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EWRT 1BEWRT 1B | Focus on Gender | Randy Splitter
Email: SplitterRandolph@deanza.edu
Class file server: http://homepage.mac.com/rsplitter (click on Public Folder->EWRT 1B; download the file to your computer and save it; read on screen or print out; bring to class, at least one page containing esp. interesting or strange passage)
Phone: 408-864-8600 (but I prefer email)
Office: F61e (in F6 building, near turtle sculpture at top of L quad)
Office hours: Tu 11:30-12:20, Th 2:45-3:35. For other times, please arrange with me. Hope to see you!
Student Services & Programs (click for info)
Cross-Cultural Partners (click for info)
Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine (national and student editions of literary magazine, staffed by De Anza students; please join!)
De Anza Writing & Reading Center (drop-in tutorial help in ATC 309)
Hi, everyone! This course continues the work of EWRT 1A, with a greater emphasis on literature (stories) and on research-based writing.
Our particular focus will be on gender issues, with attention to both men's and women's perspectives. We'll read a wide variety of stories and background readings, including a shocking novel set in modern-day Afghanistan, a psychological thriller set in 1950s US, an excerpt on foot-binding from a novel set in nineteenth century China, a bit of a graphic novel (literary comic book) about growing up in Iran, something from a classic American Western, a gender-bending report by a woman who went "undercover" as a man, and lots more.
To complement the reading, I'd like each of you to do at least two hours of gender-related community engagement (volunteering or just observing) over the next couple of months: e.g., volunteer at a rape crisis center, participate in a men's or women's group, campaign against domestic or street violence, observe sex education classes, interview military recruiters on campus or at a recruitment center, observe gender roles at a mosque or church, volunteer at Planned Parenthood, interview young marrieds, interview customers at gay bars, and so on. Besides writing a brief "community engagement" report, you can incorporate observations and interviews from this experience into your research paper at the end of the quarter.
Books:
Yasmina Khadra, The Swallows of Kabul
Georges Simenon, Red Lights
Rosenwasser & Stephen, Writing Analytically (latest, 5th edition)
Much of the course will focus on a research-based paper. The topic must be related to gender in some way, but the specific choice is up to you (approved by me). Note that the paper must be an analytical or interpretive essay, not simply an informational report. Here are some possible research areas. Most of these are very broad in scope, so you need to narrow and focus:
* in-depth study of gender issues in any one fiction writer (such as Kate Chopin, Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, Isabel Allende, Eileen Chang, Georges Simenon, Yasmina Khadra, etc., etc.)
* in-depth study of gender issues on one TV show (such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Will and Grace, Mad Men, etc.)
* gender issues in movies: in popular genres (Westerns, action movies, romance movies, erotic thrillers, horror movies, gross-out comedies, etc.) or in the works of individual directors such as Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Ang Lee, Quentin Tarantino, etc.
* the portrayal of gender roles in advertising, popular music, music videos, pro wrestling, or some other form of popular culture
* attitudes toward gender roles in traditional/conservative/fundamentalist cultures and religions
* specific issues such as polygamy, teen pregnancy, rape, female genital mutilation, �honor� killings, pornography, etc.
* sexual orientation, transgender issues, etc.
* gender issues in a specific area of (American) society such as work, school, sports, the military, prison, etc.
* Your choice of a gender-related topic--check with me
De Anza Library (call 408-864-8479 for reference help). Contact librarian Lena Chang at 408-864-8764 or changlena@deanza.edu.
