E 350 (550) Women and Literature
Dr. Lynn Alexander
UTM English Department
Office: H 130E, x7280
Fall 2002
E-mail: lalexand@utm.edu
Catalog description:
A historical survey
of women writers, including contemporary writers, which focuses on women
writers' concern with and presentation of issues such as race, ethnicity,
religion, and class.
Course goals and objectives:
Students completing English 350 should gain the following knowledge and skills (as defined by the Tennessee Teacher Licensure Standards):
Although women have always written, until the appearance of the novel in the late eighteenth century, the publication (and thus the preservation) of a woman's writing was rare. But the advent of a new form, the novel, brought new opportunities and women were soon being published in record numbers. Thus, because the novel has become the dominant force in women's literature, it is the genre on which we are going to focus. But even when limited to novels, there is still an overwhelming number of texts and authors to choose from; so a common theme--magic, mysticism, and mayhem--and common cultures--English and American--have been used as guides to limit the reading selections.
I
chose the theme "Magic, Mysticism, and Mayhem" because women writers have
often used these devices to cloak issues that were considered questionable,
improper, or outright taboos by society. Thus, Mary Shelley can use the
fantastic creation of Victor Frankenstein to speak of issues such as pregnancy,
postpartum depression, and even parental rejection. Similarly, Virginia
Woolf can use fantasy to address cultural issues such as androgyny, same
sex desire, and women's rights. One of the questions we will address repeatedly
is, what are the issues behind this novel.
Reading:
Eight novels, most of them short, and one short story will be discussed in class and online. I have specified particular editions since in some cases we will be using the critical articles involved, and it is always easier if we can all be on the same page. If, however, you already own copies of some works you don't need to replace them; just be sure you have access to any supplemental materials. Copies of all of the works are available in the campus bookstore.
Discussion:
Our class will not be meeting on Fridays. To compensate, at least partially, for this class members should log on to the bulletin board at least two times a week with at least one of the postings occurring between Thursday and Sunday. The novels discussed should follow the reading schedule, and students are expected to have at least one entry on each work. There are some general discussion questions linked to each novel for us to consider, and they can be used in the discussions, but do not have to be. Students are expected to do outside, critical reading as well; this is to be primarily a participation class and such readings will be necessary to sustain discussions of the novels. The link to the background information and discussion questions is through the title listing in the schedule (below).
To give students the experience of
leading group discussions, I am asking that students sign up to lead two
discussions.
Each discussion will be lead by a small group of about four students.
Writing Assignments:
Besides logging on to the discussion bulletin board three times a week, students will write two papers--one five-page, close reading of a novel on the syllabus (an analysis of a character, theme, setting, or image), and one eight- to ten-page research paper (three sources minimum, MLA documentation) on a novel. Either paper may be done first, but you may want to do the close reading second so that you have more choices.
I am also asking you to read at least one critical article on three of the novels and write a critique of the novel (there is a list of articles attached). Critiques are due by the last day of discussion of a particular novel and at least one of them must be done before midterm grades are due. Finally, there will be mid-term and final exams as well (these will be placed on line two days before the due date). If you are taking the course for graduate credit, click here.
Grading scale:
| assignment | percentage |
| online discussion | 10% |
| in-class discussion | 10% |
| critiques | 15% (5% each) |
| group discussion | 5% |
| inside paper | 15% |
| outside paper | 20% |
| mid-term | 10% |
| final | 15% |
| total | 100% |
Schedule:
| August 19 | Introduction |
| August 21-28 | Frankenstein |
| September 4 | Frankenstein, discussion |
| September 9-18 | Wuthering Heights |
| September 23 | Wuthering Heights, discussion |
| September 25 | "The Yellow Wallpaper" |
| September 30 | "The Yellow Wallpaper," discussion |
| October 2-7 | Orlando |
|
October 9
|
Orlando, discussion mid-term exam due |
| October 14-16 | Wide Sargasso Sea |
| October 21 | Wide Sargasso Sea, discussion |
| October 23-28 | Ceremony |
| October 23 | paper due |
| October 30 | Ceremony, discussion |
| November 4-11 | The Left Hand of Darkness |
| November 13 | The Left Hand of Darkness, discussion |
| November 18-25 | Mama Day |
| November 20 | paper due |
| November 27 | Mama Day, discussion |
| December 2-4 | Like Water for Chocolate |
| December 4 | final exam due |
| December 10 | Like Water for Chocolate, discussion |
Return to UTM
English Home page
http://www.utm.edu/~lalexand/e350.htm
April
2002