American Women Writers of the 19th Century 3301-LA2257-2ST
This course will provide a survey of works by major American women writers of the nineteenth century. The reading list will consist of short stories, two novels, autobiographical texts/memoirs and some political speeches/manifestoes. The selection of texts is supposed to encourage discussion of the specificity of women’s writing in the nineteenth century, as related to the choice of genre, form and content. We will focus on the major themes explored by American women writers at the time, including marriage, motherhood, relationships between women, economic independence of women.
Special emphasis will be placed on acknowledging the diversity of American women (ethnic, class differences) and presenting writers from different areas of the United States. We will also note the writings of the women’s suffrage movement (also known as the first wave of feminism), which was emerging at that time.
We will also look at film adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
The graduate has in-depth familiarity with:
- K_W01 advanced the social, economic and political issues connected with the activity od women writers in the 19th century in the US, along with terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the disciplines of literary studies and cultural studies, in accordance with their chosen specialization (and educational path)
- K_W04 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
The graduate is able to:
- K_U01 apply knowledge about literary texts created by women in the 19th century in the US, along with the advanced terminology, theories and research methods of literary studies and cultural studies to solve complex and original research problems in accordance with his/her chosen specialization (and educational path)
- K_U04 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law
Social competences
The graduate is ready to:
- K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources
- K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult experts when required
Assessment criteria
participation in class discussions, in-class presentation (optional), final test
The final test will be an in-person written test with
a) multiple choice questions related to the facts covered in this class
b) text recognition questions - strictly related to the assigned primary readings
c) two open questions related to the secondary readings and the primary
readings (answers between 100 to 300 words)
Make up opportunity for the final test during the summer session or during the make-up session (in September).
Three absences are allowed.
Bibliography
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Sarah Orne Jewett, “A White Heron”
May E. Wilkins Freeman, “A New England Nun”
Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Kate Chopin, The Awakening.
Sojourner Truth, Ain’t I a Woman?
Margaret Fuller, fragments from Woman in the Nineteenth Century.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Solitude of Self.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: