An Inclusive Litany

1/15/96

Course description for English 350-247, "Vampires, Sexuality, and AIDS," offered at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee:
...from the sexually voracious lesbian vampire to the "willfully murderous" bisexual spreader of AIDS, both the vampire myth and contemporary discourse of AIDS have expressed and mobilized a wide range of fears about (In)Human Sexuality. Whether it be the fear of women's desire, of homosexuality, impotence, castration, disease, contagion, or simply death, the creation of myths about both vampires and AIDS frequently expresses a widespread phobia about those beings and practices which seem to threaten the security of nation, family, or sexual identity.

Course description for English 243, "Feminism and Humor: What's So Funny?"

In this course, we will address the ways in which humor serves as both a productive and revolutionary form of feminist critique.... We'll read a variety of contemporary feminist novels to examine how humor is used by some feminist writers as a way of addressing social and political issues.