<p>English 373/Gender and Women’s Studies 325: Women in Literature 2:30-3:45, Tuesdays and Thursdays Humanities 108</p><p>Andrew Rabin [email protected] Office: Bingham Humanities, 336B Office Phone: 502-852-1722 Office Hours: 12:30-2:30, TTh</p><p>The Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500) are often depicted as a “dark age” for women during which rigid gender roles were rigorously enforced, traditional heterosexual relationships were the norm, and oppressive religious authority stymied all possibility of non-conformity or rebellion. The reality, however, was far more complicated. In this course, we will examine the various ways in which medieval authors, both male and female, treated issues of gender and female identity in their works. As we shall see, not only was the understanding of female identity more complex than the traditional view admits, but narratives centered on gender also offered a lens through which authors could consider larger problems of authority, selfhood, and ethical psychology. The texts we will read each approach these themes from very different perspectives, and I encourage you to bring your own ideas and interests into class as well. </p><p>Your most important responsibilities in this course will be the completion of the assigned readings and active participation in class discussion. There also will be two shorter essays of approximately 1-2 pages and a final paper of 6-8 pages. Grades will be determined along the following percentages: attendance and participation, 25%; shorter papers, 35%; final essay, 40%.</p><p>General Education Requirement: This course fulfills a CD2 Requirement. </p><p>Gen Ed Student Learning Outcomes: Arts and Humanities are concerned with understanding texts of art, music, theatre, literature, philosophy, and religious thought. Students who satisfy this requirement will demonstrate that they are able to do all of the following:  Communicate an understanding of vocabulary, concepts, materials, techniques, and methods of intellectual inquiry within the arts and/or humanities;  Describe and evaluate texts using primary and secondary materials;  Analyze and synthesize texts, recognizing the diversity of cultures and historical contexts. </p><p>Student Learning Outcomes: By the end of the semester, students should have:  Developed a better sense of the role of gender in Medieval culture;  Gained a greater appreciation for and understanding of Medieval literature;  Acquired a better sense of the history of the concept of gender in western culture.</p><p>Course Schedule</p><p>January 10th Introduction: Getting Medieval </p><p>January 12th Saints and Martyrs of the Early Church - The Passion of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas (on Blackboard) - Augustine Preaches on the Feast of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas (on Blackboard)</p><p>January 17th Women and the Origins of English Culture - Bede, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (on Blackboard)</p><p>January 19th Varieties of Female Experience in Old English Poetry - Wulf and Eadwacer (on Blackboard) - The Husband’s Message (on Blackboard) - The Wife’s Lament (on Blackboard) - Selected Riddles (on Blackboard)</p><p>January 24th Monstrous Women - Judith (on Blackboard) - The Wonders of the East (on Blackboard) - Selections from Beowulf (on Blackboard)</p><p>January 26th Female Saints in Anglo-Saxon England I - Juliana (on Blackboard) - Æthelthryth (on Blackboard) - Mary of Egypt (on Blackboard)</p><p>January 31st Female Saints in Anglo-Saxon England II - Eugenia (on Blackboard) - Euphrosyne (on Blackboard)</p><p>February 2nd Women Before the Law Old English charters, selections (on Blackboard)</p><p>February 7th Women and the Art of Courtly Love - Andreas Capellaunus, selections from The Art of Courtly Love (on Blackboard)</p><p>February 9th Meet in Special Collections</p><p>First Paper Due February 14th The Lais of Marie de France - Prologue - Guigemar - Equitan</p><p>February 16th The Lais of Marie de France - Bisclavret - Lanval</p><p>February 21st The Lais of Marie de France - Chevrefoil - Eliduc</p><p>February 23rd February 28th Chretien de Trois - The Knight of the Cart, pt. 1 (on Blackboard)</p><p>March 2nd Chretien de Trois - The Knight of the Cart, pt. 2 (on Blackboard)</p><p>March 3rd Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Fitts 1-2</p><p>March 7th Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Fitts 3-4</p><p>March 9th Women on the Road to Canterbury I - The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale</p><p>Second Paper Due Last Day to Withdraw March 15th SPRING BREAK March 17th SPRING BREAK March 21st Women on the Road to Canterbury II - The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale</p><p>March 23rd Women on the Road to Canterbury III - The Prioress’s Prologue and Tale</p><p>March 28th Women’s Spirituality in the Later Middle Ages - The Book of Margery Kempe, selections (on Blackboard) - The Showings of Julian of Norwich, selections (on Blackboard)</p><p>March 30th Trial of Joan of Arc - Selections from the Trial of Joan of Arc (on Blackboard)</p><p>April 4th After Joan - Selections from the Trial of Gilles de Rais (on Blackboard) - Perrault, “Bluebeard” (on Blackboard) - Carter, “The Bloody Chamber” (on Blackboard) </p><p>April 6th NO CLASS April 11th Joan in the Twentieth Century - Dreyer, The Passion of Joan of Arc</p><p>April 13th Joan in the Twentieth Century - Dreyer, The Passion of Joan of Arc</p><p>April 18th Joan in the Twentieth Century - Shaw, Saint Joan</p><p>April 20th Joan in the Twentieth Century - Gage, The Second Coming of Joan of Arc (on Blackboard)</p><p>XXX Final Papers Due … AND MAY GOD HAVE MERCY UPON YOUR SOULS!!!! Course Policies</p><p>Assignments All assignments must be turned in ON-TIME. I will not accept late assignments unless you have made prior arrangements with me. Written assignments should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font and have 1 inch margins. I expect ALL assignments to be free of grammatical errors and typos. Shoddy or careless work will NOT be tolerated. Reading assignments