ENG 2925 - HORROR, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY

credits: 3.0
A study of American and European works of horror fiction and film, with a special focus on the portrayal of gender and sexuality. Lecture and discussion topics are informed by feminist criticism, gender studies, psychoanalytic criticism, and media studies. The course will focus on the films of Alfred Hitchcock and a selection of stories he adapted into movies, including Robert Bloch’s Psycho. Objectives: A) Examine the ways in which assumptions about gender and sexuality shape the production of the horror genre; B) Consider the political implications of the portrayal of gender and sexuality; C) Consider the implications of this portrayal for the study of media in general; D) Explore several theoretical approaches to horror in fiction and film; E) Explore student responses to the horror genre; F) Develop students’ abilities to think and write critically about horror and media. Method of Instruction: Lectures, readings, films, small group, and class discussion. Method of Evaluation: Essays, reading quizzes, and take-home quizzes. Meets *WEP Distribution Requirement.