Course Description:

This is a 200 level women's studies course surveying the wide and vibrant range of American Women's voices from pre-European contact to the present with attention to the context of feminist theory and feminist literary criticism. We are attempting to cover a very rich tradition in a single semester so the reading is substantial, although, I trust, not overwhelming. Still we will only be able to "taste" the many delicacies and take a quick nibble at some of the main courses. The material is  wonderful and diverse, enjoyable and occasionally difficult. The individual readings are generally brief and sometimes fragmentary in order to make room for a large number of different voices. I recognize that this is misleading, tantalizing and frustrating but hope that you will be inspired to pursue many of these writers on  your own and at greater length.  An additional inconvenience is that some of the writings must be accessed  on the web or on reserve.  I apologize for the additional challenges that this presents but ask that you make the effort nonetheless because many women writers are still unrecognized by anthologies or mainstream collections.  In order to hear their wonderful voices too we must go to extra lengths.

The writings have been grouped in roughly chronological order and in clusters of works with various common denominators along with particularly applicable critical, theoretical, and autobiographical essays. The categories have been chosen along the axes of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability, etc. However, these categories are not meant to be definitive or exclusive -- and  they significantly overlap at various points in the semester. Furthermore, there is an inherent -- and dangerous -- illusion created by categorizing together as one "group" (Native Americans; Latinas; Lesbians; etc.) people of very different experiences, classes  nations or national origins, religions, etc. Furthermore, many of our writers are biracial/cultural or multiracial/cultural although they may choose to identify themselves in terms of one particular culture. To try to reflect this complexity I have identified writers  within various groups as precisely as my own knowledge and various reference sources permit. If any of my identifications are   incorrect, I apologize! It is essential to remember that these very same writers could be sorted into very different groups along numerous other axes: age, urban/rural,  region, style, genre, themes, etc. with equal credibility, usefullness, and distortions.

We will be attempting, over the course of the semester, to address (but certainly not to fully answer!) a variety of questions about   women writers in America. Such questions will not necessarily be approached systematically. They will enter into the discussion  as they seem relevant and we will return repeatedly to many of these. The critical and theoretical readings throughout the semester will help set questions and establish tentative frameworks, but just as they do not agree with one another, we need not agree with them. They are there to help spark thinking -- not to define or limit it. To outline just a few of the questions we will address:

1.How closely should we read literary texts as reflections or translations of lived experience?
2.Is there something definably "female" about women's writing? Are there specific features necessarily present (absent) in all (or at least most) women's texts?
3.What calls women to write and what purposes seem to emerge from their text?  Again, are there common motivations and goals?
4.How do race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, marital status, religion, traumatic experiences, and other social categories or personal identities affect the writing of women? Are there identifiable themes, styles, goals, etc.among women writers who have one or more of these axes in common? Are there recognizable differences among women who do not?
5.How do historical forces and conditions shape the writing of American women?  Would question 2 produce a different answer depending on the period of time we were looking at?

Course Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will
1.  be able to recognize and appreciate the breadth, depth, variety, and remarkable contribution that women writers have made to the social, economic, political, and cultural life of the U.S. from the seventeenth century to the present
2.  be able to discuss and compare themes, concerns, and styles of individual writers and "groups" of writers identifying significant commonalities and distinctiveness
3.  be able toformalute interpretative and evaluative statements on a variety of women's texts
4.  understand and be able to explain the key themes, stylistic features, and major plot elements of one extended narrative in oral format and in a brief written introductory guide to the narrative
5.  have developed collectively a resource pack of material on 20+ women's narratives which will be available through the web
6.  be able to express how their perceptions about "women's voices" have changed or been refined as a result of this class
7.  Be comfortable and competent in the use of the WebCT electronic teaching tools

Student Responsibilities:
Students will be expected to produce 10 Reading Logs  (1-2 thoughtful word processed pages each) of responses to the readings keeping in mind the questions above (and others which we shall evolve as the semester progresses) (see topics under Assignment Calendar). These will be posted each week before class meets on Thursday evening on the WebCT discussion topic appropriate to the Log. There will also be a take-home midterm exam  between 5-10 pages in length (distributed OCT. 18,  due Nov. 1) as well as a prepared 3-5 page student presentation (posted to WebCT) on a longer work (novel or autobiography) assigned early in the semester. (See Student Presentations and Guide to Student Presentations ).

There will also be a final exam on Dec. 20.  Details regarding this exam will be announced later.

Note on Collaborative Learning: I encourage you to work together in study groups to enhance your engagement with these materials.  This course should be collaborative rather than competitive.  Student Presentations and writings should, of course, be your individual product but understanding should be our collective achievement.

Note for Honors Students: If you wish to take this class as an Honors option, you must notify me right away.  We will develop together a plan for additional readings and assignments.

Note for Students with Special Needs: Please let me know as soon as possible if you will have special needs or challenges in taking this course.  I will be happy to try to assist you in making appropriate arrangements through the Office of Specialized Services or  by other means.

Reading Logs -- Collectively: 30%
Student Presentation: 25%
Midterm -- 15%
Final Exam -- 15%
Class Participation (including random unannounced quizzes) -- 15%

1) Reading Schedule and Reading Logs

It is essential to keep ahead of the assigned readings. To help you engage closely with the texts and to be prepared for lively discussions in class, I am asking you to maintain a log of your readings on a regular basis which will assist you in preparing for exams and for the critical explication. I will ask you to write a minimum of 1-2 pages each week in response to specific questions about the readings (listed below on the Assignment Calendar).  These reading logs must be posted to WebCT each time and I encourage you to read the posting of other students and respond to them.  Make sure, however, that you are not "borrowing" material from any other student!   In recognition of human emergencies, you may skip one reading log without penalty -- if you do all of them I will drop the lowest grade. The reading logs collectively will count 30% of your semester's grade (one-quarter of your grade, so take them seriously!).

2) Attendance

It is essential that you attend regularly and be fully prepared for the class discussion. If you miss more than two classes in a row you should confer with me. If you miss three or more classes you must confer with me before you will be allowed to return to class. Anyone who misses no more than one class will earn an extra A.  Tardiness over ten minutes or leaving the class early counts as 1/2 absence.

3) Class Participation

In class we will be approaching the literature through a number of techniques including large group discussion, small group exploration, sharing of log entries, brief in-class writings, reading aloud and dramatizing. We are a community of readers approaching these works together to understand, to celebrate and to share. I expect all of you to participate actively in all of these forms of engagement with the texts and the minds behind the texts. And -- to encourage you to take an active role -- the more you talk, the less I talk! Participation is important and will count as 15% of your grade.  Note periodic unannounced quizzes will be folded into the participation grade.

4) Class Decorum

Class decorum is essential. Please be on time and orderly about your arrival. Late arrivals and early departures not only damage your learning but disrupt the concentration of others in the class. If you must be late, for some reason, please enter quietly and take a seat near the door. Be respectful of the opinions and contributions of your classmates. I will not hesitate to ask anyone to leave who chooses not to behave in a responsible and respectful manner. Your conduct will enter into your participation grade.

5) The Ouch Rule

Because we are reading, writing about, and discussing very sensitive material -- and because we have all been acculturated in a society which remains racist/sexist/heterosexist/classist etc. at the most profound linguistic level -- we need to be aware when we make comments which are hurtful or offensive to others.  Hence -- "the Ouch Rule." If someone makes a remark which causes you pain or offense, say "Ouch." It is not necessary to explain why you have said "ouch," although you may if you wish. The word itself will cause us to pause and rethink what has just been said.

6) Oral Report and Introductory Guide

You will be responsible for a ten minute oral report and 3-5 page presentation (posted to WebCT and with a  hard copy submitted to me) of a longer narrative (novel or autobiography) assigned early in the semester.  The oral report will be due on the day that it is listed on the syllabus. The written component must be posted to the WebCT by the Sunday prior to the class where the presentation is due and the hard copy must be handed in at the end of the class that day.   (Note: If you have already read one or more of these narratives -- do not choose it. Pick a new one! This is a growth experience!) Bring to bear upon it the background literary criticism we are reading as well as other relevant pieces from the semester and your own careful, original and insightful analysis. Additional guidelines will be distributed on separate handouts later. The handout must be posted to the WebCT by the due date.  It should be 3-5 pages in length and present basic introductory information about the narrative and the author (brief biography, bibliography, appropriate weblinks and resources, brief plot summary plus your thoughtful analysis of key themes, motifs, special stylistic devices, historical or cultural significance of the narrative, etc.)  Where you are using outside sources please document appropriately!  Use the new MLA format which can be found in The MLA Handbook or in Rules for Writers which is used in College English classes.  Feel free to meet with me as you prepare and write these guides. . The student presentation is worth 25% of the semester grade.

7) Midterm and Final Exams

The midterm will be a take-home essay (topic to be announced later) and should be between 5 and 10 pages long.  Either will count 15% of the semester grade. The final will be drawn from the entire semester's reading. It will count 15% of the semester grade.

8) Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity is essential.  Do Not Violate!  Plagiarism and cheating are the theft of another's words or ideas and can result in penalties as serious as expulsion from the college. See the Student Handbook for guidelines on plagiarism and cheating. If you have any doubts about how to present material from other sources, please come see me for help. If I find a paper which I believe has been plagiarized I will forward it to the Vice President's Office for action.  Don't do this to me or to yourself!

The following is an All College Statement:  Academic Integrity (College Guidelines):  All students at Ramapo College are expected to maintain academic integrity.  There are four  broad forms of academic dishonesty.

1.  Cheating:  An act of deception by which a student misrepresents his or her mastery of material on a test or other academic exercise.
2.  Plagiarism (including internet) Representing someone else's words, ideas, phrases, sentences, or data as one's own work without citing the source.
3.  Academic misconduct:  Alteration of grades, involvement in the acquisition or distributions of unadministered tests and the unauthorized submission of student work in more than one class.
4.  Fabrication:  The deliberate use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent to deceive.
Violation of any of these may result in an "F", and students may be subjected to disciplinary proceedings.

NOTE: REQUIRED READINGS ARE TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE CLASS!

Posting Reading Log Assignments:  You will be posting your reading log assignments each week to the appropriate WebCT WebCt   discussion list.   Your log should be a minimum of 1-2 pages and should reflect careful reading and quote directly from the texts where appropriate.  You must post the reading log assignments prior to the class on which the reading log is due.  Prepare your reading log in Word and then save it as an html document (i.e. webpage).  Post it to the appropriate discussion list as an attachment to your message.  (Alternately you can type it directly into your message or cut and paste it into the message.)  Feel free to read each other's postings and to comment on them.

