Fall 2016 ENGL 2190-01/02

Resistance and Revision: Studies in Literature by Women

Bonnie Jett Adams (TLC 1-208)

email:

web address:

Office hours: M 9:30-3:00; T 1-3; W 9:30-3:00; TR 9:30-11, 1-3 and by appointment

Required texts and other readings/materials

The Longman Anthology of Women’s Literature. Ed. Mary K. DeShazer.

ISBSN 0-321-01006-X.

Why study literature by women? Although the literary canon has evolved significantly over the past thirty years, there remains much yet to be uncovered in the female voice. How, then, do we set about exploring this terrain? As Ellen Moers notes, “By some accidental or willed critical narrowness, we have routinely denied ourselves additional critical access to [major female writers] through the fact of their sex – a fact surely as important as their social class or era or nationality, a fact of which women writers have been and still are conscious. How, as human beings, could they not be?”

We willapproach the literature in this course through the lens of the female experience itself. Beginning with Virginia Woolf, we will first examine those writers whose work centers upon not only finding their distinctly female voices, but expressing them as well. We will move then to an examination of the treatment of the female body and female sexuality: How do women writers represent their own bodies and sexuality? How does the biological fact of their female bodies influence their writing?

Finally, we will examine what Joseph Boone refers to as the “countertraditional voices” in literature by women – those texts whose premise runs decidedly counter to the traditional structure of narrative, which deems marriage the ultimate (and often, the only) end for the female protagonist. Through a discussion of works spanning from the seventeenth century (Astell’s A Serious Proposal to the Ladies) to contemporary culture (HBO’s Sex and the City), we will consider how these women writers raise their voices against marriage, whether through uncovering the misogynist principles inherent in the traditional structure of marriage, or through simply advocating alternative choices which prove ultimately more satisfying. Under the purview of a “countertraditional” text, we will also discuss Adrienne Shelley’s film Waitress, examining its rejection of the traditional marriage plot, as well as its decidedly less-than-traditional representation of pregnancy.

Our class will culminate in an examination of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. We will discuss each text in light of the writer’s revolutionary/revisionist treatment of the issues we’ve deconstructed this semester: the female voice, sexuality, and marriage.

Relationship of course to program goals:

This course fulfills Area C.2 requirement in the Core.

Required Information for Syllabus: It contains important information about your rights and responsibilities in this course.

Title IX Reporting:As of July 1, all faculty and staff at public universities in Georgia became mandatory reporters for sexual assault. We are required to report any incidences of sexual assault, and we are not allowed to maintain the information in confidence with the student.

Course Goals

  • Students will develop the ability to recognize, identify, and contextualize significant achievements in literature by women.
  • Students will develop an appreciation of the nature and achievements of the arts and humanities.
  • Students will develop the ability to apply, understand, and appreciate the application of aesthetic criteria to "real-world" circumstances.
  • Students will develop enhanced cultural awareness and analytical skills.
  • Students will demonstrate their command of academic English and of the tenets of sound composition by means of thesis-driven analytical prose.

Specific course requirements:

  • You will complete six short writings (2 pages each), which will constitute 30% of your final grade.
  • You will sign up to do a research-based group presentation on a selected text, which will constitute 10%
  • There will be a mid-term and a final (both weighted 25%), in which you will analyze passages from the texts we’ve discussed, as well as write shorter essays in answer to topic-specific questions.
  • We will have frequent reading quizzes and will occasionally have in-class response writings. Both activities will count toward your participation grade.
  • The remaining 10% of your final grade will come from participation (quizzes, group work, and in-class writing).

NOTE: Final grades will be posted on BanWeb; no grades will be given over the telephone.

Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty

The Department of English and Philosophy defines plagiarism as taking personal credit for the words and ideas of others as they are presented in electronic, print, and verbal sources. The Department expects that students will accurately credit sources in all assignments. An equally dishonest practice is fabricating sources or facts; this is another form of misrepresenting the truth. In addition, working closely with someone else to the point at which his/her ideas significantly contribute to your paper also constitutes a form of plagiarism known as excessive collaboration. Regardless of the extent of the plagiarism (even two lifted lines constitutes plagiarism), students who plagiarize will be given an automatic F in the course, no exceptions, and may face possible expulsion (Note: This policy extends to cheating on all other assignments as well, be they journal entries, quizzes, or other in-class work.). See below for University policies for handling Academic Dishonesty:

The Faculty Handbook, sections 207 and 208.0401: Student Uncatalogue: "Rights and Responsiblities"; Appendix J:

Participation

Students should come to class prepared; this means that not only must you read your assignments prior to each class, but you should be able to discuss those readings.This is a discussion-based class, which means that a significant portion of class time will be devoted to your voices. It’s my job to ask questions that will lead you to an informed analysis; it’s your job to provide thoughtful answers in class.

