded*. Given that our revolutions will consist of two weeks, each day will be
a dedication to half of the events that took place. These presentations will last 20-25 minutes and
should have visual elements. I will provide a rubric by which I will grade the presentations as
well as suggestions for best practices.
*Note that this analysis of exclusion needs to take into account the socio-historical power
dynamics.

Podcasts and/or Vlogs. The podcasts and/or will be an opportunity for you and your smaller
group (of no more than three) to further discuss and synthesize in a deeper way the reading with a
specific revolutionary moment covered in class. In other words, you identify a revolutionary
moment as well as one or two theoretical texts, serving as a lens to read it. You may choose a
mixture of podcasts and vlogs, or stick to one genre for all three. Each should range from 15-20
minutes in length.

*For those pursuing the W-optional Credit:

Final Paper. There will be one paper due at the end of the quarter with the first draft due during
week 8. The topic may be of your choosing and should be argumentative, but I do suggest that we
talk beforehand. The range is 5000-7500 words (10-15 pages). The papers are also to be
submitted to the online workspace.

WRITING CENTERS
Students visiting the Odegaard Writing and Research Center (OWRC) can expect to
conference with a writing assistant (one-on-one) for up to an hour at a time for free. All
you have to do is make an appointment, which you can do online at the website below:
http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc
The Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE) is a walk-in late
night writing resource (also free) at which graduate students provide advice on writing:
http://depts.washington.edu/clue/

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Both writing centers set no limit to the number of visits that a student can make each
quarter. Think of writing centers as therapy for your writing.

PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s ideas or writing as your own, and this is a serious
offence. In your writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people’s
thoughts and writing, as long as you cite them. As a matter of policy, any student found
plagiarizing any piece of writing in this class will be reported to the Vice Provost for
Academic Misconduct for review. For more information, refer to UW’s Student Conduct
Code at: www.washington.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html.
ACCOMODATION
Please let me know if you need accommodation of any sort. I am very willing to work in
conjunction with you directly or the UW Disabled Student Services (DSS) to provide
what you require. All that I ask is that you quickly communicate it with me. The DSS can
be contacted at dso@u.washington.edu, and Phone (206) 543-6450/V, (206) 543-
6452/TTY.
TECHNOLOGY

E-mail. Though I am happy to communicate with you by e-mail, please understand that I
may not be able to reply immediately. As a general rule, I will not respond to e-mails
between 6 PM and 8 AM or on Sundays.

TRIGGER WARNING

The cultural products in which we will engage may contain subject matter that can be
objectionable or disturbing. Some of the movies contain sexually explicit scenes, and one
or two have some violence. If such scenes may trigger you, look for the “trigger alert”
link on the course home page. I will try to identify those moments and mark their times.
If you have any questions and/or concerns, please feel free to chat with me at any time.

ORGANIZATIONS

COUNSELING CENTER
UW Counseling Center workshops include a wide range of issues including study skills,
thinking about coming out, international students and culture shock, and much more.
Check out available resources and workshops at: http://depts.washington.edu/counsels/

D CENTER
The D Center strives to create an inclusive, accessible space affirming of all bodies,
minds and identities by fostering a culture of social justice and pride. The center is for
disabled, chronically ill, mad/mentally ill, Neurodivergent and Deaf students! You don’t
need a doctor’s note to come hang out here. For more information, visit
http://depts.washington.edu/dcenter/wordpress/

FIUTS

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Foundation for International Understanding through Students: FIUTS is an example of a

campus organization that can bring together your social and academic learning. "FIUTS
is an independent non-profit organization which provides cross-cultural leadership and
social programming for UW's international and globally minded domestic students.
FIUTS is local connections and global community!" FIUTS also offers a free
international lunch on the last Wednesday of every month. Consult FIUTS' web site for a
detailed calendar of events and links to many resources http://www.fiuts.washington.edu.