San José King Library (joint university/city library; public data bases available online if you have a public library card: log in with library card number and PIN, then click on SJPL Articles & Databases on left side of website; university data bases available at actual library, along with large book collection; call 408-808-2100 for reference help)
Key reading & writing strategies:
- interesting/strange: avoid premature judgments; "defamiliarize"; focus on specifics
- seems/really (could also be ...): hidden subtext; multiple meanings; reading against the grain
- use reading (or something else) as lens: apply the ideas or perspectives of the reading to something else; look through the "lens" at the new object of analysis
- "the method" (patterns of repetition and contrast): list repeated or similar words or other details, key contrasts/oppositions (explicit or implicit), anomalies (don't seem to fit the patterns); pick the most significant and explain
- 10 on 1: examine key example in depth (make "ten" points about it), instead of making the same basic point (superficially) about many examples; connect to other examples and to overall issues
- evolving thesis: show your thinking, bring reader along; start with working thesis (hypothesis), test thesis on evidence, modify thesis in light of complicating evidence (which doesn't seem to fit), repeat as needed
Grades on written assignments will be based on the following qualities (taken together, not broken down into separate point values):
� Focus/Coherence: clear point (thesis), well-focused paragraphs, clear and logical organization (see "evolving thesis" in Writing Analytically)
� Development/Depth: fully explained ideas, well-supported by evidence, examples (see The Method and "10 on 1" in Writing Analytically)
� Clarity/Correctness: clear, articulate, expressive writing; appropriate grammar, word usage, punctuation, and spelling (see Basic Writing Errors in Writing Analytically)
� (also, Relevance: response to the assignment)
General advice on writing papers: do it in stages, not all at once. It beats sitting down in front of a blank page the night before something is due! Less anxiety, better results:
� brainstorm (generate ideas and examples by listing, clustering, freewriting, applying "the Method," doing research, etc.)
� create a rough but detailed outline
� write a draft and put it away for a while (let it "incubate")
� show it to others and get feedback
� revise (cut, expand, move, rewrite)
� proofread and edit (fix errors, improve sentence structure and word usage)
Note: Writing Analytically ch. 19 offers help with nine common writing errors.
EasyWriter includes 20 Most Common Errors (including comma splices, sentence fragments, run-ons, problems with verb forms & tenses, its/it's, etc.); Documenting Sources
(helpful for Research Paper); and many other valuable links. You'll
need to provide a log-on and password, but the site is open to
everyone. Take advantage of it!
Purdue ESL Resources (click here for help with articles, irregular verbs, two-part verbs, verbals, and so on)
Note: Quotation marks go outside commas and periods, "like this." Book titles should be in italics, as in The Swallows of Kabul. When writing about events in a story or novel, use the present tense: e.g., "In the well-known fairy tale, Goldilocks explores the home of the three bears."
You may rewrite a paper for a higher grade--within a week after I return it to you--but only if it is a comprehensive rewrite, not just correcting a few grammatical errors (but do that too). (You can't rewrite the Research Paper Draft because you will automatically do that for your final Research Paper. Both will count.) Please highlight the major changes you have made by putting changed material in a different color, highlighting or underlining the changes, or summarizing the changes.
If your paper is late (up to a week), I will give you partial credit, at my discretion. (I'll be generous if you're only a little late.) After a week, you may not receive more than a D (65/100 pts) unless there are special circumstances. If you want to stay in the course, please submit the paper and discuss your situation with me! mixed
Paper 1: 100 pts
Paper 2: 100 pts
Paper 3 (Research Sources Comparison): 50 pts
Paper 4: 100 pts
Paper 5a (Research Paper Draft): 100 pts
Paper 5b (Final Research Paper): 100 pts
Final exam: 50 pts
Effort/Contribution: 100 pts (inc. preparation for class, exercises, quizzes, peer review, , etc.; take this seriously!)
Final Grade: total points / 7
(A=93.4-100; A-=90-93.3; B+=86.7-89.9; B=83.4-86.6; B-=80-83.3; etc.)
Max. number of absences allowed: none during the first three weeks, 3 thereafter, except for special circumstances.
Good luck and have fun!
5 January - 11 January
Tuesday
Overview of class.
Two truths and a lie.
Thursday (please do all reading before class)
Read Writing Analytically (WA), 35-36 (Notice & Focus: interesting/strange) & 63-65 (seems/really).
