Department of English, Foreign Language, and Journalism

English 430-01

Selected Studies in Literary Authority—Asian Women’s Writing

TR 9:30-10:50 Murphy 112

Dr. Stacia Bensyl  SSC 222I

Phone 271-5936  email—bensyl@missouriwestern.edu

Office hours: 9:00-10:00MW, 9:00-12:00F, and by appointment

 

Required Texts:

 

Ali, Monica.  Brick Lane.  New York: Scribner, 2003.

Chen, Ruoxi.  The Execution of Mayor Yin. Trans. Nancy Ing and Howard Goldblatt.  Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2004.

Desai, Anita.  Fasting, Feasting.  London: Vintage, 2000.

Enchi, Fumiko. The Waiting Years. Tokyo: Kudansha, 1971.

Mori, Kyoko.  The Dream of Water.  New York: One World, 1995.

Murasaki, Shikibu.  The Tale of Genji, Part I. Trans. Arthur Waley. 1929. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2000.

Tsukiyama, Gail.  Women of the Silk. New York: St. Martin’s, 1991.

Handouts and films, as appropriate.

 

 

Course Objectives:

  • Examine existing Western ideas of the “Asian Woman.”
  • Recognize differences in women’s experience in China, Japan, and the Indian subcontinent.
  • Analyze the writing of Asian women through the discourse of Western Feminism and question the efficacy of applying that discourse to Asian women’s writing.
  • Write about the texts assigned for class in both informal (journal entry) and formal (documented paper and final exam) ways.

 

Assessment Methods:

  • Keep a reading journal in which you respond either to a prompt I give you or to a question or issue about the reading which compels you.  These should be computer-generated, added to your journal and handed in to me each Thursday.  I expect no less than one double-spaced page per week. The journal will be worth 40% of your final grade.
  • Write a 6-7 page research paper documented in proper MLA style.  The paper will be worth 40% of your final grade.
  • Take a final exam consisting of objective and essay questions.  Each portion (objective and essay) will be worth 50% of the exam.  The exam will be worth 20% of your final grade.

 

 

 

Attendance:

            I just expect folks to be here.  I refuse to implement an official “policy” in a 400-level course, but I will say that not being here without a reasonable reason won’t bode well for your grade.  I do notice if you’re here, and I do take that into consideration, especially if you’re a borderline grade case.

 

Academic Honesty Policy:

     I abide by all the regulations outlined in the Missouri Western State College Catalog and Student Handbook:

 

Academic Honesty Policy and Due Process

Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty

include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying

documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity. Violations of academic

honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or

expulsion from the University. When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of

academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the

Academic Honesty Violation Report forms.

Please see the 2006-07 Student Handbook and Calendar on page 21 for specific activities

identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This

handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf

 

     I will not tolerate plagiarism, cheating, or claiming another's work as your own.  Please don't cheat!  If I find evidence of academic dishonesty, I will automatically assign that student an “F” for the course.

 

Course grading scale:

100-90% = A

80-89%   = B

70-79%   = C

60-69%   = D

59- 0%    = F

 

Tentative Assignments:

 

Jan.      15        Introduction

            17        “Mystery, Sex, Fear, and Desire: A Brief History” handout

            22        The Tale of Genji

            24        The Tale of Genji  reading journal due

            29        “Feminine Sensibility in the Heian Era” handout

            31        The Waiting Years  reading journal due

Feb.       5        The Waiting Years

              7        Memoirs of a Geisha film  reading journal due

            12        Memoirs of a Geisha film

14        The Dream of Water  reading journal due

            19        The Dream of Water

            21        Women of the Silk  reading journal due

            26        Women of the Silk

            28        Raise the Red Lantern  film  reading journal due

Mar.       4        Raise the Red Lantern film 

6                Raise the Red Lantern film  reading journal due

11          Spring Break

13        Spring Break

18        TBA

20        The Execution of Mayor Yin  reading journal due

25        The Execution of Mayor Yin  

27        TBA  reading journal due

Apr.       1        TBA

              3        TBA  reading journal due

              8        Fasting, Feasting  research paper due

            10        Fasting, Feasting  reading journal due

            15        Monsoon Wedding film

            17        Monsoon Wedding film  reading journal due

            22        Brick Lane

            24        Brick Lane  reading journal due

            29        TBA

 

Final Exam:  Thursday, May 1, 8:30-10:20