The foremost goal of this course is to encourage and develop practices of critical interpretation and meaning in fiction. To that end, this class will read a selection of novels to investigate the varied and shifting meanings of family formation that the fictional literature portrays, focusing on the way that gender is imagined and constructed within late 20th century U.S. literature. In doing so, this course will explore the following questions: How does the literature narrate family formation? How does a narrative of family develop and circulate across family members? What is valued in the name of family? Who is given a chance to narrate and who is left to silence? How does gender intersect with family value? How is gender forged and intervened by family relations? Readings will likely include a novel by Octavia E. Butler, Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker, Ursular K. Le Guin, Marilynne Robinson, and Suki Kim.

Course requirements
Note that this is a course that meets the University "W" requirement, which means that students must produce 10-15 pages of graded, out-of-class writing. In this class the requirement will be met with two 5 to 6 page papers that perform a textual analysis of one or more of the course texts and critical materials with a required revision. The final grade will be also based on the successful completion of various assignments such as a regular contribution to class discussion, discussion-leadings, in-class group activities, weekly GoPostings, and substantial daily reading.

Book List:
Octavia E. Butler Kindred (1979) ISBN 978-0807083109
Margaret Atwood The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) ISBN 9780385490818
Alice Walker Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992) ISBN 9781595583642
Ursula K. Le Guin The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) ISBN 978-0441007318
Marilynne Robinson Housekeeping (1980) ISBN 978-0312424091
Suki Kim The Interpreter (2003) ISBN 978-0312422240