The following syllabus may be revised to accommodate canceled classes due to inclement weather or other unforeseen changes in the

The following syllabus may be revised to accommodate canceled classes due to inclement weather or other unforeseen changes in the semester. All changes will be posted on my website as soon as possible.

Global Women Writers (WGS 376-01 & Lit 316-01 at MR 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM in BL 148) & (WGS 376-01 & Lit 316-02 at MR 2:00-3:20 BL 148)

This new section of Global Women Writers will focus on literature about and from the Middle East, primarily Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Syria. Rather than attempting to provide a survey of a national or regional literature, this course has been designed to introduce students to issues and concerns within the developing field of postcolonial studies. Paper assignments (see below) highlight some of the key issues that will be at the center of our conversations: post/colonialism, hybridity, universalism, allegories of nation, and narratives of resistance. More specifically, we will examine how gender intersects with and relates to these broad themes.

January 31: Section One--The Open Door (63-122); Section Two--Handouts and SOCS Readings

February 10: Paper #1 Due: Women and Post/Colonial Identity: How do the authors of Sabriya and The Open Door deploy the oldest war—that between men and women—as a foil for the struggle between the imperial power and the colonized nation?

March 3: Paper #2 Due: Women, Hybridity, and Representation: How do the authors of Ten Thousand Lovers and Dolly City best exemplify hybridity and/or the politics of representation?

March 17: Scheherazade Goes West, 1, 2, 3, 4: Cooke, Miriam. Women Claim Islam (non-required reading on SOCS)

March 24: Cooke, Miriam. War’s Other Voices (“Danse Macabre” 15-24; SOCS)

March 28: The Story of Zhara (3-41); March 24: Paper #3 Due: Women and Universalism: How might you critique the authors of The Tattooed Map and Scheherazade Goes West for their representations of universalism, essentialism, othering?

April 14: Paper #4 Due: Women, War, and Nation: In The Story of Zhara and Sitt Marie Rose, how do characters serve as embodiments of civil war? How? Why?

April 25: Last Class (In-Class Exit Essay 40 minutes: How have you participated in this class and how has that participation facilitated your growth? Provide examples from your in-class involvement and your out-of-class work, thinking, and development.)

TBA Exam Date: Paper #5 Due on TBA Exam Date: Women and Narratives of Resistance: What are/is the politics and/or ethics of terrorism according to Wild Thorns and The Honey?

Class Participation, Exit Essay on Your Growth in This Class, and Reading Circles: 20% of grade

Short Essays: You are required to complete four of the five short essay assignments, and each essay (3-5 pages) must address two novels and may address any other related materials covered during the class sessions preceding the due date. The successful essay, however, must go beyond class lecture and discussion, distinguishing itself by providing a close reading of SPECIFIC passages from the novels. These are short essays; therefore, you should provide a very brief introduction to the novels, probably placing the focus on specific passages in the introduction. For example: “Idilbi Ulfat’s Sabriya and Layla al-Zayat’s The Open Door both focus on the war for independence, developing the narrative through the point of view of a young woman. Both novels provide interesting scenes that represent the conflict between the young protagonist and the forces of familial oppression.” These two sentences might be followed by a few brief lines further introducing the two key scenes. After the introduction, the essay, which provides a close reading of those two key scenes, should address the essay question. At your peril, you may choose to explore more than two key scenes or you may choose to answer the essay question in another way, but I offer the example above to head off three frequent flaws: 1) Many weak essays provide vague and diffuse introductions 2) Many weak essays fail to provide textual support for the various arguments or points 3) Many weak essays fail to provide focus, sometimes rambling and sometimes superficially addressing everything yet never developing anything.

Late Essays: Because there are five opportunities to turn in four essays, students must choose which essay to pass over. I suggest you make the first four deadlines, and save the fifth for a backup. Late essays are docked five points if they are presented after the due date but no later than a week past the due date. I will accept no late papers that are seven days later than the due date. If you cannot make four deadlines, then you will receive zero points on the missing paper. If students choose to write all five essay assignments, I will average the four highest grades and ignore the weakest essay.