Q CENTER
The University of Washington Q Center builds and facilitates queer (gay, lesbian,
bisexual, two-spirit, trans, intersex, questioning, same-gender-loving, allies) academic
and social community through education, advocacy, and support services to achieve a
socially-just campus in which all people are valued. For more information, visit
http://depts.washington.edu/qcenter/

COURSE CALENDAR

Within our first week, we will seek to get an idea of what Revolutions are and
how we typically think of them, paying special attention to historiography and language
in particular. Thereafter, we will explore and engage the cultural production from various
areas across the Americas alongside discussing certain theoretical concepts and
perspectives.
On days labeled “Period & Product”, we will mainly explore and situate our
revolution for that week in its socio-historical context via its respective cultural product.
This will include a multimedia presentation by a group, followed by an in-depth
discussion of the cultural product. For the other day, labeled “Perspective,” we will
deeply and critically engage with various theories. These days will be discussion-oriented
and student-led. Please note that the order in which I have arranged the readings—not
only for the class at large, but also for the individual days—is important for them to make
better sense. Therefore, I suggest that you follow the order ascribed to them.
For each day, I ask that you come to class prepared, having prepped the material
in the corresponding box. In other words, the material is due that day and should be done
beforehand. Lastly, while “Assignments” are placed on Wednesdays, they are not due
until the corresponding Sunday at 11:59pm via the canvas website.

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Cultural Products Assignments

Week 1: Semiotics and Structuralism

Structure, Sign & Play… oh, and Deconstruction
Introductions
M Presentation & Discussion: The Scientific Revolution:
Period & Product Thinking through Paradigms

Reading/Viewing:
Douglass, Frederick. “What To The Slave Is The Fourth of
July?” An Address Delivered in Rochester. New York:
5 July, 1852: 1.
Macat. “An Introduction to Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure
of Scientific Revolutions”. 2015.

Discussion: Thinking Critically Metacognitive Journal I

due
W
Reading/Viewing:
Perspective
Chandler, Daniel. Semiotics for Beginners. 1-32.
Derrida, Jacques. “La structure, le signe et le jeu”. 1-9.*

Week 2: Poststructuralism
The Limit, Discourse & Genealogy
Presentation #1: Feminism: Waves 1 & 2
M Viewing:
Period & Product Denver Team, “Feminism”
Porsha O. “Angry Black Woman”;
Kai Davis. “Ain’t I A Woman?

Discussion #1

Reading:
W
Williams, James. Understanding Poststructuralism. 2005.
Perspective
1-25.
Foucault, Michel. “Nietzsche, Genealogy, History.” Truth
and Method. 76-100.

Week 3: Poststructuralism
Epistemology: Power/Knowledge & the Subject
Presentation #2: Feminism: Waves 3 & 4
M Reading:
Period & Product Nellie Wong. “When I was growing up.”;
Chrystos. “I Walk in the History of My People”;
Jo Carillo. “And When You Leave, Take Your Pictures
With You.”
Chrystos. “Ceremony for Completing a Poetry Reading.”
This Bridge Called My Back: Writing By Radical
Women of Color. 1983.

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Discussion #2 Podcast/Vlog I
Reading:
W Foucault, Michel. “Truth And Power.” Power/Knowledge
Perspective 109-133. Metacognitive Journal II
due
Butler, Judith. Contingent Foundations: Feminism and the
Question of ‘Postmodernism’. 1992. 3-21.

Week 4: Postcolonial Studies

Colonial Discourse and the Nation
Presentation #3: National Independence: The American
M Revolution
Period & Product Reading: James, C.L.R. “Prologue,” “The Property”; “The
Owners.” The Black Jacobins. 3-61.

Discussion #3
Reading/Viewing:
Macat. “An Introduction to Edward Said’s Orientalism.”
W 2015.
Perspective Anderson, Benedict, “Introduction“ “Cultural Roots, The
Origins of National Consciousness.“ Imagined
Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread
of Nationalism. 1991. 1-46.