Your participation grade, which will ultimately constitute 10% of your final grade, will be comprised of your quiz, presentation, and group work grades.(See the paragraph below regarding how excessive absences will affect your participation average.) The lowest two participation grades will be dropped at the end of the semester. Students who are absent will receive a zero for whatever in-class work is missed, as there are no make-ups for missed participation grades.

NOTE: It is ultimately your responsibility to keep up with all of your participation grades; I would recommend keeping a log of some sort, so that you will be aware of your ongoing average.

Attendance

It is imperative that you attend class regularly in order to succeed, as essay topics come straight from our class discussion. You are allowed three absences over the course of the semester; all absences count, regardless of your reason for missing class, so there is no need to explain absences or provide doctor's notes. Upon the student’s fourth absence, he or she will have two options: 1) withdraw from the class, which will generate a W if done before midnight on Friday, September 30th—or a WF if after that deadline; or 2) remain on the roll (still attending classes, if so desired) and receive an F for the course/semester.Please note that there are absolutely no exceptions to the attendance policy.

On those days in which we do not have any graded activity, I will call the roll for the sake of the record.If you ever arrive late to class, it is your responsibility to see me after class is over to be sure that I have marked you present for that date.Absence records cannot be disputed after the fact, so please, be sure to see me if you arrive late. Late arrivals count as 1/2 of an absence; if you arrive late (after we have begun our quiz), you will not be allowed to take the quiz, even if we are still in the midst of it. Likewise, on dates that downloads are checked, if you arrive after I've checked them, you will receive a 0 for that day's participation grade.

Classroom Decorum

All electronic devices (cell phones, ipods, etc.) should be turned off and out of sight during class. Students should also maintain respect for the instructor and fellow peers, abstaining from disruptive behavior, including talking out of turn (i.e. side conversations and comments not intended as a part of class discussion), consistently arriving late, texting, or sleeping during class. Students may be dismissed from any class meeting at which they exhibit behavior that disrupts the learning environment of others; each dismissal of this kind will count as an absence and will be applied toward the attendance requirements policy above. Sleeping or texting in class will result in an absence for that class period (and as such will count toward the absence total discussed above). Again, there are no exceptions to this rule.

Late Work

All out-of-class writing should be turned in during class on the due date. I will, however, grant a grace period to allow for unexpected emergencies; thus all out-of-class writings are due by 3:00 on the due date. DO NOT EMAIL ESSAYS TO ME; I will only accept hard copies of your essays. In an effort to avoid any confusion or miscommunication, I also require that you turn your paper in to me directly(as opposed to leaving it in my mailbox or sliding it under my office door). It's fine if you need someone to turn your paper in for you, so long as that individual hands it directly to me.

If you are unable to meet the above 3:00 deadline, then you will have the option of turning in your paper by noon on the day following the due date with a penalty of one letter grade’s deduction. (Thus if your essay is due on Monday, then you will have until noon on Tuesday to turn it in with one letter grade off.) If you intend to submit your paper late, please let me know, either in class or via email. I will not, under any circumstances, accept essays later than noon the day following the due date. (NOTE: The late option applies only to your six informal out-of-class writings; there is no late option for other assigned work.)

Departmental Paperless Policy: As of Fall 2006, our English Department has implemented a “paperless” policy in its classrooms. In other words, instructors will no longer be handing out worksheets or Xerox copies of materials for students. Thus throughout the semester, I will post things on CourseDen for you to download, print, and bring to class I will alwaysremind you when you need to download and print an item for an upcoming class meeting, but it is ultimately your responsibility to follow through. Because these printed items will be part of the class activity for the day, students who do not bring printed copies of previously assigned downloads will receive a zero for that day’s participation grade (regardless of performance on quiz).I will check to be sure that each student has the necessary printout on the days that they are required; students who arrive late (i.e. after I have checked downloads) will not receive credit.

A Note Regarding Personal and Academic Responsibility

Being part of an academic culture (and "real life" in general) necessitates that you accept responsibility, not only for your actions, but for the work that you do; this means that it is ultimately up to you to meet deadlines, complete assignments, and accept the consequences when you do not comply with course policies. You are not entitled to a passing grade simply because you are enrolled in the course; likewise, in a university setting such as this one, grades are not assigned on the basis of effort, but rather, on the basis of academic performance. Your final grade will be the result of the grades that you earn; I cannot ethically give you additional points because you need to pass the course in order to avoid academic suspension or losing a scholarship. You know what the stakes are for you if you do not do well in the course, so take responsibility for your performance.

I will be glad to help you and to provide feedback for you as you engage in the writing process, but do be aware that if you choose to see me for help with an essay, you must bring some form of pre-writing with you. In other words, do not meet with me only to tell me that you don’t know what to write about; it’s your responsibility to generate ideas, and then I will help you refine those ideas. In addition, you should not wait until the day before an essay is due to meet with me about it for the first time.

