In this course we will explore representations of mental illness in modern America in its literary, cultural, political, philosophical, and medical dimensions. Looking at mental illness and trauma as it is experienced in diverse contexts and communities, we will ask: How have understandings and treatments of mental illness changed over time? How does literature add to neurochemical accounts of mental illness? What do representations of mental illness tell us about cultural ideals of freedom, rationality, and reason, and cultural anxieties about violence, disorder, and the unknown? Readings may include historical, sociological, and medical writings about mental illness, alongside literary works by writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, William Faulkner, Sylvia Plath, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Shani Mootoo. We will also consider how members of contemporary mad pride, anti-psychiatry, and psych-survivor movements are responding to popular representations and institutions for the treatment of mental illness today, and how can we make our campus a safer and more therapeutic space. Ultimately, our goal is to expand and complicate our understanding of mental illness, as well as to think broadly and creatively about the impact of literature on mental health, and effective ways to treat mental illness and trauma in our community to promote individual and collective well being.