Instructor:
Julie
Barak
Phone: 248-1072
e-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours:
Homepage: http://www.mesastate.edu/~jbarak
Office: Lowell Heiny Hall 443
Course Goals: 1) Limited exposure to the literature of 20th Century women writers
around the globe. 2) Discussion of the issues relevant to women writers and
feminist theory. 3) Development of critical thinking skills including, but not
limited to, a) identifying questions problems and arguments, b) evaluating the
appropriateness of various methods of reasoning, c) identifying and assessing
assumptions, d) critically comparing different points of view, e) formulating
questions and problems, f) constructing and developing cogent arguments, g)
articulating reasoned judgments, h) discussing alternative points of view, i)
defending and/or criticizing a point of view, j) evaluating the quality of
evidence and reasoning, and k) drawing appropriate conclusions.
Course Methods:
1) Discussion in large and small groups. 2) Sharing information through oral
and written reports. 3) Quizzes to encourage reading retention and comprehension.
4) Teacher/Student conferencing and workshops.
Evaluation Tools: 1)
Regular Reading Quizzes covering factual information drawn from the
reading assignments. (18 out of 21 quizzes (I’ll drop the lowest three
scores) worth 30 % of your final grade.) 2) Six one page, single-spaced summaries
of articles from Eagleton. (Click here for
an example.) Worth 20 % of your final grade. Click here for Eagleton Reading
Assignment Schedule. 3) Six one page, single-spaced responses to selections
from Eagleton or applications of selections from Eagleton to the primary
texts. (Click here for an example.) Worth 20% of your final grade. 4) Longer
essay (7-9 double-spaced pages), which both describes the work of one poet
or dramatist (see list attached) and explicates or contextualizes the text by
applying the theories in Eagleton to the text. (Conference appointments
to discuss essays are required. Worth 30% of your final grade.)
Important co-requisite for written assignments: No written assignment will receive credit
unless the writer has presented the material in an oral report to the class.
You MUST share your material with the class or you will receive an
“F” for the assignment. Let me say this again: no matter how
good your written summary, response, or essay is, if you haven’t shared
it with the class you will receive a failing grade for the assignment.
There will be a LIMITED number of “make-up” presentation
opportunities for the summaries and responses and NO MAKE-UP OPPORTUNITIES for
the longer essay. Longer essays will also not receive credit if you fail
to set up or miss a conference appointment.
Important
note about course content: If this course were a movie, it would most
likely be rated “R.” Many of the primary and secondary texts deal
explicitly with a spectrum of issues concerning human sexuality, contain
language that the movie industry would find unsuitable for children, and
create/recreate graphically violent scenes. Unlike most “R”
rated movies however, none of the sexuality, language, or violence in the texts
is gratuitous, in my opinion. I am not apologizing for the texts, nor am I
endorsing or agreeing with the movie industry’s rating system.
I’m simply creating a metaphor from popular culture that you might use to
gauge your potential response to the material.
Required Texts in the order they will be assigned:
Fumiko Enchi – The Waiting Years
Mary Eagleton – Feminist Literary Theory
Rosario Ferre – Sweet Diamond Dust
Margaret Atwood – Surfacing
Rigoberta Menchu – I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in
Guatemala
Jeannette Winterson –
Ama Aidoo – Changes: A Love Story
Anita Desai – Feasting, Fasting
Judy Grahn – Mundane’s World
Policies and Procedures:
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Date |
Reading Assignment |
Assignments Due |
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1 |
A-18 |
Introduction/Background/Organization/Methods |
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A-20 |
Enchi – Part 1 (1-79) |
Quiz |
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A-22 |
Enchi – Part 2 (79-154) |
Quiz |
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2 |
A-25 |
Enchi – Part 3 (to end) |
Quiz |
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A-27 |
Eagleton I – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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A-29 |
Eagleton I – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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3 |
S-01 |
Labor Day – No Class |
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S-03 |
Response/Application – Eagleton I |
Response/Application |
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S-05 |
Ferre – Preface through Chapter V |
Quiz |
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4 |
S-08 |
Ferre – to end |
Quiz |
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S-10 |
Eagleton II – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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S-12 |
Eagleton II – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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5 |
S-15 |
Response/Application – Eagleton II |
Response/Application |
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S-17 |
Atwood – Chapters 1-7 |
Quiz |
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S-19 |
Atwood – Chapters 8-15 |
Quiz |
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6 |
S-22 |
Atwood – to end |
Quiz |
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S-24 |
Eagleton III – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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S-26 |
Eagleton III – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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7 |
S-29 |
Response/Application – Eagleton III |
Response/Application |
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O-01 |
Menchu – Introduction & Chapters 1-7 |
Quiz |
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O-13 |
Menchu – Chapters 8-15 |
Quiz |
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8 |
O-06 |
Menchu – Chapters 16-25 |
Quiz |
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O-08 |
Menchu – to end |
Quiz |
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O-10 |
Eagleton IV – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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9 |
O-13 |
Fall Break – No Class |
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O-15 |
Eagleton IV – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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O-17 |
Response/Application – Eagleton IV |
Response/Application |
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10 |
O-20 |
Winterson – Chapters 1-2 |
Quiz |
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O-22 |
Winterson – Chapters 3-5 |
Quiz |
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O-24 |
Winterson – to end |
Quiz |
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11 |
O-27 |
Eagleton V – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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O-29 |
Eagleton V – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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O-31 |
Response/Application – Eagleton V |
Response/Application |
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12 |
N-03 |
Aidoo |
Quiz |
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N-05 |
Aidoo |
Quiz |
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N-07 |
Aidoo |
Quiz |
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13 |
N-10 |
Eagleton VI – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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N-12 |
Eagleton VI – see sign-up |
Summary/Discussion |
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N-14 |
Response/Application – Eagleton VI |
Response/Application |
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14 |
N-17 |
Desai – Chapters 1-7 |
Quiz |
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N-19 |
Desai – Chapters 8-13 |
Quiz |
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N-21 |
Desai -- to end |
Quiz |
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15 |
N-24 |
Reports |
Paper Due |
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N-26 |
Thanksgiving – No Class |
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N-28 |
Thanksgiving – No Class |
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16 |
D-01 |
Reports |
Paper Due |
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D-03 |
Reports |
Paper Due |
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D-05 |
Reports |
Paper Due |
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17 |
D-10 |
1:00-2:50 Grahn – beginning to end |
Discussion/In-Class essay |
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Poets |
Playwrights |
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Adrienne Rich |
Susan Glaspell -- Trifles |
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Amrita Pritam |
Caryl Churchill – Top Girls |
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Shirley Geok-lin Lim |
Lillian Hellman – The Children’s Hour |
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Audre Lorde |
Marsha Norman – ‘night, Mother |
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Lucille Clifton |
Wendy Wasserstein – The Heidi Chronicles |
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Rita Dove |
Alice Childress – Trouble in Mind |
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Lorna Dee Cervantes |
Maria Irene Fornes – Promenade |
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Louise Erdrich |
Tina Howe – Birth and After Birth |
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Cathy Song |
Beth Henley – Crimes of the Heart |
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Jessica Hagedorn |
Anna Deavere Smith – Fires in the Mirror or
Twilight |
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Joy Harjo |
Shirley Cheechoo |
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Wendy Rose |
Diane Glancy – several one acts |
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Judith Ortiz Cofer |
Denise Chavez, Linda Feyder -- Shattering the Myth: Plays by Hispanic Women |
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Janice Mirikitani |
Wakako Yamauchi – And the Soul Shall Dance |
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