That writers of color earn less than their white peers in advances and fees is anecdotally well known. But we lack exhaustive data. Gearing up for such data collection the next few years in a faculty-driven project at Bennington, this course provides an overview of the broader ethical and social landscape around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in publishing. Major inquiries will include:
- How white is publishing? I.e., who are the editors, agents, etc.?
- How white is writing? I.e., who is able to get published?
- Do writers of color have to accent or exaggerate their difference in order to fulfill white expectations, whether by publishers or audiences?
- How white is the US American reading population? What’s the difference between readers (who might use libraries, etc.) and buyers (market consumers)?
- What challenges exist in data collection? Surveying?
- What sorts of gender bias exist and how do they intersect with race bias?
- What about anti-queerness of various forms?
- What is intersectionality? What are other ways of thinking about difference?
Please note that this course is designed to follow a colloquium model. Readings will be relatively light, but students are expected to come to class prepared, having digested the materials and ready to dig in critically and creatively. The meat of our inquiry will happen in class and active participation is key. Students will also be pursuing their own projects, culminating in presentations in which they lead class time, rather than the professor.
Learning Outcomes:
- Hone critical thinking skills
- Learn how to think creatively around a social problem
- Learn how to design a research project that tackles a social problem
- Learn how to lead a colloquium session, productively guiding discussion and managing group time
- Understand the challenges facing writers, readers, and publishing workers of color
- Understand intersectional approaches to difference
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Prerequisites:
Interested students should submit answers to the following questions via this link, detailing their interest in the course.
- Name
- Year
- Plan areas (or projected areas, if you have not yet had a plan meeting)
- Describe your interest in this class and what brings you here? (100 words)
- Formulate two questions that build on the inquiries above, which might lead to a research project and presentation. In this course all our work starts with a question (Question 1, Question 2); Pick one and describe how your possible project or presentation might develop, including what resources you might include to start answering that question. These are preliminary thoughts. (To start, do a quick search on the library website and Google.) (200 words).
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 4
W 2:10PM - 5:50PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Course Frequency: One time only
Categories: 4000 , All courses , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , Literature , New Courses , Updates
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