WS 606: AUTO/BIOGRAPHY: NARRATING WOMEN’S LIVES
Professor Susan E. Cayleff
Fall 2010 Office AL 321
Hours: Tuesdays 11:15-12:45
Thursdays 11:15-noon
and by appointment
Phone: 619-594-5943
Books and READER available at KB Books (5187 College Avenue)
Class Etiquette: Please:
1) be respectful of the opinions of others even if they disagree with your own; 2) please arrive on
time and stay the entire class; if there is an emergency and you must leave early, inform the
professor before the class begins (you will be given half credit for attendance on that day); 3)
side talk, reading materials not related to class, texting, cell phones, surfing the web; Facebook;
etc.are disrespectful and distracting. Please quiet all cell phones before class begins. 4) Please do
not “fold up” your materials until class time is over (we will end promptly); 5) sleeping is not
allowed nor is long periods of “resting.” Lack of adherence to these guidelines will, in some
instances; result in your being asked to leave that class. Should that occur, you will not receive
credit for that class.
Course Description:
This course examines life narratives or the craft of story making/ telling about lived experience.
We will use autobiographies, biographies, as-told-to narratives, memoirs, observer chronicles,
oral histories, historians’ “creations” and fictional narratives to explore the following themes:
“questing” vs. non-linear lives
the cracks between fixed identities
negotiating competing/ contradicting identities
the forces that silence
bridging differences
realizations
flooding: emotional memory
inconclusions
intersectionalities
reclaiming life
the quest for acceptance
“threading”
lying/ varying perceptions of “truth”
the author’s lens: self reflexive/ other
recasting the past
extracting meaning from experience
point of view
the power of naming
The headings for the week also provide guidance for the themes you should be looking for in the
readings.
We will also be doing “free writes” and “free draws.”
Grading Criteria: total possible: 100 points: One absence constitutes a “B” grade (for the
semester); two absences constitute a “C” grade (for the semester); 3 absences constitute a “D”
(for the semester) and 4 or more constitute a failing grade (for the semester).
Assignments are due on the following dates:
Flexible dates: Leading two class discussions
Weekly reflections on two articles for that week
10/7 Final research paper proposal
10/28 Optional: extra credit: Gender Transgression exercise
11/4 Final research paper “best effort” draft to critique partner
11/18 Partner returns your critiqued paper
12/9 and 12/16: Oral presentations in class re: research papers
12/16 All final research papers due
1. 25% Each week students will turn in two reading reflections from amongst the week’s
material. Ordinarily this does not include the book unless otherwise stipulated. This written
response must be no more than 1-1.5 pages: bullet points are the preferred mode. The format to
be followed is this:
Full citation
Information on the author (If none is available, please research this further)
Thesis
“Proofs”
Comment on sources
Connections to previous or current readings
Your evaluation of the source’s strengths/weaknesses
2. 20%: (10% x 2)
Twice during the semester you will assign yourself to be co-discussion leaders for that week’s
readings. You are required to do all of the readings and design five-seven (only) questions that
cover the content, but more importantly, ask in-depth analytic questions that utilize theory,
social class analysis, race, ethnic, gender and sexualities as primary points of inquiry. Also,
students are asked to design questions that link the readings from previous classes.
Discussion times may range from one hour to two hours depending on other content to be
covered. Therefore, come to class knowing which discussion questions are your top
priorities.
Also part of your responsibilities is to locate and analyze (a format will be provided) one
primary historical source germane to your topic. The purpose of this is to situate your
biographical readings within their appropriate historical contexts. Please make copies of
this analysis for distribution to all members of the class.
The Monday before each class you are required to: have completed your questions and
already communicated with others presenting on the same week (this avoids overlap). You
as a group must submit only ONE set of questions amongst all of you to the professor. No
late submissions will be accepted. However, I want to see the individual efforts each of
you has made. Please provide this in the form of the original list of questions you
drafted before consulting with the others. Tuesday NOON before your week’s
material, you are required to email the group’s questions to Cayleff. Questions
received after Monday noon are considered late. You will be provided with feedback that
must be considered and incorporated. You do not need to resend the re-writes back to
Cayleff unless you are specifically asked to do so.
Please bring to class: enough copies for everyone in the class of your 1) discussion
questions and 2) primary source analyses. You will begin class by situating your week’s
main text within its historical context via your primary source analyses. This is expected of
all discussion leaders each week. Please avoid reading your primary source analysis.
