ELIT618 WOMEN AND WRITING
| Course Code: | 8210618 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | English Literature |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Prof.Dr. NURTEN BİRLİK |
| Offered Semester: | Fall and Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
This course aims to offer an overview of contemporary feminist perspectives and their intricate relation to literature focusing on poststructuralist feminist theories with references to psychoanalytical ideas by Lacan and post-Lacanian theorists, poststructuralist ideas by Derrida, Foucault, Butler, Kristeva and Irigaray. Against the background of these philosophers, the course will explore some of the key theoretical debates in feminisms concerning sex/gender relationships, women's agency in the feminist narratives of liberation, feminist epistemology, epistemic privilege or standpoint theories, the postcolonial critique of Western feminism, whether it is possible to transgress its boundaries, the intricate relation between heterosexual liberation, lesbian liberation, and transgender liberation, between women and empowerment, between mainstream discourse and theories of masculinity, between feminisms and nature. On the other hand, the students will be expected to read literary texts reflecting, preblematizing or deciphering the feminist perspectives covered in the class.
Course Content
The relationship between women and the idea of "author" and "authority". How women writers try to find a space for writing in their own terms and the strategies they develop to be recognized in the male-dominated world of writing and publishing. The work of prominent feminist theorists as well as a wide selection of creative writers are examined.
Course Learning Outcomes
Among the specific goals students are expected to achieve in this course are the following:
* to read a wide range of theoretical and literary selections from different periods,
* to gain practical experience in reading and interpreting critically from a feminist vantage point,
* to become acquainted with the characteristics of various genres of literature,
* to improve their ability to articulate ideas and responses against the backdrop of different feminist theories,
* to learn how to write insightful papers with a theoretical awareness
* to practice skills that will enable them to analyze other textual material like films, iconic signs, cultural elements and rituals with a feminist awareness
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | compare and contrast literary texts written in different periods of British literature in terms of form and content. | ✔ | |||
| 2 | appreciate authors who emerge out of non-British contexts. | ✔ | |||
| 3 | approach the notion of the literary canon from a critical perspective. | ✔ | |||
| 4 | read and interpret texts critically from different theoretical vantage points. | ✔ | |||
| 5 | become acquainted with the characteristics of various genres of literature. | ✔ | |||
| 6 | identify major themes and generic features of literary texts. | ✔ | |||
| 7 | analyze the relationships between form and content in literary texts. | ✔ | |||
| 8 | outline the major lines of critical argument around literary and cultural texts. | ✔ | |||
| 9 | write insighful papers on different literary topics. | ✔ | |||
| 10 | articulate their ideas with a critical awareness in literary discussions. | ✔ | |||
| 11 | decipher different literary texts in terms of structure and technical features. | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution