WRTG 3020, Section 053
MW 6-7:15
HUMN 145
SPRING SEMESTER 2009
Topics in Writing: Women Writers
Nichole Hansen, Lecturer
Office: ENVD 1B50H
Office hours: MW 3-4, T 4-5
Mailbox: ENVD Basement, in main office of the Program for Writing and Rhetoric
email: nichole.hansen@colorado.edu, office phone: 303-735-4665 (please do not leave a message)
Course Description: Designed for Juniors and Seniors in the College of Arts and Sciences, Topics in Writing strives
to improve students’ writing and critical thinking skills. Through sustained inquiry into a selected topic or issue,
students will practice advanced forms of academic writing. The course emphasizes analysis, criticism, and argument.
Taught as a writing workshop, the course places a premium on substantive, thoughtful revision. Our topic is women
writers of supernatural literature in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Critical scholarship of female writers of
the Victorian supernatural often draws comparisons between the role of women in Victorian society and the role of the
ghost within the stories themselves. For example, Anthea Trodd has explained that in women’s writing, “magic and
ghosts are linked with the possibility of recovering a lost and specifically female history” (205). Vanessa Dickerson
similarly compares the invisibility and in-between-ness of ghosts with the invisibility and in-between-ness of women.
These feminist studies see the figure of the woman writer as a kind of ghost, one relegated to the less visible domestic
sphere. Why, then, should women writers have ventured so successfully into the genre of the ghost story?
According to many scholars, skeptics of the supernatural and Spiritualism desired to condemn ghosts to the simplistic
chatter of women and children. With its consignment to the domestic sphere, the ghost story flourished as a potential
arena where the subversive complaints of the domestic world could be voiced. Participating within a story telling
tradition that was naturally connected to the role of the feminine, women were able to incorporate dissension within
their writing without raising eyebrows. With women writers taking part in this tradition, women’s problems became
more prevalent within the stories themselves. In this way, the debates of the period, especially as to what kinds of
rights women deserved, were able to subversively play out in women’s stories as well. Employing contemporary
literary and feminist theory as a critical framework, this course will trace the developments in women's supernatural
writing between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, asking how women's writing changed and how it remained the
same between the two centuries, while also questioning how this kind of writing reflected the position of women
during the time.
Course Objectives: This course addresses the key criteria for an advanced writing course as specified by the
Colorado Commission on Higher Education. The course should develop your Rhetorical and Content Knowledge,
as well as your knowledge of Writing Processes and Writing Conventions.
Required Texts:
Readings will be available through CULearn. You must print every reading and bring it to class on the day that it is
due. Class discussion is more interesting and engaging when we all have the reading and our notes in front of us. It
will negatively affect your participation grade if you do not bring the reading to class. Texts will serve to develop
both your rhetorical knowledge and your content knowledge (including historical, literary, and theoretical
representations of our topic).
Attendance: Regular attendance and active participation throughout the semester are necessary to this
seminar/writing workshop. Students who miss class will need to ask classmates for the information and assignments
they missed. Missing more than two classes will lower your final course grade by one fraction of a letter (i.e. A
to A-) for each absence after the third. More than six absences will result in an IW, IF, or F for the course. Excused
absences include death of an immediate family member, religious observation, or serious medical illness or accident.
In the case of illness or accident, I require documentation from an appropriate official. In the case of a religious
observation, I require notice in advance. All other absences are not excused. This attendance policy includes
workshop meetings. Missing a workshop is equivalent to missing a class. In addition, if you are not present for
peer workshops, the final grade of the assignment will be dropped by one letter grade. This course follows the
administrative drop policy; any student who misses two classes within the first week of the semester will be
administratively dropped.
Tardiness and Leaving Early: Class starts at the announced time; tardiness is not acceptable (two late arrivals count
as one absence). I will take attendance at the beginning of class and if you come in after I have taken attendance,
you will need to check with me to make sure you are marked as present. Plan to be in class the full 75 minute
session; do not schedule other activities that will require you to leave early. (Two early departures count as one
absence).
Assignments/Workshops: You should prepare assigned readings and papers in advance of the class period. You must
come to class ready to comment on the text and/or the work of your colleagues. Peer Review of drafts submitted by
your classmates will be a regular feature of this seminar. Be sure to save all drafts, and to save your work (including
various drafts) on computer files. All drafts and all homework must be typed and stapled or it will not be accepted.
