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Thanks are owed to Caroline Degg who helped with the bibliographical research for this course. |
Required Texts: Available in Book Store: Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Beyond
Atonement Course-pack. Available on reserve in Andrews Library Woyzek
, Werner Herzog (Film) This course examines gender roles as they relate to the construction of the family in German-language texts of the nineteenth century. While our primary focus will be on prose works, we will also read both nineteenth-century documentary material and recent scholarly articles that deal with issues of gender and the family during this period. We will also view the film versions of three of the texts we are reading in order to explore how the nineteenth-century family has been portrayed and reinterpreted in this medium. The course will be organized chronologically to allow us to examine changes in gender roles within the family as the nineteenth century progresses. Topics include: constructions of femininity and masculinity, the family as the arbiter of sexuality, gender roles in the family and how these roles are affected by class and race, possibilities for and limits on agency of men and women, gendered conceptions of public and private spheres, the family as an economic unit, the socialization of children, and the women's movement and the family. Participation: Attendance and active participation in class discussions are required. I expect you to come to class having read the assignment closely and having thought about both the study questions I give you and those generated by the class. If you must miss a class, please notify me ahead of time. Absences are excused only in the case of illness, family emergency, and activities or religious holidays recognized by the College of Wooster. Unexcused absences will affect your participation grade significantly. The following three types of assignments are intended to help you read the texts as closely as possible which, in turn, will both help us in our class discussions and you in your writing. *Reading Journal--After you read the assignment and before you come to class, you should write a one-page response to what you have read. What you focus on in the response is up to you, but it might help to summarize what you have read and then to respond to one or more of the study questions I give you or your own questions about at you have read. Please keep all of your responses together (on disk or in a notebook) and bring these journals with you to class. I will collect them (from a few of you at a time) at unannounced points throughout the semester. *Oral Reports--You will be expected to give two brief (10 minute) oral reports during the course of the semester. In these reports, you will summarize scholarly articles and then relate their content to our other readings. You may work with another person on this. The topics are listed on the assignment page of the syllabus. *Film Worksheets and Discussion Questions--You will receive worksheets for each of the films we view and will be expected to post discussion questions about the films to the class listserve. These assignments are intended to deepen your understanding of the texts we read and to improve your writing skills. You will write three 5-7 page papers that will be due on February 11, March 31, April 28 respectively. Because good writing encourages recursivity, I encourage you to take advantage of the writing center before handing in these papers. If you are not happy with the grade you receive on a paper, you may rewrite it and I will then average the two grades together. Revisions are due two weeks after I return the papers to you. Exams: There will be a midterm examination on March 8 and a final examination on May 12. If you wish, as an alternative to the final exam, you may write a final research paper based on one of your shorter essays. Your grade will be determined as follows: 15%--Participation (includes regular attendance): 15%--Homework (reading journal, film worksheets, and two oral reports) 40%--Papers (three 5-7 page papers) 10%--Midterm 20%--Final Exam or Research Paper (12-15 pages)
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