“Portraying the Pinay: Womxn in Filipino Literature” will provide an opportunity for us to recover “lost stories” of the women in the Philippines. Pinay womxn have continually been silenced by men, robbed of their agency to represent themselves in both political and literary contexts. The goal of this course is to examine fiction, short stories, poems, and memoirs to understand female archetypes and sexism developed by colonial powers as well as foster discussions about what it means to be a Pinay womxn today and throughout history. What agency do womxn have in fiction and nonfiction portrayals? Are they the authors, the subjects, or anything and everything in between?

Course Objectives

• Examine textual representations of Pinay womxn: read texts published in the 19th Century  to the present that highlight women’s stories: books, short stories, poems, and memoirs. 
• Critique and engage in conversation with multimedia representations of Pilipina womxn by watching films, videos, and documentaries.
• Examine photographs and other visual imagery of Pilipina womxn.
  • Familiarize ourselves with archival practices and visual analysis.
• Decolonize tellings of the Pilipina womxn and promote womxn’s rights in the Philippines.

*Not by any means a comprehensive womxn’s literature course, but rather a brief survey*