Read Lisa See, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, "Footbinding" (go to class file server and download). Mark one especially interesting or strange passage, and be ready to explain in class why you found it interesting or strange. Bring copy of reading to class or at least one page containing interesting/strange passage.
Watch excerpt from the video "Slim Hopes" (click here to view video).
Advertising Exercise (in class): Examine a variety of print and/or online ads (spelling note: ad has one "d"). The ads could be for cars, perfume, beer, computers, vodka, jewelry, clothes, or anything else. Focus on the portrayal of gender: not necessarily sex but, rather, the representation of men and women. Keeping in mind the ideas about gender you have picked up from "Footbinding" and "Slim Hopes," pick one ad that you find especially interesting or strange in its portrayal of men and/or women. Describe both the text and visual images of the ad in detail. Using the seems/really strategy, explain what the ad seems to be about and what you think it is really (or also) about.
12 January - 18 January
Tues
Read Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones�s Diary, excerpt, and David Brooks, "New Lone Rangers" (By the way, Jones's adds an apostrophe and an s after Jones to indicate possession. Book titles are in italics; story and essay titles are in quotation marks.)
Song Exercise: Pick a song about love or relationships (any song, your choice; bring to class if possible), and compare it to the songs discussed by Brooks.
Thurs
Read WA 213-214 (reading as lens).
Submit Paper 1: Texts/Experience (approx. 3-4 pages or 750-1000 words). Employing the reading-as-lens strategy from Writing Analytically (pp. 213-214), use the readings from Lisa See ("Footbinding"), Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones's Diary), and/or David Brooks ("New Lone Rangers") AS LENSES to examine your own personal experience (of love, sex, gender roles, etc.).
Make sure to save time for careful proofreading. Pay special attention to the Nine Basic Writing Errors such as fragments, run-ons, comma splices, and spelling/diction errors in WA ch. 19 and (if English is not your first language) to verb forms, singular/plural problems, count/noncount nouns, and articles (a, the) (see Purdue ESL Resources, link above). You can rewrite the paper within ten days after I return the first submission, if you wish. Please highlight all changes. Thanks.
19 January - 25 January
Tues
Read Bao Tianxiao, "So Near, So Far"; Judy Syfers (Brady), "Why I Want a Wife"; and Isabel Allende, "If You Touched My Heart."
Pick an especially interesting or strange passage from one of these readings, and be ready to explain in class why you found it interesting or strange.
Thurs
Read WA 215-226 (sources), 325-328 (grammatical terms).
Submit one-page Research Paper Proposal: Examine possible research topics at top of this page. Pick one
(you may change later if need be). Look for relevant scholarly journal
articles or book chapters, and read at least one carefully and
completely. (The journal articles may come from electronic data bases
available through the links to the De Anza and San Jose (King)
libraries. Look for sources labeled "academic" or "peer-reviewed," not
general-interest newspapers or magazines.) Submit a one-page
proposal for research paper due near end of quarter, stating a
tentative topic and explaining what you learned from the source, what
you hope to find out, what questions you have, what the major issues
are, etc. Be specific. List your source in MLA or APA format at the end
of the proposal. (Note format for electronic database articles.)
26 January - 1 February
Tues
Read excerpt from Marjane Satrapi's graphic (comic-style) memoir Persepolis (click here and follow the links). (Note: Persepolis takes place in Iran, beginning in the late 1970s. The memoir recounts actual experiences and events.)
Persepolis Exercise: Pick a childhood snapshot of yourself and compare it to one key image in this excerpt from Persepolis. Use the comparison to explain what the images reveal about you and/or Marjane (and the circumstances in which you both grew up).
Thurs
Read Yasmina Khadra, The Swallows of Kabul, ch. 1-8 (pp. 1-102). (This novel takes place in Afghanistan in the 1990s. It is fiction but is based on life under the Taliban, a strict fundamentalist movement, during that time. The Taliban still control parts of the country. "Yasmina Khadra" is the female pseudonym of an Algerian man, a former army officer. He is not from Afghanistan, where the novel is set. The book shouldn't take you long to read, but the unfamiliar context and the harshness of some events may make it more difficult.)
