ENGL 4185: Studies in Literature
by Women
PAF 109, TR 11-1:45
Dr. A.
E-mail: ainsenga@westga.edu T,
R
Website: http://www.westga.edu/~ainsenga/
and by appointment
Office: 319 Pafford
Office phone: 678 839 4864
Visions and Revisions, Vamps and Revamps
"A woman’s writing is always feminine; it cannot help being
feminine: the only difference lies in defining what we mean by feminine."
--Virginia Woolf
General course description:
- An
investigation of aesthetic and cultural issues pertinent to the production
of literature by women. Typical offerings will rotate among topics
related to literature by women in the
- Prerequisites: ENGL 1101 and 1102.
- A further specific description pertaining to this section of the course may be added.
Section-specific
Course Description:
In “Professions for Women,” a lecture delivered to the Women’s Service League in 1931, artist and literary critic Virginia Woolf referred to a female model that “whispered in her ear” whenever she tried to write: the Angel in the House. Of this feminine vision, Woolf says, “She was intensely sympathetic. She was immensely charming. She was utterly unselfish. She excelled in the difficult arts of family life. She sacrificed herself daily. If there was chicken, she took the leg; if there was a draught she sat in it—in short she was so constituted that she never had a mind or a wish of her own, but preferred to sympathize always with the minds and wishes of others. Above all—I need not say it—–she was pure.” It is this feminine, Victorian image that Woolf strove to kill by flinging her inkpot at it, by becoming a female writer. But did it work? Can an image be destroyed simply because we wish for its destruction? After all, even after “murdering” the Angel, Woolf openly asks, “The Angel was dead; what then remained?” What is left when an old representation is “killed” off? Our course will focus on pervading symbols of femininity—from the hysterical to the heroic—and we will explore how images are revised and revamped over time in British, Irish, and Aussie female texts. To chart such an evolution, we will study works from several genres and read various samplings from critical texts. Finally, we will view a film—The Magdalene Sisters—and discuss visual images of women presented by a male director.
Course Goals:
- Students
will demonstrate an enhanced familiarity with selected texts by female
authors from the
- Students will develop theoretical and critical foundations for interpreting literature by women and will use these foundations in their interaction with the course texts.
- Students will gain an understanding of the practice of canon formation in the construction of literary history and of alternative feminist and cultural literary histories.
- Students will recognize the particular social and political consumption of female-authored literature.
- Students will demonstrate in both oral and written work a discipline-specific critical facility through convincing and well-supported analysis of related material.
- Students will demonstrate their command of academic English and the tenets of sound composition by means of thesis-driven analytical prose.
- Students will learn to use discipline-specific computer technologies related to the study of language such as listservs, word processing, and internet research.
Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Delineation:
Students are required to take two WAC courses for an undergraduate
degree in the
Course activities include both “Writing to Learn” and “Writing to Communicate” assignments. Your specific WTL assignments include your presentation handouts, annotated bibliography, and two tests. Your WTC assignments, specific to this discipline, are the major research paper and elements of your oral presentations. See specific description of these assignments under “Major Assignments” below.
Major Assignments/Percentage
Breakdown:
- Two tests (mid-term and final examination) 40% WTL
- Two seven to ten minute presentations about class readings 15% WTC
- Final project (8-10 pages) and annotated bibliography (at least three sources) 35% WTC
- Class participation 10%
Description of Major
Assignments:
- Tests:
You will take two tests, one in-class and one take-home. The mid-term will ask you to identify major quotations and the significance of them and will ask you to write an essay that synthesizes major concepts with specific texts. The final exam will be a take home exam, and you will be asked to choose two from five essay topics and write detailed, argumentative essays.
- In-Class Presentations:
Each student will present twice in our class. Presentations will begin the discussion of each author/text we study. What I am looking for: a seven to ten minute discussion that introduces the work to the class in a critical manner. In your presentations, you may point out major themes you notice or make fruitful connections with other texts we have read. You may point out specific passages of import and discuss them. You may situate the text historically. You may also connect the primary reading to one of our secondary readings on Docutek; indeed, some of the readings will beg you to do so. You may also pose sets of questions for us to explore during class after you finish. For each of your presentations, you will create a short handout that offers us a summation of your presentation’s goals for the entire class and me.
