Contemporary Women Writers

English 331, Spring 2009z
Minard 215, Tuesdays, 3:30-6:00
(Some evenings in SE 314, 3:30-5:00)
3 Credits, #12352
Prerequisite: ENGL 120 or equivalent

"School is tiny vacation."  — Gwendolyn Brooks, "The Coora Flower"

 

One thing very important in life, says Theresa, is to know how to make yourself at home.

—Gish Jen

We must take the feeling of being at home into exile. We must be rooted in the absence of a place.

—Simone Weil

Welcome to English 331, "study of the language, images, themes, modes and genres in 20th century literature by women of various cultural, ethnic, and national backgrounds." 

This Spring's section will focus primarily (but not exclusively) on questions of 1) belief and nonbelief; 2) leaving, going, being at home; 3) the Self and the Other; and 4) bothness and inbetweeness.

Other questions.

Schedule

Coursework and Assignments

Housekeeping

Blackboard

Class Library


Debra S. Golden ©
Instructor: Cindy Nichols
Office Location:  SE #318F
Phone:  231-7024 
Hours: M-T-W-TR-2-3:00 and by appt.

Voices from the Gaps

Voice of the Shuttle's Women's
Studies and Feminist Theory Links


Required Course Texts

Elizabeth Bishop, Geography III
Lisa Lewis, The Unbeliever
Fanny Howe, One Crossed Out Fanny Howe, The Wedding DressAnnie Proulx, Wyoming Stories
Deb Olin Unferth et al, One-Hundred and Forty-Five Stories in a Small Box

Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping
Joy Williams, Breaking and Entering
Joyce Carol Oates, Foxfire

  Other Necessities

  • Frequent access to email.

    Ability to use Blackboard and the Web.

  • A committment to regularly attend classes, participate in discussion, and keep up with reading assignments. This is CRUCIAL in a class that meets once a week.

Aims of this Course

  1. You will gain a good appreciation of nine contemporary writers, responding both critically and creatively to their work. You will come to understand some historic as well as recent questions asked about literature generally and literature by women specifically.
  2. You will satisfactorily complete a critical essay, an open project, and quizzes on each author.

 


Primary Course Work

Critical Essay (35 pts. or 35% of semester score) Late in the term you will complete an essay on one of our assigned authors or readings. This will be an interpretive piece in which you develop your own thesis and then argue for that idea in about 5-8 pages. Part of your essay will involve putting your thesis in a critical context. I.e., you will research other critical work done on the author or work in question.
 Open Project (35 pts. or 35% of semester score) For this project you are free to explore contemporary writing by women in any medium and in any mode you choose, as long as your finished piece shows conscientious reflection on and detailed engagement with a course-related subject, and as long as it integrates some form of research or critical thinking. You can produce a research paper, do some imaginative writing, create an art work, write a memoir, or experiment with hybrid writing which combines all of the above. The choice is yours. Your individual assignment and the criteria for its evaluation will be established through one-on-one conversations with your instructor. This component of the course allows you to experiment with hybrid kinds of writing which we'll be discussing in class.
Quizzes (30 pts. or 30% of semester score) Each class session will begin with a quiz on the assigned reading for that afternoon. The quizzes won't be difficult, as long as you've read the assignments completely and thoughtfully. A list of study questions will likely be handed out a week in advance, and some quiz questions may come directly from that. Journal writing and other activities may count as quiz credit.
Weekly Work (minus, check-minus, check, or check-plus) This work will receive just a mark in my book. It will provide a record of your participation and commitment to the course. Possible activities include student-lead discussion sessions, in-class writing, small-group work, and creative imitations. Alternative kinds of writing—academic/personal fusions, for example—are also very likely. A very strong or very weak record of weekly work may result in a higher or lower semester grade, especially in borderline cases.

