Gender Identity and Literature: Him, Her, Us
LIT-40071
Gender is infinitely more intricate than the biological question of sex. Uncover the cultural, social and political implications of gender identity in three powerful works. Kiss of the Spider Woman, by Argentine writer Manuel Puig, delves into themes of sexuality, morality, constructs of beauty and escapism while readers follow the discussions and discoveries between a Marxist revolutionary and a homosexual window-dresser as they share a prison cell for six months. Discover the gender-bending, century-crossing Orlando, by Virginia Woolf, and navigate the age-old question as to whether gender identity is innate or created and the consequences of conformity. And explore issues of masculinity, sexuality, desire, concealment versus truth, and familial and societal expectations in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Course Information
Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
Textbooks:
Kiss of the Spider Woman 1991
by Manuel Puig
ISBN / ASIN: 0679724494
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 2004
by Tennessee Williams
ISBN / ASIN: 0811216012
Orlando 2008
by Virginia Woolf
ISBN / ASIN: 9780156701600
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 2/10/2025
- Early Enrollment Discount: $290 ($315 if enrolled after 12/9/2024)
Note:
Schedule:
| Date | Day | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4/2025 | Tue | 6:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
| 2/11/2025 | Tue | 6:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
| 2/18/2025 | Tue | 6:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
| 2/25/2025 | Tue | 6:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
| 3/4/2025 | Tue | 6:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
| 3/11/2025 | Tue | 6:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
Instructor:
Renee Weissenburger, M.A.
Worked as an artist for CoTA (Collaborations, Teachers, Artists) and as a literature & creative writing instructor at National University.
Reneé Weissenburger teaches Women and Madness, Ernest Hemingway: Titan of American Literature, Gender Identity & Literature: Him, Her & Us, and Glittering Wit: Three Works by Oscar Wilde for UC San Diego Extension's Creative Writing Certificate Program. She also teaches Reading Photographs: The Art of Seeing, Beyond Image: Using Photo with Other Media, Variations on Photographic Portraiture, and Visual Poetry: Ways of Seeing for the Photography: Images and Techniques Certificate Program.
Reneé draws on her passion for literature, photography, and history to inform her work, both in the studio and classroom. As lead artist for CoTA (Collaboration of Teachers and Artists), and photography and literature instructor at UC San Diego Extension and National University, she invites students to investigate their own ideologies of memory, history, and the establishment of identity, using the mediums of writing, photography, assemblage and installation art. Her photographs and assemblages are largely concerned with the intersection of literary, historic and mythic motifs and their present-day echoes. She enjoys collaborating with writers and, over the last few years, has recently begun creating photographic trailers for book releases. Classes at UCSD Extension include Visual Poetry: Ways of Seeing, Women and Madness, Beyond the Image: Using Photography with Other Media, Gender Identity and Literature, Variations on Photographic Portraiture, Glittering Wit: Three Works by Oscar Wilde, Reading Photographs: The Art of Seeing, and Ernest Hemingway: Titan of American Literature.