What I categorically do not want: SUMMARY OF THE TEXT OR SIMPLE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. Please take heed here. We need your particular reading with support, your analysis, your introduction of these texts. You are the catalyst for discussion on the days you present.
- Final Project:
You will choose a primary text by a female British author. You will then argue for a critical reading of that text that uses scholarly articles (secondary sources) as support. It is entirely possible to write on a text we have studied in class, though many of you will branch out and study others. I will not require that you turn in a proposal, though I strongly encourage that you finalize your topic by the third week of classes and come see me around mid-term to discuss the direction of your research.
- Annotated bibliography:
You will find detailed information about this assignment at the following URL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbib.html
Carefully follow the guidelines set down on this site. Your annotated bibliography is due with your
final paper, and you must annotate a minimum of three secondary sources. You should use more than three sources for
your final essay project, but at least three secondary sources must be
annotated. Please see the detailed
examples at the site above. I suggest annotating articles and/or book chapters,
as they will be easier for those of you who are writing an annotated
bibliography for the first time.
- Participation:
Though attendance is meritorious and required, it is by far not the sole determinant in participation grades. Students must bring texts to class and come “at the ready” to discuss the readings in those texts. Print out all assigned readings on Docutek for class, too. Engaging with your classmates and with me, especially during and after presentations, is also imperative.
As a way to boost your participation grade, you may sign up for an additional in-class presentation. Succeeding at this extra presentation ensures that I will add five points to your final participation grade.
Required Format for
Work:
All out-of-class work will be presented in correct MLA format. 12 pt. font is also required. I will not accept work electronically, save under the most dire of circumstances. Please do not send me work electronically unless you and I have made prior arrangements. If you are unfamiliar with or need a refresher on MLA format, please see me during the first week of classes for guidance and/or check out the following link: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html
Attendance/Workload:
Summer classes can present challenges. Our course meets 14 times in eight weeks, and the university requires us to accomplish a semester’s worth of work in this time period. Because of this requirement and time constraints, the rules for attendance are strict.
One absence is equivalent to missing more than a week’s worth of work. For this reason, if you miss more than two class periods you will be dropped from the course or fail because of absences. Each class lasts 2 ¾ hours, and we will take a fifteen minute break during each class. Leaving or arriving at the break will count as a full absence. It is never necessary for you to notify me about missed class since I do not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences.
You can expect at least 40 pages of reading per class period and longer assignments between Thursday and Tuesday classes since you have five nights to prepare.
Late Work/Make-Up
Work:
As a general rule, I do not accept late work. If you feel you have an extenuating circumstance, you must see me to discuss. I also ask that you do not place work outside my office door or under my office door unless we have spoken. I will not accept work in this manner. Please see Required Format rules above with regard to electronically submitted work.
Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty:
From the English Department’s website:
“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; it is another form of misrepresenting the truth. Plagiarism
is grounds for failing the course. The University policies for handling
Academic Dishonesty are found at the following URLs:
· The English Department http://www.westga.edu/~engdept/Plagiarism/index.html
· The Faculty Handbook http://www.westga.edu/~vpaa/handrev/
· Student Uncatalogue: "Rights and Responsibilities" http://www.westga.edu/handbook/”
Please note:
“excessive collaboration” includes having family members, friends, or
significant others edit or proofread your work.
This sort of behavior is cheating and will be treated as such. We’ll participate in Peer Review and will collaborate
in class, and you have the
Should you cheat in this class, you earn an automatic “F” for the course, and I will immediately recommend that you be sent before a disciplinary committee. My policy is a zero tolerance one.
Administrivia:
· I reserve the right to amend this document with further handouts.
· The absolute best way to contact me is through e-mail.
· Turn off cell phones and remove Ipod ear buds when you enter our classroom.
