Oct. 2 & 9: (Wednesdays) 6:30-8:30PM EST

Dr. Joanna Madloch: Witch Imagery in Fairy Tales: The Folklore of Baba Yaga Yesterday and Today
Week 1: Lecture ; Week 2: Seminar

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Description: The lecture presents the concept of the witch as depicted in both Western and Eastern European folklore, with a concentration on Baba Yaga, one of the most iconic and complex figures in Slavic folklore. We demonstrate how Baba Yaga embodies the dual nature of the witch as both a fearsome antagonist and a wise, just, and powerful woman. Through a comparative analysis of her role in various tales, we uncover the cultural and psychological significance of this character and how she continues to influence modern perceptions of femininity and its roles.

 

Oct. 17 & 24: (Thursdays) 6:30-8:30PM EST

Dr. Kate Kingsbury: Santa Muerte and La Llorona:  Re-presentation of the Dark Feminine in Mexican Myth

Week 1: Lecture ; Week 2: Seminar

Description: This class looks at the mythology around Santa Muerte and La Llorona, examining mainstream accounts as well as how women in modern day Mexico re-tell stories of these female figures in to regain their voices and counter mainstream depictions.We explore how in their re-visions of the dark feminine, they challenge patriarchal narratives, reclaim female agency, expose inequalities and reflect their realities.

Oct. 30 & Nov. 6 (Wednesdays)

Dr. Brigid Burke Hecate, Persephone, and Feminine Life Cycle Initiations 

Week 1: Lecture ; Week 2: Seminar

Description: This class uses the Greek underworld figures of Persephone and Hecate as a jumping off point for looking at narratives associated with women's transitions, most notably the transition from girlhood to womanhood and from mid-life to old age. The focus will be on physical and psychological aspects of these changes, and how these myths provide an alternative to the developmental narrative of the hero's journey. 

 

Nov. 13 & 20 (Wednesdays) 6:30-8:30PM EST

Dr. Max Orsini: Transforming the Feminine Image by Image: Vast Visions in American Women's Poetry

Week 1: Lecture ; Week 2: Seminar

Description: 

“At the core of the women’s poetry movement is the quest for autonomous self-definition.” – Alicia Ostriker

“The only war that matters is the war against the imagination.” – Diane di Prima

 

American women’s poetry of the second half of the twentieth century is a poetry of transformation, revision, and imagination. With vibrant, dynamic imaginations, female poets like Sexton, Plath, Rich, Kandel, di Prima, and Harjo conceive new possibilities, new modes of being, new ways by which we might experience reality beyond cultural expectation, societal preconception. Refashioning myths and fairy tales, and drawing on diverse spiritual or cultural traditions, American women’s poetry not only creates new space for how we think about the feminine but also allows us to think about how we might more deeply and fully understand one another. This will be very important for us in a changing world, in years ahead. 

This exploratory lecture seeks to inspire open-mindedness and creative possibility and aims to playfully and boldly engage poetry that disrupts stories which bind us rather than set us free. 

Course Requirements:

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Full term students should participate in all lectures and seminars, and submit a project at the end of term. 

 

Student projects: 

 

Students will submit a project at the end of term. It can be a piece of academic writing, a fictional work, poetry, art, music, or something else arranged and approved with a mentor. Students should arrange for this no later than November 22. A form will be provided to all semester students, and they will be assigned to the appropriate mentor. 

 

Deadline for the final project is December 13, with feedback provided over the next week, though these can be submitted on a rolling basis before the 13th. These are not graded projects; students receive critical feedback, and they can apply it as they wish. 

 

Certificates of completion will be given once all projects are done and feedback is completed.