Thanks for a Great Semester!

As all of you know, this was a tough semester for the English Department, but in the midst of it I always looked forward to our class. Thanks so much to all of you for your insights, humor and camaraderie.
Take care of yourselves, and each other,
Dr. C

Revised Calendar

Dearest Scholars,

I've revised our calendar for the rest of the semester, and even changed the posting dates on the blog entries.

We'll still have our film clips on Tuesday (don't count on The Group, though; I'm not having much luck locating a copy), and we'll begin discussing In the Time of the Butterflies on Thursday.

Dr. C

A Great and Terrible Beauty

by Libba Bray

Reading
Read entire novel for class on Tuesday, April 22

Commenting
1st comment on/by April 21
2nd comment on/by April 24

The Robber Bride

by Margaret Atwood

REVISED CALENDAR

Presentation
Rachel, Text and Context, April 15

Reading
Tuesday, April 15: Chapters 1-23
Thursday, April 17: Chapters 24-57 (end of novel)

Commenting
1st comment on/by April 14
2nd comment on/by April 19

The Joy Luck Club

by Amy Tan

REVISED CALENDAR

Presentation
J.J., Text and Context, April 8

Reading
Tuesday, April 8: First two full sections, "Feathers from a Thousand Li Away" and "The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates"
Thursday, April 10: Final two full sections, "American Translation" and "Queen Mother of the Western Skies"

Commenting
1st comment on/by April 7
2nd comment on/by April 12

Love Medicine

by Louise Erdrich

REVISED CALENDAR

Presentations
Elizabeth, Text and Context, April 1
Phaedra, The Sacred Hoop, April 3

Reading
Tuesday, April 1: "World's Greatest Fishermen" through "The Red Convertible"
Thursday, April 3: "Scales" through end of novel

Commenting
1st comment on/by March 31
2nd comment on/by April 5

The Women of Brewster Place

by Gloria Naylor

REVISED CALENDAR

Presentation
Lori Ann, Text and Context, March 20
Cindy, Theory, March 25

Reading
Thursday, March 20: "Dawn," "Mattie Michael," "Etta Mae Johnson"
Tuesday, March 25: "Kiswana Brown," Luciela Turner," "Cora Lee," "The Two," "Block Party," "Dusk"

Commenting
1st comment on/by March 19
2nd comment on/by March 27

In the Time of the Butterflies

by Julia Alvarez

REVISED CALENDAR

Presentation
Lauren, Text and Context, March 13
Jill, Theory, March 18

Reading
Thursday, March 13: Chapters 1-9
Tuesday, March 18: Chapter 10-Postscript

Commenting
1st comment on/by March 12
2nd comment on/by March 20

The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

Presentation
Caitlyn, Text and Context, February 21

Reading
Thursday, Feb 21: through page 113 in the Harcourt Edition; the letter ends, "Way after while, I act like a little lost baby too."
Tuesday, February 26: page 114-288 (end of novel)

Commenting
1st comment on/by February 20
2nd comment on/by February 28

The Group

by Mary McCarthy
Vassar, Class of 1933

Presentation
Megan, Text and Context, February 12

Reading
Tuesday, February 12: Chapters 1-6
Thursday, February 14: Chapters 7-10
Tuesday, February 19: Chapters 11-15

Commenting
1st comment on/by February 11
2nd comment on/by February 21

Herland

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, better known as the author of "The Yellow Wallpaper"

Presentation
Lori, Communities of Women: An Idea in Fiction

Reading
Read the entire novella for class on Thursday, Feb 7

Commenting
1st comment on/by Feb 6
2nd comment on/by Feb 9

The Romance of a Shop

by Amy Levy

G. & L. Lorimer, The Photographic Studio
20B, Upper Baker Street
London

Presentation
Allison, Text and Context, January 31

Reading
Thursday, Jan 31: Chapters 1-6
Tuesday, Feb 5: Chapters 7-end

Commenting
1st comment on/by Jan 30
2nd comment on/by Feb 7

A Brief Reminder about Posting

When you submit your comment, you may select "anonymous," but please remember to sign (in whatever way you choose) the end of your text.
Thanks!
Dr. C

Pride and Prejudice

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a signle man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

• For Thursday, January 24: Chapters 1-29 (if your edition has continuous chapters); through Volume 11, Chapter 6 (if your edition has three volumes).
• For Tuesday, January 29: finish the novel.

Posting: First by 11pm on Monday, January 23; second on or by January 31.

Millenium Hall

A Description of Millenium Hall, and the Country Adjacent: Together with the Characters of the Inhabitants, And such Historical Anecdotes and Reflections, As May excite in the Reader proper Sentiments of Humanity, and lead the Mind to the Love of Virtue.
by Sarah Scott

• For Thursday, January 17: Read pages 50-109.
• For Tuesday, January 22: Finish novel.

Please post your initial response to the novel by 11pm on Monday, January 21, and your second response by Thursday, January 24.

