Marist CollegeENG 220 L-111: Literature and Gender

FN 104 TF 8:00-9:15Fall 2015

Instructor: Jeffrey CaninoE-mail: jeffrey.canino@marist.eduOffice Hours: By appointment

Required Texts (recommended editions listed below, though any complete edition will suffice)Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. New York: Anchor Books, 1998. Print. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Herland. Mineola: Dover, 1998. Print.Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness. New York: Ace, 2000. Print. Russ, Joanna. The Female Man. Boston: Beacon Press, 2000. Print. Sturgeon, Theodore. Venus Plus X. New York: Vintage, 1999. Print.Wells, H. G. The Island of Dr. Moreau. Mineola: Dover, 1996. Print.

Additional readings will be available on our class iLearn page under “Resources.”

Course Description & Outcomes AssessmentThis course will examine literary texts with special emphasis on gender issues. Questions will be raised about gender definitions and roles, gender and language, and gender as a locus of economic, political, social, or literary power. This particular course is organized around works of 20th century science fiction, which will provide us unique and fantastical new lenses through which to examine gender issues in our own world. A large question we will want to answer over the course of the semester is whether or not we feel that these works of science fiction can comment productively on gender issues in our reality in light of the fact that these novels and stories largely concern themselves with fictional worlds, peoples, and genders. Do the sometimes outlandish and unrealistic narratives of science fiction provide a way of looking at gender issues in our modern world that realistic fiction does not or cannot?

Course ObjectivesBy semester’s end, students will demonstrate the ability to:

1. Develop an understanding of how issues of gender can be addressed productively in literary works. 2. Distinguish between the concepts of sex and gender and how they are conceived of in modern society. 3. Outline the broad history of gender theory as it developed over the 20th century. 4. Analyze the ways in which the elements of Science Fiction literature can be used by authors to explore real world concepts. 5. Craft well-developed, well-organized written arguments about literary works.

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Schedule of AssignmentsReadings listed on a given day are expected to be read before the class period begins. Please come to class prepared for reading discussion and written response. Also note that the syllabus may change to reflect the needs of the class. (iLearn) = available free on our class’s iLearn page

Week 1T 9/1 Introduction/Review of Syllabus

F 9/4 Lester Del Rey, “Helen O’Loy” (iLearn)Robert Sheckley, “The Perfect Woman” (iLearn)

Week 2T 9/8 Carol Emshwiller, “Boys” (iLearn)

F 9/11 H. G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau (Chapters 1-12)

Week 3T 9/15 H. G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau (Chapters 13-22)

Jeffrey Canino, “Women and Other Animals in The Island of Dr. Moreau” (iLearn)

F 9/18 Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland (Chapters 1-6) Analysis Essay Assigned

Week 4T 9/22 Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland (Chapters 7-12)

F 9/25 Theodore Sturgeon, Venus Plus X (first half)

Week 5T 9/29 Theodore Sturgeon, Venus Plus X (second half)

F 10/2 James Tiptree Jr., “Houston, Houston, Do You Read?” (iLearn)

Week 6T 10/6 James Tiptree Jr., “The Women Men Don’t See” (iLearn)

F 10/9 James Tiptree Jr., “The Screwfly Solution” (iLearn)

Week 7T 10/13 MIDTERM

Analysis Essay Due

F 10/16 Mid-Semester Break (NO CLASSES)

Week 8T 10/20 William Tenn, “The Masculinist Revolt” (iLearn)

F 10/23 Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness (Chapters 1-5)

Week 9T 10/27 Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness (Chapters 6-10)

F 10/30 Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness (Chapters 11-15)

Week 10T 11/3 Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness (Chapters 16-20)

Research Essay Assigned

F 11/6 Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (Parts 1-V (Ch.1-13))

Week 11T 11/10 Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (Parts VI-IX (Ch. 14-24))

F 11/13 Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (Parts X-XII (Ch. 25-39))

Week 12T 11/17 Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (Parts XIII-Historical Notes (Ch. 40-end))

F 11/20 Joanna Russ, The Female Man (Parts 1-3)

Week 13

T 11/24 Joanna Russ, The Female Man (Parts 4-5)

F 11/27 Thanksgiving Holiday (NO CLASSES)

Week 14T 12/1 Joanna Russ, The Female Man (Parts 6-7) F 12/4 Joanna Russ, The Female Man (Parts 8-9)

Research Essay Peer Review SessionWeek 15T 12/7 Research Essay Discussion Roundtable

Research Essay Due

F 12/11 Final Exam Review

FINAL EXAM MEETING: Tues Dec 15 8:00-10:15 am

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Assignments and Grade DistributionResearch essay 20%Analysis essay 20%iLearn reading response blog 20%In-class discussion leader presentation 10%Midterm exam 10%Final exam 10%Class participation and attendance 10%

• Students must complete all assignments listed above in order to pass this course.

