AIP 307 Mediating Motherhood (CP, REP)
This course explores perceptions and views of motherhood over time. The course will use art, film, television, the internet, and literature to contrast changing perceptions of mothers through history. This course will embody many different perspectives as a way to understand representation of motherhood including feminist theory, political theory, and sociological theories. The course will begin with mythological and biblical perspectives on motherhood and incorporate discussions on changing and contrasting perceptions of mothers. The course will focus on how race, ethnicity, and class are embedded in ideological and hegemonic constructions of motherhood. Discussions over what it means to be a mother, the political battles to define motherhood, and the role of mothers as activists will take place in this course. While this course will be predominantly focused on representations of mothers in the United States, the course will also examine motherhood as portrayed across cultures.