ENG/WST 237, Women and Literature
MW, 1:00-2:20, Draper 215
Dr. Beth Crachiolo
Draper 209A
x3745
Office hours: T, 10-12 and 4-5; W, 10-12; R, 1-3; and by appointment
Required texts:
Aidoo, Ama Ata. Changes: A Love Story. New York: The Feminist Press at CUNY, 1993.
Austen, Jane. Persuasion. London: Penguin, 2003.
DeShazer, Mary K,ed. The Longman Anthology of Women’s Literature. New York: Longman, 2001.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperPerennial, 2006.
Marshall, Paule. Praisesong for the Widow. New York: Plume, 1983.
Course description:
From the catalog: Selected literature by women, focusing on works written in English. Emphasis on historical
background and ethnic and cultural influences.
A little more: This course is about women’s voices in literature. We’ll pay a lot of attention to how women
define themselves, how they express gendered concerns, and their responses to their cultures. We’ll explore
(and argue about) questions such as: Is there a specific “woman’s” voice in literature? Does a person’s
political, class, racial, and/or gendered identity focus her writing? How do we read women’s literature? Do we
read it differently from men’s literature?
If the reading list at the end of this syllabus looks huge to you, it is because this class is primarily about reading,
and reading well. Therefore, we will also be reading feminist theories and exploring whether/how they provide
a lens through which we can read literature in general and women’s literature in particular. You are not, of
course, limited to feminist theories for reading in this course; bring up any and all methods you find useful.
Also, because the class is about reading, there is no research paper; instead, all of the assignments are designed
as reading and analytical exercises.
Course goals:
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
 understand some of the cultural impulses that women respond to in literature
 decide for yourself what characterizes women’s voices and if there is something unique to women’s
voices in literature
 demonstrate a familiarity with the basics of feminist theories
 craft a good analytical argument about a text or texts
Evaluation and grading:
Question assignment.....................10%
Reading quizzes............................15%
Two short essays, 15% each.........30%
Mid-term exam..............................15%
Final exam.....................................15%
Class participation.........................15%
Crachiolo, ENG/WST 237 Syllabus 2
GRADES AND GRADING SCALE
The quality of a student’s academic achievement in each Berea College course is reported through final course
grades in a grading scale adopted by the College Faculty, as follows:
A: Excellent work
B: Good work
C: Competent work*
D: Poor work that is still worthy of credit
Raises serious concern about the readiness of a student to continue in related course work.
F: Failing work that is unworthy of credit
I: Incomplete
Assigned only when some portion of a course has not been completed for good and sufficient reason. Courses in
which I grades are assigned must be completed not later than the end of the next regular term in which the
student is enrolled or the grade will be recorded as “F” on the permanent record. Note that instructors may set
an earlier deadline for completion of incomplete work than that set by the College.
In addition, the course grades of A, B, C, and D may be modified by a plus (+) or minus (-) suffix, indicating
achievement which is respectively at the higher or lower segment of each of these grade ranges.
A personal rule: I will be happy to discuss any grade you receive on any assignment 24 hours after you
receive the grade and not before. Grade discussions are more productive if you have had time to read my
comments, look over your work, and think about the grade. Remember, too, that challenging a grade is not the
only reason to discuss one. You might wish to talk about how to improve your grades, or how you can keep
your grades high, or what you need to do to arrive at the grade you want in the course. There are many reasons
why you might want to discuss a grade, and I do not consider any of them trivial--so make an appointment, drop
by my office hours, or e-mail me about any grade concerns you may have.
Attendance policy: Attendance is absolutely mandatory. Absences will negatively affect your participation
grade; for every absence, your participation grade will be lowered by 1/3 of a letter grade (that is, an A will
become an A-, an A- will become a B+, and so on). If you attend every scheduled class session, your final
course grade will be raised by 1/3 of a letter grade.
PLEASE NOTE: If you miss six or more classes, for any reason, you cannot pass the course. This is not
negotiable.
Class participation: The elements of participation in this course are the usual ones: attendance, reading,
staying awake, respect for the class community, and participation in discussions. Keep in mind that you want to
make your discussion participation productive; talking for the sake of talking is neither necessary nor helpful.