Posting Student Presentation:  You will also be preparing a student presentation on the book that you have selected.  Prepare your presentation according to the Student Presentation Guidelines in Word and then save it as html and attach it to a WebCT WebCt   mail message. (Alternately you can type directly or cut and paste). You will be presenting on your chosen book orally in class on the day that the book is listed. Provide me with a hard copy of your presentation at the end of class.  The week that your student presentation is due for posting you may elect to use your "free pass" for the reading log assignment or you may post it up to a week late (if it is due the week that the midterm is given you may have an extra week for the midterm).  The Options are listed for each group under the day they are due by last name.  Check the Student Presentations List for full details on the work.

Class 1 Tues. Sep. 6:  In Class :  Introduction to Web CT and course structure.  Asking Questions and Posing Frameworks; Group Assignments and selections of texts for Student Presentations  Setting the Themes:  Mary Oliver "Blossom" (1984) Nikki Giovanni, "Ego-Tripping" (1973); Mary Mullinaux Lemon, "All My Grandmothers Could Sing Most Died Young," (1992);  Janice Mirikitani, "Ms." ( 1972);  Kate Chopin, "The Story of an Hour," (1894) in Kilcup 397-399;  Lucille Clifton, "Wishes for Sons" (1991) CD:  Joy Harjo (Creek/Muscogee) "I Give You Back," (1983)   text of poem in Madison 76-77  Teresa Palomo Acosta "My Mother Pieced Quilts." 113-114

In-class:  CD/Film/Video from CD: Poetic Justice Track 5 I Give You Back; Video: Writing Women's Lives (1 hr. 2000) PS5151.W74 2000  Hearts and Hands (1 hr.) 1988 HQ1418.H43  Lowell Mill girls and African American Women (about 40 min.)


Class 2: Tues. Sep. 13 :    Native American Women Writers  Native American Women Writers Booklist | Native American Links |
Aunt Lute: Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins (Thocmetony) (Paiute) "from Life Among the Piutes " 1095-1114;  Sophia Alice Callahan (Creek) from Wynema: A Child of the Forest  (1891) 553-555;

Worlds in Our Words:  Linda Hogan "Interview: Imagining a Wider Community: An Interview with Linda Hogan."  157-161; Luci Tapanhoso "The Motion of Songs Rising" 886-667; Joy Harjo "Healing Animal" 657-8; and "Interview: In Love and War and Music: An Interview with Joy Harjo" 670-682).

Poetry Handouts   Kimberly Blaeser (Ashinabe/German/Chippewa American)"Native Americans" vs. "The Poets"(some thoughts I had while reading Poetry East):
Debra Swallow, (Oglala) "Keep A Dime," (1984)140-141; Mary Tallmountain , (Athabaskan) "Matmiya," (1984) 144

WebCt Cherokee Women "Cherokee Women Address Their Nation"(1817); 177-178; Linda Hogan (Chickasaw) "Making Do"(1994); Iron Teeth (Mah-iti-we-nei-ni) Remembers The Cheyenne Removal (1926) in 224-229; Berenice Levchuck (Dineh/Navajo)  "Leaving Home for Carlisle Indian School" (1997)  176-185; Zitkala-Sa, (Gertrude Simmons Bonnin) (Dakota/Sioux) "The School Days of an Indian Girl"  Atlantic Monthly 85 (1900) 185-194.

Web: Mourning Dove (Christine Quintasket) (19th/20th C. Okanogan)  Coyote Stories recorded by Mourning Dove: http://www.headmap.org/texts/coyote/SpiritChiefNamestheAnimalPeople.htm  Hopi Myth, "Spider Woman: The Children and the Hummingbird" at http://www.crystalinks.com/spiderwoman.html

Reading log 1 Due: Use Joy Harjo's observations (in the interview in Worlds in Our Words) about writing and about Native American writers to examine her poems "Healing Animals" and ""The Place the Musician Became a Bear" Identify central themes, ideas, and stylistic techniques that are particularly striking. (Alternately use Linda Hogan's observations (in the interview in Worlds in Our Words) to comment on and analyze "Making Do" (the reading on WebCt).  Use the questions outlined at the top of the syllabus to help you analyze closely.    Post to WebCT Discussions under the topic Native American Women Writers .
Posted Student Presentations, Group 1 Options : Mourning Dove; Deloria Chona; Mountain Wolf Woman; Hogan; Hale; Crow Dog; Walters; Power; Snell

SPECIAL NOTE:  AZAR NAFISI IS OUR CONVOCATION SPEAKER ON WED. SEP. 21 2:00 BILL BRADLEY SPORTS CENTER.  WE WILL BE READING A PART OF HER NOVEL FOR NEXT WEEK'S CLASS. IF YOU ATTEND CONVOCATION AND WRITE A TWO PAGE REACTION PAPER YOU MAY USE THIS TO SUBSTITUTE FOR ONE OF THE READING LOGS LATER IN THE SEMESTER.

