Professor: Angela Rovak
1 credit
In this course, we will turn to Octavia Butler’s Dawn as the continuation of the Red Cloak Book Club, a multi-course experience that focuses on the fiction of reproductive justice. Butler’s text expands the locus of reproductive control and ushers us into an interstellar conflict where the fate of humanity and human reproduction is threatened. By focusing exclusively on the novel for five weeks, we will ask ourselves: what does it mean to be human? Does that meaning rely on the reproductive labor of certain groups over others? What can a science fiction story with aliens teach us about our current social and political realities?
We will also practice the skill of slow reading and mimic the pace of “reading for pleasure” while learning to critically engage the text in conversation with fellow readers.
All you’ll need is a copy of the novel and a notebook to use as a private reading journal.
This course will run from weeks 6 -10 of Winter 2027. If you would like to participate in the first installment of the Red Cloak Book Club, consider enrolling in CRN 25582 where we will engage Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale as a starting point for reproductive justice literature during weeks 1-5. You do not need to enroll in both courses to participate in either of the courses.
Graduation Requirement: This 1 credit, P/N course counts toward fulfillment of the CHC Electives requirement.