*Comparative analysis essay: For this essay, you will be writing a comparative study on two or more
authors. This assignment should prepare you to compare and contrast issues within a single paper, helping you to
become a proficient reader, approaching texts with a writer’s awareness of craft and a critic’s ability to interpret and
respond to a text’s meaning and effects. You’ll be asked to read critically: to recognize the rhetorical strategies authors
have chosen—both in format and content—that invite the audience to interpret the text in a particular way. 4-6 pages.
*Persuasive essay: This essay aims to develop your rhetorical knowledge, making informed choices as you
adapt your writing to the needs of your audience, to a specific context and situation, and for a particular purpose.
We’ll begin by analyzing the rhetorical situation in a variety of texts—that is, we’ll ask questions about the
relationships between the text, writer, audience, and context, and we’ll discuss how these relationships shaped the
writer’s choices. Then you’ll apply this rhetorical knowledge by writing an argumentative essay about an issue of your
choice, adapting the voice, tone, format and structure of your writing to meet the needs of your audience. We’ll also
discuss the ethical use of rhetoric—if rhetoric is a form of power, what are our ethical responsibilities as writers? 4-6
pages.
*Deliberative essay : This assignment aims to develop strategies of research that will enable you to become
an active researcher. You’ll learn about research technologies available here at CU (on-line databases, electronic
books and journals, bibliographic software, etc.) through a library seminar. More importantly, we’ll discuss how to
evaluate a source for accuracy, relevance, credibility, reliability and bias by examining the source’s rhetoric and
rhetorical situation. You will draw from the research and analysis you have done with your topic explorations to draft
a persuasive paper about your topic. Using the research questions you have developed, you will write an 8-10 page
essay (not including Works Cited page or pages) that makes an educated and persuasive case for your point of view.
*Reflective essay: This essay requires you to reflect on the development of your writing throughout the
semester. This should help you to acquire a practical and reflective understanding of the writing process. 3-5 pages.
Late Assignments: Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date listed on the syllabus. (If we need to
refer to the assignment during class time, I will ask you to hold on to it for the duration of the class activity). Late
assignments will not be accepted (excepting the excused absence reasons as outlined in the absences section of this
syllabus). **Emailed assignments will NOT be accepted.**
Drafts: For your four major essays, you will be writing rough drafts for review by your classmates and by me. While
they are not graded, these drafts are integral to your success in this class. They must be passed in and passed in on
time. I will not accecpt any Final Draft that has not gone through the workshop and revision process. You must
attach all workshopped drafts to the final copy that you turn in to me.
Presentations: Each member of the class is required to give two 15 minute presentations. The first presentation is
relatively informal and will require you to pick a short passage from something we have read and to lead a discussion
on this passage. The form this presentation takes is very open—try to have fun with this. Remember that if we are
not reading your passage on the day you present, you will need to bring in copies for everyone to read. Your second
presentation will occur at the end of the semester. For this assignment, you will be discussing the findings from your
deliberative essay. Failure to present on your assigned day will result in a zero for your presentation grade.
Quizzes: Periodically throughout the semester, we will have quizzes on concepts covered in class. If you miss a quiz
because of an unexcused absence, you will not be able to make it up.
Participation: Participation includes a variety of things, including but not limited to providing quality written and
oral feedback during peer reviews and workshops; asking intelligent and relevant questions during discussions and
following presentations; acting professionally and in the manner of a colleague (meaning participating in a reflective
and critical way, but in a manner that shows respect for others); and participating fully in all in-class exercises. Note
that one of the primary goals for this course is to teach you about audience awareness and appropriate modes of
discourse. Your primary audiences for this class are your peers and the teacher. Demonstrating rhetorical awareness in
relation to these audiences is essential.
Classroom Behavior: To succeed in this class and demonstrate earnestness about your learning experience, DO:
arrive on time with the assigned readings read and all required assignments completed for that day, participate in class
with thoughtful commentary, listen to your classmates, be awake and alert, think. DON’T: chatter away with
classmates, personally slander or verbally attack a classmate, fiddle with your cell phone, listen to your ipod, pack
your bags up and sigh impatiently when there are five minutes remaining in class. In short, this is a learning
environment—you are to write and think and contribute to our classroom community.
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to
adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially
important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual
orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities.
