Resource Author
Prof. Lisa MooreResource Description
E370W/WGS 345 33715/47710
Gay and Lesbian Literature and Culture
PAR 204
Professor Lisa Moore PAR 217 llmoore@mail.utexas.edu
Office hours: MW 11-12:30
In this course, we will examine the twentieth-century history of lesbian and gay self-representation in English through examination of literary texts that document the emergence of a gay and lesbian literary tradition and political community. Writing assignments will emphasize careful close reading and formal analysis of these texts in two short papers; both of these papers will be revised. A final group project will draw on the variety of issues studied during the semester to create a class presentation.
TEXTS
Forster, Maurice
Hall, The Well of Loneliness.
Baldwin, Giovanni's Room.
Brown, Rubyfruit Jungle
Anzaldua, Borderlands/La Frontera
Kushner, Angels in America Part I: Millenium Approaches
Waters, Tipping the Velvet
Cunningham, The Hours.
Bridgforth, Love/ Conjure Blues
For next time: Redbone Press anthology, spirited
FILMS
Before Stonewall
After Stonewall
Please also purchase a letter-size file folder in which to submit your papers and drafts.
ASSIGNMENTS
All assignments and handouts for this class, as well as other materials, are available on the class Blackboard site.
Three 3-4 page papers worth 20% each for a total of 60% of the final grade; a final in-class group project worth 25%; performance as a peer editor, 10%; class participation (attendance, preparation, and completion of in-class assignments), 5%.
Papers
Format: These short papers will be three to four pages long. All assignments must be typed, double-spaced, and titled, with your name on them. If all your sources come from the syllabus of this class (which I expect will be the case), you need not include a works cited page with your essays. However, in that case all quotations from course texts must be identified by clearly referring to the author and title of the piece(s) in the body of your essay, and by putting page numbers in brackets after the quoted material. If your paper refers to published materials not on the syllabus (which I don't recommend), all references in the essay, including those to course materials, must be cited according to MLA style, including a works cited list at the end of the paper.
Writing and Revision: Papers must be completed by the dates indicated on the syllabus. On that date, you will bring three copies of your paper to class and you will exchange papers with the members of your editing group. Before the next class period, you will carefully read and comment upon the papers of the other group members. The next class day, you will discuss the papers to help one another revise. After you have met with your group, you must substantially revise your paper to improve its clarity and specificity and sharpen its analysis, as well as to ensure it contains no grammar or spelling errors. On the date marked on the syllabus, turn in the revised copy of the paper in class, along with all copies of the original paper and the sheets your editing group wrote their comments on. Turn in all these materials in a single file folder. I will assign you to an editing group at the beginning of the semester.
If you fail to turn up with complete copies of your paper for your group that day in class, you will lose one (out of a possible 20) points on that paper. Failing to turn up for the next day’s peer editing session, or failing to have read and commented on your peers’ papers by then, will result in the deduction of one more point. Failing to turn in your revised, final version and all drafts (in a manila folder) during the class period in which it is due (or before) will result in the deduction of yet another point.
Academic Collaboration vs. Plagiarism: Most of the writing you will do in this class will be collaborative: that is, you will be encouraged and expected to work with your editing group to analyze and help revise one another's writing. In addition, all students are encouraged to take advantage of the free one-to-one writing tutoring available at the Learning Skills Center in Jester Hall (open 9 am to 4:45 pm), for which I will be happy to sign a consent form. I also recommend using the services of the Undergraduate Writing Center in the UGL. However, each student is ultimately responsible for the written work that bears her or his name. Submitting work written by someone else or copied from a source constitutes plagiarism, and will be punished with an F in the course. Please feel free to talk to the instructor if you have any doubts about this distinction.
Participation
Appearing for class on time, having done the assigned reading and writing, and ready to do the in-class writing and thinking assignments as they come up, will count for 10% of your final grade. You will lose .5% of your final grade (half a point) each time you are late for class, and one point each time you are absent. I will deduct an additional one point if you miss one of the unscheduled in-class writing or textual analysis assignments because you had an unexcused absence that day.
