Course Description This course intends to familiarize students with the literature and discourses around gender. It is planned as an exercise in reading literary texts so as to expand the understanding of gender beyond the masculine and feminine. It is also an attempt to bring the students up to date with the recent arguments relating to sexuality, body and performance of gender roles. By the end of the course the students should be able to successfully analyse and critique socio-cultural constructions of gender. Course Outcome Analyze and critique literary and theoretical texts with the view to understanding the role gender plays in our individual and collective lives.Delineate the way patriarchal power structures function in the oppression of the sexes.Comprehend discourses around feminism and masculinity studies.Understand the various categories related to gender (heteronormative, queer, trans) and the socio- cultural narratives around them.