Gender and Textuality (ENGL3500)

Course overview

This course examines a range of key fictional works and feminist literary theories comprising the field of women's writing, with an emphasis on post-1970 works. The course is organized by key issues for, and genres of, women's writing and feminist literary criticism, and covers the historical emergence and consolidation of contemporary women's writing.

The emergence of the literary field of women's writing and feminist literary criticism from the 1970s have redefined contemporary literary studies, and our understandings of literary representations of gender. So as to provide a solid overview of both, this course explores four key literary topics or genres that recur in women's writing and feminist theorisations of it. For each topic we read two critical essays and two novels. This approach enables you to increase your critical vocabulary and understanding of the field through the critics, while the two novels in each unit--one is relatively recently published, the other has achieved major status--encourageﾠ a comparative and historically inflected analysis of gender and textuality. How much has women's writing changed since the 1970s and 1980s in terms of the major texts and debates that configure the field?

Course requirements

Assumed background

This is a third level course in the English Literature major andﾠextended major, and the English major. Students are therefore expected to be at an advanced level in their studies, though the specific nature of these studies will vary from student to student.ﾠ As a third level course it draws on your previous experiences of reading throughout your major.ﾠ Here, we round off that experience withﾠa focus on a critical field of literature with current significance.ﾠIt'sﾠaimed at students who are in the final semesters ofﾠtheir degree.

As you can see above, the prerequisites for the course are #10 of other English Literature or English subjects.ﾠ Despite our having tried overﾠseveral yearsﾠto get SI-Net to incorporate these prerequisites, it will still let you enrol without them.ﾠ Hence this warning.ﾠ If you're still in the early stages of your degree, don't short-change yourself: do some more literary subjects before taking this one, in order to get the full benefit from it.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

English Major: ENGL1500 and 2 unit Level 2 ENGL course.

English Literature Major and Minor: ENGL1800 and 2 unit Level 2 ENGL course.

Gender Studies Minor: GEND1010 and GEND2001.

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

Students are strongly encouraged to have completed either ENGL1500 or ENGL1800 prior to enrolling in this course.

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

ENGL2500

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Whilst every effort is made to place students in their preferred activity, it is not always possible for a student to be enrolled in their tutorial of choice. If you require assistance, please ensure that you email timetabling.commarts@enquire.uq.edu.au from your UQ student email with: 

• Your name 
• Your student ID 
• The course code 
• A list of three tutorial preferences (in order of preference) 
• Reason for the change – e.g. timetable clash, elite athlete status, SAP 

Teaching staff do not have access to change tutorials or help with timetables; all timetabling changes must be processed through the Timetabling Team. 

Aims and outcomes

This course intends to provide students with a solid understanding of the key issues and topics that construct the contemporary field of women's writing, as well as introducing them to major writers, critics, and theorists comprising this field.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Seminar Preparation and Participation

• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique, Reflection

Weight

10%

Due date

Week 2 - Week 10

Seminar preparation and participation will be marked for each seminar in weeks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11.

Learning outcomes

L02, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

Weekly writing exercises are emailed to your tutor during the seminar. Your response should be in the body of the email, not as an attachment. Please state your seminar group in the email subject line e.g. Wed 10:30am group: Writing Task. 

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Please note: students are NOT able to apply for an extension via the Unitask portal for this assessment item. If a student is absent from any of the 8 seminars that are assessed, they must notify their tutor before class, and then they can complete a catch up worksheet to gain the mark. This worksheet should be returned by the following week's seminar. You can only have a maximum of 1 worksheet in lieu of attendance.

Late submission

Late submission is not possible for this piece of assessment.

Research Essay #1

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

35% 1100-1300 words (excl. quotations)

Due date

11/09/2024 4:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submit via TurnItIn through Course Blackboard site.

TurnItIn Receipts: 

Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial. 

When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can: 

• View the name of the submitted file 
• View date and time of the upload 
• Resubmit your paper (if necessary) 
• Download your submitted paper 
• Download digital receipt. 

If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work). 

If the submission was not successful: 

• Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).  
• Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again. 
• If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached. 

Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Research Essay #2

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

55% 2100-2300 words (excl. quotations)

Due date

25/10/2024 4:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L07

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submit via TurnItIn through Course Blackboard site.

TurnItIn Receipts: 

Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial. 

When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can: 

• View the name of the submitted file 
• View date and time of the upload 
• Resubmit your paper (if necessary) 
• Download your submitted paper 
• Download digital receipt. 

If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work). 

If the submission was not successful: 

• Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).  
• Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again. 
• If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached. 

Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

• Where fractional marks occur in the calculation of the final grade, a mark of x.5% or greater will be rounded up to (x+1)%. A percentage mark of less than x.5% will be rounded down to x%. 
• Where no assessable work is received, a Grade of X will apply. 

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

• Further information regarding the assessment, including marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course. 
• Marks Cannot Be Changed After Being Released: Marks are not open to negotiation with course staff. If you wish to discuss the feedback you have received, you should make an appointment to speak with the Course Coordinator. 
• Assessment Re-mark: If you are considering an Assessment Re-mark, please follow the link to important information you should consider before submitting a request. 
• Integrity Pledge: Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin. Before submitting any assignments for this course, you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Modules.ﾠIn uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university. 
• Withholding marks prior to finalisation of grades: Per UQ Assessment Procedures – Release of Assessment Item Marks and Grades: The final assessment item and the marks for the assessment item are to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released. 

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Own copy required

You'll need to have your own copy of the following reading resources. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Additional learning resources information

As the above list of Required Readings suggests, you will be reading both novels and critical essays for the course. See Learning Activities for a weekly summary of readings. Please bring copies of both the novel and the critical reading to the relevant seminar. Print copies of novels and memoirs are the preferred editions due to pagination issues.

Critical readings are available on the Library's website under Course Learning Resources.

Class Etiquette:

To achieve better learning outcomes and a focussed class environment, mobile phones are to be switched to silent and left in bags and not on the desk. Copies of readings should not be read on mobile phones. Each seminar has a 10-15 minute break when students should leave the class room so that they can drink coffee, walk around, check phones, and get some fresh air etc.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.