Syllabus for FSEM 100Z-01 International Short Fiction by Women
Course Description: This course will read and explore international short fiction by
women, including women writers from at least Haiti, Pakistan, India and the African
continent. The class will also include stories read and shared by individual students in the
course.
Texts: Abdul-Baki, Kathryn K. Fields of Fig and Olive: Ameera and Other Stories of
the Middle East. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1991.
Aidoo, Ama Ata. No Sweetness Here and Other Stories. New York: The
Feminist Press, 1970.
Allende, Isabel. The Stories of Eva Luna. New York: Scribner Paperback
Fiction, Simon and Schuster, 1989.
Bagader, Abubaker; Ava M. Heinrichsdorff, and Deborah S. Akers, eds.
Voices of Change: Short Stories by Saudi Arabian Women Writers.
Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998.
Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! New York: Soho Press, 1995.
Head, Bessie. Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales.
Oxford: Heinemann, 1977.
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1999.
Naqvi, Tahira. Attar of Roses and Other Stories of Pakistan. Boulder and
London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1997.
Mon. 1/14
Begin with stories from Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola and learn the
background of Edwidge Danticat. Begin discussing elements of the short story.
For homework, read from Krik? Krak! “Epilogue: Women Like Us,” and
“Night Women.”
Wed. 1/16
Discuss elements of the short story, focusing on “Night Women.” Assign
students for reports on Edwidge Danticat and Haiti. For homework, read
“Children of the Sea” and “A Wall of Fire Rising.”
Fri. 1/18
Reports on Edwidge Danticat and Haiti. Discuss stories. For homework, read
“Caroline’s Wedding.”
Mon. 1/21
Discuss story. For homework, move to South America and Chile. Assign reports
on Isabel Allende, magical realism and Chile. Read in Isabel Allende’s The
Stories of Eva Luna “Two Words.”
General Education Course Proposal Form (November 2007)
Wed. 1/23
Student reports on Chile and Isabel Allende. Video on Isabel Allende. Discuss
stories. For homework, read “Tosca” and “The Little Heidelberg.”
Fri.
Student report on magical realism. Discuss stories. For homework, read “Ester
Lucero” and “If You Touched My Heart.”
1/25
Mon. 1/28
Discuss stories. For homework, read “Letters of Betrayed Love.”
Wed. 1/30
Discuss story. For homework, read “The Schoolteacher’s Guest” and
“Interminable Life.”
Fri.
Discuss stories. For homework, read “And of Clay Are We Created.”
2/1
Mon. 2/4
Discuss story. Assign first short paper on literary criticism. For
homework, read “Walimai.”
Wed. 2/6
Discuss story. For homework, polish your paper. Assign report on
Botswana.
Fri.
Library session with Jack Bales. For homework, prepare an introduction to
Bessie Head; each student bring in some information about this writer. Read her
stories from The Collector of Treasures “Life,” and “Witchcraft.”
2/8
Mon. 2/11
Student report on Botswana. Class portrait of Bessie Head. Discuss stories. For
homework, read “Looking for a Rain God,” and “Snapshots of a Wedding.”
Wed. 2/13
Discuss stories. For homework, read “The Wind and a Boy.”
Fri.
Student led discussion of story. For homework, read “The Collector of
Treasures.” Assign student reports on Ama Ata Aidoo and Ghana.
2/15
Mon. 2/18
Discuss story. In-class writing: an analysis of any of the short stories we have
read so far. For homework, read from No Sweetness Here “For Whom Things
Did Not Change,” and “In the Cutting of a Drink.”
Wed. 2/20
Reports on Ghana and Ama Ata Aidoo. Discuss stories. For homework, read “The
Message,” “Certain Winds from the South,” and “No Sweetness Here.”
Fri. 2/22
Continuing with Ama Ata Aidoo, discuss the stories. For homework, read “Two
Sisters,” and “The Late Bud.”
Mon. 2/25
Student-led discussion of stories. For homework, read “Other Versions” and the
Afterword.
Wed. 2/27
Discuss stories and the Afterword. For homework, read a model short story and
be prepared to discuss the research paper.
Fri. 2/29
Other stories by women from Africa, presented orally from the collection
Unwinding Threads: Writing by Women in Africa. Examples of successful
student papers. Assign student reports on Jhumpa Lahiri and India. Read from
the collection Interpreter of Maladies “Interpreter of Maladies” and “Sexy.”
March 3 through 7 Spring Break – No Class Meeting
Mon. 3/10
Student reports on Jhumpa Lahiri and India. Student-led discussions of stories.
For homework, read “This Blessed House.”
Wed. 3/12
Student-led discussion of story. For homework, read “A Real Durwan,” and
“The Treatment of Bibi Haldar.” Assign reports on Tahira Naqvi and Pakistan,
including the history of the Partition.
Fri. 3/14
Student-led discussion of stories For homework, read “Mrs. Sen’s,” and “The
Third and Final Continent.”
Mon. 3/17
Student reports on Tahira Naqvi and Pakistan. Read from the collection Attar of
Roses “Attar of Roses,” and “Love in an Election Year.”
Wed. 3/19
Student-led discussion of stories. For homework, read “A Matter of
Togetherness” and “History Lessons.”
Fri. 3/21
Student-led discussion of stories. For homework read “A Man of Integrity,” and
“A Woman of No Consequence.”