can be found either in the course texts, in handouts, or on blackboard (https://blackboard.louisville.edu). The professor reserves the right to alter assignments or due-dates as needed. </p><p>Grades In this course, I will use both “plus” and “minus” grades as well as regular letter grades. Final grades will be determined according to the ratios listed on the syllabus. If you have any questions regarding your grade, please come by and speak with me about it. </p><p>Attendance and Participation Your attendance in class and contributions to our discussions are crucial to the success of the course. If you must miss a class, please speak with me in advance!! If you miss a class FOR ANY REASON, you are still responsible for the material covered. You are expected to arrive in class prepared to participate fully in the discussion. Full preparation means that you have both completed the assigned readings and have brought your books to class with you. I reserve the right to ask you to leave class if you have not come prepared. Your failure to show up—physically OR intellectually—will result in deductions from your final grade. Missing more than two weeks of class will result in a grade of 0 for attendance/participation. Missing more than three weeks of class will be considered grounds for failure. </p><p>Regarding discussion, I am eager to hear your views on the texts we’re reading together, and I will do whatever I can to make the classroom a comfortable space to share those views. If you have any questions or concerns, please, please, please feel free to speak with me before or after class, or during my office hours. Mutual civility is essential to productive class discussion; I will endeavor to respect your perspectives at all times, and I trust that you will do the same for your classmates. </p><p>Technology Cell phones, personal computers, e-readers and other internet-linked devices ARE NOT permitted in class. Prior to entering the classroom, please TURN OFF all such gadgets in your possession and place them in your backpack or briefcase. The instructor reserves the right to confiscate phones and to deduct points from your participation grade should this rule be violated.</p><p>Recording Class Sessions …is not permitted without the express consent of the instructor. </p><p>Plagiarism ...WILL NOT be tolerated. If you are found to be plagiarizing your work, I will prosecute you to the fullest extent permitted by the university. Plagiarism will be defined according to UofL's Student Handbook, Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Section 5E. See https://louisville.edu/english/composition/plagiarism- policy.html for this definition.</p><p>Students with Disabilities/Special Needs If you have any disabilities or special needs, please speak with me the first week of class and I will do all I can to accommodate you. Students with disabilities should check in with the Disability Resource Center in Robbins Hall (852-6938 or visit http://www.louisville.edu/student/dev/drc on the web) to obtain an official accommodations letter.</p><p>Grievance Procedure Students who have questions or concerns about their grades, the class, or an assignment are encouraged to see their instructor as soon as possible. If not satisfied with that discussion, students may see the Department of English Chair.</p><p>Religious Holy Days & Observances Federal law and university policy prohibit discrimination on the basis of religious belief. It is the policy of the University of Louisville to accommodate students, faculty, and staff who observe religious work-restricted holy days.</p><p>Students who observe work-restricted religious holy days must be allowed to do so without jeopardizing their academic standing in any course. Faculty are obliged to accommodate students’ request(s) for adjustments in course work on the grounds of religious observance, provided that the student(s) make such request(s) in writing during the first two (2) weeks of term.</p><p>Deans and department chairs must investigate and resolve student complaints arising from alleged faculty failure to make reasonable accommodations under these guidelines.</p><p>Diversity The University of Louisville strives to foster and sustain an environment of inclusiveness that empowers us all to achieve our highest potential without fear of prejudice or bias.</p><p>We commit ourselves to building an exemplary educational community that offers a nurturing and challenging intellectual climate, a respect for the spectrum of human diversity, and a genuine understanding of the many differences-including race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, disability, religion, national origin or military status-that enrich a vibrant metropolitan research university.</p><p>We expect every member of our academic family to embrace the underlying values of this vision and to demonstrate a strong commitment to attracting, retaining and supporting students, faculty and staff who reflect the diversity of our larger society.</p><p>Title IX/Clery Act Notification </p><p>Sexual misconduct (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and any other nonconsensual behavior of a sexual nature) and sex discrimination violate University policies. Students experiencing such behavior may obtain confidential support from the PEACC Program (852-2663), Counseling Center (852-6585), and Campus Health Services (852-6479). To report sexual misconduct or sex discrimination, contact the Dean of Students (852-5787) or University of Louisville Police (852-6111). </p><p>Disclosure to University faculty or instructors of sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence, or sex discrimination occurring on campus, in a University-sponsored program, or involving a campus visitor or University student or employee (whether current or former) is not confidential under Title IX. Faculty and instructors must forward such reports, including names and circumstances, to the University’s Title IX officer. </p><p>For more information, see the Sexual Misconduct Resource Guide (http://louisville.edu/hr/employeerelations/sexual-misconduct-brochure).</p>