12:20-1:10P  F  BH 018

In Germany, as elsewhere, men have been particularly fond of asking the
question: "What is Woman?" This history of attempts to define the
essential nature and social status of women has traditionally tried to
confine their activities in a domestic space from which they are not
allowed to stray without running the risk of betraying their "true
femininity." We will examine texts and films by men and women authors
and directors to see how the notions of gender and femininity have been
constructed and in what way women have been able to respond to these
constructions. The purpose is not to identify heroes and villains, but
to examine social forces that often prove to be stronger than the
resistance offered, and that in many ways are operating under different
labels. Topics to be discussed include romantic love and friendship.