English 239: Women in Literature
Instructor: Marianne Boretz
Instructor's email address: mboretz@msn.com
Office Hours: I will usually reply to messages within 24 hours.
Course Description:
Through reading and discussing short stories, poetry, and novels by women, we will enhance our understanding of
the experience of women in various times and places. I hope that you will
develop an appreciation for literature by women as well as a better understanding of gender issues. In addition, you will become better readers of
texts. By reading and discussion you will improve your analytical, critical,
and interpretative skills.
Required Materials:
We will read some short fiction, excerpts from nonfiction writings, and two novels, full-length works of fiction. All the short stories we will read are available on the Internet at no cost. The two novels are listed
below.
- The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver ISBN: 978-0-06-109731-7 [also 0-06-109731-4]
- Solitaire by Kelley Eskridge
ISBN 0-06-008660-2
Course Activities:
- Readings: There will be weekly reading assignments. You should have some of these done by Wednesday of each
week. (See the “Semester Schedule” for more detailed information).
- Lecture: Almost every week, a brief lecture will be available in the
"classroom" on Monday or Tuesday. In each lecture I will give
further information about and analysis of the previous week's assignment,
then go on to introduce the new readings. These lectures are part of the
assigned work for the class; you may be asked about this material in
quizzes and discussion.
- Discussion: In the "Discussion/Private Messages” section of the course is our class discussion.
Participation each week is important for your grade in
the class. (See the next page of this module for more information.)
- Journal: This informal 250 word (minimum) assignment should deal with your reactions to the
readings, class discussion, and any other aspects of the class. Access the
journal by going to the Assignments section of the class. Journal
assignments will not be posted before Friday of each week. (The idea is to
read the assignments and participate in discussion before doing the
journal, which is a kind of summing
up of the week’s work.)
- Reading Quizzes: There will be 4 reading quizzes
on the assigned readings and lectures. These quizzes will be in short answer essay form (not multiple choice or true/false) and available in
the Assignments section of
the classroom. You will have approximately one week to do them.
- Papers: There will be two papers, a midterm and a final. Both of these assignments will require you to read new stories (you’ll have some choice) and
relate them to what we’ve been reading. These assignments are more formal
than discussions and journals. You will be able to rewrite the midterm
if you are not satisfied with the grade. Information about these
assignments will be available later in the semester.
- Proofreading: This is a
college English class. There’s a
difference between informality and carelessness. You will see that I can
be pretty informal in discussion and in responding to your journals.
Occasionally I may unintentionally let a typo slip by, but I re-read what I’ve written and correct
as much as I can. I expect you to do the same. Shoddy(careless) work will be graded down.
- 15 weekly Discussions at 10 points each: 150 points;
- 15 Journals at 10 points each: 150
- 4 reading Quizzes at 50 points each: 200
- First Paper: 100 points
- Final Exam (mandatory): 100 points
- Total number of points: 700.
For an A you
need 90-100% of the total points:
minimum points for an A = 630.
For a B, 80-89%: minimum = 560.
For a C, 70-79%: minimum = 490.
For a D, 60-69%: minimum = 420.
Academic
Honesty:
All written work must be your own or properly referenced. In either discussion
or papers, if you copy another writer, whether professional or student, without
acknowledging your source, you will receive a zero for that assignment with no
chance of re-write.
Here's a link to a major university with instructions on how to avoid PLAGIARISM.
Due Dates:
All work is due at 11:30 pm of the date specified. Late work may lose points.
Special Needs:
Students with a verified disability who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor. Additionally, at Los Angeles City College contact the Office of Special Services (CH 109, 323-4000 X2270): at West Los Angeles College contact Disabled Students Pograms and Services (HRLC 119, 310-287-4450) as soon as possible. All information will remain confidential.
Next Step:
Please go on to the next section on how to participate in discussion.