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French Women Writers in Translation Katherine Stephenson
Sex, Identity, and Literature COED 462, ext. 78751
WMST 4228,001/FREN 4050,001 Office Hours: 1:00-1:50 MW
MW 3:30-4:50, COED 168 5:00-5:30 MW & by appt
Catalog Description
Prerequisites: junior standing and ENGL 1102 or equivalent. Advanced studies of literature and criticism by French women writers in English translation, with a focus on women’s issues from a cross-cultural perspective. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Course conducted in English.
Course Description
Advanced study of novels by contemporary French women writers in English translation from the perspective of feminist criticism. The primary focus of the course will be assessing whether women’s writing is gendered, is marked by the sex of the writer. Major themes treated will be, among others, the role of the body, sexuality, language, memory, class, and national identity in (re)constructing female identity.
COGE Goals: This course fulfills the following COGE goals for students:
V. Literature or Ideas (L), enabling the student to “be conversant with, and have had experience in, the aims and methods of the great intellectual, spiritual, literary, and artistic expressions that have shaped the development of the human imagination” and to “understand the importance that abstract ideas and artistic images have in the process of self-understanding and in the shaping of society.”
VI. Understanding the Individual, Society, and Culture (C and cross-cultural/international emphasis X), enabling the student to “understand how institutions operate with societies in both contemporary and historical perspectives”; “understand internal and external influences which promote and inhibit human action”; “understand the patterns of change which individuals experience at various points in life”; “recognize the complex, integrated, and dynamic nature of human behavior and human experience”; and “understand the commonalities, differences, and interdependence among and within societies of the world.”
Course Requirements
You should devote a minimum of two hours of preparation for each class hour (see UNC Charlotte Catalog 27). Through your class participation you will demonstrate that you have 1) completed the day’s assigned reading(s), 2) identified and prepared your own interpretation of important elements of the text(s), and 3) reflected upon how to assess the text as an example of gendered writing, applying theories and insights gained from analyses of previous readings. Only students who participate on a daily basis and throughout each class should expect a positive evaluation.
Students will have comprehensive midterm and final essay exams.
Students will complete a research project on one of the course’s novels. Using the web page for Annie Ernaux’s A Frozen Woman as an example, students will identify and gather materials illustrative of how American culture represents gender and deals with the various situations and influences detailed in their assigned novel. Students will provide a narrative explaining how these materials can help understand American perspectives on issues discussed in the novels and provide a foundation for comparing American and French perspectives on various issues that influence each country’s gender ideologies.
Respectful classroom behavior is expected. This includes arriving on time for class and turning off your cell phone before entering class. Breaches of proper classroom etiquette have the following consequences: each time you disrupt class by coming in late or having an electronic device go off in class, you will be charged with a “late”; 3 lates/disruptions=1 unexcused absence.
Required Texts:
Critical Text:
Holmes, Diana. French Women’s Writing, 1848-1994. London: Athlone, 1996. PQ149 H65
Literary Texts:
Condé, Maryse. Heremakhonon. Trans. Richard Philcox. New York: Three Continents Press, 1982. ISBN 0-89410-233-8
Darrieussecq, Marie. Pig Tales: A Novel of Lust and Transformation. Trans. Linda Coverdale. New York: The New Press, 1997. ISBN 1-56584-442-4
Djebar, Assia. So Vast the Prison. Trans. Betsy Wing. New York: Seven Stories Press, 1999.
ISBN 1-58322-067-4 PQ3989.2.D57 V3713 1999
Duras, Marguerite. The Lover. Trans. Barbara Bray. Ne w York: Harper & Row, 1985. ISBN 0-06-097521-0 PQ2607 U8245 A62613 1986b
Ernaux, Annie. A Frozen Woman. Trans. Tanya Leslie. New York: Seven Stories Press, 1995. ISBN 1-888-363-38X
Germain, Sylvie. The Book of Nights. Trans. Christine Donougher. Boston: David R. Godine, 1993. London: Dedalus, 1992. ISBN 0-87923-975-1 PQ2667 E6845 L513 1992
Redonnet, Marie. Rose Mellie Rose. Trans. Jordan Stump. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8032-8952-9 PQ2678 E285 R67 1995
Grade breakdown
Class grade (attendance, preparation, HW, participation) 25%
Research Project 25%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 25%
All grades are based on a 10‑point scale (90 è 100 = A, etc.). Regular class attendance, participation, and homework completion can impact your grade substantially. I suggest that you pay particular attention to these areas so that they work for you rather than against you.