Class Participation: If you are not present, you cannot participate. If you miss three or more class periods, this is grounds for receiving zero points for this portion of the grade. Conversely, you may attend all the classes but still receive a failing grade if you do not make an effort or if you are consistently unprepared or passive. There will be many opportunities for you to participate in the class, but please speak to me if you feel unsure about your class participation.

Exit Essay: This essay, written in-class and at the end of the semester, should document your involvement with the class and with your learning. You should describe any and all work done inside and outside of class. I will particularly be interested in your work for the “Reading Circles.”

Reading Circles: I will submit a list of reading prompts for the semester and students will be asked to be prepared with specific contributions to the class, along the lines of providing, for example, some biographical information or reading with an emphasis on minor characters and their roles in shaping the plot. I will explain this further in class.

Be professional! Use dark ink printed on standard-sized white paper (8.5”x11”), being careful not to play with margins, colored fonts, or other distracting features. There should be 1” margins all around and the text should be justified to the left and unjustified to the right. You should use a font that results in approximately 300 words per page. (Times New Roman 12 pt. yields about 300 words per page while Courier 12 pt. yields approximately 200 words per page).

You may use a cover page. If you do not, you should place the following information in the upper, left side of the first page: Juda Bennett, Course Title and Number, Your Name, Date, Word Count. If you choose to use a cover page, you should place this same information somewhere on that page and not to be duplicated on the first page of the essay.

Every essay must have a title. Do not very the font, color, or pitch of the text or title. Keep copies of your work! Failure to do any of the above may result in a lower grade.

a) Technical Form (10 points): Students should follow the guidelines for “Essay Format” as stated above. They should also attend to proper form when quoting or providing citations.

(b) Writing Style (15 points): The successful paper will use proper grammar and spelling, but will also engage the reader by varying sentence length and structure, attending to diction and word choice, and employing active verbs and rich language. Redundancies and undeveloped passages are both problems of organization and writing style.

(c) Organization (15 points): Essays must feel cohesive and planned, or the reader will distrust the work and thought that went into the paper. Develop your ideas, and provide guide-posts to that development. Organization is not simply a question of transitions. Consider writing an outline. Consider writing the introduction after you have written the rest of the paper.

(d) Content (60 points): If there are significant problems with the form, style, or organization of the paper, it may be difficult to fully appreciate the content of the argument. It is your responsibility to successfully convey your best ideas with clarity. You may, however, receive all 50 points if your ideas are strong and there is enough clarity to convey those ideas. It is, however, difficult to receive even a passing grade if you do not have original ideas to convey.

A Word of Caution: You may receive zero points in any of the above categories of evaluation if your work does not demonstrate basic care or ability. You may, for example, write an essay that demonstrates technical skill and care on every page except the last page. This may result in a grade of zero points for the technical aspect of the paper. The paper, finally, must be graded as a whole. This means that there are some mistakes that may overshadow a few strengths. Late papers will receive a grade penalty, depending upon how late they are received.

If you honor certain religious observances that conflict with the class schedule, please contact me at the beginning of the semester.

If you have extracurricular activities (e.g., sports or theater) that conflict with the class schedule, please contact me at the beginning of the semester.

If you have diagnosed learning-needs that I should know about, please contact me at the beginning of the semester.

If medical problems effect your performance, please contact me as soon as possible. An excused absence will be given for legitimate situations and if you provide documentation of the problem.

Each student is expected to submit original work that has been produced by the submitting student for this and no other class. If students wish to collaborate, rework a previous project, or combine projects for this class with another class, students are required to receive permission from me.

The above schedule of readings and assignments may change to accommodate the class, the college, or the weather. I will try to give advanced notice in class, through e-mail, and/or on this website in the event of any needed changes.