In this class, students will confront the idea of “passing,” which is what happens when someone tries to get something tangible to improve their daily quality of life by occupying a space meant for someone else. Passing can happen in any context (you can pass for another gender, social class, or sexual orientation), but most often occurs in the context of race. This course will explore the idea of racial passing by studying the books of Allyson Hobbs, Nella Larsen, Claudine Chiawei O’Hearn, as well as numerous articles and essays. Students will be expected to write three short papers, one final paper, and participate in one oral presentation over the course of the semester.