The question assignment: Every week, you will submit at least one question/comment/rant/analysis to me via
email; to get credit for your submissions, they must be in my email by 10:00 a.m. on class meeting days. I will
use these (anonymously) in class discussion. Your question can be anything, ranging from something you
didn’t understand to a sophisticated analysis of some part of the reading. What you need to show here is some
thought about the readings, because I’ll be putting grades on the overall thoughtfulness of your contributions. If
you’re asking generic questions every week, I will have to assume you are not reading. (Some examples of
generic questions: How was this book received? Who was the audience for this poem? Would you call this
writer a feminist?) This is not to say you should never ask generic questions, but if you’re question-of-the-week
is like that, explain why you’re asking it. (Note: If you submit questions more than once a week, I’ll consider
your others extra credit.)
Crachiolo, ENG/WST 237 Syllabus 3
Reading quizzes: These are unannounced, but they require only that you have read the material; you will not
be asked to analyze anything that we have not discussed. They are 4-point quizzes, with one point of extra
credit available (which will be averaged into your overall quiz grade). Because time crunches attack everyone,
I will drop your lowest quiz grade, and that should cover you for the reading you just don’t get to. (Note: You
will not have any quizzes over the theoretical articles you’re reading.)
Written assignments: I will give you separate handouts with the details of written assignments. They are due
on the day/time listed on the assignment sheet (all due dates, except for the final exam, are on Fridays). I will
accept late assignments, but keep in mind that grades for late assignments will be lowered by 1/3 for every day
that the assignment is late.
Exams: Both your mid-term and final exams will be take-home. You will be given passages to analyze and a
page limit, and you will have an opportunity to contribute to the choice of passages and questions (that is, I’ll
ask you to submit questions to me that you think would make good exam questions, and if I agree with you, I’ll
use your question[s]). You’ll have 24 hours to submit your answers.
A few words about plagiarism: Plagiarism is the use of anyone else’s work, writings, or ideas without
adequate citation. It is both easy to commit and easy to avoid. Ideas taken from other people include those
from published books, articles, stories, poems, lectures in other classes, friends’ papers, and papers “borrowed”
from web sites or paper files. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite your sources! Citations for this
class should follow MLA-style format.
Plagiarism is a serious offense, and I take it seriously. At the first offense, the student will receive an F for that
assignment. At the second offense, the student will fail the course. Plagiarism offenses will be reported to the
Director of Academic Services.
Please note: All papers written for this class will be submitted to Turnitin.com as a matter of course.
Laptops: My laptop policy is simple: laptops are to be closed and out of sight unless I say otherwise. It is
never appropriate to check e-mail during class (if I spot you doing so, I’ll count you absent for that day).
Electronic communication devices: There is absolutely no reason for you to be communicating with anyone
outside of class while you are in class. Do not text, IM, or tweet at any time whatsoever. If I see you doing any
such communicating, you will be counted absent for that day.
The use of cell phones in class is also inappropriate. Your cell phone must be silent and out of sight during
class. Whether you turn it off or simply silence it doesn’t matter—don’t let us hear it or see it, and don’t answer
it. (Note: If special, emergency circumstances require you to leave your cell phone on during class, talk to me
about that before class.)
Something to keep in mind: I confess that I have absolutely no patience whatsoever for any violation of my
rules about electronic communication. If violations occur too often, I reserve the right to ask all members of the
class to leave their cell phones with me during class.
Disabilities: (From Cynthia Reed’s office) “Students who have a disability that may prevent them from fully
demonstrating their abilities should contact Cindy Reed, LCSW, the Disability Services Coordinator at (859)
985-3212, or by email at Cynthia_reed@berea.edu, to discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full
participation in this course. Upon request, this syllabus can be made available in alternative forms.”
A further note: I’m happy to make any reasonable accommodations that you need, so please be sure to let me
know what your needs are.
Crachiolo, ENG/WST 237 Syllabus 4
Class Schedule
Note: I strongly recommend that you read the head notes for each author in the anthology.