Information Literacy: We will attend a library seminar, taught by a knowledgeable library expert from CU. The
seminar will take up one class period and will provide advanced information about conducting research in addition to
reviewing the unique and diverse resources the University of Colorado Library system has to offer. As part of our
own review of the material covered in this segment, you will complete a library 'scavenger hunt', which will require
you to find certain types of sources related to your individual research topic.
Writing Center: The Writing Center is an incredibly valuable resource that I strongly encourage each of you to use.
Your writing will be better for it. The service is free but you do need to make an appointment. Information is available
at http://www.colorado.edu/pwr/writingcenter.html. During these appointments, you will meet one on one with a
writing tutor who can help you at any stage of the writing process (brainstorming,
drafting, revising) or with any writing issue (organization, thesis/claim, style, grammar, clarity, citations, research, and
argument and evidence).
Students with Disabilities: If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter
from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines
accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, and
http://www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices
The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on Discrimination and Harassment: The University of Colorado
policy on Sexual Harassment and the University of Colorado policy on Amorous Relationships apply to all students,
staff and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of discrimination or
harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status
should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs
at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH, the above referenced policies and the campus resources available to
assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at http://www.colorado.edu/odh
Honor Code: We will discuss plagiarism in some depth in the upcoming weeks, but take time to familiarize yourself
with the Student Honor Code: All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and
adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating,
plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of
academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273). Students
who are found to be in violation
of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and nonacademic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on
the Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at
http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/.
Plagiarism is unacceptable and will result in an “F” in the course, and your case reported to the honor council.
ESL Students: If you speak English as a second language and feel that you need extra assistance, you should contact
me before the third class meeting so that I can better assist you in the course, advise you about special ESL courses,
and/or refer you to appropriate services on campus.
CULearn: Course documents are available through CULearn—syllabus, assignments, and some relevant links.
Helpful Links:
*http://www.horrormasters.com/Themes/women_of_horror.htm A selection of horror stories by women
available through PDF.
*www.dianahacker.com/resdoc A website that walks you through the citation process.
*http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), a very helpful resource that can provide
an answer to most questions about writing.
Calculation of Grades
Your final grade will be determined as follows:
Comparative Analysis Essay
Persuasive Essay
Deliberative Essay
Reflective Essay
Peer Review
Quizzes
Participation and Discussion Questions
Presentation 1
Presentation 2
15%
15%
20%
10%
15%
5%
10%
5%
5%
It is difficult to earn an "A" in my classes. Writing is a skill that can always be improved. There is no perfect
paper.
Official Grading Scale
92.5-100%
A
90-92.4%
A87.5-89%
B+
82.5-87.4%
80-82.4%
77.5-79%
B
BC+
72.5-77.4%
70-72.4%
67.5-69%
C
CD+
62.5-67.4%
60-62.4%
59%?
D
DF
Be sure to keep a copy of each assignment in the (rare) event that I lose it. If you do not have a copy, you will have to
rewrite the lost assignment.
If you have concerns about your grade, I encourage you to come see me. This does not mean your grade will be
changed. Discussing your grade with me will allow us to explore why you received the grade that you did and help
you avoid the same difficulties in your future writings. I am always interested in discussing your writing with you.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Because this class develops as a result of our interaction and the knowledge we create as a result, this schedule may
change as we move through the semester. Additional homework assignments will also be given. You are responsible
for finding out what goes on in the classes that you miss, including any schedule changes and all homework
assignments. Reading and assignments are DUE on the day that they is appear.
M 01/12
COURSE INTRODUCTION
Read Aikin. Discuss.
W 01/14
Read: Chapter on Feminist Criticism
In class: diagnostic essay; assign comparative essay
M 01/19
CAMPUS CLOSED FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
W 01/21
Read: Shelley excerpts and Dickerson “Identity” excerpt
M 01/26
Read: Catherine Crowe excerpt and Noontide 12-47
W 01/28
Read: Elizabeth Gaskell “The Old Nurse's Story” and Noontide 132-50
M 02/02
DRAFT OF COMPARATIVE ESSAY DUE FOR PEER EXCHANGE
Bring 3-4 copies of your draft to class.
Read: Eliot “The Lifted Veil” and Chamber article
W 02/04
CLASS CANCELLED FOR PEER REVIEW
MEET DURING SCHEDULED TIME; COMPLETE several minor reviews and one
major review. Bring 2 copies of your major review letter to your meeting. Be
prepared to discuss your peers' papers in detail.
