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The Single Mom in Art, Literature, and Culture [Durham, NC]
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal or Klarna at check out.
Instructor: Sara Appel | 5-weeks | Wednesdays | February 25-March 25 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET | 719 N Mangum St., Durham, NC
The single mom has long been an ambivalent figure in US culture, art, and politics. Regarded with suspicion on both sides of the political aisle, she has also been treated as a problem to be solved across contemporary media. Conservatives see her as proof of the disintegration of the “traditional” family, while liberals tend to cast her as the hard-working feminist who can do it all—but only if she avoids “welfare dependency.” Meanwhile, Hollywood cashes in on her as a damsel in distress, waiting to be rescued by her prince.
In this course, we will engage with literature, film, and art that aims to represent single moms with complexity and care. If, as scholar Jane Juffer writes, “single motherhood emerges as a state of possible freedom” from the constraints of marriage and the heteronormative nuclear family, how have single mothers persisted in a society in which socioeconomic policy remains hostile to this possibility? In addition to economics, how have race, gender, sexuality, immigration status, and other vectors of experience posed unique challenges to women and others who find themselves “solo parenting” from the margins? If we take seriously the idea that single mothering and other ways of parenting outside the nuclear family could open rather than foreclose pathways to freedom, how do the texts we’ll be examining help make these pathways visible?
Texts may include: Terry McMillan’s novel Mama (1987), the film Frozen River (2008), poetry by Joy Harjo and Assata Shakur, music by Tupac Shakur, short fiction by Sandra Cisneros, Tillie Olsen, Meridel Le Seuer, or Anzia Yezierska, Katherine Arnoldi’s graphic novel The Amazing ‘True’ Story of a Teenage Single Mom (1998), and episodes of Gilmore Girls, Jane the Virgin, or Teen Mom.
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SLIDING SCALE TUITION
Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.
The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.
The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.
All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal or Klarna at check out.
Instructor: Sara Appel | 5-weeks | Wednesdays | February 25-March 25 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET | 719 N Mangum St., Durham, NC
The single mom has long been an ambivalent figure in US culture, art, and politics. Regarded with suspicion on both sides of the political aisle, she has also been treated as a problem to be solved across contemporary media. Conservatives see her as proof of the disintegration of the “traditional” family, while liberals tend to cast her as the hard-working feminist who can do it all—but only if she avoids “welfare dependency.” Meanwhile, Hollywood cashes in on her as a damsel in distress, waiting to be rescued by her prince.
In this course, we will engage with literature, film, and art that aims to represent single moms with complexity and care. If, as scholar Jane Juffer writes, “single motherhood emerges as a state of possible freedom” from the constraints of marriage and the heteronormative nuclear family, how have single mothers persisted in a society in which socioeconomic policy remains hostile to this possibility? In addition to economics, how have race, gender, sexuality, immigration status, and other vectors of experience posed unique challenges to women and others who find themselves “solo parenting” from the margins? If we take seriously the idea that single mothering and other ways of parenting outside the nuclear family could open rather than foreclose pathways to freedom, how do the texts we’ll be examining help make these pathways visible?
Texts may include: Terry McMillan’s novel Mama (1987), the film Frozen River (2008), poetry by Joy Harjo and Assata Shakur, music by Tupac Shakur, short fiction by Sandra Cisneros, Tillie Olsen, Meridel Le Seuer, or Anzia Yezierska, Katherine Arnoldi’s graphic novel The Amazing ‘True’ Story of a Teenage Single Mom (1998), and episodes of Gilmore Girls, Jane the Virgin, or Teen Mom.
—
SLIDING SCALE TUITION
Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.
The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.
The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.
All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.