Women have been imagined and imagined themselves in a multitude of ways in the course of literary history. In English 211 we will examine some of the ways in which women have been imagined by men, some of the ways women have imagined themselves in relation to men and each other, and some of the ways these dialogues have been conducted through literary means. We will be asking some essential questions about the nature of female identity. How does a woman define herself in a patriarchal society? Does a woman need to define herself within the patriarchal structure or against it? How are these expressed differently (or similarly) over the course of history and in different cultures? We will focus our study on medieval Asia and Europe. In asking and answering these questions we will focus our attention on the ways in which women entered into the social system or excluded themselves from it, how they formed communities (literary and literal), and expressed or were defined by their sexuality.

Requirements

Attendance is Required! I expect that you will come to every class and be present in mind as well as body. That means being prepared. Come to class having done the assigned reading (take notes, record comments!) and with at least one thing in mind that you would like to contribute to the class. I understand that life happens and sometimes you must be absent. If this is the case and you know you will be absent, please let me know (by phone message or e-mail) as soon as possible. Also remember: if you miss class YOU are responsible for finding out what you have missed; check with a classmate about readings and assignments. (Please please please do not ask if you have missed anything!!) Allegheny policy requires class attendance; unexcused absences will lower your grade accordingly; ***if you have more than five absences, you run the risk of failing the class.***

Papers, Exams, and Written Exercises

Assignments
You will be asked to do several different kinds of graded work in this class including writing a short argument paper (2-3 pages), a longer critical paper (6-7 pages); you will also take a midterm and a final exam as well as participate in class discussion and complete any required in-class assignments.
Please note: you must turn in all major assignments (essays, exams, etc.) in order to pass the course.

Grading

Please Read the criteria for class participation and essay grading on the Assignments page.

A Note on Plagiarism
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Please read the Honor Code in the College Catalogue. We will discuss various ways to avoid unintentional plagiarism. Please note that plagiarism includes direct or indirect use of any words or ideas other than your own without proper acknowledgment. Using the words of ideas of another person, including internet sources, without proper citation is a crime and could result in failure of the assignment or course. In addition, all cases of plagiarism are to be reported to the Honor Committee.

Required Texts:

The Selected Writings of Christine de Pizan. Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski and Kevin Brownlee, trans. Norton, 1997.
The Book of Margery Kempe, Barry Windeatt, trans. Penguin, 1985.
The Lais of Marie de France. Robert Hanning & Joan Ferrante, trans. Durham: Labyrinth Press, 1978.
The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. Ivan Morris, translator and ed.
Tale of Genji. Shikiba Murasaki.
Course Reader (CR)