Women
in Literature Literature 45 Contents:
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Irvine Valley College / Fall 2012 Marjorie C. Luesebrink, M.F.A., Professor course syllabus and assignments Literature 45 -- Women in Literature
Your grade in Women in Literature will be based in part on the written assignments for the class and in part on class participation. Weekly Posting on the Discussion List and Two Formal Written Assignments will be required of those seeking a grade. If you wish to take the class Credit/No Credit, you need only do the Weekly Written Posts to the Discussion List and the Research Project. If you wish to get an A or a B, you must also do the Take-Home Final Exam. A. Class Participation (NOTE: you must post once a week on the Discussion List to pass the class.) These written posts may form a part of your Research Project. Also, you need to read all the posts from the students for the week. The Discussion list is our class session. I will often convey important information to students in answer to their posts. B. A take-home, written Final Exam.
Links to Weekly Lectures and Assignments
Week 1. Monday, August 20, 2012 Assignment: Literature by and about women has always been seen as "other" - that is, human experience was defined by the historical and literary production of men, for the greater part of our history. Examine some of the assumptions you have about women, archetypes you are familiar with, and reasons why you might assume that writing by women is "inferior."Be sure to begin a notebook or folder to save your assignments, the collected assignments in the notebook may be used as part of your Final Research Project. And, you are responsible for keeping track of your weekly posts! Reading Assignment : Behn, Oronooko //Recommended: Website Materials.
Week 2. August 27, 2012 The second week will focus on the images of women we find in all cultures. Assignment: In our discussion this week, we hope to have members of the class introduce their colleagues to a favorite writer. In a survey class of this kind, we are unlikely to cover every writer that has been important to class members. As a way of introducing the class to more women writers, each of you is encouraged to select a writer and prepare a short discussion text about a writer of your choice. (You may want to choose from the list of writers provided on the Recommended Reading pages.) Remember, you need to post to the Discussion Forum with your assignment at least once a week.Reading Assignment : Behn, Oronooko Recommended: Website Materials.
Week 3. September 3, 2012 The third class will investigate the writing of women from early days. Assignment: As the class moves into the chronology of the reading list, we will be covering our writers in historical (chronological) order. However, we will also be concerned with overall themes that are common in issues about writing by women - issues such as Sociological concerns (class, economic determinants, etc.), Stylistic elements (language, tone), Gender relationships, and Authorship features. You will be choosing a writer that will be your focus for your Research Project. Each of these analytical elements will be important in your Research Project. Begin a notebook in which you keep notes linking major thematic elements with the author you are researching. Keep this commentary in your notebook and share it with your class members in the Discussion Forum. Reading Assignment : Mary Shelley: FrankensteinRecommended: Website Materials..
Week 4. September 10, 2012 The fourth class lecture will explore the developments of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth centuries that opened up the world of publication possibilities for women writers. Assignment: Each of your weekly assignments is building thoughts and notes toward your Research Project. This week, look at the author you have selected to determine her place in the history of women's writing. Establish the birth and death dates of your writer and place that writer in historical time, perspective. If you have trouble figuring out the historical surrounds of your writer, ask about this in discussion group, or ask me for assistance.Reading Assignment : Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
Week 5. September 17, 2012 The fifth week will begin an investigation into other aspects of women's writing. Assignment: Each of your weekly assignments is building toward your Research Project. During this week, examine the works that your writer has produced. What genre do they fit in? What kind of hero or heroine tends to be at the center of the story? What is the voice that your writer tends to adopt? In what ways would your writer have benefited from the development and subsequent popularity of the Novel? Write down your thoughts about these issues and share them on the Discussion Forum.Reading Assignment : Jane Austen: Mansfield ParkRecommended: Website Materials.
Recommended: Website Materials.
Assignment: During this week, you should take a careful look at the sociological and economic background that informs the work of your writer. No matter how "timeless" a work may be (as is Austen's), the seeds of the time and place of creation will always be embedded in the final product. Reading Assignment : Emily Bronte: Wuthering HeightsRecommended: Website Materials. Assignment: Add to your notebook of observations for your final project by looking a the Romantic elements you find in your writer. Share these ideas with the class.Reading Assignment: Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights Recommended: Website Materials.
Reading Assignment: Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights Recommended: Website Materials.