Some questions to think about:
Ch. 1. What is your first impression of Atiq Shaukat and Mohsen Ramat? How does each one feel about the execution of the prostitute?
Ch. 2. What strikes you as interesting or strange about the conversation between Atiq and his friend Mirza about Atiq's wife?
Ch. 3. How does Mohsen's wife Zunaira react to his confession about what he did to the prostitute? Do you think she is justified in her reaction?
Ch. 4. How does Atiq respond to his ill wife Musarrat? What is interesting or strange about his treatment of her?
Ch. 5. How does Atiq respond to the older man Nazeesh's claim that he is going to get away from Kabul? Why is he so unsympathetic? At the end of the chapter: "If his wife persists in her role of sacrificial victim, he vows, he's going to stop treating her so gently"? Why is he so unsympathetic to her as well?
Ch. 6. How does Zunaira feel about going out in public? How does she feel about wearing a burqa (complete head-to-toe covering, with small openings for eyes)? Why does she eventually agree to go out with her husband?
Ch. 7. Why does Atiq apologize to Nazeesh and then insult him again? What happens to Mohsen and Zunaira on their walk? Why do the Taliban agents act the way they do?
Ch. 8. Is there any truth in the mullah's criticism of Western values? Why does Zunaira blame her husband for what happened?
Read WA pp. 8-9, 37-43 (The Method). Note: you don't have to count repetitions, and you don't have to rank repetitions, strands, or binaries. Just look for key patterns. Start with specific words, images, or other details, not big abstractions. This is a bottom-up method, not a top-down one.
Swallows Exercise: Apply "The Method" to one chapter of Swallows.
2 February - 8 February
Tues
Finish The Swallows of Kabul (ch. 9-15, pp. 103-195).
More questions to think about:
Ch. 9. How do the militia man Qassim and his driver feel about their mothers? What is interesting or strange about their attitudes?
10. Who is to blame for what happens in this chapter� Zunaira or Mohsen? Or someone or something else?
11. Who is the new prisoner?
12. How does Atiq react to the sight of the new prisoner? Why? Is he just stereotyping women�as whores, domestic servants, ideals of beauty, or maternal saviors? Or does he have real empathy for her? (What is empathy?) How does Atiq's wife Musarrat react to Atiq's new feeling? Why? Is her reaction believable? Does she have real empathy for him?
13. Is it believable that Atiq would try to help Zunaira if he has never done anything like that before? Why does Zunaira refuse to escape? Is that believable?
14. Is Musarrat right to blame herself for her husband's unhappiness? Is her action believable? Is it altruistic? (What is altruism?)Is she just another male stereotype of women�a saintly, maternal savior?
15. Is Atiq trying to save Zunaira or using Zunaira for his own purposes? Why does he think she would want to go way with him? Explain Atiq's dream. Is Atiq's behavior at the end believable? Is what happens to him realistic or just a handy way to end the story? What do you think will happen to Zunaira? Is there any hope at the end?
Thurs
Read WA 307-314, 319-325 (Basic Writing Errors 1-2, 6-9).
Submit Paper 2: Freedom and Gender Roles (approx. 3-4 pages or 750-1000 words). Applying "The Method" to The Swallows of Kabul and at least one other reading we've
done so far, find major gender-related patterns of repetition ("strands") and contrast (and, possibly, anomalies). Use
these findings and your own experience to answer the following
question: In what ways are men and women limited by the social roles
assigned to their genders in different cultures? (Note: use The Method to help you answer the question, not as an end in itself.)
Some
questions you might consider: How and why has women's freedom been
limited in different cultures, including our own? Is the freedom to
expose one's body and have sex with whomever one wants really freedom?
Are men free? What kind of moral values should apply to gender roles?
Where should these moral values come from? (Save time for proofreading, and check carefully for Writing Errors described in WA.)Library Visit, 3:45-4:45: Meet at reference desk on main floor of library at 3:45. (We will then go upstairs.) The second half of the class will be back in our classroom.