In-class:  CD/Film/Video Joy Harjo, "For Anna Mae Pictou Aquash, Whose Spirit is Present Here and in the Dapple Stars" Poetic Justice CD, Track 7: "She Had Some Horses," Poetic Justice CD, Track 8  CD: Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women: Nancy Richardson (Karuk, Ojibwa, Shasta, Nahua) "Lizard His Song" track 16; Cornelia Bowannie and Arliss Luna (Zuni Pueblo) "Blessing Song," 26; Poldine Carlo (Athabaskan) "Honor Song for an Older Sister" 29;  Geraldine Barney: (Dine/Navajo) "Glitter Nights," 22;  Buffy Ste. Marie (Cree) "Starwalker" 34  Sharon Burch, (Dine/Navojo) CD: Yazzie Girl, "Yazzie Girl" Track 9
Video excerpt: (mine) The Native Americans:  Nations of the Northeast (about 10 min. on Carlisle school precued) Book to Share:  The Indian lndustrial School, ed. Linda F. Witmer.  Video Hozho of Native Women 1997 E98.W8 H87 1997

Book Pres: Deloria, Waterlily: 

Class 3 Tues. Sep. 20:  Mideast and Arab American Women Writers and Muslim American Writers  American Women Writers of Mideast Heritage and Muslim American Women List |
Text:  Azar Nafisi (Iranian American) "Austen" from Reading Lolita in Tehran 257-343

Worlds in Our Words:  Lisa Suhair Majaj (Palestinian American) "Recognized futures" 68; Naomi Shihab Nye, (Palestinian American)  "Adios" 70

Poetry Handouts:  Elmaz Abi-Nader (Lebanese American) "Preparing for Occupation"; Susan Atefat Peckham (Iranian American)  "Ameh Joon Aunt Dear";  Deema K. Shihabi (Palestinian American) "In the Fragile Hour In Between"  

WebCt   (Read at least one of these narratives on WebCt):  Mona Fayad (Syrian American)  "The Arab  Woman and I" 170-172 Carol Haddad (Lebanese/Syrian)  "In Search of Home"  218-223  Michelle Sharif  (Arab American) "Global Sisterhood: Where Do We Fit In?"  151-159 . Laila Halaby (Palestinian American);  "Browner Shades of White" 204-205  Bookda Gheisa (Iranian American) "Going Home" 192-196 

Web:  Etel Adnan , (Lebanese Syranian Greek American) "There," (1996) http://www.poetry.org/issues/issue1/alltext/adnther.htm 

Reading log 2 Due: For this reading log focus on writing about Azar Nafisi's "Austen" plus one other reading from this week.  What are the authors' goals in writing their texts.  Are these primarily works to make an argument, change our understanding, entertain? What themes stand out as particular to these writers?  Use the questions outlined at the top of the syllabus to help you analyze closely.    Post to WebCT Discussions under the topic Middle East American Women Writers .

Posted Student Presentations, Group 9 Options: Diana Abu-Jaber, (Jordanian-American) Arabian Jazz (1993) or Crescent (2003);  Ahmedi, Farah (with Taminm Ansary) (Afghan American) The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky (2005) Sohier Khashoggi (Saudi Arabian American) Mirage: A Novel (1996); Naomi Shihah Nye (Palestinian American), Habibi (1999). Tara Bahrampour . (Iranian American) To See and See Again:  A Life in Iran and America . 1999.  Frances Khirallah Noble (Syrian/Lebanese American) The Situe Stories (2000) Samia Serageldin (Egyptian American) The Cairo House (2000)

In class Video:  Unbidden Voices ed. Prajna Paramita Parasher 1989(Library E184.E2 U54) 60 min.  Excerpt from Bill Moyers on Bharati Mukherjee

Class 4 Tues. Sep. 27: CALCASA Teleconference in SC136 on Sexual Violence, Eating Distress and Body Image

Class 5 Tues. Oct. 4:  Lesbian/Bisexual American Writers Booklist  | GLBT Links      |    GLBT Bibliography
Aunt Lute:    Mary Wilkins Freeman (European American) "A Poetess" (1891) 1225-1234; Constance Feminmore Woolson (European American) "Miss Grief" 1048-1062 (1880); Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (Ward) (European American) "What Did She See With" 1115-1128 (1868); and Sophie Jewett (European American) "Entre Nous" "I Speak Your Name" AND "With a Copy of Wharton's Sappho 1299-1300."

Worlds in Our Words: Lisa Springer (European American) "Between Girls" 522-530;  June Jordan (African American) "Poem Toward the Bottom Line" 574;  Paula Gunn Allen, (Laguna Pueblo/Sioux/Lebanese)"Weed" 387 AND "Eve the Fox," (1989) 563-4; Barbara Noreen Dinnerstein (European Jewish Lesbian woman who "happens to be deaf") "Bubbie, Mommy, Weight Watchers and Me."  (1989) 347-9.

WebCt  Audre Lorde, (African American/Grenadian Lesbian) "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Actions," and "Use of the Erotic: The Erotics of Power," (1978); Cherríe Moraga, (Chicana) "La Guera," (1981)  AND Adrienne Rich (Jewish Lesbian American) "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" 1993;  Pat Parker, (African American) (1978) "Where Will You Be," 115-119 (Plus:  Read one additional selection (one) from among the following texts : JeeYeun Lee (Korean American) "Why Suzie Wong is Not a Lesbian:  Asian and Asian American Lesbian and Bisexual Women and Femme/Butch/Gender Identities." 115-132;   Paula Gunn Allen, (Laguna Pueblo/Sioux/Lebanese) "Lesbians in American Indian Culture," ( 1986), 106-117; Eleanor Nachman/Dykewomon, (European American Jewish) "from Riverfinger Woman"1974 13-22  Lourdes Arguelles and B. Ruby Rich, (Cuban American) "Homosexuality, Homophobia and Revolution:  Notes Toward an Understanding of the Cuban Lesbian and Gay Male Experience," 1989 441-455  Leslie Feinberg, (European American Jewish) "Natural Becomes Unnatural" 60-65; Mary Wilkins Freeman (European American) "Two Friends"(1887) 409-417; Merle Woo, (Chinese/Korean American) "Letter to Ma," (1981)

