Women in Literature | Madison College Outline of Instruction

20801250 Women in Literature

Course Information

Description

Women in Literature examines women as both writers and subjects of literature. Students read works from a number of genres and eras, studying ways women writers have contributed to, challenged and redefined the literary tradition. Students may analyze theme, genre, language, identity issues, social and political topics, and critical theory. The works are selected to explore intersections of gender with race, class and sexuality.

Total Credits

Course Competencies (Course Outcomes)

Apply appropriate strategies when reading literary works

Assessment Strategies

by completing all assigned literature by specified date

by participating in small and large group discussions

by meeting instructor's criteria on quizzes, tests and other written assignments

Criteria

you identify the purpose of reading a literary text: enjoyment, appreciation, and the development of an interpretation

you recognize explicit and implicit meanings within a literary text

you annotate and highlight key passages while reading

you formulate questions and opinions while reading

you identify literary conventions

you recognize complexity and ambiguity in literary texts

you assess understanding and reread the text as necessary

you synthesize opinions, questions, and responses to the text to develop an interpretation
Analyze literature

Assessment Strategies

by completing the assigned reading and participates in class discussions at the scheduled times

by completing all writing assignments on time, and according to all criteria specified by the instructor for length, content, and format of written work

Criteria

you examine the defining features of each of the major genres covered in the course (drama, novel, short story, poetry, and autobiography)

you identify the major generic elements present in an individual text

you examine the historical, cultural, sociological and literary context of a literary work

you use literary terminology to describe and discuss a literary work

you recognize literary canons and their limitations

you apply the skills listed above to a new text, without assistance from the instructor
Interpret literature

Assessment Strategies

by completing assigned reading and participates in small and large group discussions, as scheduled

by completing all assigned written work and complies with instructor's criteria for length, content, and format

by moving beyond a discussion of explicit meaning to a detailed description of the complexity and ambiguity implicit in literary texts

by use a critical approach to construct and support an interpretation of a literary text

by applying the performance criteria listed above to a new text, without assistance from the instructor

Criteria

you examine the explicit message or content of a literary text

you examine how a given text is an example of a given literary genre and how the text reflects the formal conventions of the genre

you bring historical information to bear on a text brings knowledge of literary history and canons to bear on the text

you explain the assumptions, ambiguities and hidden agendas that inform the explicit message

you explain how a literary text engages social issues

you explain several critical approaches that are used to analyze and interpret literature (examples: feminism, deconstruction, post-colonialism)

you use a critical approach, such as deconstruction or formalism, to interpret a literary text
Write about literature

Assessment Strategies

by completing all assigned reading

by completing the specified writing assignments (examples: analytic essays, reading journals, essay exams, response to critical essays, class notes) by the assigned date

by meeting all requirements specified by the instructor for length, format, and content of written work

Criteria

you use literary terminology

you investigate cultural, historical, and sociological context of works by nineteenth-century British and American

you express an appreciation for literary aesthetics

you apply a variety of critical approaches to texts

you explore the complexity and ambiguity of literary texts
Evaluate literature

Assessment Strategies

by completing all assigned reading and participates in class discussion and activities, as scheduled

by completing all writing assignments on time and according to the criteria established by the instructor for length, content, and format

by meeting instructor's criteria on quizzes and tests

Criteria

you explain the relationship between literature and life (by answering the question "Why study literature?")

you explain an awareness of a personal aesthetic response to the literary texts covered in the course

you identify major similarities and contrasts among the body of literary works covered in the course

you explain how historical, sociological and cultural developments within the historical period are reflected in the body of works covered in the course

you identify major literary movements and describes how these changes in literary aesthetics and theory are reflected in the works discussed in the course

you identify literary canons and their limitations

you apply all of the criteria listed above to the evaluation of a new text, without assistance from the instructor

you prepare written work that evaluates literary works according to the criteria listed above