M 02/09
CLASS CANCELLED FOR PEER REVIEW
MEET DURING SCHEDULED TIME; COMPLETE several minor reviews and one
major review. Bring 2 copies of your major review letter to your meeting. Be
prepared to discuss your peers' papers in detail.
W 02/11
FINAL DRAFT OF COMPARATIVE ESSAY DUE IN CLASS
Introduce persuasive essay
Read: Dinah Murlock “Last Horse” and “M. Anastasius,” Rhoda Broughton “The
Truth,” and Mrs. Henry Wood “Reality or Delusion?”
M 02/16
Read: Mary Elizabeth Braddon “At Chrighton Abbey,” Amlia B. Edwards “Was it an
Illusion” and “The Phantom Coach,” and Charlotte Riddell “The Open Door”
W 02/18
DRAFT OF PERSUASIVE ESSAY DUE FOR PEER EXCHANGE
Bring 3-4 copies of your draft to class.
Read: Mary Louisa Molesworth “The Story of the RipplingTrain,” Mary E. Wilkins
“The Shadows...” and “The Lost Ghost,”
M 02/23
CLASS CANCELLED FOR PEER REVIEW
MEET DURING SCHEDULED TIME; COMPLETE several minor reviews and one
major review. Bring 2 copies of your major review letter to your meeting. Be
prepared to discuss your peers' papers in detail.
W 02/25
CLASS CANCELLED FOR PEER REVIEW
MEET DURING SCHEDULED TIME; COMPLETE several minor reviews and one
major review. Bring 2 copies of your major review letter to your meeting. Be
prepared to discuss your peers' papers in detail.
M 03/02
FINAL DRAFT OF PERSUASIVE ESSAY DUE IN CLASS
Introduce deliberative essay assignment
Read: Margaret Oliphant The Open Door
(available online at http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/opendoor.htm)
W 03/04
LIBRARY SEMINAR: meet in LIBR E303
Read: Vernon Lee “Amour Dure,” “Dionaea” and Fluhr Identity Article
M 03/09
LIBRARY RESEARCH DAY: meet in LIBR N310B
Read: Vernon Lee “Oke of Okehurst”
W 03/11
Read: Darkened Room 18-40, 202-35, 107-38
M 03/16
Read: History and Modernism article
W 03/18
Read: Gilbert and Gubar excerpt
Resume writing tutorial
03/23-03/27
SPRING BREAK
M 03/30
DRAFT OF DELIBERATIVE ESSAY DUE FOR PEER EXCHANGE
Bring 3-4 copies of your draft to class.
Read: Charlotte Perkins Gilman excerpts
W 04/01
CLASS CANCELLED FOR PEER REVIEW
MEET DURING SCHEDULED TIME; COMPLETE several minor reviews and one
major review. Bring 2 copies of your major review letter to your meeting. Be
prepared to discuss your peers' papers in detail.
M 04/06
CLASS CANCELLED FOR PEER REVIEW
MEET DURING SCHEDULED TIME; COMPLETE several minor reviews and one
major review. Bring 2 copies of your major review letter to your meeting. Be
prepared to discuss your peers' papers in detail.
W 04/08
FINAL DRAFT OF DELIBERATIVE ESSAY DUE IN CLASS
Introduce reflective essay assignment.
Read: Mrs. L.T. Meade “Eyes of Terror,” Ellen Glasgow “Jordan's End,” May Sinclair
“The Victim,” Edith Wharton “Mr. Jones,” “Angel,” and “Other,” and Isak Dinesen “The
Monkey”
M 04/13
Read: Eudora Welty “Clytie,” Elizabeth Bowen “Hand in Glove,” Angela Carter “Lady
of the House,” Joyce Carol Oates “Goat Girl,” and Isabel Allende “If you Touched my
Heart”
W 04/15
DRAFT OF REFLECTIVE ESSAY DUE IN CLASS FOR PEER EXCHANGE
Bring 3-4 copies of your draft to class.
M 04/20
CLASS CANCELLED FOR PEER REVIEW
MEET DURING SCHEDULED TIME; COMPLETE several minor reviews and one
major review. Bring 2 copies of your major review letter to your meeting. Be
prepared to discuss your peers' papers in detail.
W 04/22
MEET IN COMPUTER LAB FOR PRESENTATION PREPARATION
M 04/27
Research Presentations
W 04/29
Research Presentations
FINAL DRAFT OF REFLECTIVE ESSAY DUE