LIT 2380

LIT 2380
MCC

WOMEN AND LITERATURE

Syllabus
Department of Language and Literature

J.A. JONES
Spring 2009

[Course Objectives ] [Distance Learning] [Texts] [ Policies] [Schedule] [Project Requirements] [Grading]

OBJECTIVES
We shall explore how women have attempted to create lives through literature by looking at the image of woman as found in myth, folklore and traditional literature. We shall investigate how women artists have recreated and redefined these images in alternate literary forms and consider how writing can shape our own lives.

This course meets Area IV requirement for the A.A., A.S., and A.A.S. General Education requirements, and the 6000 word Gordon Rule requirement. This course presents a critical, historical and thematic study of women writers from a variety of cultures and continents. The course content includes studies of literature and politics, genre, literary theory and aesthetics. Focus is on intercultural and international diversity.
(Recommended for English and English Education majors).

COURSE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
For a copy of the Course Performance Standards, go to: http://www.mccfl.edu/pages/467.asp.
A hard copy may be obtained from the Department Office.

GORDON RULE REQUIREMENT
This course meets the Florida State Board of Education Rule Number 6A-10.30. In accordance with this rule, students will complete six semester hours of English and six semester hours of additional coursework in which the student must demonstrate college-level writing skills. The MCC Division of Arts and Letters & Social and Behavioral Sciences requires a minimum of 6,000 words in each of these Gordon Rule courses. A grade of C or better is required for credit in Gordon Rule classes.

DISTANCE LEARNING and SEMINAR DISCUSSION
The class begins online on January 12, 2009
Check your MCC Student Email: http://student.mccfl.edu/ before January 12 for important information.
We will be using ANGEL, MCC's course management system in this course.
Once you have registered for the course, you should be able to login to the ANGEL course site within a day or two:
http://mccfl.angellearning.com/

The class will meet 4 Thursdays : January 29, February 26 and March 26 and April 23
in Room 142 at MCC: Lakewood Ranch from 7-10:00 pm
for seminar discussions.
All 4 class sessions are mandatory!
Basic computer skills, internet access and an MCC e-mail account are required.

E-mails and class questions will be responded to within 24 hours unless I notify the class otherwise.
Class questions should be posted to the ANGEL discussion board, so everyone can share the information.
If you have a personal question, e-mail me at jonesj@mccfl.edu
(my computer at school is on all the time when I am there and I check my MCC email at home)
or at janeajones@aol.com (I check my home e-mail at least once a day).

EMAIL POLICY
As an MCC student, you have been assigned an official student email account to be used for
all college-related email communication:
MCC Student Email: http://student.mccfl.edu/.
I will send email messages only to your official address, and I will not respond to messages from you sent from any other account. You may also use the ANGEL email system as this corresponds to your MCC email.
This policy has been developed by the Department of Language and Literature for the protection of
your privacy.

Be sure to put the topic of your message in the subject line and sign your message with your first and last name and your class (i.e. LIT 2380).

PREREQUISITE
ENC 1101 and concurrent registration in or completion of ENC 1102

TEXTS
David Leeming and Jake Page eds., Goddess
Aliki Barnstone and Willis Barnstone, eds., A Book of Women Poets from Antiquity to Now
Maria Tatar, ed., The Classic Fairy Tales
Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, eds., Feminist Literary Theory and Criticism

(book covers are linked to the AMAZON site if you want to find used copies)

RECOMMENDED
MLA Handbook
Harmon, Holman and Thrall, A Handbook to Literature
( available in bookstore and on reserve in library)

Manatee Community College defines PLAGIARISM as the use of ideas, facts, opinions, illustrative material, data, direct or indirect wording of another scholar and/or writer - professional or student - without giving proper credit. If a student is found guilty of plagiarism, s/he will receive a zero ("0") for the assignment and an "F" for the course, according to due process.
If a student needs assistance in composing his/her paper, s/he should consult the instructor or seek assistance in the English Lab. Outside help in editing, rewriting, or composing shall be construed as plagiarism.
If you are confused about what plagiarism is or how to cite sources, please make an appointment with me to clarify any issues you might have. If this is a last minute issue, email me, and I will try to respond promptly.
Resist cutting and pasting material from the Internet -this is the quickest route to plagiarism.
Review: Citing Sources MLA Style
PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN THIS COURSE.
IF YOU PLAGIARIZE, YOU WILL FAIL THE COURSE.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY
In accordance with Manatee Community College policy as stated in the college catalog, students may withdraw from any course or all courses without the academic penalty of a WF by the withdrawal date deadline as listed in the Manatee Community College academic calendar (this semester, that date is March 23, 2009). While students must take responsibility for initiating the withdrawal procedure, they are strongly encouraged to talk with their instructors first.

MISSED CLASS POLICY
This policy is meant to take into account emergency situations while emphasizing the importance of class attendance:

1) Students who miss class must post their reports to the class to the ANGEL discussion board and be sure I get a properly formatted hard copy of the assignment.
     2) Students missing classes do not receive credit for the oral part of the assignment.
     3) Any student who misses more than one class meeting for any reason will fail the course unless he or she withdraws before the last withdrawal date.
4) Students are responsible for all classes whether they attend or not.