Acquaint yourself with it fully enough so that you can effectively paraphrase it with 2-3
minutes. Do not be surprised or disappointed if the class does not discuss each and every
question you have designed. Creating the questions is in and of itself valuable.
2.
5%: Your final individual paper proposal (instructions will be forthcoming) due October 8.
3.
25%: Your final individual paper should be 15-18 pages long. Please see detailed
information on the final page of the syllabus. Due Dec.10.
4.
10% You will be assigned a “critique partner” whose final individual topic resembles
your own. You will be provided with a specific format for critiquing one another’s papers
You will turn in both your partner’s critique and your own revised version of your paper
that incorporates your partner’s suggestions. The assumption is that your re-written draft
(that incorporates the critique) will be substantially improved over your original draft.
Your research paper is due to your critique partner November 5. It will be returned to you
and edited on November 19.
5. 15%: Will be determined by your weekly discussion contributions and your end of
semester oral presentation on your research (suggestions will be offered for oral
presentations). Your attendance is calculated in this proportion as well.
 All assignments are expected to be on time, double-spaced and typed. The one
exception to this is the reading reflections, which are single spaced/bullet points. You may
be asked to provide copies upon request, so please save all assignments on your computer.
Any late assignments will be penalized one full grade per day late (NOT per class late).
PLEASE DO NOT ASK FOR ANY EXTENSIONS. All absences if medically (etc.) related
must be documented.
Books:
Cayleff
Cisneros
Crow Dog
hooks
Garcia et.al.
Mar
Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias
The House on Mango Street
Lakota Woman
bone black
Teatro Chicana
Paper Daughter
Middlebrook Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton
Scholinski
The Last Time I Wore a Dress
Walker
Black, White and Jewish: An Autobiography of a Shifting Self
Available on Blackboard and the Course Reader. Reader for sale ONLY at KB Books and
materials in that are NOT linked electronically to our Blackboard site.
Allen
“Kochinnenako in Academia…”
Anzuldua
“How to Tame a Wild Tongue”
Butler & Rosenblum
“Reverberations”
Crystos
“I Am Not Your Princess”
Ellis
“There Are Survivors”
Halberstam
“Transgender Butch…”
Harding
“Rethinking Standpoint Epistemology…”
Heilbrun
“Writing a Woman’s Life”
Heilbrun
“Women’s Autobiographical Writings”
Hill Collins
“The Power of Self Definition”
Kashtan
“Breaking Ground”
LaDuke
“Mothers of Our Nations…”
Lee
“The Body”
Lorde
“Poetry is Not a Luxury”
Lubrano
“Blue Collar Roots, White Collar Dreams”
Lugones & Spelman
“Have We Got a Theory for You!”
Mernissa
“Introduction” Women’s Rebellion & Islamic Memory
Miller
“Three Perspectives on Method”
Narayan
“Contesting Cultures…”
Personal Narration Group
“Interpreting Women’s Lives”
Plascow
“Jewish Memory from a Feminist Perspective”
Rodriguez
“Introduction…The American Woman Writer of Color”
Smith
“Constructing Truths in Lying Mouths”
Tanno
Names, Narratives, and the Evolution of Ethnic Identity”
Walker
“Womanist”
Williams
‘Clan of the One Breasted Woman”
Yamada
“Asian Pacific American Women & Feminism”
*Please refer to the Reader for the bibliographic citation for each article
Course Goals and Objectives:
As a result of taking this class students will be able to: demonstrate an understanding of the
historical contexts of diverse women’s lives and how these are impacted by social constructions
of genders and sexualities; demonstrate an understanding of the intersectionalities of gender,
race, class, regional location, age, culture and so on as concepts and as lived experience; identify
mechanisms of oppression and resistance; analyze the role of the writer/author and their social
location and power in the production of ideas, theories, and representations (including their
own); understand and appreciate multiple perspectives; make connections between abstract
knowledge and social activism and develop both critical writing and thinking skills.
The following three points are to be read carefully, please.
1. Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. You are plagiarizing or cheating if you:
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For written work, copy anything from a book, article or website and adding or pasting it
into your paper without using quotation marks and/or without providing the full reference
for the quotation, including page number
For written work, summarize / paraphrase in your own words ideas you got from a book,
article, or the web without providing the full reference for the source (including page
number in the humanities)
For an oral presentation, copy anything from a book, article, or website and presenting it
orally as if it were your own words. You must summarize and paraphrase in your own
words, and bring a list of references in case the professor asks to see it
Use visuals or graphs you got from a book, article, or website without providing the full
reference for the picture table
Recycle a paper you wrote for another class
Turn in the same (or a very similar paper) for two classes
Purchase or otherwise obtain a paper and turn it in as your own work
Copy off of a classmate
In a research paper, it is always better to include too many references than not enough. When
in doubt, always err on the side of caution. If you have too many references it might make your
professor smile; if you don’t have enough you might be suspected of plagiarism.
If you have any questions or uncertainty about what is or is not cheating, it is your responsibility
to ask your instructor.
Consequences of cheating and plagiarism
Consequences are at the instructor’s and the Judicial Procedures Office’s discretion. Instructors
are mandated by the CSU system to report the offense to the Judicial Procedures Office.
Consequences may include any of the following:
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failing the assignment
failing the class
warning
probation
suspension
expulsion
For more detailed information, read the chapter on plagiarism in the MLA Handbook for Writers
of Research Papers (6th edition, 2003); visit the following website
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml and talk to your professors before
turning in your paper or doing your oral presentation if anything remains unclear.
The University of Indiana has very helpful writing hints for students, including some on how to
cite sources. Please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml for more information.
2.
Regarding Students with special needs
Students who need accommodation of disabilities should contact me privately to discuss specific
accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you have a disability, but have
not contacted Student Disability Services at 619-594-6473 (Calpulli Center, Third Floor, Suite
3101), please do so before making an appointment to see me.
3.
Religious Holidays: Students must inform the professor of absences due to
religious holidays during the first week of classes.
4.
Optional Credit for Women's Studies Community Events and Meetings
The Women's Studies Department encourages students to explore the connections between
theory and activism by offering students the option to fulfill a percentage of their course
requirements through participation in colloquia, student organizations, and/or community events
relevant to Women's Studies. Students who choose this option will attend at least two meetings
or events that highlight issues of significance for women, and provide a written reflection on
each event, which may include (with the approval of the instructor): departmental colloquia If
you are NOT a first-year Master’s student in Women’s Studies) or brown bag lunches, meetings
of student organizations, and/or lectures or events sponsored by other departments or
organizations in the broader San Diego/Tijuana communities. This opportunity can be worth 6%
extra credit towards your final grade (3% for each event and reflection; papers will be graded
on a 1-3 scale, with three being the most points that can be earned). If you are selecting this
option for more than one Women's Studies class per semester, you must attend different events
and write different reflections for each class. Turning in the same paper for credit in more than
one class is considered cheating. PLEASE NOTE AND ADHERE TO: if you are a first year
Master’s student in Women’s Studies, these CANNOT be events related to the Feminist
Research Colloquia as you are already required to attend these and write written
reflections. Other opportunities will be made available to you. The PROMPT for these
reflections is as follows: How does this talk/event, etc. complement or contradict
themes/issues/analyses we are studying in this course? In what ways does it further our
understanding of the key concepts germane to Women’s Studies? Using specific points
from lecture, discussion, and readings write a 3.5-4 page paper that utilizes citations and
analytic skills. Summaries, or “I thought it was interesting because…” responses will not
receive any credit. These reflections are due within one week of the event. No exceptions.
Schedule and Readings:
Week 1- September 2/ Introduction: syllabus, method, grading, group assignments. Exercise:
“situating oneself”/ road marker exercise. Class will begin at 5:00 so we can attend the campuswide LGBTQIA reception in Council Chambers in Aztec Center at 4 p.m.
Week 2- September 9/ Theoretical Approaches to Reading and Writing Life Histories:
demythologizing and mythologizing; deconstructing and constructing.
Readings:
Cisneros, The House on Mango Street
Heilbrun, “Writing a Woman’s Life”
Personal Narratives Group “Interpreting Women’s Lives”
Rodriguez, “Introduction… and the American Woman Writer of Color”
Lugones & Spelman, “Have We Got a Theory for You!”