Web: Angelina Weld Grimke (European/African American) (1880-1950): Selected Poetry ;

Reading log 3 Due:   Analyze either Freeman's "Poetess" or Woolson's "Miss Grief" or Phelps' "What Did She See With? in terms of either Adrienne Rich's argument in "Compulsory Homosexuality" or Audre Lorde's argument in "Use of the Erotic."  How does lesbianism or sexuality emerge as an overt theme or as an undercurrent in the text you picked to analyze?  How is the intersection of sexuality and race addressed in the writing?    Post to WebCT Discussions under the topic L/B/T American Women Writers .
Posted Student Presentations, Group 3 : Cather; Brown; Brant; de la Pena; Feinberg; Griffith; Sapphire; Livia; Fremont

In Class:  Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw and My Gender Workbook will be speaking Tues. Oct. 4 from 3-5 p.m. in Alumni Lounges (SC136-8).  Our class will meet in the classroom at 2:00 and then go at 3 to join this event.  I ask you to stay the full time (if you possibly can) in courtesy to the speaker.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY (Optional):  Women on Fire a one-woman play with Judith Ivey at the Sharp Theater, Berrie Center Sat. Oct. 8 8 p.m. Tickets $25 adults, $22 senior citizens; $15 youth.

Class 6 Tues. Oct 11:  African American Women Writers  African American Women Writers  Booklist | African American Links |
Aunt Lute: Phillis Wheatley, Selections 170-173; Maria W.  Stewart, "Lecture Delivered at the Franklin Hall , Boston, Sep. 21, 1832" (1832) 408-414;;  Harriet Jacobs  from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861) 529-534; Sojourner Truth , "Speech" (1851) 337-8;  Francis Ellen Watkins Harper , Poetry selections 793-804; "The Colored People in America" (1857) 804-5;  Anna Julia Cooper "The Status of Women in America" (1892) 1273-1280; Ida Baker Wells-Barnett, "Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases" (1892) 1304-1319, Alice Dunbar-Nelson "Sister Josepha" (1899) 1354-1359.

Worlds in Our Words: Audre Lorde, "Poetry is Not a Luxury" 42-44 and "A Litany for Survival" 66-8; Sonia Sanchez, "Dear Mama," (1989) 132-134;  Toni Morrison, "The Birth of Denver," (1988) 197-204; Alice Walker, "Everyday Use," (1973), 6-13; Joyce Carol Thomas "Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea" 285-6; Joyce Carol Thomas "Interview: In a Long Line of Strong Women: An Interview with Joyce Carol Thomas."  752-758;

Web: Sojourner Truth " What Time of Night It is " (1853)  "Keeping the Thing Going ... " (1867);  Maya Angelou:  " Still I Rise "  Maya Angelou webpage

Posted Student Presentations, Group 2: Crafts; Jacobs; Wilson, Cooper; Hurston; Angelou;  Kincaid; Walker;  Morrison; Danticat; Butler; Hemans Recommended, on your own, view:  Films: The Color Purple; Waiting to Exhale; Beloved

In Class: At 4 p.m. the class will walk over to the Arch Walkway to experience the Clothesline Project (a display of shirts created by and for women who are survivors of violence).

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY (Optional but highly recommended):  Take Back the Night Speak out and Rally Friends Hall, SC219 Oct. 13 8 p.m. "an empowering rally and march that unifies women and men who wish to end sexual and relationship violence."

Class 7 Tues. Oct. 18:  European American Women Writers  European American Women Writers Booklist
Aunt Lute:   Annis Boudinot Stockton (European American) "A Poetical Epistle, Addressed by a Lady of New Jersey, to Her Niece Upon Her Marriage."(1786)132-134; Judith Sargent Murray (European American) "On the Equality of the Sexes" (1790)162-169; Margaret Fuller (European American) "Educate Men and Women as Souls" (1855) 429-431; Ladies of Steubenville, Ohio (European American) "Memorial" ((1830) 839-841; Emily Dickinson: (European American) Poetry selections 841-853; Kate Chopin (European American) "Desiree's Baby" (1893) 1174-1178; Charlotte Perkins Gilman, (European American) "The Anti-Suffragists" (1893) 1280-1282 AND "The Yellow Wallpaper," (1892) 1283-1294; Elizabeth Cady Stanton , (European American) "The Solitude of Self" (1892) 565-557; Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention "Declaration of Sentiments", (1848) 703-706.

