Women’s Literature: Mobility, Identity, and Change

ENG2024

How do gender, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and social class intersect in literature? This course explores representations of women’s journeys—to literacy, power, and self-fulfillment—through art, marriage, and motherhood in a range of genres.

This course is an in-depth review and examination of central works by women writers from the nineteenth century to the present. We will read a selection of writers from diverse backgrounds to address the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and social class. We will explore representations of women’s journeys—to literacy, power, and self-fulfillment—through art, marriage, and motherhood in a range of genres (e.g., bildungsroman, slave narratives, realism, naturalism, memoirs). Our goal will be to gain a new appreciation of how a modern woman’s subjectivity is forged through (and beyond) existing gender roles.

Acceptance into the English One-Year program with adequate course progression (at least 45 ECTS passed). The course is also open to international exchange students at Nord University.

Knowledge

The student

• has knowledge of how to engage basic reference points for literary study through discussing a selection of texts;

• has knowledge of how to connect the texts through their awareness of genre convention

• has knowledge of how to consider the ideas that are important for understanding the relationship between selected works of literature

• has knowledge of how to use the appropriate vocabulary and critical theories for analyzing the relationship between selected literary texts

Skills

The student

• can make both wide-ranging and precise comparisons between the course texts

• can connect texts based on awareness of genre conventions

• can articulate and assess key ideas and concepts about literature

• can develop strategies for reading open-ended and reflective literary works

General Competencies

The student

• can reflect upon their knowledge of literature and its relationship to the English language literary history and contemporary trends

• have an understanding of the historical and cultural concerns of a selection of texts

• can understand the relevance of the literary past to our own time and cultural and literary sensibilities

No tuition fees. Semester fees and cost of course literature apply. Students should have access to a laptop computer.

Elective

Teaching will be in the form of lectures and discussions of primary literary texts and secondary critical theories. The course methodology will be clearly established in the first meeting.

Evaluation using mid-term and final surveys. Students are also encouraged to participate in the central quality surveys

Compound assesment (SV), grading scale A-F.

Compulsory participation (OD), min. participation 80%, comprises 100 % of the grade, grading scale: Approved / Not approved.
Assessment tasks (AK), 2 short essays, comprises 100 % of the grade, grading scale: Approved / Not approved.

Compulsory participation and assessment tasks must be approved to receive the final grade.

Portfolio exam (MA), individual, 2 weeks, comprises 100 % of the grade, grading scale A-E for pass, F for fail.

All aids allowed

Generating an answer using ChatGPT or similar artificial intelligence and submitting it wholly or partially as one's own answer is considered cheating

Course language

English

Credits

Study location

Bodø

Responsible faculty

The Faculty of Education and Arts

Course coordinator

Associate Professor

Myrto Drizou

myrto.drizou@nord.no