Content

Course code (bachelor): 200500332

Course code (master): 200300459

Coordinator and teacher: Dr. Sandra Ponzanesi

Guest speakers: Rosi Braidotti, Rosemarie Buikema, Ann-Sophie Lehmann, Marta Zarzycka

 

This course examines, with the support of semiotic, psychoanalytic and post-colonial theories, the representations women make of their own body, eroticism and passion. What is the meaning and representation of the female body? How can we assess the tendency of our culture to pathologize female sexuality and women's desire? How does the dualistic relation of Eros & Pathos affect the cultural representations of women's eroticism? In the light of the work of recent women writers and artists (filmmakers, photographers, painters, musicians, etc) this course will present different feminist approaches to the complex interplay of desire and passion; it will also assess the impact of these works in the construction of a new female subject and of representations of desire that question the classical assimilation from Eros to Thanatos by recurring to several contemporary critical theorists from feminist theory, cultural studies, visual culture, postcolonial theories such as Freud, Lacan, Foucault, Irigaray, Kristeva, Braidotti, Spivak, Barthes, Sontag, Mulvey, Minh-ha, Creed among others. The course can be concluded by a paper and/or by an artefact c.q. an artistic performance.

To examine with the support of semiotic, psychoanalytic and post-colonial theories, the representations women make of their own body, eroticim and passion. What is the meaning and representation of the female body? How can we assess the tendency of our culture to pathologize female sexuality and women's desire? How does the dualistic relation of Eros & Pathos affect the cultural representations of women's eroticism?

This course uses social weblogging, allowing every student to post articles containing texts, images and links to other online material.

To start blogging, you can register here.