GRADES
will be based on written work, online participation and class presentations.
Students are responsible for all classes whether they attend or not.
Any student who has not turned in all written assignments will fail the course.
10% of the grade will be deducted from projects turned in late.
5 pts. will be deducted from the grade of any journal assignment posted late.

This course will further reinforce skills needed for the CLAST. The Arts and Letters Division offers a one-credit hour CLAST review course every semester for students preparing to take the CLAST. Please see your counselor about registering for the course.

Please feel free to chat about papers or any other questions or problems at anytime.
I will respond to all e-mail correspondence within 24 hours, unless otherwise notified.

Homepage: http://faculty.mccfl.edu/jonesj/JAJones.html
E- mail: JonesJ@mccfl.edu
Phone: 941-408-1499
Hours: by appointment
Office: Venice Campus, Room 641

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SCHEDULE

Before you start any work for this course, thoroughly explore the course website.
Check out the Useful Links page for the course, read the Unit assignments and Projects (links below) and check out the links pages for each unit. The website has been designed to give you as much information about the course as possible. If you have any questions or suggestions for making it better, please e-mail them to me: JonesJ@mccfl.edu

Weeks	Assignments (All assigned videos for the class are available in the libraries on both campuses)	Journals (Journal entries are due on the ANGEL Discussion Board during the week assigned: 5 pts. deduction for late posting after Sunday midnight)
	UNIT ONE Mothers and Goddesses
Week 1 January 12-18 Log in to the ANGEL Class Management System	Print out and read the course syllabus! Read Leeming and Page's Goddess. Start thinking about the Goddess Project PPT: The Goddess Plan to watch the video Inanna (AV BL1616.I5 W64 1988 ), available in both Bradenton and Venice libraries, for Week 3 Journal	Introduce yourself to the class. Take the MCC Distance Learning Readi Assessment for Distance Learners The log-in page is at http://manatee.readi.info/ Username (for everyone) is manateecc Password is online *Click on NEW POST; discuss how you did on Survey. What are your strengths and weaknesses for taking a DL course? What will you need to do to be successful in this course?* Post your choice of goddess to the WebBoard -- 1st come, 1st served, but no choices before January 12. You may post your choices for Unit 2,3 and 4 assignments after January 19.
Week 2 January 19-25	Read Alice Walker in Feminist Literary Theory and Criticism (FLTC), pp. 212-219.	Trace your matrilineage. Discuss the "mother" who has had the most influence on your life (it need not be your actual mother). Think of influence both in positive and negative terms.
Week 3 January 26- February 1 CLASS: Thursday January 29: present Goddess Project and turn in Goddess Notebook.	Before you prepare your project, check out Tools for Writing and Research MLA PPT Sample List of MLA Citations Writing about Literature Errors That Drive Jones Crazy Review: Creating an Effective PPT Presentation Student Sample: Eostre Watch the video Inanna (AV BL1616.I5 W64 1988 ) available in both Bradenton and Venice libraries. *Read Paula Allen Gunn in FLTC,* pp. 609-19**	Work on your Goddess Project and put together the Goddess Notebook *I expect your work to adhere to MLA Format and to be written in acceptable standard English!* If you are going to use a PPT for your oral presentation, please attach it to the Discussion Forum so it will be easily accessible in class and/or email it to me in an attachment. Review the Inanna video, following the video review form Discuss how Gunn's article has affected your perception of the research you have done on your Goddess. *(about 300 words).*
Week 4 February 2-8	Read Audre Lord in FLTC, pp. 222-228 Read Women Poets: pp. 1-23, 29-46, 62-65, 103-06, 420-428	What themes and concerns are reflected in these ancient poets? What do the poems tell us about women's lives in the ancient world? Comment specifically on 3-4 poems in *Women Poets (about 300 words).*
	UNIT TWO Saints and Sinners
Week 5 February 9-15	Read: Shahar's "Introduction" to The Fourth Estate (xerox) Read: Sandra Gilbert, Christine de Pizan and "On Medieval Women" in FLTC, pp. 1-19 and 835-860 Start research on Saints and Sinners Project	Take The Magnificent Medieval Women Quiz and find out what you know about Medieval Women. Discuss one or two issues raised in the assigned readings that you find particularly intriguing (about 300 words).
Week 6 February 16-22	*Read: Women Poets:* pp. 47, 59-82, 87-102, 110-47, 156-74, 183-204, 245-56, 262-67, 305-07, 314, 341-43, 429-51**	Find a theme shared by 3 medieval (before 1400) poets from 3 different cultures in Women Poets, and discuss how each poet addressed the theme (about 300 words). Find a different theme shared by 3 Renaissance (1400-1650) poets from 3 different cultures in Women Poets, and discuss how each poet addressed the theme (about 300 words).