Final Grading Scale

90-100 points = A
79-89 = B
68-78 = C
57- 67 = D
Below 57 = F

Note: exceptionally weak or strong performance on your weekly work will be factored subjectively into your semester grade, especially in borderline cases.

Housekeeping:
Policies, Deadlines, & Special Needs


Ground Rules

Respect and curiosity are keywords for this class. It's important that you come with an open mind, a willingness to test your own views and the views of others, and to think and feel actively about the readings. It's a discussion and reading-intensive course, so it's vital that you stay up on reading assignments, attend regularly, and participate energetically. Other important tips: feel free at any time to argue with me or with your classmates, and be be ready for interesting, sometimes challenging group discussions, readings, and films.


What to Do If You Miss a Class

  1. DO NOT come to me asking, “What did we do?” (Or, even worse, “Did we do anything?”)
    As soon as possible, contact 2 or more classmates for full class notes, instructions, handout titles, etc. If the classmates you contact did not take helpful notes or are otherwise uninformed, you should contact someone else. (You are responsible for knowing what transpires in each class session, whether you are present or not.) If you know in advance that you will miss a class meeting and/or class work, contact classmates well ahead of time for assistance.
  2. After contacting classmates for full information, you may then visit or email me if you have specific, informed questions. Always include your class and section number on the subject line of emails.


Late or Missed Course Work

Quizzes and Weekly Work

You can make up any missed or late work of this kind at any point in the semester up through midnight on May 14th. If this policy is abused, and an excessive amount of work is coming in especially late in the semester, these policies may change.

Critical Essay and Open Project

These are due no later than midnight on May 14th. Exceptions are only made with documented evidence of serious harship or illness. Note: for the open project, you must complete a class performance.

 

A Note to English Majors

During their senior year, English majors generally enroll in the English Capstone course (Engl 467), during which they assemble a portfolio containing representative written work from NDSU English courses. The English Department evaluates these portfolios to assess its undergraduate programs, analyzing how student work meets departmental outcomes. In order to facilitate the preparation of senior portfolios, English majors are encouraged to save copies of their written work (in electronic and hard copy) each semester.

Departmental Outcomes

This course meets at least three English Dept. outcomes:

  • Outcome 1: English majors will be able to write and speak effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences in a variety of genres and media. Outcome 2: English majors will be able to read (analyze, interpret, critique, evaluate) written and visual texts.
  • Outcome 7: English majors will develop professionalism exhibited in such qualities as self-direction, cooperation, civility, reliability, and care in editing and presenting the final product.

University Statement on Academic Honesty

All work in this course must be completed in a manner consistent with NDSU University Senate Policy, Section 335: Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct. http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/335.htm Note: any instances of deliberate plagiarism in English 331 will result in an F for the course.

Student Conduct

All interactions in this course including interactions by email, weblogs, discussion boards,or other online methods will be civil and students will demonstrate respect for one another. Student conduct at NDSU is governed by the Code of Student Behavior. See http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/vpsa/code/ for more information.

Americans with Disabilities Statement

Any students with disabilities or other special needs who need accommodations in this course are invited to share these concerns or requests with me as soon as possible.

 

 Disclaimer!  I believe in the creative as well as practical value of spontaneity. I also believe that disorder is always there, lurking in any plan or scheme no matter how carefully devised— especially my own! I therefore reserve the right, if the occasion warrants it, and with ample notice to you, of course, to alter some of the details on this page as the semester progresses. Fundamental requirements for and aims of the course will remain unchanged.

“I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.” —Rebecca West


 

Prepared by
Cindy Nichols

Last modified: 
January 11, 2012

NDSU Webmaster

Quotations near top of this page:

Gish Jen, Mona in the Promised Land, p. 247

Simone Weil qtd. by Fanny Howe in The Wedding Dress, p. 75.

 

"He buys me books, but begs me not to read them, because he fears they joggle the mind. I would like to learn. Could you tell me how to grow, or is it unconveyed, like melody or witchcraft?"

—Emily Dickinson