Feminist and scholar Adrienne Rich once wrote that “life on the planet is born of woman.” This semester, we will examine some of the implications of her seemingly simple statement. Specifically, we will explore the recent social and political developments that highlight the contested role of mothers—both in the workplace, at home, and everywhere in-between. We will also look back at women who articulated the needs of mothers decades ago. The term “mother” is so densely laden with expectations and emotions that it can be difficult to take a step back and question the founding assumptions about who makes a “good” mother and what is “appropriate” for a mother to do (or not to do).  While our personal experiences with mothers or mothering will not be discounted in this class, we will focus the majority of our time and thought to an analysis of social, political, and academic representations of motherhood and mothering. We will ask questions about how race, sexuality, gender, age, and class influence our perceptions of motherhood. We will also examine the intersection between motherhood, identity, and desire in both online and print genres. Over the course of the semester, students will complete several writing projects that will introduce fundamental concepts of