Welcome to CP 470/MCMA 552

Monstrous Feminine: the Horror Film and Feminist Film Theory

Time: Tuesdays 3-6:50pm                                                         Location: Lawson 221

Dr. Leigh’s Office: North West Annex 214B                           Office Hours: Tues 9-11, Wed 11-3

Course Description: Often seen as crass, disgusting and exploitative; horror films have historically been considered of low cultural value. This course aims to offer students a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the horror genre, and its impact on culture and politics. This course will explore some of the earliest visual representations of women in horror, from female monsters in art history to the of the punishment of female sexuality in contemporary horror film. After exploring classic feminist scholarship on horror and the female body, we will take inspiration from recent feminist critics who have produced more complicated explorations of the genre’s relationship with difference, sexuality, and race. Finally, the course will also interrogate the significance of female artists and directors working within the horror genre, emphasizing social and psycho/sexual theories of horror.

This course fulfills elective requirements for the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor and Graduate Certificate.