·
Not coming to class prepared with textbooks,
Docutek handouts, and other necessary materials is an automatic absence. No
exceptions.
Detailed Syllabus:
Legend: NA=Norton Anthology of Literature by Women; DOC=Docutek (online course reserves linked off of Ingram Library’s homepage. Our course’s password is “ainsenga”)
Directions to get to
Docutek:
- Go to http://www.westga.edu/~library/
- Click on “Course Reserves” underneath “Find Information”
- Click on “Electronic Reserves and Reserves Pages”
- Enter the information requested (course or instructor name)
- Click on course number
- Enter password (ainsenga); click on “accept”
- Find and print reading(s)
June 6
Course Introduction
“Scribbling Women”: Perspectives on Studying Women’s Literature
Sign up for presentations
- For next class:
Read: in NA—Preface, Julian of Norwich selections, and Margery Kempe selections (pgs. 1-24)
Read: DOC—Showalter’s selection and Todd’s “Early Work”
June 8
Discuss Julian of
Finish signing up for Presentations
- For next class:
Read: in NA—Queen Elizabeth (all selections, pgs. 27-29), Mary Sydney Herbert (“To the Thrice Sacred Queen Elizabeth,” pg. 30-33), Isabella Whitney (“The Author Maketh her Will. . .”, pgs. 34-40), and Amelia Lanyer (“Eve’s Apology. . .”, pgs. 40 and 42-44)
Read: DOC—Eagleton, “Finding a Female Tradition”
June 13
Four Presentations
Discuss poetry selections
- For next class:
Read: in NA—Introductory material, pgs. 63-80 and Aprha Behn’s Oroonoko, pgs. 117-127
June 15
One Presentation
Discuss Behn
- For next class:
Read: in NA—finish Oroonoko, pgs. 127-161
June 20
One Presentation
Behn discuss
- For next class:
Read: in NA—Mary Wollstonecraft, pgs. 255-275, introductory material, pgs. 283-304, and Mary Shelley, pgs. 353-369
Read: DOC—Todd, “
June 22
Two Presentations
Discuss Wollstonecraft and Shelley, Todd
- For next class:
Read: in NA—Elizabeth Barrett Browning, pgs. 373- top of 380 and 390-401, Christina Rossetti, pgs. 894-917
Read: DOC—Armstrong and Kaplan
Reminder: Begin work on your final project now to
ensure that you have a well-conceived argument and get all of your research
completed
June 27
Four presentations
Discuss poetry selections
Discuss mid-term/review
- For next class:
Study for in-class mid-term examination
June 29
Mid-term examination (in-class)
- For next class:
Read: in NA—all of Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre (pgs. 472-784)
Read: DOC—Felman (note the plethora of questions in this short selection that we can apply to our present text and beyond)
Reminder: Now is a great time for you to finalize a topic for your culminating project
July 4:
July 6
Three Presentations
Discuss Brontë
For next class:
Read: DOC—Gilbert and Gubar
Reminder: Now is a great time for you to see me to discuss final project topics
July 11
Three Presentations
Discuss Brontë
For next class:
Read: in NA—Introductory material, pgs. 961-978, Virginia Woolf, pgs. 1314-1350, and Katherine Mansfield, pgs. 1461-1480
July 13
Four Presentations
Discuss Woolf and Mansfield
- For next class:
Read: in NA—Marianne Moore, pgs. 1446-1460, Alice Meynell, pgs. 993-996, Mina Loy, pgs. 1360-67, and Eavan Boland, pgs. 2296-2300
July 18
Four Presentations
Discuss poetry
- For next class:
Read: DOC—Todd, “Men in Feminist Criticism”
Read: Supplemental materials on The Magdalene Sisters (TBA)
July 20
Two Presentations
Take-home final examination assigned
View The Magdalene Sisters in class
- For next class:
Final Examination due
July 25: last day of classes
Turn in take-home Final Examination
Two Presentations
Course Evaluations
Discuss The Magdalene
Sisters
July 27
Final Project and annotated bibliography due at my office by