Week 5: Postcolonial Studies

(Post)Colonialism, Neocolonialism and Imperialism
Presentation #4: National Independence: Brazilian
M Revolution
Period & Product Reading: James, C.L.R. Selections.

Discussion #4 Metacognitive Journal

W III due
Perspective Reading:
Loomba, Ania. Postcolonialism. Xi-xviii; 1-69.

Week 6: Postcolonial Studies

The Colonizer and the Colonized: Race, Sex, Gender, Sexuality and Class
Presentation #5: Zapatismo
M
Period & Product Viewing: Después del Zapatismo. Directed by Leticia
Agudo. 2009.

Discussion #5 Podcast/Vlog II due

Reading/Viewing:
W Macat. “An Introduction to Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin
Perspective White Masks”. 2015.
Fanon, Frantz. “Le Noir et le langage”; “La femme de
couleur et le Blanc”; “L’homme de couleur et la
Blanche”; Peau noire, masques blancs. 1952. 13-66

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Week 7: Postcolonial Studies

Indigeneity, Subalternity, Decolonization and Decoloniality
Presentation #6: Zapatismo
M
Period & Product

Discussion #6 Metacognitive Journal

IV due
Reading:
Macat. “An Introduction to Gayatri Spivak’s Can the
W Subaltern Speak?” 2015.
Perspective Rabasa, José. “Of Zapatismo: Reflections on the Folkloric
and the Impossible in a Subaltern Insurrection.” 399-
431.
Mignolo, Walter. “Preface: Uncoupling the Name and the
Reference”. The Idea of Latin America. x-xx.

Week 8: Queer Studies

Toward a Radical (non-Identiy) Politics
Presentation #7: Cuban Revolution
M
Period & Product Viewing:
Antes que anochezca. Directed by Julian Schnabel. Fine
Line Features, 2000.

Discussion #7 Paper Draft due

Reading:
Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. “Queer And Now” The
W Routledge Queer Studies Reader. 3-17.
Berlant and Warner. “What Does Queer Theory Teach Us
Perspective
About X?” PMLA. 110:3. 1995. 343-349.
Cathy J. Cohen. “Punks, Bulldaggers and Welfare Queens:
The Radical Potential of Queer Politics?” 74-95.
Eng et al. “What’s Queer About Queer Studies Now?”
Social Text. 2005. 1-17.

Week 9: Queer of Color Studies

Critiquing White Homonationalism
Presentation #8: Cuban Revolution
M
Period & Product

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Discussion #8 Podcast/Vlog III due

Reading:
Johnson, E. Patrick. “’Quare’ Studies, or (Almost)
Everything I Know About Queer Studies I Learned
From My Grandmother.” Text and Performance
W Quarterly. 21:1. 2001. 2-25.
Perspective Ferguson, Roderick. “Introduction: Queer of Color Critique
Historical Materialism, Canonical Sociology.”
Aberrations in Black: Toward a Queer of Color
Critique. 2004. 1-29.
Anzaldúa, Gloria. “To(o) Queer the Writer — Loca,
escritora y chicana.” The Gloria Anzaldúa Reader.
2009. 163-175.

Week 10: Queer of Color Studies

Neoliberalism and Rationalizing State Violence
Presentation: Civil Rights
M
Period & Product Listening:
Tracy Chapman. Tracy Chapman. Elektra. 1988.

Reading: Metacognitive
Hong, Grace. “Introduction: Neoliberal Disavowal and the Journal V due
Politics of the Impossible.” Death Beyond Disavowal:
W The Impossible Politics of Difference. 2015.
Perspective Jodi Melamed. “Making Global Citizens: Neoliberal
Multiculturalism and Literary Value.” Represent and
Destroy: Rationalizing Violence in the New Racial
Capitalism. 2011.

*For those pursuing the Writing Optional credit, the Final Paper is due June 8th
by 23:59 on the Canvas website.

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