Reading Assignment: Virginia Woolf: A Room of One's Own Recommended: Website Materials..
In the eleventh week we will examine the roots of the modern novel. Assignment: Add to your notes for your final project by looking carefully at the language and style of your writer. Is your writer using language to question the reality of things? Does your writer adopt a stylistic attitude that reflects her historical period?Reading Assignment: Virginia Woolf: A Room of One's Own Recommended: Website Materials.
XII. The Contemporary Novel Week 12. November 5, 2012 The twelfth week will concentrate on the women writers (not all novelists) and novels that fall roughly into the "contemporary" category - the 1950's on, for our purposes. Assignment: Add to your notes for your final project by identifying the elements that will come to characterize contemporary women and their work. How does your writer emphasize moral and ethical values in character, plot, and event? Is your writer acting as a part of a recognized female writing tradition?Reading Assignment: Joan Didion, The Last Thing He Wanted Recommended: Website Materials.
XIII. Other Voices Week 13. November 12, 2012 The thirteenth class session re-introduces the concept of voice and voicelessness. Assignment: You should have gathered some good material by now for your Research Paper. Please be sure to consult with me about your thesis, direction, and documentation. You are welcome to get class feedback on your project on the discussion list. Continue writing.Reading Assignment: Toni Morrison: Sula Recommended: Website Materials.
Week 14. November 19, 2012 I n the fourteenth week we move into the Twenty-first Century, so to speak, with a look at the new electronic writing.Assignment: Continue writing your Research Paper. Share results with the class.Reading Assignment: M.D. Coverley: Califia Recommended: Website Materials.
XV. Women of the Web Week 15. November 26, 2012 The fifteenth week will give us a chance to examine the work being done by women writers on the WWW. Assignment: Continue writing your Research Paper. Share results with the class.Reading Assignment: M.D. Coverley: Califia Recommended: Website Materials Discussion of Take-Home Exam : Regularly-Scheduled Final Date.
XVI. Review: Week 16. December 3, 2012
Assignment: Mail in or turn in your Research Paper by Wednesday, December 12, 2012Take-Home Exam: Due Wednesday, December 12, 2012 by e-mail or hard copy if you like. Both of these can be submitted by e-mail, and you can also give me a hard copy if you wish, for safety! _________________________ ______________________________ Required Written Work The Final Research Project will be a result of your own research into an author of your choice and may include some of your posts or weekly writing assignments. As soon as you have chosen an author you would like to write about for your Research Project, you may use your research material to help you answer the Weekly Assignment Questions, as well. [ You should keep the Weekly Assignment responses in a notebook or computer file in addition to posting them to the Discussion List. Then, you will be able to use some of your Weekly Assignment responses in your Research Project if they add to your essay about your chosen author.] Description. Each of us has a favorite woman writer. In the first weeks of class, you will becoming familiar with new writers, too, that may interest you. You should choose, as soon as you feel comfortable, one woman writer that you would like to concentrate on during the semester. This assignment will allow you to read, research, and analyze the work of this writer and respond to her work in the light of the issues we will study in class. (You should read 3-4 books by the author that you choose for your project). At the end of the class, you will write a formal Research Paper on a focused topic that relates to the themes of the class. Documentation: Please note that this paper requires both Works Cited and a Bibliography!There are many resources on the web for format and documentation of your paper - a good guide to the MLA style for preparing papers is
and there are many other resources at Voice of the Shuttle - Style Guides are available at Voice of the Shuttle as well as links to many women writers. Due Date: The hard copy or the e-mail version is due Wednesday, December 12, 2012 Requirements: The written assignments must be typed, proof-read, and the grammar should be correct. Your Research Paper should follow MLA guidelines and include both a Bibliography and a Works Cited documentation system.
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B. The take-home, written Final Exam. Remember: If you wish to take the class Credit/No Credit, you need only do the Weekly Posting Assignments and the Research Project. For students seeking a letter grade of A or B, the Final Exam is a requirement. The written, take-home exam may be started at any time after the first half of the semester. Due Date The take-home Final Exam will be due on Wednesday, December 12, 2012. Also, during finals, I will be available for consultation on your progress in the class. If you have questions about how these two written assignments contribute to your grade in the class, please see Grading Policies.
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