EGL 225

ENGLISH 225 GENERIC COURSE SYLLABUS


I.	Course Prefix	Course No.	Course Name	Credit	Lecture	Lab
	EGL	225	Women and Literature	3	3	0

II.

Prerequisite:

EGL 101 or placement into 101

III.

Course (Catalog) Description:

Course introduces fiction, poetry, and drama by women writers from the eighteenth through the twentieth century. Content includes influence of experience, cultural attitudes, and literary influences; social, cultural, and historical contexts; terminology and methods of literary analysis and evaluation.

IV.

Learning Objectives:

The student will learn to:

A.	Explore the complex ways in which gender identity influences literature by women.
B.	Demonstrate knowledge of the diversity of women’s literature, with focus on the intersections of race, class, nationality and gender.
C.	Discuss social, intellectual and historical influences specific to the development of women’s literature.
D.	Trace the development of a women’s literary tradition through at least two centuries.
E.	Demonstrate critical skills and knowledge of literary conventions used to evaluate works of fiction, poetry and drama.

Academic Integrity:

Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:

• cheating,
• plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),
• falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),
• helping others to cheat,
• unauthorized changes on official documents,
• pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,
• making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and
• any other behavior that violates academic integrity.

There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.

Details of the Code of Academic Conduct can be found in the Student Handbook.

VI.

Sequence of Topics:

Readings may be organized thematically or chronologically. A chronological development can present a survey of women’s literature, whereas a thematic arrangement can put together works from different periods according to their themes. A thematic organization that highlights race, for example, might put together a slave narrative by a woman from the nineteenth century with Toni Morrison’s Beloved.

Sample outline by chronology:

Week #1-2:
Introduction to women’s literature.
Early women writers: Bradstreet, Wollstonecraft, Wheatley

Weeks #3 through #6:
Women writers of the nineteenth century: Austen, Bronte, Browning

Weeks #7 through #10:
Turn of the century and modern women writers: Chopin, Gilman, Woolf,

Weeks #11 through #16:
Contemporary women writers: Silko, Cisneros, Bishop, Sexton, Plath, Gwendolyn Brooks, Morrion, Walker, Wasserstein, Ensler

Sample outline by themes:

Week #1:
Introduction to course and course objectives

Weeks 2-7 Gender and Race:
Phyllis Wheatley, Harriet Jacobs, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Toni Morrison

Weeks 8-11 Gender and Women’s Rights:
Wollstonecraft, Sojourner Truth, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Meridel Le Sueur, Sexton, Adrienne Rich

Week 12-16 Multiculturalism and Immigrant Experience:
Mourning Dove, Yesierska, Silko, Erdrich, Maxine Hong Kingston

VII.

Methods of Instruction:

Primarily lecture and discussion of reading assignments and context. Guest speakers, films, and audio-visual materials may be used when appropriate

VIII.

Course Practices Required:

Class will consist of lecture on and discussion of required reading assignments. Written work will include a midterm and final exam and formal essay assignments totaling 10-15 typed pages. Quizzes, group projects and/or oral assignments may also be given.

IX.

Instructional Materials:

Novels, short stories, poetry and/or drama by women writers. Films, audiovisual materials and/or guest lectures may be used when appropriate.

Suggested anthology: The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women

Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

In addition to exams and written/oral assignments, students will be evaluated on their active and prepared participation in class discussions and other projects.

XI.

Other Course Information:

Attendance policy

f you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the ASSIST office in Instructional Support Services. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program.

June 2006