On WebCT: Some information, study and homework materials, and all exams are on WebCT. You access our course from any computer on or off campus (campus computer labs are open 24/7) through 49er Express. If you’re accessing your campus student account for the first time, see https://secure.uncc.edu/express/ or http://www.labs.uncc.edu for instructions. Also check out the “Student Support” link on the WebCT homepage (http://www.webct.uncc.edu/WCT_STUDENT/index.html). From there, you can access important information on browsers (you may have to adjust your browser settings and/or download a plug-in), how to log in, WebCT tours, general guides, and the “forgotten password” reset. If you have any problems with WebCT not working correctly, you must contact WebCT Student Support by sending in a completed “Request Help” form, found under “Troubleshooting and Help” on the WebCT Student Support web page at http://www.webct.uncc.edu/WCT_STUDENT/index.html . See “Instructions for WebCT” for guidelines on accessing WebCT and taking tests in WebCT.
After the first class meeting, immediately send the professor an e-mail message with the information indicated below. Use your own email account (see my email address at the top of this document) or use the 49er Express “Email” function. Select the “Email” link on the left frame of our 49er Express Course homepage under Course Tools, then select my name on the class list on the right and click the “Send e-mail” button, then type “[Your Name]’s FWW contact info” in the “Subject” box and type the information below, in exactly the format below, in the “Message” box, then hit the “Send button” on the bottom right.
Name (for first name, indicate name you wish to be called by in class)
telephone number
e-mail address (that you check every day)*
classification, major, advisor
if you have a job, number of hours you work per week
other languages, trips to France (where, when)
On Thursday, Sept. 1, send a list with the first 3 items above to everyone in the class, using WebCT “Mail.” Select “Mail” from the left frame on the WebCT Course Homepage [not your 49er Express homepage], select “Compose mail message,” then in “Browse” next to the “Send to” box, select all the names and message will go to the entire class. Type “[Your Name]’s contact info” in the “Subject” box and type your 3 contact info items in the “Message” box, then select “Send” at the bottom left. See WebCT Help (upper right of main page), Index, Mail, Compile and Download Messages, to create your class info list for downloading and printing out. Keep this list with your class materials so you can easily contact classmates for help and getting updates if you’re absent.
Attention: You may not be able to access your WebCT account until 24 hours after you are officially enrolled in the class.
*The university administration encourages students to use the official university-provided e-mail address when corresponding with professors and students, to be aware of the university’s Computing Policies, and to check their 49er Express e-mail account regularly.
Absence policy: Attendance is required. The classroom is about the only place you can practice communicating in French and receive some guidance. Students who miss classes usually do poorly on pop quizzes and exams. Role is taken at the beginning of each class. Late arrivals will be marked absent unless students remember to “check in” with the professor at the end of class. Absences result in a reduction of points and therefore affect final grades. After 2 unexcused absences, your class grade will drop 1/3 a letter for each unexcused absence (3 lates = 1 absence). Failure to attend at least 75% of classes (i.e., missing 8 or more classes for a MW class or 11 or more for a MWF class, for whatever reason) will result in a failing grade in the course. Absences will be excused only when student provides written confirmation of hospitalization, a doctor/ infirmary visit, an officially excused university activity, or a serious family crisis. If you are absent from class, you are responsible for contacting a classmate, finding out what we did in class and the homework assignment, and preparing this assignment. See also attendance policy in UNC Charlotte Catalog (29).
Office hours: I urge all of you to make use of my office hours. Students who do so usually do better than those who do not. I can help you not only with difficulties with the course material, but also with advice on studying habits, test‑taking techniques, organizational skills, etc. Do not hesitate to ask me any questions, either pertaining to grammar or to the class in general. The only stupid question is the one never asked. I hope you have a fun and rewarding semester.
If you wish to contact me outside of class, you must do so during my office hours as I will not return phone calls. You may also contact me by email, which I can usually respond to within 24 hours. Please include a subject heading in all email you send to me. Remember that if you are absent, contact a classmate to find out the assignment.
Honor code: The Department of Languages and Culture Studies complies with the UNC Charlotte Code of Student Academic Integrity (see UNC Charlotte Catalog 275). It is your responsibility to know and observe the requirements of this code and all other University regulations (see Student Responsibility). Academic evaluations in this course include a judgment that your work is free from academic dishonesty of any type. Penalty for violation of the code ranges from zero credit on the work involving dishonesty to expulsion from UNC Charlotte. You are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty.
Students with learning disabilities: Students with documented disabilities who require accommodations in this class should access services as soon as possible through the UNC Charlotte Office of Disability Services in Fretwell Building, Room 230.