Dr. Sophia A. McClennen, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Spanish

 

Fall 2003

Plan of Study

 

CMLIT 406: 

Women and World Literature

Quick Links:

 

A Note about Readings:

I reserve the option of making changes to our daily readings (additions, deletions or adaptations of the current set).  

Introduction

Week 1

Tuesday 9/2

Thursday 9/4

In class

 

Description of Course

For Class

 

 

 

Week 2

Tuesday 9/9

Thursday 9/11

In class

What is feminism? What is women's writing? US Feminism

French perspectives on women's Writing

For Class

Do  intros on ANGEL 

Readings:

  1. Elaine Showalter, “The Female Tradition,” On line electronic reserve (Go to the Library Page, click on COURSE RESERVES, type in our course info and click on the text to read it on-line)
  2. Gilbert, Sandra & Susan Gubar, The Madwoman in the Attic (A brief Summary)
  3. Feminist Theory -- An Overview
  4. Mary Klages' lecture notes on "What is Feminism"

Readings:

Selections from Feminisms

  1. Helene Cixous "The Laugh of the Medusa
  2. Luce Irigaray "This Sex Which Is Not One"
  3. Julia Kristeva "Women's Time”

 

This week's Optional links: 

 

 

Week 3

Tuesday 9/16

Thursday

In class

Zoya

Zoya continued, Issues in Women's autobiography 

For Class

Reading: Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom

 

Turn in Critical Response paper #1 (

Readings: 

 

Selections from Women, Autobiography, Theory

1.     Smith and Watson "Introduction: Situating Subjectivity in Women's Autobiographical Practices"

 

 This Week's Optional Links:

Week 4

Tuesday 9/23

Thursday

In class

Screening of Warrior Marks

Fauziya Kassindja

For Class

Begin Reading Do They Hear You When you Cry?

 

Discuss First Half of text

 

 This Week's Optional Links:

Week 5

Tuesday 9/30

Thursday

In class

Kassindja continued

Compare Kassindja and Warrior Marks

For Class

Discuss second half

 

 

Week 6

Tuesday 10/7

Thursday

In class

 Carolina Maria de Jesus

            Close Reading #1 in class

          Carolina Maria de Jesus continued

For Class

Readings:

Bitita's Diary: The Childhood Memoirs of Carolina Maria De Jesus. 

 

Readings:

Selections from Women, Autobiography, Theory

  1. Doris Sommer "Sacred Secrets: Strategies for Survival"
  2. Anne E. Goldman "Autobiography, Ethnography, and History: A Model for Reading" 

This Week's Optional Links:

 

Week 7

Tuesday 10/14

Thursday

In class

Mid-Term Review

 Mid-term

For Class

 

 

 

Week 8

Tuesday 10/21

Thursday

In class

 Fatima Mernissi

Close Reading #2 in class

Presentation on Mernissi

For Class

 

 Reading:

  1. Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood

 
  1. Judith Butler "Introduction to Bodies that Matter" from Women, Autobiography, Theory in Feminisms

 

This Week's Optional Links:

On Mernissi:

On Judith Butler:

Week 9

Tuesday 10/28

Thursday

In class

 Alicia Partnoy, Screening of The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

Presentation on Partnoy

For Class

Readings:

1.     The Little School: Tales of Disappearance & Survival in Argentina

 

 This Week's Optional Links:

Week 10

Tuesday 11/4

Thursday

In class

Li Ang

Presentation on Ang

For Class

Readings:

The Butcher's Wife and Other Stories

Turn in Critical Response paper #2 (See requirements page for more info)

 

 This Week's Optional Links:

Week 11

Tuesday 11/11

Thursday

In class

Joy Kogawa

Presentation on Kogawa

For Class

Readings:

  1. Obasan

 

 

 This Week's Optional Links:

 

Week 12

Tuesday 11/18

Thursday

In class

Julia Alvarez

 Presentation on Alvarez

For Class

Readings:

  1. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

 

  

  This Week's Optional Links:

Week 13

Tuesday 11/25

Thursday

In class

Trinh T. Minh-Ha screening

More info on this in class.

Thanksgiving Holiday

For Class

 

 Readings:

  1. Sara Suleri "Woman Skin Deep: Feminism and the Postcolonial Condition" in Women, Autobiography, Theory
  2. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak "Three Woman's Texts and a Critique of Imperialism"
  3. Not You/Like You: Post-Colonial Women and the Interlocking Questions of Identity and Difference
    Trinh T. Minh-ha

 

This Week's Optional Links:

 

Week 14

Tuesday 12/2

Thursday 

In class

 Conclusions/ Library Skills

Final Paper meetings

For Class

 

 

 

Week 15

Tuesday 12/9

Thursday

In class

 Final Project Presentations

Final Project Presentations

For Class

Work on presentations and final papers

 Work on presentations and final papers

 

 

The final paper will be due on December 16 by 5pm in my mailbox in 311 Burrowes.

Links:

Also See above after each week's readings.

 

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Created and Maintained by Sophia A. McClennen

Copyright Sophia A. McClennen 2003

For EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

Created on 7/2/2003

Last updated on 08/30/2003