Student-Professor Email correspondence

You are welcome to email me with any questions, and you may also email your thesis statement to me if you’d like feedback. While I’m happy to help via email, please do not abuse this privilege (i.e. re-sending thesis statements multiple times with changes made according to my suggestions). At a certain point, this becomes excessive collaboration, which is, of course, a form of plagiarism. Likewise, do not send emails asking questions that I have covered in class or that you can find on your own (due dates, course policies, etc.). Should you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what work you missed (by consulting the online course calendar) and to get the notes from a classmate.

I also ask that you observe standard grammar and punctuation rules when emailing me (or any professor, for that matter!). Do not send emails that are in “text speak.” This is not an appropriate form of communication outside the realm of sending an actual text. I respond to emails during “business” hours (M-F 9-5).

*Note: All student-professor email correspondence must take place via your my.uwg account; likewise, if you need to reach me outside of class and/or office hours, email is the most efficient way to do so. Please be aware as well that I cannot communicate with your parents; should you have concerns about your progress in the course or any other issues that arise, you should address them with me personally.

Syllabus:

This syllabus serves as the contract for the class; if you are enrolled in the course, then it is understood that you will comply with the criteria set forth on this syllabus, as will I. The guidelines, expectations, and grading criteria are clearly outlined here, and these will govern the structure of the class. You should print off a copy of the calendar section of the syllabus and bring it to class with you every day, so that you may make note of any changes as they occur.

Your final grade will be the result of the grades you earn, averaged according to the weights specified here (see below for percentages).

Grading scale:

A+=98%; A=95%; A-=92%; B+=88%; B=85%; B-=82%; C+=78%; C=75%; C-=72%; D+=68%; D=65%; D-=62%; F=50%

Your final grade will be determined as follows:

Participation10%

Mid-term 25%

Final Exam25%

Short Writings30%

Research Presentation10%

*Please note: All reading and writing assignments are due on the date that they are noted on the syllabus.

**The schedule below is subject to change in order to accommodate the progress of the class. I will let you know in class if I make any changes to the syllabus during the course of the semester, but you are ultimately responsible for checking the syllabus on a regular basis.

Because we will read selections from our texts throughout class discussions, you should bring the work we are discussing to each course meeting; failure to so will count as ½ of an absence, as you will not be able to truly follow and participate in discussions without the text.

TR 8/11Introduction to ENGL 2190: syllabus overview, course requirements, discussion of assignment expectations, questions/concerns

UNIT ONE: WOMEN WRITING / FINDING A VOICE

T 8/16Discussion: What’s the difference between sex and gender?

TR 8/18Assignment(s) due: Woolf, A Room of One’s Own (chapter 3, pgs. 35-43; conclusion, pgs. 71-2)

Discussion: Why Study Literature by Women? Woolf and revising the literary canon

T 8/23Group Presentation: What is Milton’s bogey?

Discussion: Woolf and female literary inheritance; Excerpts from Paradise Lost

Overview:Informal Writing #1 assigned; Grading Guidelines for short writings; Presentation sign-up

TR 8/25Assignment(s) due: Lanyer, from Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (936)
Discussion: Defending Eve

T 8/30Assignment(s) due: Finch/Countess of Winchilsea, “The Introduction” (97)
Discussion: “Fallen by mistaken rules”: Nature vs. Education

TR 9/1Assignment: Kingston, “No Name Woman” (307); Hurston, from Dust Tracks on a Road (288)

Discussion: Breaking the silence: writing as self-empowering

T 9/6Group Presentation: bell hooks & what it means to “talk back”

Assignment(s) due: hooks, “Talking Back” (73)

Discussion: Writing as a means of re-claiming power, “a daring and defiant [ . . . ] act”

TR 9/8Group Presentation: Anzaldua and the “token” feminist of color

Assignment(s) due: Anzaldua, “Speaking in Tongues: A Letter to Third World Women Writers” (315)
Discussion: Calling out Academia

T 9/13Assignment(s) due: Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (263)

Discussion: Oppression and subversion: The Female Gothic

TR 9/15Discussion: “The Yellow Wallpaper” / continued

T 9/20Discussion: MIDTERM REVIEW: Q & A

TR 9/22MIDTERM EXAM (Be sure to bring an 8 ½ x 11” blue book!)

UNIT TWO: FEMALE SEXUALITY: WRITING BODIES / BODIES WRITING

T 9/27Discussion: From spiritual to sexual: Writing the Female Body

TR 9/29Group Presentation: Mary Shelley’s “hideous progeny”
Assignment(s) due: Excerpt from Shelley’s Frankenstein (CourseDen)
Discussion: Victor’s metaphorical “rape” of Nature

NOTE: The deadline to withdraw from the class with a ‘W’ is Friday, September 29th @ midnight.

T 10/4Assignment(s) due: Benstock, “The Lesbian Other” (597)
Discussion: Heteronormativity vs. Homosexuality

TR 10/6NO CLASS: FALL BREAK

T 10/11Group Presentation: Medieval Mysticism
Assignment(s) due: Kempe, from The Book of Margery Kempe (420)
Discussion: Understanding Christ through the Female Body

TR 10/13Assignment(s) due: Julian of Norwich, from Showings (654)