Calendar of Readings and Assignments

Jan 15: Handout—18th c Convent Tales
Jan 17: Millenium Hall; Text & Context Presentation —Dr. Cajka

Jan 22: Millenium Hall; Theory & Criticism Presentation
Jan 24: Pride & Prejudice; Text & Context

Jan 29: Pride & Prejudice
Jan 31: The Romance of a Shop; Text & Context

Feb 5: The Romance of a Shop
Feb 7: Herland; Text & Context

Feb 12: The Group; Text & Context
Feb 14: The Group

Feb 19: The Group; Theory & Criticism
Feb 21: The Color Purple; Text & Context

Feb 26: The Color Purple
Feb 28: Film Clips: P&P; Group; Color Purple

March 11: In the Time of the Butterflies; Text & Context
March 13: In the Time of the Butterflies

March 18: The Women of Brewster Place; Text & Context
March 20: The Women of Brewster Place

March 25: Love Medicine; Text & Context
March 27: Dr. Cajka at British Women Writers Conference

April 1: Love Medicine; Theory & Criticism
April 3: The Joy Luck Club; Text & Context

April 8: The Joy Luck Club
April 10: The Robber Bride; Text & Context

April 15: The Robber Bride
April 17: Film Clips: Brewster Place; Joy Luck Club; Robber Bride
**Annotated Bibliography Due**

April 22: A Great and Terrible Beauty
April 24: Conclusions

April 29: **Seminar Paper Due**

Course Information and Requirements

Themes in Women’s Literature: Communities of Women
English 4087/5087, Spring 2008. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2:15-3:35.

Dr. Karen Cajka
Office: 109 Burleson. Phone: 439-5990. Email: Cajka@ETSU.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 12:45-2:15, Wednesday 2-5, and by appointment.

What happens when women are grouped together, either by choice or by necessity? From convents to colleges, from reading groups to political organizations, communities of women are contradictorily viewed as supportive and oppressive, chaste and sexual, utopian and threatening. We will consider the ways in which communities of women are constructed, how they function, and how they are perceived by the society surrounding them as well as by the women who inhabit them.

Texts. (Books are available in the ETSU bookstore; please also feel free to use any of the multiple editions of these texts which are readily available used and/or online.)
Alvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies.
Atwood, Margaret. The Robber Bride.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
Bray, Libba. A Great and Terrible Beauty.
Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine.
Levy, Amy. The Romance of a Shop.
McCarthy, Mary. The Group.
Naylor, Gloria. The Women of Brewster Place.
Perkins Gilman, Charlotte. Herland and Selected Stories.
Scott, Sarah. A Description of Millenium Hall.
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple.

Course Requirements:
Presentation with 1-2 page handout (20%)
4087: “Text & Context” on the book’s author and its popular and/or critical reception
5087: Theoretical/Critical Perspectives on Communities of Women

Blog Postings: 13 original and 13 responses (30%)
To count, postings must contain substantial, thoughtful comment; original must appear by 11pm prior to the first discussion day and the response must appear no later than 48 hours after our final discussion day for each text.

Annotated Bibliography: 10 items (4087) or 15 items (5087) (20%)
Scholarly works only; no internet or general reference works

Research/Analysis Paper: 10-12 pages (4087) or 12-15 pages (5087) (30%)
Your own argument, supported by research accomplished for Annotated Bibliography; page count assumes Times New Roman 12 pt font and 1-inch margins!

Attendance:
If you must miss a class, please contact me or one of your classmates to find out what happened in class as well as what is due for the next class meeting; you will not be excused for unpreparedness due to absence. As per English Department policy, students who miss more than six classes will fail the course.

Something I Wish I Didn’t Have to Say:
Please do not engage with any electronic devices during class time, unless you have checked with me beforehand. Also don’t eat crunchy things.

Academic Integrity:
I expect your utmost intellectual engagement in reading, writing, and responding to class discussions. I expect you to participate fully in each class and to complete your work on time; late work will not be accepted. I also expect your strict adherence to the University code of conduct; instances of academic misconduct will result in failure of the course. Please also refer to the Department of English policy on plagiarism, which states in part that “[p]roven willful plagiarism will result in failure in the course and may include dismissal from the university.”

Welcome!

Welcome to the Discussion Blog for Women Authors, Spring 2008. Please remember that you must post at least two thoughtful, substantive comments on each text we read: one original, posted by 11pm on the day before our first day of discussion, and one response, posted no later than 48 hours after our first discussion. As I post the headings for each text, I will also list those precise dates and times. Of course, you may post much more frequently if you so desire, and thus increase your literary karma over the course of the semester.

Because this blog is rather more public than our D2L discussion board, you may feel free to post using a clever and witty pseudonym. If you choose to do so, please use the same name throughout the semester, and be prepared frequently to remind us in class of your secret identity.

Dr. C