THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG
ENGL: 2912-245(3)
Inventing the Subject: 20th Century Women Writers
Spring
M/W/F
Room
2011
13:00-16:00
1E06
Instructor: Kim Olynyk
Office:
Office Hour: Wed. 16:00-17:00
Telephone:
Email: kimolynyk@hotmail.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course focuses on the subject of women’s writing through the historicizing power of
knowledge about the other. In this course we look at the problem of determining stable
subjectivities through investigations of French, British, American and Canadian women’s
voices and writings. We read theoretical works written by women, and women’s fictions,
which problematize homogenous readings surrounding our understandings of self, home,
nation, the body, sex, and race. Our goal is to pay close attention to how these works
produce extended analyses of psychoanalytic and archetypical identities. We will also
examine historicized conceptions of woman as mother, wife, and femme fatale, lesbian,
patriot and colonized subject. We explore what we call literary history, which helps us to
establish ways of reading, writing and thinking critically about women’s literatures and
writings within their cultural contexts.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Gilman-Perkins, Charlotte. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Writings (Bantam Classics),
New York: 1989.
Morrison, Toni. Tar Baby. New York. Vintage, 2004.
Moses, Daniel D. & Goldie, Terry. An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in
English. Oxford University Press, Canada: Oxford, 2005.
Rhys. Wide Sargasso Sea. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.
Plath, The Bell Jar. New York: Harper Collins, 2003.
Woolf, Virginia. To the Lighthouse & Mrs. Dalloway & A Room of One’s Own. New
York: Classic Books America, 2009.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
For guidance on the preparation and formatting of papers for this course, consult The
MLA Handbook, available in the reference section of the library and on-line. You should
also have a good dictionary. I recommend the Concise Oxford Dictionary.
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ASSIGNMENTS
Response paper (1000 words) (25%) due: July 11, 2011
In-class Stylistic Analysis (25%) due: July 25, 2011
Synthesis paper (1500 words) (25%) due: July 29, 2011
Final Take-home exam worth (25%) due: August 5, 2011
GRADING POLICIES
Your work will be assessed on how well it fulfils the requirements of the particular
assignment and on the clarity of your response. Criteria for evaluating your essays will
also include such factors as:
 reading comprehension
 independent evaluation/insight
 thoughtful and thorough analysis
 awareness of issues raised in class
 clear focus; consistent line of argument
 structure, organization
 correct documentation/citation format
Your grades are also based on the quality of your contributions to class discussion.
GRADING SCALE
A+
A
AB+
(90-100%)
(85%-95%)
(80%-84%)
(75-79%)
GPA 4.50
GPA 4.25
GPA 4.0
GPA 3.5
B
(70-74%)
GPA 3.0
C+
(65-69%)
GPA 2.5
C
D
(60-64%)
(50-59%)
GPA 2.0
GPA 1.0
Exceptional
Outstanding
Excellent
Very good, but with some areas that need
improvement
Good, but with several areas that need
improvement
Acceptable, but with significant weaknesses in
comprehension, interpretation, organization
and/or expression
Adequate: demonstrates basic knowledge
Does not meet university standards
F
(below 50%)
GPA 0
unacceptable
Notes:
1.
This course outline should be considered a guideline only. Time constraints and
other unforeseen factors may require that some of the above topics be omitted or
covered in less detail than indicated.
2.
Work submitted for evaluation must be either typed or text processed.
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3.
Services for Students with Disabilities: Students with documented disabilities
requiring academic accommodations for tests/exams (e.g., private space) or
during lectures/laboratories (e.g., access to volunteer note-takers) are encouraged
to contact the Coordinator of Disability Services (DS) to discuss appropriate
options. Specific information about DS is available on-line at 0. All information
about disability is confidential.
4.
Please note that registering in this course commits you to the date and time of the
course final examination. If you are aware of possible conflicts with that date,
please see me immediately during the first week of the course, in case you need to
register in another course to accommodate the conflict. For appeals for deferred
exams, please see the Calendar.
5.
Students will not be asked for identification when writing a test or examination.
6.
No unauthorized material or equipment may be brought with you to the final
exam.
7.
The final voluntary withdrawal date for a 3cr-hr course beginning July 4, 2011 is
Tuesday July 19, 2011.
Attendance:
For this class, “regular attendance” means missing no more than three classes over the
entire session. Regular attendance is vital to successful completion, and is a requirement
for the course. Please collect any material that you might have missed, for example,
photocopies and/or notes from a fellow classmate.
Policy regarding Extensions:
Valid reasons for extensions (besides illness or emergency) include work or family
commitments, travel, or “project overload” – too many things happening at once. You
must ask for an extension before the deadline. Generally one week from the original due
date is all that will be granted unless extenuating circumstances prevail.
What are your rights and responsibilities?
Please refer to Chapter V11, “Academic Regulations and Policies” in the University of
Winnipeg Calendar 2011 General Calendar. This chapter explains university policies
governing regular attendance, appeals, the grading system, and academic misconduct,
including plagiarism. As stated above, The final voluntary withdrawal date for a 3cr-hr
course beginning July 4, 2011 is Tuesday July 19, 2011.
Cellular phones MUST be turned off during classes.
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It is the student’s responsibility to retain a photocopy or computer disk for all
assignments submitted for grading; in the event of loss or theft, a duplicate copy is
required.
The University Of Winnipeg Library has a number of online terminals, journals,
indexes of journal articles; various search databases on CD-ROM, and interlibrary loan
service, a rare book room, and the University of Winnipeg Archives. The Reference
Desk staff will be happy to direct you to resources or databases relevant to your topic.
The online Library catalogue and other services are available at—
http://cybrary.uwinnipeg.ca/index.cfm
And you can take an on line tour of the Library by visiting—
http://cybrary.uwinnipeg.ca/help/Tour/index.cfm
SCHEDULE OF READINGS
There will be formal and informal lectures, films and class discussion.
July 4: Introductions; Screening: John Stahl’s Leave Her to Heaven (1945).
July 6: Screening: Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life (1959).
July 8: Toni Morrison’s Cinderella’s Stepsister’s; Tar Baby.
July 11: Toni Morrison’s Tar Baby; response paper due.
July 13-15: Charlotte Gilman-Perkins, The Yellow Wallpaper and Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper;
Screening: The Yellow Wallpaper.
July 18: Virginia Woolf, Screening: A Room of One’s Own. Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway
July 20: Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway; Screening: Stephen Daldry’s The Hours.
July 22: Screening: Zefferelli’s Jane Eyre. Jane Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea.
July 25: Excerpts from An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature, Connie Fife: Driftwoodwoman, I have
become so many mountains, the knowing, exiled, witnessing. Annharte: Cyote Trail, Raced Out to Write
This Up, One Way to Keep Track of Who is Talking, Cyote Columbus Café, How to Write about White
People, Me Tonto Along, Dad’s Zipper; Joanne Arnott, Wiles of Girlhood.
July 27: Excerpts from An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature: Beth Cuthland, Marion Tuu’luq; A
Story of Starvation, Jeanette C. Armstrong; History Lesson, For Tony, Sketches, Indian Woman, Wind
Woman, keeper’s Words.
July 29, Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, Daddy (Final synthesis paper due).
Final Exam due Friday, August 5, 2011.
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