Week 7 February 23- March 1 CLASS: Thursday February 26: Saints and Sinners Project due: Panel Discussion and essay	I expect your essays to adhere to MLA Guidelines and to be written in acceptable standard English! *Read: Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own:* Chapter 3 "Shakespeare's Sister" and Chapter 4 "Aphra Behn" (click the online link). Choose your novelist and focus for Novelist Project if you haven't already done so.**	By February 25, post a question or two about Woolf's essays -- be sure your questions require thoughtful answers, not just yes or no reactions. Answer one of your classmate's questions (about 300 words).
Week 8 March 2-8	Read: Witchcraft documents: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/witches1.html Heresy Handout: http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Heresy.pdf The Burning Times: www.religioustolerance.org/wic_burn.htm Browse: The Witching Hours: http://shanmonster.net/witch/index.html	What is the connection between heretics and witches? When you hear the term "witch," what do you think of? -- Halloween? Satanic worship? Wicca? What have you learned from the reading assignment? Has it changed your perception of witches? *(about 300 words).*
	UNIT THREE The Modern World: Novelists
Week 9 March 9-15	*Read: Introduction to Tatar's The Classic Fairy Tales, pp. ix-xviii* Read one of the collections of Fairy Tale variants in The Classic Fairy Tales, and research the ways your fairytale has been adapted in the 19th-20th c .	*Discuss the fairytale that was your favorite as a child.* Why was it your favorite? *Answer the the questions in Fairy Tale variants about the fairy tale you have chosen . Specifically mention the titles of the tales in your answer -- do not generalize.* *(about 300 words)*
Week 10 March 16-22	Read pp. 38- 145 in FLTC: Burney, Wollstonecraft, Edgeworth, DeStael, DeGenlis, Austen, Shelley, Bronte, Eliot, Fern, Dickinson, Stowe, Martineau, Jackson, Cooper, Gilman, H.D., Woolf	Discuss the difficulties and rewards 18th and 19h century female novelists faced as revealed in the selections assigned. Be sure to reference specific authors and their writings in your response *(about 300 words)*
Week 11 March 23-29 March 23: Last Day to Withdraw from classes with a W CLASS: March 26 Submit Novelist Project.	I expect your essays to adhere to MLA Format and to be written in acceptable standard English. *Read the essays by Rowe, Warner, Shavit, Zipes and Haase in The Classic Fairy Tales,* pp. 297-364.**	Discuss what you have learned from Rowe, Warner, Shavit, Zipes and Haase about the 17th-19th century collectors and authors of fairy tales. What do you perceive is their influence on the development of the novel during the same period (about 300 words) (see Definition of the Novel, History of the Novel and Secondary Sources on the Novel)
Week 12 March 30-April 5	Read: Women Poets, pp. 149-53, 217, 257-58, 314-15, 452-90 Read: Male Visions of Women in Romantic and Victorian Poetry Choose your Wild Woman if you haven't done so	Compare and contrast the lives of women as portrayed in the poetry by 18^th -19^th c. women with that portrayed by Romantic and Victorian male poets. Refer directly to some of the assigned poets and poems in your discussion (about 300 words).
	UNIT FOUR Wild Women
Week 13 April 6-12	Watch: Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Part 2 AV HQ1412 .N89 1999 PBS DVD	Discuss your reaction to the struggle for women's rights and suffrage as depicted in the video. You are, of course, welcome to view Part 1 of the video too, if you have time. (about 300 words).
Week 14 April 13-19	Explore: The Library of Congress's VOTES FOR WOMEN: Selections from The National American Women Suffrage Association Collection, 1848-1921 Read: The Timeline and at least two articles from the website.	*Summarize and discuss the two articles you read (be sure to include, author, title and date written)* *(about 300 words)*
Week 15 April 20-26 Class: Thursday April 23: Present and submit Wild Women Project.	I expect your essays to adhere to MLA Format and to be written in acceptable standard English. *Read Gubar's Introduction to THEORY: ON GENDER AND CULTURE FLTC* pp. 291-99. Then choose 3 essays from that section to read and comment upon.**	*Briefly summarize and discuss the three essays you read (be sure to include, author, title and date written). What do you find most intriguing or provocative about the authors' ideas?* *(about 300 words)*
Week 16 April 27-May 3	*View one of the videos: Right Out of History: Judy Chicago's Dinner Party* AV NK4605 .R5 or The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler AV PS3555.N75 V3 2001 NO LATE WORK OR EXTRA CREDIT WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER May 3.**	Discuss your reaction to the video. What is the relationship between language and art and sexuality? What does Ensler or Chicago have to say about the issue of women's empowerment? Check the Wild Woman Links for information about Judy Chicago. Click here for a list of Women Celebrated by Judy Chicago . Click here for the V-Day Website. (about 300 words)

Online Journal -- one entry per week -- see Unit pages for assignments. Journal Assignments must be posted to the WebBoard	100 points per month app. 3000 words Each journal entry is worth 25 pts.	400 points 5 pts. deduction for late posting
Goddess Project	Oral Notebook -- 750 wds.	50 points 100 points
Saints and Sinners Project	Panel Written -- 750 wds.	50 points 100 points
Novelist Project	Oral Written -- 1000 wds.	50 points 100 points
Wild Woman Project	Panel Written -- 1000 wds.	50 points 100 points

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