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UWS 13b:
Happily Ever After? The Sexual Politics of Western Fairy Tales
Term: Fall 2014
Time: 1:00-1:50 Monday & Wednesday
Location: Mandel G11
Instructor: Jeanna Kadlec
Email: jkadlec@brandeis.edu
Office: Rabb 356
Office Hours: Mon & Wed 2:00-3:00 or by appointment
Email Hours: weekdays 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; weekends noon-4 p.m.
Course Description
When you think of fairy tales, what comes to mind? Cinderella at the ball? True love’s
kiss? Or something darker: wicked stepmothers and powerful witches, luscious red apples
and Rapunzel locked in a tower? Many of the fairy tales that have retained the most
cultural currency belong to what scholars call the “Innocent Persecuted Heroine” genre,
which revolves around the sexual maturation of young women and the purported “threat”
posed by older women. This course will focus on representations of gender and sexuality
as we analyze “classic” fairy tales by mythographers such as the Brothers Grimm and
Charles Perrault, as well as contemporary revisions, including those by Anne Sexton,
Angela Carter, and the Walt Disney Company. Analyzing adaptations and encountering
theoretical readings on gender and sexuality, we will challenge our own preconceived
notions of what makes a fairy tale. Students will develop a critical vocabulary for
thinking about the process of composition and revision as well as cultivate crucial
research skills. As a University Writing Seminar, this class’s primary goal is to prepare
students for college-level academic writing.
Course Materials
Required
1. Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality, Vol. I.
2. Lo, Malinda. Ash
3. Parfitt, Matthew. Writing in Response and Writer’s Help (cheaper to buy together
in the bookstore than to buy separately)
4. Write Now!
5. Readings on LATTE (print and bring to class)
Suggested
1. Folder for all drafts and exercises
2. Folder or small 3-ring binder for all LATTE readings
We will be watching several films (Cinderella, Frozen, & Shrek) which are required for
this class. All of them are available on LATTE. You are responsible for watching them
on your own before the scheduled class; there will be no scheduled viewings outside of
normal class time.
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Evaluation:
Participation
LATTE Posts and Peer Review
Essays (including all draft assignments)
End of Semester Portfolio & Cover Letter
15%
5%
75%
5%
Overview of Assignments:
There will be three major assignments in this course. For each assignment you will
complete beginning exercises, multiple drafts, and workshop your essay in class. Each
final draft and your final portfolio will be accompanied by a cover letter. All assignments
should be typed and double-space, using 12 pt. Times New Roman font with 1-inch
margins and MLA formatting (e.g. headers and page numbers). Consult your handbook
for MLA guidelines. All major assignments will be turned in on LATTE.
LATTE Posts:
There is a LATTE forum for each set of readings and about your individual research
project at the end of the semester. You are required to post a question or comment for
each forum. However, you are encouraged to post more than once and comment on each
others’ ideas. We may have limited time to discuss the texts on some days, so the LATTE
forum will be a valuable space in which to continue our conversation.
A Quick Note About Personal Experience & Fairy Tales:
Many of these stories mean a good deal to a great many people. Fairy tales are often
introduced to children in the United States at a young age, often in the form of Disney
animated films. Strong emotional attachment to these stories is common.
In this class, I am asking all of us (myself included) to utilize our reason first and
foremost in every class period. Personal feelings about a fairy tale, positive or negative,
are not evidence. Thinking critically about these stories and their role in western culture
does not devalue our own personal experience. Rather, critical, rational thinking is
essential in order to better explore how these stories shape the world around us and,
indeed, our own lives.
Unit One: Close Reading
Close Reading Essay: A 5-6 page argument-driven close reading of “Donkeyskin” by
Charles Perrault or “Rapunzel” by Anne Sexton
Aug 28: First Class
Sep 1: no class
Sep 3:
Reading Assignment: Brothers Grimm “Cinderella” (LATTE); Anne Sexton “Cinderella”
(LATTE); chapter one of J. Jack Halberstam’s Gaga Feminism (intro recommended;
LATTE)
Writing Assignment: none
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Sep 8:
Reading Assignment: Watch Disney’s Cinderella for class (LATTE); Jack Zipes
“Breaking the Disney Spell” (LATTE); Charles Perrault “Donkeyskin” (LATTE); Anne
Sexton “Rapunzel” (LATTE)
Writing Assignment: none
Sep 10:
Reading Assignment: “Adelaide: The Pinnacle of Paul and Keller's Potential
Relationship” (close reading essay in Write Now)
Writing Assignment: Pre-Draft 1.1 (mini-close reading)
Sep 12 (Friday, no class):
Writing Assignment: Pre-Draft 1.2 (thesis)
Sep 15:
Reading Assignment: “Elements of the Academic Essay” and “A Few Thoughts on
Academic Integrity” (LATTE)
Writing Assignment: Draft of Close Reading Paper due with Draft Cover Letter
Sep 17:
Reading Assignment: Workshop Materials
Writing Assignment: Draft responses to draft writers due
Unit Two: Lens Essay
Lens Essay: A 7-8 page essay which analyzes Disney’s Frozen utilizing Foucault’s
History of Sexuality, Vol. I. This will build on your close reading skills developed in the
first essay, but add a “lens” text to support your argument.