W, 1/12: Introductions
Engendering Language, Silence, and Voice
W, 1/19: Woolf, A Room of One’s Own (16-72); Walker, “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens” (324-331)
Recommended: DeShazer, Introduction (1-10)
M, 1/24: bell hooks, “Talking Back” (73-76); Christian, “The Highs and Lows of Black Feminist Criticism”
(347-352) and Showalter, “Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness” (353-374)
W, 1/26: Edgeworth, from Letters for Literary Ladies (106-112); Shelley, “Introduction to Frankenstein” (233236); Eliot, “Silly Novels by Lady Novelists” (248-263)
M, 1/31: Cavendish, “The Poetess’s Hasty Resolution” (90), “The Poetess’s Petition” (90-91), “An Excuse for
So Much Writ upon My Verses” (91), “Nature’s Cook” (91-92), from To All Writing Ladies (92-93); Killigrew,
“Upon the Saying that My Verses Were Made by Another” (94-95); Finch, “The Introduction” (97-98)
W, 2/2: Yamamoto, “Seventeen Syllables” (299-307); Anzaldúa, “Speaking in Tongues” (316-323); Mlophe,
“The Toilet” (337-341), “Sometimes When It Rains” (341-343), “The Dancer” (343-344), “Say No” (344)
F, 2/4: Short essay due
Interlude
M, 2/7, and W, 2/9: First novel (to be determined by the class)
Writing Bodies / Bodies Writing
M, 2/14: Cixous, “The Laugh of the Medusa” (391-405); Anon, “The Wife’s Lament” (417), “Wulf and
Eadwacer” (419)
Recommended: DeShazer, “Introduction” (375-387)
W, 2/16: Sexton, “The Abortion” (532-533), “In Celebration of My Uterus” (533-534), “For My Lover,
Returning to His Wife” (534-535)
M, 2/21: Behn, The Lucky Chance (434-492); Gallagher, “Who Was That Masked Woman? The Prostitute and
the Playwright in the Comedies of Aphra Behn” (585-597)
W, 2/23: Lorde, “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power” (536-540); Mukherjee, “A Wife’s Story” (545-553);
Drakulić, “Make-up and Other Crucial Questions” (563-567)
F, 2/25: Mid-term essays due
Interlude
M, 2/28, and W, 3/2: Second novel (to be determined by the class)
Crachiolo, ENG/WST 237 Syllabus 5
Identity and Difference
M, 3/7: Cliff, “If I Could Write This in Fire, I Would Write This in Fire” (917-928); Minh-ha, “Not You/Like
You: Postcolonial Women and the Interlocking Questions of Identity and Difference” (929-933)
Recommended: DeShazer, “Introduction” (899-915)
W, 3/9: Herbert, “The Doleful Lay of Clorinda” (934-936); Lanyer, from Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (937939); More, from The Black Slave Trade (948-949)
M, 3/14, and W, 3/16: Spring break
M, 3/21: Wheatley, all poems (950-952); Jordan, “The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America or
Something Like a Sonnet for Phillis Wheatley”
W, 3/23: Zitkala-Sä, “The Tree-Bound” (976-979); Mansfield, “The Doll’s House” (997-1002); Kincaid,
“Xuela” (1044-1058)
Interlude
M, 3/28, and W, 3/30: Third novel (to be determined by the class)
Resistance and Transformation
M, 4/4: Rich, “Notes toward a Politics of Location” (1095-1106); Kuzwayo, “Nkosi Sikelel’ i Afrika” (11131116); Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?” (1146), “Keeping the Thing Going While Things Are Stirring” (1146-1147)
Recommended: DeShazer, “Introduction” (1079-1093)
W, 4/6: Astell, from A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (1125-1129); Hays, from Appeal to the Men of Great
Britain in Behalf of Women (1141-1144); Martineau, from Society in America (1148-1152); Browning, “A
Curse for a Nation” (1160-1163); Harper, all poems (1164-1168)
M, 4/11: Davis, “Life in the Iron-Mills” (1169-1191); Yezierska, “Soap and Water” (1193-1197); Gordimer,
“Amnesty” (1213-1218)
W, 4/13: Morrison, “Recitatif” (1225-1238); Wicomb, “Bowl Like Hole” (1278-1282); Erdrich, “Fleur” (12901298)
F, 4/15: Second essay due
Interlude
M, 4/18, and W, 4/20: Fourth novel (to be determined by the class)
Poetry because we love it
M, 4/25: Stein, from Patriarchal Poetry (284-288); Cisneros, “I the Woman” (576-577), “Love Poem” (578);
Bradstreet, “The Author to Her Book” (669-670), “Before the Birth of One of Her Children” (670), “In
Reference to her Children, 23 June 1656” (670-672); Plath, all poems (814-817)
W, 4/27: Dunbar-Nelson, “I Sit and Sew” (973-974), “The Proletariat Speaks” (974-975); H.D., “Eurydice”
(1198-1201); Angelou, “Still I Rise” (1223-1224)
R, 5/5: Final exam essays due