9 February - 15 February
Tues
Read Jane Tompkins, West of Everything, excerpt, and Owen Wister, The Virginian, ch. 35, abridged. (Note: the Tompkins reading may seem choppy because I edited it to make it shorter. This reading is about attitudes toward language, conflict, and gender roles in Westerns, but the statements from women about their relationships are contemporary comments quoted by Tompkins from another book.)Mark one interesting or strange passage from one of the readings and be ready to explain why you found it interesting or strange.
Thurs
Read WA 96-97 (summary/analysis), 100-102 (comp/contrast), 230-233 (sources), 238 (research), 255-262 (documentation/citation)
Submit Paper 3: Research Sources Comparison (mini-paper, approx. two pages or 500 words. Pick two
serious, thoughtful, well-developed sources for your research paper
(journal/database articles or book chapters, not general internet
sites), preferably two that disagree with each other or approach the
topic from different perspectives. Do a comparative analysis of the two
sources (not just a summary), in which you examine at least one key
passage or example from each. Try to explain the disagreements or
different points of view of the two sources, and use your explanation
to arrive at a position of your own. Make sure that you document your
sources properly (cite all major references to the sources in the body
of your paper and list the sources in MLA or APA format at the end).
16 February - 22 February
Tues (office hour today 2:30-3:30, not earlier)
Read Stephen Crane, "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" (abridged).
Western Exercise: Compare the Wister and Crane readings (The Virginian and "Yellow Sky"). (Pay special attention to the marriages, recent or impending, and the climaxes in both readings.)
Thurs
Read WA 123-130 (10 on 1)
[Read carefully! 10 on 1�ten or at least several ideas or observations about one key example�means examining one example in depth rather than examining many examples superficially and repeating the same general point about each one: that would be "1 on 10" or one idea with ten examples. Make sure you understand the difference.]
Submit Paper 4: Western Heroes (approx. 3-4 pages or 750-1000 words). Make sure to watch a Western movie�classic or recent�before doing the assignment. Some classic examples are Stagecoach, Shane, High Noon, The Searchers, and Red River. Watch carefully and take notes. Enjoy. Use the movie and the readings by
Tompkins, Wister, and/or Crane (at least two readings) to describe,
analyze, and evaluate the code of conduct that seems to govern the
behavior of heroes in Westerns. In evaluating this code, please answer
these questions: What features of the code do you think are healthy and
constructive? What features are not? Make sure that you use
"10 on 1" to examine one of your examples in depth, rather than just
repeating one general point and examining all examples superficially.
23 February - 1 March
Tues
Read Norah Vincent, Self-Made Man, "Getting Started"; "Friendship"; and "Journey's End." (Norah Vincent's book is a true account of a woman who goes "underground" as a man.) Mark interesting/strange passage, and be ready to explain in class.
Thurs
Read WA 139-145 & 153-158 (summarized on pp. 144 & 158) ("evolving thesis").
Thesis Exercise: Trace evolution of Norah Vincent's thesis in these three chapters, quoting one possible thesis statement (a sentence or two) from each chapter. Or trace the evolution of Jane Tompkins' thesis in the excerpt from West of Everything.
Explain how and why (in response to what new evidence) the thesis
changes. (Note that a thesis statement has to be relatively
general�probably about men or women in general, not just about
individual people or examples.)
Submit Community Engagement Report. Approx. 1-2 pages or 250-500 words. First, do at least two hours of gender-related community
engagement (see top of this page). Use your gender-related community experience as a lens to examine one of the texts we've read, or use one of the texts we've read as a lens to examine your experience.
2 March - 8 March
Tues
Read Ha Jin, "The Bridegroom" (part 1; part 2 is optional). (Ha Jin is the pen name of Chinese-American writer Jin Xuefei. The story takes place in China a few decades ago.) Mark interesting/strange passage, and be ready to explain in class.