Sep 22:
Reading Assignment: Watch Shrek for class (LATTE)
Writing Assignment: Revised Close Reading Paper due with Revised Cover Letter
Wed Sep 24:
Reading Assignment: Excerpt of Foucault, History of Sexuality Vol. I (We “Other
Victorians” and “The Perverse Implantation”; pages 3-13 and 36-49)
Writing Assignment: none
Sep 29:
Reading Assignment: Excerpt of Foucault, History of Sexuality Vol. I (“Scientia
Sexualis”; pages 57-73)
Writing Assignment: Pre-Draft 2.1 (outline)
Oct 1:
Reading Assignment: Review Foucault
Writing Assignment: Pre-Draft 2.2 (lens and focal text)
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Oct 6:
Reading Assignment: Lens Essay from Write Now!
Oct 8:
Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Draft of Lens Essay due with Draft Cover Letter
Oct 13: no class
Oct 15:
Reading Assignment: Workshop materials
Writing Assignment: Draft responses to draft writers
Unit Three: Research Assignment
Research Essay: A 10-12 page essay which analyzes an adaptation of a classic fairy tale.
The paper will incorporate close readings of both texts and your own secondary research.
Oct 20
Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Revised Lens Essay due with Revised Cover Letter
Oct 22:
Reading Assignment: Ash by Malinda Lo (chapters 1-9); Steven Swann Jones “Innocent
Persecuted Heroine Genre” (on LATTE)
Writing Assignment: LATTE post
Oct 27:
Reading Assignment: Ash by Malinda Lo (chapters 10-15); Christy Williams “Who’s
Wicked Now?” (on LATTE)
Writing Assignment: LATTE post
Oct 29
Reading Assignment: Ash by Malinda Lo (chapters 15-21—finish book)
Writing Assignment: LATTE post
Nov 3
Reading Assignment: Research Essay from Write Now!
Writing Assignment: none
Nov 5
Reading Assignment: your research materials
Writing Assignment: Pre-Draft 3.1 (research proposal)
Nov 10
Reading Assignment: None
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Writing Assignment: Library Tutorial
In Class: FLIP session
Nov 12
Reading Assignment: your research materials
Writing Assignment: Pre-Draft 3.2 (annotated bibliography)
Nov 17
Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Draft of Research Essay due with Draft Cover Letter
Nov 19
Reading Assignment: Workshop materials
Writing Assignment: Draft response to draft writers
Nov 24
Reading Assignment: your research materials
Writing Assignment: Pre-draft 3.3 (reverse outline)
Dec 1
Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Revised Research Essay due with Revised Cover Letter
Dec 3
Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Writing Portfolio Due with cover letter
Final Portfolio
You will turn in all of your work from the semester along with a 3-page cover letter
which reflects on your development as a writer at the end of the semester. Please save
your pre-drafts, first drafts, and previous cover letters for inclusion in the portfolio.
Classroom & Course Policies
Technology: No cell phones or laptops allowed in class unless a student has prior
approval from the university. I will restrict any device that becomes a distraction.
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. You are allowed three absences before your grade
is lowered a third of a letter grade (A becomes A-, D- becomes F, etc.). After these three
absences (for any reason) your dean will be notified. Please come to class and be on time.
Excessive tardiness will be counted as an absence.
Participation: This is a discussion-based class, and participation is vital to everyone’s
success during our time together. A few notes on what constitutes meaningful
participation:
 Coming to class on time with the readings in hand and completed.
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Thoughtful, regular contributions to class discussion.
Submitting work on time.
Active, courteous, and helpful engagement in peer workshops. This means giving
and receiving comments in a professional manner.
If you are on the quieter side, feel free to come see me during my office hours to discuss
the readings to help supplement participation.
Conferences: We will meet individually three times during the semester—once per
major assignment—for twenty minute conferences. Conference attendance is
MANDATORY. Any missed conference will count as an absence. You should bring all
relevant materials to a conference, including pre-drafts, revisions, outlines, or key
sources. Please note that you can also come see me during office hours.
The Writing Center: Take advantage of the Writing Center in Goldfarb Library, where
you can get 45-minute one-on-one tutorials. Appointments tend to fill up during the
weeks leading up to UWS assignment due dates. Schedule appointments early and often.
IMPORTANT: There is a popular rumor that if you go to the Writing Center, you
immediately get a 24-hour extension on your paper. This is not true. I will approve
extensions on a case-by-case basis. You must have prior approval from me for an
extension, contingent on an appointment at the Writing Center.
Academic Integrity: It is essential that all the work you hand in for this course is your
own, and that when you use outside sources or ideas, you cite them properly. The
University’s policy on academic integrity is distributed annually in the Rights and
Responsibilities Handbook (http://www.brandeis.edu/studentaffairs/sdc/rr/). Instances of
apparent or alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Department of Student
Development and Conduct for possible referral to the Student Judicial System, and may
carry severe consequences including failure on the assignment in question, failure in the
course, and/or suspension from the University. Please do not hesitate to ask me any
questions you have about plagiarism, citation or use of sources.
Disabilities: If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis and
wish to have reasonable accommodation made for you in class, please come see me as
soon as possible. Further information is available at the Brandeis Disabilities Services
and Support website (http://www.brandeis.edu/acswerv/disabilities).
Syllabus Adjustments: I reserve the right to make adjustments to this syllabus if I deem
them necessary as the semester goes on. Please refer to LATTE as the final word on all
assignments, prompts, and due dates.