AUTOTHEORY: DECONSTRUCTION EPISTEMOLOGIES

Course Description

This course will explore works of autotheory, a hybrid genre combining critical theory with autobiography, rich in a history of marginalized writers who build knowledge by resisting predominant hierarchies and literary conventions. By engaging with seminal auto-theory texts, participants will consider the questions: How does hegemony inform dominant epistemologies? What is the impact of writing about and/or without academic and literary conventions? How can these understandings be integrated into daily life

After examining the foundations of autotheory, participants will put these principles into practice through their own writing. In-class writing exercises and discussions will guide students through the process of determining what topics might be best expressed with or without conventions, how to select the critical theory that best informs a topic, and how to accessibly incorporate critical theory for the author's intended rhetorical impact.

This is a student-led colloquium led by Ari Linder under the supervision of Rebbecca Brown.