Worlds in Our Words: Nancy Willard "Angels in Winter" (1995) 577-578; And "Interview:  "Finding and Gathering and Dreaming: An Interview with Nancy Willard" (1996) 578-582; Beth Henley "Am I Blue?" (1972) 723-739

WebCt   Anna Yona, (Italian American) "Leaving Fascist Italy Where Could We Go? We Spread the Map"  1978, 109-117;

Web:  Susan B. Anthony,  (European American) " Remarks at Her Trial for Illegal Voting "  Margaret Sanger, (European American)   from Autobiography ;  Eleanor Roosevelt, " Abolish Jim Crow " (1943) and "UN Deliberations on Draft Convention on the Political Rights of Women " (1953)

 Write an analysis of either Gilman's "Yellow Wallpaper" or of Chopin's "Desiree's Baby".  Why do you think the story you have chosen came to be seen by white middle class feminist critics as "archetypically" feminist? What does the story suggest about the relations between white middle class women and men? Pay particular attention to the role of isolation and small town community in the lives of these characters. Think about these pieces in terms of the questions outlined at the top of the syllabus.  Post your reading log on Web CT under the discussion topic European American Women Writers

Posted Student Presentations, Group 4:   Davis; Chopin; Cridge, Man's Rights or How Would You Like It? (1870) (also on WebCt ); Jewett;  Addams available as etext ; Wharton; LeGuin; Scully;  StarkSheen; Norris

In Class:   Denise Bell of Amnesty International will be speaking about the "Disabling of the Women of Darfur," Tues. Oct. 18 at 3:30 p.m. in the HWing Auditorium.  Our class will be joining this important event. (We'll start in the classroom and then go over in time for the talk).  The talk will probably run to 4:30 p.m. and I ask you to stay the full time in courtesy to the speaker.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY (Optional): The RCNJ Theater Program is putting on Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley Directed by Mary Ellen Allison.  the play will be performed on Oct. 20-22 and 26-29 at 8 p.m. in the Adler Theater in the Berrie Center.  We will have read for the course another play by Beth Henley "Am I Blue"  If you attend one of the performances and write a comparison between the two texts (style, themes, character, theatrical devices etc.) it can substitute for one of the other reading logs of the semester. 

Class 8 Tues. Oct. 25:  Latina American Women Writers   Latina Writers Booklist | Latino/Latina Links | Take Home Midterm Distributed -- Due back Class 10 Nov. 8
Aunt Lute:  Brigida Briones (Mexican Californian) "A Carnival Ball at Monterey in 1829" "A Glimpse of Domestic Life in 1827" (1891) 556-559; Amalia Sibrian (Mexican Californian) "A Spanish Girl's Journey from Monterey to Los Angeles" (1829?) 594-6; Loreta Janeta Velasquez (Cuban Mexican) "from The Woman in Battle..." (1876) 1074-1095

Worlds in Our Words:   Judith Ortiz Cofer, (Puerto Rican), "Tales Told Under the Mango Tree" (1990) 31-41; "The Latin Deli,"(1993) 63-65; "Interview: The Art of Not Forgetting: An Interview with Judith Ortiz Cofer," (1994), 72-79;   Lorna Dee Cervantes (Chicana) "Refugee Ship) (1975) 61-62; Pat Mora (Chicana) A Walk With My Father (1994) 128-131

WebCt   Gloria Anzaldúa , (Chicana Lesbian) "La Conciencia de la Mestiza: Towards a New Consciousness," (1987), 560-572; Denise Chavez, (Chicana) "Novena Narratives," (1987), 295-309

Poetry Handout: Sandra Maria Esteves, (Puerto Rican-Dominican-Boriqueña-Quisqueyana-Taino-African -American), "Autobiography of a Nuyorican" (1990); Rosario Morales (Puerto Rican), "I Am What I Am" (1981); Deborah Salazar , (Ecuadoran American) "Dedications," (1986 )
Recommended, on your own, view:  Film: Like Water for Chocolate

Reading log 5 due: Using Anzaldúa as a guideline, analyze Cofer's narrative, "Tales Told Under the Mango Tree"     What is the role of race, language, setting in this play and how does it affect the way Cofer presents issues of women?   Feel free to bring in insights from the Interview with Cofer from Worlds in Our Words.  Post to WebCT Discussions under the topic Latina American Women Writers.

Posted Student Presentations, Group 5 : Christina Garcia, (Cuban American) Dreaming in Cuban (1992); Esmeralda Santiago , (Puerto Rican) When I Was Puerto Rican (1993);Julia Alvarez (Dominican American), In the Time of the Butterflies (1994) Demetria Martinez (Chicana American) Mother Tongue (1994); Tessa Bridal (Uragayan American) The Tree of Red Stars (1997); Sandra Benitzez (Salvadoran American) Bitter Grounds (1997)

Class 9 Tues. Nov. 1:   Women Writers with Disabilities and Women in Crisis  Women Writers with Disabilities/Women in Crisis/Older Women/Girls Reading List/Links 
Aunt Lute:  Abigail Abbot Bailey, (European American) "from The Memoirs of Mrs. Abigail Bailey (1815) 135-162; Mary L. Day (European American who was blind) "from Incidents in the Life of a Blind Girl" (1859) 1005-1008

Worlds in Our Words:  Hilda Raz (European Jewish American) "Junk" (1991) 349-362 ; Naomi Wolf (European American) "Hunger" (1991) 330-347. Ntozake Shange (African American)  "Boogie Woogie Landscapes." (1981) 628-655; Melissa Range (European American) "Lot's Wife" (1994) 401-403; Mariflo Stephens (European American) "Waltzing Into Heaven" 305-313.

