Required Texts:

1) A Woman by Sibilla Aleramo
2) A House in the Shadows by Maria Messina
3) New Italian Women: A Collection of Short Fiction, edited by Martha King
4) Woman at War by Dacia Maraini
5) Supplemental readings of Italian women's poetry, short stories, essays; critical readings; Web-based readings; film, etc.

On Reserve:

6) Between Then and Now by Alba De Cespedes

 

Course Objectives:

This course will focus on Italian Women's Writing through the course of the twentieth century. We will study its relation to historical, artistic, literary and feminist movements in Italy, which sometimes overlap with movements in other countries. Futurism, for example, is an artistic and literary movement both in Italy and in Russia. Italian women were fighting for suffrage alongside their American and Swedish counterparts, even though they received the vote much later. Thus, it will be important for us to consider Italian women's writing both within a national and an international context.

In addition to fulfilling the AH requirement, this course also fulfills the Writing Intensive Requirement. We will spend class time discussing different types of writing, such as the difference between formal and informal writing, between formal and informal language. We will also take some class time to work collaboratively on editing and analyzing student writing.

Italian Studies majors and minors may request to do some or most of the readings and papers in Italian.

A more detailed description of this course may be found in the Wheaton two-year course catalog.

There is no prerequisite for this course.

 

Course Requirements:

1) Class participation and discussion. You are required to complete the readings as assigned and be prepared to discuss them in a thoughtful way. Attendance is mandatory, although you are allowed one absence. Beyond that, your participation grade will be lowered.

30 % of your final grade

2) Writing Assignments:
a. Three 2-paged typed papers in two drafts. The papers will each be assigned one grade, which will be based both on the quality of the first draft and on the quality of the improvements evident in the second draft. Please retain your first draft and submit it with your second draft.
24 % of your final grade

b. Reaction papers, in the form of one hand-written page. These papers are not intended to be plot summaries, nor are they intended merely to be vehicles to express simple opinions of the story or the characters. Rather, they should be coherent and thoughtful assessments of such topics as character or thematic development ­ just to name a few ­ considered within the greater context of Italian Women's Studies. These papers will not be graded. However, if they are too short or do not address the assignment, they will only fulfill half the credit.
11 % of your final grade

c. Final 7-page typed paper.

15 % of your final grade

NB. All assignments are due on time, unless other arrangements are made with the professor the day before the assignment is due. Typed papers will be lowered by half a letter grade for each day that they are late. Reaction papers will not be accepted late.

3) Final Exam (Self-scheduled)

20 % of your final grade

 

Wheaton Honor Code: All students are expected to abide by the Wheaton Honor Code. Although group work may be assigned, no collaboration is allowed without the professor's consent.

 

Work Program:

Jan. 29 Introduction to the course, course goals and requirements

A Woman by Sibilla Aleramo

January 31: Reaction paper on Part I
February 5: Novel must be completed
February 7: Reaction paper on Parts II and III
Febrary 12: First draft of two-paged typed paper on A Woman
February 14: Discussion
February 19: Revision due; submit the original as well.

Early twentieth century women's poetry, short stories, etc.
Italian women and the Futurist Movement

February 19: Readings
February 21: Reaction paper due

A House in the Shadows by Maria Messina

February 26: Novel must be completed
February 28: First draft of two-page paper
March 5: Discussion
March 7: Revision due

***** Spring Break: March 10 ­ 18

Italian Women's poetry and short stories during Fascism;
Woman and Fascism; Fascist demographic policy

March 7: Readings
March 19: Reaction paper due
March 21: Readings

Between Then and Now by Alba De Cespedes

March 26: Reading
March 28: Reaction paper due on assigned reading
April 2: Reading and discussion

Italian women's lives and writings: poetry, short stories, etc. in the post-World War II period and the 1960's

April 2: Two-page typed paper due
April 4: Readings
April 9: Revision due

Woman at War by Dacia Maraini

April 11: Reading
April 16: Reaction paper on the novel due
April 18: Discussion

Readings from the Italian Feminist Movement of the 1970's through 2000

April 23 ­ May 2: Readings

April 25: Proposal for final paper is due.

Friday May 4 at 4:00 p.m. ­ Final paper is due

SELF-SCHEDULED FINAL EXAM

*Syllabus tentative and subject to change

Please send comments or suggestions to:

Tommasina Gabriele

tgabriel@wheatonma.edu

Created on February 4, 2001
Last updated 2-14-2001