Final group project
All students must come to class on the date specified on the syllabus with two ideas for a project they would be interested in doing. (Unexcused absences from class that day, or failure to bring written-down ideas to class, will result in a two-point penalty deducted from your final project grade.) These ideas need not be detailed but they must be written down legibly. We will establish groups and topics in class that day. To receive credit for the final project, each group member must turn in a one- to two-page proposal for a final project summarizing or extending his/her work (writing and discussion) in the class. Proposals are due in class and will not be revised. Projects will take the form of a class presentation and your group will be assigned a presentation date by the instructor. For the written proposal, each group member must clearly delineate: 1) the overall purpose or argument of the presentation; 2) the method of presentation (performance? survey? talk show? magazine? academic presentation? video? class participation? etc.) and 3) his or her specific responsibilities for meeting the group’s goals--how has the group divided up the labor of the project? Needless to say, the group will need to meet outside of class to establish these parameters before the written proposal is due.
To make your project effective, think first about your audience...the professor and the rest of the class. Do you want to inform us about an issue or historical event that we didn’t explore during the semester? Do you want to revisit a text or argument that came up during the semester from a different perspective? Do you want to make a connection between your work in the class and the larger UT or Austin or national community by doing a survey, a political action, or a video or performance piece? Would you like to interview a local artist or writer? Next, think about how best to make use of the time you have available (30-40 minutes) to present your material to the class. How can you convey your work clearly? Can you be dramatic? Funny? What formats can you borrow from the works we’ve studied (either in direct imitation, parody, or other methods) to make your presentation memorable? This is an opportunity to draw on your group’s talent, intelligence, and motivation and make something creative and meaningful to each of you. Make it something you will be glad to have done.
Feel free to consult the instructor at any point during this process, including beginning to generate ideas in the first place.
SYLLABUS
Week I
W 1/18: Introductions
F 1/20: Before Stonewall
Week II
M 1/23: Before Stonewall
W 1/25: discussion of film
F 1/27: Maurice
Week III
M 1/30: Maurice
W 2/1: Well of Loneliness
F 2/3: Well
Week IV
M 2/6: Well
W 2/8: Giovanni’s Room
F 2/10: GR
Week V
M 2/13: GR
W 2/15: Paper #1 due in class, with copies for your editing group
Rubyfruit Jungle
F 2/17: Peer editing of Paper #1 in class
Week VI
M 2/20: Revised version of Paper #1 due in class, in folder including originals
RJ
W 2/22: After Stonewall
F 2/24: discussion of film
Week VII
M 2/27: Borderlands/ La Frontera
W 3/1: B/LF
F 3/3: B/LF
Week VIII
M 3/6: Paper #2 due in class, with copies for your editing group
Angels in America
W 3/8: Peer editing of Paper #2 in class
F 3/10: AA
Revised version of paper #2 due in class, in folder with originals
SPRING BREAK
Week IX
M 3/20: The Hours
W 3/22: TH
F 3/24: Choose final group project
Bring two ideas to class
Week X
M 3/27: Tipping the Velvet
W 3/29: Paper #3 due in class, with copies for your editing group
TTV
F 3/31: Peer editing of Paper #3 in class
(Prof. Moore out of town—meet on your own at regular class time or another time if more convenient for ALL group members)
Week XI
M 4/3: Revised version of Paper #3 due in Prof. Moore’s office (PAR 217) by 10 am Monday, in folder with originals
Class cancelled
W 4/5: finish TTV
F 4/7: Love /Conjure Blues
Week XII
M 4/10: L/CB
W 4/12: L/CB
F 4/14: Class visit by Sharon Bridgforth
Week XIII
M 4/17: Final Group Projects
W 4/19: FGP
F 4/21: FGP
Week XIV
M 4/24: FGP
W 4/26: FGP
F 4/28: FGP
Week XV
M 5/1: FGP
W 5/3: FGP
F 5/5: FGP
Final course evaluations