CONN 111 | Fatal Consequences: Examining Women Who Kill

This course examines visual, film, and literary representations of pairs or communities of women who commit murder in response to exploitation, discrimination, social marginalization, threat of military occupation, ethnic erasure, or sexual and gender-based violence. The case studies are drawn from biblical Bethulia, 17th century Italy, 20th century Hungary, and 21st century India, and explore female identity in patriarchal societies, and the interrelation of female violence and the forging of female communities. The course makes use of a range of disciplinary perspectives (art historical, visual cultural, historical, literary, sociological) in combination with feminist and gender studies approaches. It offers an opportunity to examine the formation of complex, intersectional identities, and the processes that lead to the forging of alliances and communities through the lenses of different disciplines and methodological approaches. Through focused interrogation of the theme of female killers, the course invites students to the academic conversation, offers an introduction to 'liberal arts thinking,' and cultivates skills necessary for academic success and lifelong learning.