Bring 1-2 pages of Paper 5a for peer review (answer questions below in class):
- Is the writer's main point (thesis) clear, and does this thesis begin to evolve (change in response to complicating evidence)?
- Does the writer begin to examine a key example in extra depth (10 on 1)? (This may not be clear in 1-2 pages.)
- Are sources for all borrowed ideas and information cited parenthetically in proper MLA or APA format? Do the main sources seem like scholarly, in-depth sources rather than brief, superficial ones?
Thurs
Read WA 215-226, 230-233, 238, 255-262 (documentation/citation).
Submit Research Paper Draft (Paper 5a). Approx. 3-4 pages or 750-1000 words. (To be expanded in Paper 5b.) Make
sure that your paper deals with gender issues and that it is analytical
or interpretive, not just informational. In other words, it should deal
with complex, debatable issues, not just facts.
As described in Writing Analytically,
use your sources to help you examine your topic and support the main
point you are trying to make. (Have a conversation with the authors of
the sources. Don't just copy information and ideas from your sources to
your paper.) You can use The Method to track significant patterns of
repetition and contrast in your sources, to find anomalies, and to zero
in on key details. You can also use your sources as "lenses" through
which to view the topic or issue you are analyzing. These strategies are not required, but make sure you
do the following:
Do "10 on 1": Examine one or two key examples in extra depth and detail. Make connections to your other (briefer) examples.
Evolving
thesis: Start with a working thesis. Modify it as you go along in
light of complicating evidence. Conclude with the final, more qualified
thesis.
Remember also to proofread carefully for comma splices, verb problems, spelling (homonyms), or whatever else is your major stumbling block.
This is not the final draft, but make it as good as you can at this point. Both drafts are graded. Have fun!
9 March - 15 March
Tues
Read Georges Simenon, Red Lights, pp. 5-78 (ch. 1-4). (Simenon was a prolific Belgian/French writer of mysteries and psychological thrillers. He spent some time in the U.S., and this novel is set here, in the 1950s.)
Bring an esp. interesting or strange passage in this reading and be ready to explain why you found it interesting or strange.
Thurs
Interview: Conduct an in-depth interview with someone whose personal experience relates to your research topic. (This could be someone from your community engagement project.) Ask thoughtful and probing questions, including follow-up questions. Take careful notes or use a voice recorder and transcribe. Submit complete text of interview (questions and answers).
16 March - 22 March
Tues
Finish Simenon, Red Lights, pp. 79-154 (ch. 5-8)
Oral Presentation: Prepare notes for an informal oral presentation based on your research paper (with a simple intro, a clear thesis, an in-depth examination of at least one key example, and a simple conclusion). Give this presentation in class. (Use your notes, not your complete paper.) Criteria for peer review: Is the main point (thesis) clear? Does the thesis evolve in response to the evidence? Is one key example examined in depth (10 on 1)?
Thurs
Submit the Final Research Paper (Paper 5b, at least 6 pages or 1500 words). Revise, edit, expand, and
fully develop your previous draft with the help of the feedback you've
received. Make this a serious rewrite. You may get a higher or lower grade this time around. Please highlight the major changes you have made by putting changed material in a different color or clearly and specifically summarizing the changes. Thanks!
Use at least five sources, including the interview described above. These
sources may include stories and essays we've read in this class, but
most of them should be serious/scholarly journal/database articles or
books (or parts of books). Use and
cite all your sources in the body of your paper; don't just list them
at the end without citing them in the body of your paper. (Follow MLA
or APA format for in-text citations and bibliographical list of Works
Cited at end.)
Please also answer the student evaluation questionnaire (available soon) sometime this week. Thanks!
23 March - 29 March
Final exam on readings by Vincent, Ha Jin (at least first part), and Simenon. (Essay exam. Open book. Please bring copies of all readings and paper to write on to class. You may use other readings to strengthen your answers, but that's not required.) Write answers in class 4-6 pm, Friday, during scheduled exam time.
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