Week 3- September 16/ Living Between Worlds: Negotiating Competing Identities
Mar, Paper Daughter
Narayan, “Contesting Cultures…”
Yamada, “Asian Pacific American Women and Feminism”
Tanno, “Names, Narratives, and the Evolution of Ethnic Identity”
Harding, “Rethinking Standpoint Epistemology: What is Strong Objectivity”
Week 4- September 23/ Living between Worlds II: Negotiating Competing Identities
Walker, Black, White and Jewish
Walker, “Womanist”
Kastan, “Breaking Ground”
Butler & Rosenbloom, “Reverberations”
Plascow, “Jewish Memory from a Feminist Perspective”
Film excerpts: “Living between Two Worlds: Contemporary American Indian Women”
Week 5- September 30/ Cultural Continuity within Communities
hooks, bone black
Lorde, “Poetry is Not a Luxury”
Mernissa, “Introduction…”
Anzuldua, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue
 October 7: Turn in your final individual research proposal 
Week 6 October 7: Cultural Continuities amidst Communities in Flux
Garcia, et.al., Teatro Chicana
Film: Chicano Park
Week 7 October 14: Naming a Gendered Self: The Uses of Oral Histories
Cayleff, Babe: The Life and Legend …
: Miller, “Three Perspectives on Method”
Smith, “Constructing Truth in Lying Mouths…”
Lubrano, “Blue Collar Roots, White Collar Dreams”
Film excerpts: “Babe Didrikson Zaharias: Top Female Athlete in 20th C. America”
ESPN
 October 14 – Your final individual research proposal is returned to you 
Week 8- October 21: NOTE: the professor will be out of town: there will be a guest speaker:
Naming a Gendered Self II: Questionable Interpretations and the uses of photos and ephemera
Middlebrook, Suits Me…
Hill Collins, “The Power of Self-Definition”
Lee, “The Body”
***Conduct gender transgression exercise during the following week”
Week 9-Wednesday October 28: Billy Tipton discussion continues
Obituary for Billy Tipton
Film excerpts: Documentaries of and Interviews with transgendered people
***Gender transgression exercise oral report due***
Week 10- November 4/ Naming a Gendered Self III: The Use of As- Told- To Narratives
Scholinski, The Last Time I Wore a Dress
Heilbrun, “Women’s Autobiographical Writings”
Halberstam, “Transgender Butch…”
Film excerpts: “Mon Vie En Rose”
 November 4 – Turn in your “best effort draft” to your critique partner. This will
be submitted to the prof. with your revised final draft
November 11, no class, holiday
Week 11– November 18 Political Activism or Trauma as a Life Determinant
Crow Dog, Lakota Woman
Cisneros, “I Am Not Your Princess”
Gunn- Allen, “Kochinnenako in Academia…”
LaDuke, “Mother’s of Our Nations…”
 November 18- receive partner’s critique back 
 Use these weeks to incorporate your critique partner’s suggestions and to
revise and fine tune your final paper 
November 25, no class, holiday
Week 12: December 2/ Political Activism or Trauma as a Life Determinant II
Lakota woman discussion continues
Williams, “Clan of the One Breasted Woman”
Ellis, “There Are Survivors”
Film: Rebellion at Wounded Knee
***Class exercise***
 Weeks 13 and 14 December 9 and 16. Individual Presentations “Telling a Life”
Students share independent research results. This is followed by questions/comments by critique
partner and presenter’s self-reflective criticisms. Oral presentation limited to an assigned number
of minutes. Format will be provided.
 Week 14: December 16 ALL FINAL PAPERS DUE. Individual research presentations
and follow-up questions/comments by critique partner
How do your own beliefs, background, priorities affect your telling (interpretation) of her life?
Articulate that which you demythologize/ deconstruct vs. traditional interpretations. Tell the life
of a woman, famous or not; specify demographics, use 5 primary, 6 secondary sources to
“frame” her life in a cultural context. What do you as a biographer highlight? Why the overlap/
dissimilarities from previous works? Identify silences; linearity or lack thereof;
intersectionalities, sources of empowerment; questions you would ask to give voice to the
silences. How did she negotiate competing identities? What is the larger meaning of her life: did
she leave/ exert a cultural legacy? What was it?
Analyze: Historical context, content, silences, voices, crossroads. How do these women define
and “place” themselves in relation to their culture of origin? Analyze the effects of social class,
sexualities/gender identities, religion, ethnicity, race, language, subculture, life-cycle turning
points (traditional or self defined). Look for and analyze feminist consciousness, heterosexual
bias, religious orientation, and so on.
Use: theory, historical sources, auto/bios, diaries, creative works, oral histories and so on.