WebCt  Suchen Chan (Chinese American) "You're Short Besides," (1989) 434-439; Agnes Smedley,  (European American) "My Cell Mate No. 1, 2, 3, 4"  355-365; 

Recommended on your own view:  Film The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Miracle Worker

Reading log 6 assignment Due:  Choose one of the following authors to write about this week:  Bailey; Shange; or Mukerhee.  What does the writer of the selection want the reader to do or feel or believe or undergo in course of the reading.  Do you think this is an appropriate goal for a writer? (Why or Why Not?) Is she successful in achieving this goal?  Give concrete evidence from the text of where the goal becomes visible -- and of how effectively the goal is met.
Posted Student Presentations, Group 6: Keller;  Lorde;  Sidransky; Mankiller; Ng; Bolton; Kaysen; Grealy; Hornbacher; Rubic; De Salvo; Mairs; Radner

SPECIALOPPORTUNITY (Optional):  Rachel Simon will be talking about and reading from her memoir: Riding the Bus with My Sister (an excerpt of which we will have read for the class) in SC138 Wed. Nov. 2 at 2 p.m.   If you attend the reading and write up your reaction (thoughtfully!)  you can  use it to boost either your midterm or your final by a 1/2 grade.  See http://www.rachelsimon.com for more info.

Class 10 Tues. Nov. 8 : Asian American Women Writers  Asian American Women Writers Booklist | Asian American Links |  Take Home Midterm Due.   No reading log due this week.

Aunt Lute:    Nishimura Ekiu v. United States  (Japanese American) (1891-2) 1350-1351; Lilac Chen (Chinese American) "Lilac Chen" (1973) 1359-1362

Worlds in Our Words:  Lois Ann Yamanaka (20th C. Japanese Hawaiian American) "Turtles" (1993) 482-484; Maxine Hong Kingston "No Name Woman" (1976) 118-127; Sylvia Watanabe (Japanese American) "Talking to the Dead" (1989) 603-612 AND "Interview: Living Among Strangers: An Interview with Sylvia Watanabe"(1995) 403-414; Amy Ling "Whose America Is It?"  (1989) 208-217.

WebCt :  Sui Sin Far (Edith Maud Eaton), (Chinese American) "from Mrs. Spring Fragrance" 1912) 531-543; plus one of the following texts:  Onoto Watanna (Winnifred Eaton) (Chinese American)  "Two Converts" and "The Loves of Sakura Jiro and the Three Headed Maid" 570-580; Lee Yow Chun and Chun Ho "Rescued Chinese Prostitutes Testify at the Industrial Commission."  (1901) 377-383  Vo Thi Tam: (Vietnamese American) "A Boat Person's Story" Fiona Cheong, (Singapore/Chinese American) "Granddaughter" 175-184  Vue Vang, (Laotian American), "Vue Vang's Life Story as Told to her daughter Marjuo Xiong," (1993 ) .

Posted Student Presentations, Group 7 : Kingston; Lee; Houston and Houston; Hayslip; Jen; Sun-Childers and Childers; Tyau; Cao; Keller; Yamanaka;  Faderman with Xiong; Mar; Yan Recommended, on your own, view:  Film: Thousand Pieces of Gold;The Joy Luck Club;  Heaven and Earth; Beyond Rangoun.

Class 11 Tues. Nov. 15:   South Asian/Pacific Islander American Women Writers   South Asian American Women Writers | South Asian Links | 
On Poetry Handout:   Beheroze F. Shroff, (Indo-American) "Mother" ( 1989); Chitra Divakaruni, (Indo-American) "Indian Movie, New Jersey," (1993) Kamala Das (Malabar Indian American) "An Introduction" 2125-2127;

WebCt : Bharati Mukherjee, (South Asian/Indian American) "The Management of Grief"  2253-2265; Meena Alexander,  (20th C. Indo-American) "An Intimate Violence: Race, Gender, and the Making of Poems"  Jumpha Lahiri. (20th C. South Asian/Indian American)  "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine." 23-42  Naheed Islam. (20th C. Bangladeshi American)  "In the Belly of the Multicultural Beast, I am Named South Asian."  242-246; Nemesia Cortez, (20th c. Filipina American) "I Only Finished First Grade," ( 1995); gracepoore. (20th C. Malaysian American) "Purification."   65-70.  Tehmina Khan. (20th C. Hyderbadi Muslim American) "Tales for a Desert Storm."  109-115/

Reading log 7 Due: Using the lens of Sylvia Watanabe (in her interivew) (from last week's reading) or Meena Alexander in "An Intimate Violence?"  analyze one of the other writings you have read for this week.  What do you see as the role of culture, religion and national origin in the writing you have chosen?  Does the writer seem to identify more with the country of origin or the adopted country?  How does this affect the presentation of gender issues? Post to WebCT Discussions under the topic Asian American Women Writers

Posted Student Presentations, Group 8:  Suleri; Mukherjee; Rama Rau; Manguerra-Brainard; Sidhwa; Divakaruni; Kirchner; Lahiri

Class 12 Tues. Nov. 22:  East European, Russian and Jewish Am. Wom. Wr. Jewish American & Greek/East European/Russian American Women Writers
Aunt Lute:   Emma Lazarus  (European Jewish) Selected writings 1163-1172;

Worlds in Our Words:  Joyce Madelon Winslow (European Jewish American) "Born Again" 313-324; Tillie Olsen (European Jewish American) "I Stand Here Ironing" 441-447; Elaine Zimmerman (European Jewish American) "To Essie Parrish" 668-669;  Cynthia Ozick, (Russian/Litvak Jewish American) "The Shawl," (1980) 204-207; Adrienne Rich (European Jewish American) "History Stops for No One" 217-228; Denise Levertov (European Jewish American) "A Tree Telling of Orpheus" 396; Marge Piercy (Lithuanian/Welsh/Jewish American) "Wellfleet Sabbath" 662-663; Grace Paley, (European Jewish American) "A Conversation with My Father," (1974)  300-304. 