• The Analysis and Research essays must be typed (in the traditional 12-point Times New Roman font) and double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides. The Research essay must make use of scholarly sources and include correct MLA in-text citations as well as a properly formatted Works Cited page. Full details about both essays will be made available later this semester on separate assignment sheets.

• You must keep an electronic Reading Response Blog, available under “Clog” on the course’s iLearn page. You are asked to complete a significant one double-spaced page response before every class meeting, commenting upon and analyzing the content of that day’s readings. Entries posted after the start of class will not be counted—I want to see your engagement with the text before we discuss it in class. More instructions are available on iLearn under “Assignments.” This Reading Response Blog counts for 20% of your grade.

•Your participation as the class’s daily discussion leader for an assigned reading will determine 10% of your final grade. You will be responsible for leading the discussion of the day’s reading by providing a brief oral presentation of your personal analysis of the work along with a few questions for class discussion. More information on this assignment is available on iLearn under “Assignments.” A sign-up sheet will be available via Google Docs.

• Midterm and Final examinations will be administered during the semester. Each will consist of short in-class essays that seek to gauge your understanding and retention of ideas and texts explored in the course. The Midterm will cover readings from the first half of the semester, while the Final will cover readings from the second half. The Midterm and Final exams are worth a combined total of 20% of your final grade.

• Participation includes active involvement in class discussions, group activities, peer review sessions, and daily in-class writing assignments. Your attendance and tardiness record will also affect your participation grade. Grades for Participation grades start out as a "B" (which means you are at the very least a warm body in the classroom) and then

either go up or go down based upon your general effort and attendance throughout the semester. Participation and attendance is worth 10% of your final course grade.

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Grading ScaleA-range (90-100%), Outstanding scholarship and an unusual degree of intellectual initiative; B-range (80-89%), Superior work done in a sustained and intelligent manner; C-range (70-79%), Basic quality work; D-range (60-69%), Work of the lowest passing quality, the student having mastered the bare minimum of subject matter content; F, Unsatisfactory (a failing grade). Specific expectations for the satisfactory completion of assignments are available on individual assignment sheets, accessible on our course’s iLearn page.

Policy on Late AssignmentsAll writing assignments are due at the beginning of class on their assigned due date. Assignments will decrease by a full letter grade for each day that they are late. Extensions will be granted at my discretion and only under the most extreme circumstances.

Attendance PolicyMore than three unexcused absences may result in failure of the course. Any legitimate excuses must be brought to my attention beforehand, and must be provided for with all proper documentation. Three instances of tardiness will constitute as one unexcused absence.

Statement on Classroom EtiquettePlease arrive to class on time: arriving after class begins and interrupting the start of our session will not endear you to me or your classmates. Please leave your cellphones out of reach, despite the temptation: one hour and fifteen minutes without texting your friends will not be the death of you, I assure you. That said, if you are expecting an urgent phone call or know that you need to make an urgent phone call at some point during our session, please arrange this with me before class. (Fair warning: do not abuse this privilege.) If you have to leave class early for any legitimate, excusable reason, also please arrange your exit with me before class. (Needing to catch an early ride for your vacation does not qualify.)

Statement on Academic IntegrityPlagiarism is the unacknowledged (intentional or unintentional) use of summary, paraphrase, direct quotation, language, statistics, or ideas from articles or other information sources including the Internet. A student must cite according to the Modern Language Association (MLA) format. Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty in their academic work. Cheating, forgery, and plagiarism are serious offences, and students found guilty of any form of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action.

Content WarningNote that because of the nature of this course’s topic, our class readings will occasionally feature content of a violent and/or sexual nature. In class, we will approach this content with sensitivity in order to meaningfully advance our discussions of gender issues in society. If you have any concerns about specific content that you anticipate might appear in our course readings, please feel encouraged to contact me.