All work in this class is conducted in French.

What pronouns do you use? This seemingly innocuous question has sparked bitter and sometimes violent controversy in the English– and French-speaking worlds in the past ten or fifteen years. Related concerns, like new gender-neutral pronouns and antisexist language, have also caused strife. This course proposes a history of these pronoun wars that traces them to the decisive encounter between structural linguistics, experimental literature, and feminist, queer and trans activism. It will be structured around Monique Wittig’s pronoun trilogy: L’Opoponax (1964), Les Guérillères (1969), Le Corps lesbien (1973).

This is a course in intellectual and literary history. As such, we will read historiography (writings by historians) about linguistics, feminism, and literature. But we will focus on primary sources from an array of academic disciplines (anthropology, linguistics, literary criticism, sociology), literary texts (novels, experimental prose, poetry), and ephemera (activist pamphlets, newspaper articles).

Assignments: Attendance; active and continuous participation; midterm close reading; term paper or creative project. Participation is a major part of the grade; this is a good class for you if you want to work on your participation and public speaking skills.

Readings by Roland Barthes, Émile Benveniste, Hélène Cixous, Colette Guillaumin, Roman Jakobson, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jean Piaget, Monique Wittig and more.

Completion of FR102, Placement Exam, or Native Language Fluency Required for Enrollment. MUST HAVE TAKEN FRENCH 4 AT UC BERKELEY OR A FRENCH DEPARTMENT PLACEMENT TEST - For placement testing, please contact vrodic@berkeley.edu.