General course information

Required Texts

• Fleming, Ian. Moonraker. Thomas & Mercer. (9781612185453)
• Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club. Norton. (9780393327342)
• The course reader, available from Print Plus.

Course Expectations or Outputs

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. recognize and analyze assumptions and arguments about gender in a range of literary and cultural texts.
2. apply theories of gender to the analysis of literary and cultural texts.
3. analyze the specific ways in which literary and cultural texts construct or resist gender identities and gender stereotypes in both writing and class discussion.
4. formulate and develop analytical arguments that address the literary construction of gender in proper essay format.

Course Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this course will demonstrate:

1. a broad understanding of the ways in which gender is constructed through language.
2. an ability to formulate analytical questions about primary texts.
3. an ability to interpret texts and develop lines of argument.
4. an ability to communicate ideas in reliably clear, coherent, and correct prose.

Lectures, attendance, and preparation

You are expected to attend all lectures and discussions. It is understood that occasionally you might have to miss a class. Note that the content of the lectures is meant to stimulate your own thinking: the lecturer’s thoughts about a text do not represent the only way to think about that text. You should develop your own opinions and theories and learn how to express and defend them. You should prepare for class by reading the assigned material (before the class) and by spending some time thinking about the material.

Participation

You are expected to participate in class in an informed manner. At the very least, you are expected to come to class regularly, having read all assigned reading. You are expected to participate in class discussions. Keep in mind that participating in class is usually a highly rewarding experience, greatly enhancing your ability to understand the course material and helping ensure your success in the course. Everyone is expected to be courteous and professional at all times in class.

Essay submission and lateness

Essays must be submitted in paper. They must also be submitted on Blackboard, through SafeAssign. Essays must meet the minimal length requirements, explicitly stated for each assignment. If an essay does not meet the minimal length requirement, including after the essay’s margins, fonts, spacing, etc. have been standardized, the essay will be returned ungraded or with a failing grade. Essays will not be graded until they have been submitted through SafeAssign. Note: essays usually take two to three weeks to grade.

Assignments are due in class, on the date indicated by the assignment. A 2% penalty will be applied to the graded assignment for every day the assignment is late. This will include weekend days and public holidays. Extensions may be granted for exceptional circumstances, especially for serious medical reasons: in such cases, you should talk to the instructor as soon as possible and be prepared to submit medical documentation about the problem (that should include a statement about the beginning and duration of the issue). No assignment will be accepted after the start of the final exam.

In-class quizzes

There will be seven scheduled quizzes. Students are expected to write all seven quizzes, but only the best five quiz scores of each student will count towards the final grade. There will be no opportunity to make-up a missed quiz (except, perhaps, in extraordinary situations). All quizzes will take place at the very beginning of the class for which they are scheduled.

Intellectual Property Statement

All materials developed for this course, including, but not limited to, lectures, lecture notes and slides, assignments, examinations, and syllabi, that are provided in class or online, are the intellectual property of the course instructor. Posting, providing, sharing or selling any audio, video, or textual materials from the course is prohibited. Participation in this course constitutes an agreement by all parties to respect the intellectual property rights as well as the privacy of others during and after their association with Nipissing University. The only exception to the above is formally authorized accommodation arrangements made through Student Development Services.