Module overview
Fuelled by the sexual revolution, the women’s movement and gay activism, the late twentieth century saw a flourishing of critical interest in questions of sex, gender and desire and their relation to literature and culture. This module will develop your understanding of feminist critical approaches as well as introducing you to psychoanalytic and queer criticism.
By reading a selection of critical writings alongside literary texts, you will explore questions such as: How do the stories we tell shape our understanding of gender roles? From whose perspective are these stories told and what do they exclude or repress? How have writers reinvented these stories? What is the relationship between gender and the acts of reading and writing? What is role of reading and writing in processes of social change? And how are representations of gender inflected by age, class, sexual orientation and ethnicity?
All students will have some opinions on what it means to be a ‘woman’ or a ‘man’. This module will encourage you to examine these opinions in the light of contemporary thinking about gender and sexuality and via the study of a range of thought-provoking and sometimes troubling texts.
This module will be taught in twice-weekly seminars with occasional lectures. You may also be expected to give presentations and en
gage in group work. A substantial coursepack will be provided along with guidance on further reading.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- A variety of works of literature and the literary, political and cultural contexts in which they were written.
- the cultural inscription of gender in the French context and beyond.
- the diverse aims of feminist, psychoanalytic and queer literary criticism and writing.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- participate in group discussions at an appropriate intellectual level
- undertake independent research for individual and collaborative projects
- utilise material from a variety of sources and develop a well-structured written argument
- think about you own experience in new ways
- critically evaluate your own skills
- organise and structure your ideas for seminar presentations
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- use a variety of theoretical tools to interpret cultural texts
- Critically question your own experience as a gendered subject.
- analyse the relationship between social and historical context and forms of cultural expression
- conduct close readings of critical and literary writing
Syllabus
This module will be taught in twice-weekly seminars with occasional lectures. You may also be expected to give presentations and engage in group work. A substantial coursepack with extracts from critical writings will be provided along with guidance on further reading.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- twice-weekly seminars (with occasional lectures).
- an extensive bibliography and course-packs will be provided, and you will be expected to undertake a programme of independent reading.
- one-to-one consultations with the tutor (in person or by email) for students wishing to discuss their progress or to raise specific issues.
Learning activities include
- preparation of seminar presentations, individually or in pairs
- class discussion
- independent study
- essay writing
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Practical classes and workshops | 3 |
| Lecture | 12 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 96 |
| Follow-up work | 24 |
| Seminar | 18 |
| Total study time | 153 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
For resources which are required or considered useful for the module.
Journal Articles
Sigmund Freud (2002). Femininity. Freud on Women, pp. 342-362.
Textbooks
Cameron, Deborah (1991). The Feminist Critique of Language: A Reader. London: Macmillan.
Rachilde, Monsieur Vénus (2004). roman matérialiste. Modern Language Association.
Cooper, Sarah (2000). Relating to Queer Theory: Rereading Sexual Self-Definition with Irigaray, Kristeva, Wittig and Cixous. Peter Lang.
Annie Ernaux (1987). La Femme gelée. Gallimard.
Simone de Beauvoir. ‘Mythes: Chapitre Premier’ in Le Deuxième Sexe I.
Émile Zola. La Curée. GF-Flammarion.
Celestin, Roger et al. (eds) (2003). Beyond French Feminisms: Debates on Women, Politics and Culture in France, 1981-2001. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Marcel Proust. Sodome et Gomorrhe, volume 1 (first chapter only). GF-Flammarion.
Bordo, Susan (1995). Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture and the Body. University of California Press.
Butler, Judith (2006). Gender Trouble. Routledge.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Critical essay | 50% |
| Presentation | 10% |
| Commentary exercise | 40% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Critical essay | 50% |
| Commentary exercise | 40% |
| Presentation | 10% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External