On Poetry Handout:  Irene Klepfiz, (European Jewish American) "Perspectives on the Second World War," (1973); Lisa Williams, (Russian Jewish American) "Grandmother" (1989);  Annaliese Wagner, (German Jewish American) "Requiem for Olma Berta;" Muriel Rukeyser, (European Jewish Lesbian American) "from Letter to the Front: To Be A Jew in the Twenthieth Century," (1944); 1694; 

WebCt :  (Read at least 1 of these authors)  Helena Modjeska , (Polish American) "Selections from Memories of Helena Modjeska:  An Autobiography" (1910) 41-51;  Monika Krawczyk (Polish American) "No Man Alone" 119-121; Araxi Chorbajian Ayvasian (Armenian American) "Escape from Armenia" 88-98; Elana Christopoulous (Greek American -- pseudonym) "A Mother and Daughter from Greece" in First Generation: In the Words of Twentieth-Century Immigrants , ed. June Namias, 1978; Minnie Kasser Needle (Galician/Austrian/Hungarian Jewish) "Jewish Grandmother" 4-13

Reading log 9 Due: Do a comparative analysis of two of these writers.  What elements do they seem to have in common?  What significant differences are apparent?    Post your reading log on Web CT under the discussion topic East European and Jewish American Women Writers.
Posted Student Presentations, Group 10 : Yesierska; Olsen; Piercy; Gornick; Shea; Kadish; Glodek; Bernstein; Fremont; Setton

Class 13 Tues. Nov. 29:  Working Class American Women Writers and Women in Poverty   Working Class Women Writers Book List

Aunt Lute:  The Lowell Offering Writers, Selections from The Lowell Offering (a magazine that published mill girl's writing) (1840 and 1842) 289-301; Eliza Potter (African American) "from A Hair-Dresser's Experience in High Life" 687-702; Rebecca Harding Davis (European American) "Marcia" 906-911; Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley) (European American) "Wimmen's Speah" 1008-1016; Plus (Optional):  Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Jane Cohchran) "from Ten Days in a Mad-House" (1887-1888) 1320-1334

Worlds in Our Words  Judith Ortiz Cofer, (20th C. Puerto Rican Working Class) "More Room, 720-722;  Sonia Sanchez (African American) "Dear Mama" 132-134; Elizabeth Cook-Lynn (Crow Creek Sioux) "A Visit from Reverend Tileston" 168-174; Pat Mora (Chicana) "La Migra" 280-281; Maxine Kumin "Menial Labor and the Muse" 456-458; Lois Ann Yamanaka (20th C. Japanese Hawaiian American) "Turtles" (1993) 482-484;

Plus read at least two of these works on Webct or the Web:

WebCt :   Ah Quon McElrath , (Chinese American) "The Challenge is Still There" (1976 and 1994); Aleksandra Rembienska, (20th C. Polish American) "A Polish Peasant Girl in American" (1911);  Anonymous, "Homeless Woman Living in Car," (1993); Graciela Mendoza Pena Valencia (Mexican Farm Worker) "I Want to Have Something" 175-179; Helen Campbell "Speakout on Domestic Service" (1900); Arie Cabe Carpenter (Appalachian Mountain Woman): "Pays a Body t'work more'n it does t'starve" from Aunt Arie (1983), 77-96; Mary Harris, Mother Jones, "Victory at Arnot" (1972) 420-422;

Web:  Belinda Royall, (18th C. African Working Class American) "Petition of an African Slave" (1787) HO and  see http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/archive/2002/august/calendar/royall2.shtml; Jessie Lopes de la Cruz, (Salvadoran American) " Organizing Farmworkers in the Fields," (1988).

Posted Student Presentations, Group 11 : Chamberlain; Harrison; Moody; Bambara; Chute; Smedley; Allison; Lucas; Yamauchi; Ginsberg 

Class 14 Tues. Dec. 6  Last Class  Older Women and Girls  Women Writers with Disabilities/Women in Crisis/Older Women/Girls Reading List/Links

Worlds in Our Words   Marilyn Chin, (Chinese American), "First Lessons," (1987), 62-63; Leslie Marmon Silko (20th C. Laguna) "Lullaby."  24-31;  Mary Hood "How Far She Went" 90-97; Paule Marshall "To Da-duh, In Memoriam" (1967) 97-105; May Sarton "Interview: Finding the Muse: An Interview with May Sarton and "Friendship and Illness" 486-496; 

Aunt Lute: Charity Bowery (African American) "Interview with Charity Bowery" (1848)  217-221; Sarah Orne Jewett (19th C. European American)"The Flight of Betsey Lane" (1893) 1142-1155
 
On Poetry Handout:  Mura Dehn, (20th C. European American), "The Thugs," (1987); Darlene Sinyella (20th C. 7th grade Hualapal) "We Shall Wait Forever," (1992)

WebCt :  Toni Cade Bambara, (20th C. African American)"A Girl's Story," (1977), 169-177

Web:  Writings by teen girls (read a sampling from Girl Power ); Maya Angelou: (20th C. African American) " On Aging :";

Reading log assignment Due: No reading log due this week.

Posted Student Presentations, Group 12: Delany. with Hearth; Beals; Tan; Flagg; Roosevelt; Erdrich; Rawles; Vorse/Jenning