Mon. 3/31
Student-led discussion of stories. For homework, read “Shadows” and “The
Notebook.” For homework, finish working on your paper.
Wed. 4/2
Peer review of papers in class. Bring your completed paper to class for reading
and editing by your fellow students. Do not miss this session! Your paper grade
will drop a full letter if you are absent or if you do not have a completed draft.
Mon. 4/7
In-class final proofreading and editing before turning the paper in. Writing in
class. For homework, read from Fields of Fig and Olive: Ameera and Other
Stories from the Middle East “Ameera” and “The Marriage of Sima.”
Wed. 4/9
Student-led discussion of stories. For homework, read “Nariman” and “Hashish.”
Fri.
Student-led discussion of stories. For homework, read “Jellyfish” and “The
Wedding.”
4/11
Mon. 4/14
Kathryn K. Abdul-Baki visit? For homework, read from Voices of Change:
Short Stories by Saudi Arabian Women Writers : “Had I Been Male” by Najat
Khayyat and “School Diaries” by Badriyyah al-Bishir and all of the Introduction.
Wed. 4/16
Background on Saudi Arabia. Discuss stories. For homework, read “Zainab” by
Sharifah ash-Shamlan, and “Duties of a Working Wife” by Wafa Munawwar.
Fri. 4/18
Discuss stories. For homework, read “Saffron” by Fatimah ad-Dawsari, “I Will
Not Return” by Qumashah al-Ulayyan, and “Fall Nights” by Samirah Khashuqji
Mon. 4/21
Discuss stories. For homework, read “I Never Lied” by Qumasha al-Ulayyan.
For next class, bring two (2) good essay questions for the final exam.
Wed. 4/23
Discuss story. Prepare essay portion of the final exam.
Fri…4/25
Last class. Prepare for the Final Exam, scheduled for this class on Wednesday,
April 30 from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m.
The main goal of this course is to provide you with exposure to short stories by
highly-regarded women writers from diverse areas of the globe. As you can see from
the list of texts, we will be reading a number of short stories by women from countries
as different as Haiti and Botswana. So we will be studying some geography as well
as some very fine literature.
Every week contains student input in the form of discussion leading or presentations,
as well as possible reading quizzes. These consist of ten (10) questions based on the
reading for the class. The first nine questions are about details from the stories which
you should be able to recall and answer easily from the reading. The tenth question will
require a bit more from you; you should write at least one full paragraph, a mini-essay of
several complete sentences, often on a question of interpretation. These quizzes will
be graded, and at the end of the semester, the grades will be averaged to determine your
final quiz grade, which will be worth 20% of your grade in the class.
You will also be responsible for a presentation to the class of some of the
key information necessary for an appreciation and understanding of the story, especially
on the author, or on the geographical setting of the story. You may choose to develop a
Power Point presentation and/or provide handouts for the class so that they learn what
you are presenting as they will be responsible for such material on the final exam, which
will consist of both objective and written/essay components. This presentation
will be worth 10% of your grade in the class. You will also be expected to lead the
discussion of one of the stories on the syllabus. This will be graded and will also count
10% of your final grade.
In addition, you will also be writing one major paper, which is to be the analysis of a
short story of your choosing which is not on the syllabus. It may be another story from
one of the anthologies we are using, or it may be a story from elsewhere. Obviously, it
needs to be by a woman writing international short fiction. You must submit a copy of
the story along with your paper if it is not in an anthology we are using. We will be
discussing at length the analysis of short stories and good research and documentation, so
these should not be a problem for you. This paper should be 7 to 10 pages, typed in 12
point Times New Roman font and double spaced. As you can see, it is due later in the
semester, so we will have plenty of time to prepare. I will be collecting titles on a sign
up sheet; please sign up early. Every student in the class should be working on a
different story. The grade on this paper will be worth 20% of your grade in the class.
I heartily recommend getting your work done early!
Your final grade will be calculated in the following way:
Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Discussion leading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reading quizzes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Major research paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Class participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Final examination . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .
10%
10%
20%
20%
20%
20%
The Honor Code does apply in this class. You may get “authorized help” from your
classmates in peer review, and you may certainly use the Writing Center. Located in
Trinkle Hall, it is one of the best resources on campus. You are encouraged to make full
use of its services. The finished work you turn in must be all your own, especially
avoiding plagiarism in your papers.
If you have a letter of accommodation from the Office of Disbility Services, please
bring it to me in my office (#314 Combs Hall) so that we can discuss your needs – in
confidence, of course, unless you choose otherwise. Such things as note-taking, time and
a half on tests, and distraction-free testing environments are available to you should you
need them because of a documented disability, and I will be happy to help you.
The grading system we will be using in this class is the following:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
100-94
93-91
90-89
88-83
82-81
80-79
78-73
72-71
70-69
68-64
63 and below
My contact information, also posted on my office door, is as follows: Phones:
Office 540/654-1545 and Home 540/898-2837. Trust me, I lead a very boring life; I’m
Usually at either one number or the other. I also have Voice Mail on both phones, so you
can always leave a message and I will get back to you. Be sure to leave your name and
number clearly. My email address is: csmith@umw.edu . I must tell you, however, that
(hard as it may be to believe) I do not have a computer at home. If you send me a
message at night or over the weekend, I will not see it until the next time I am in my
office checking email.
Welcome to the class – and happy reading and writing!