International College of Manitoba
Thematic Approaches to Literature
Exploring Narratives of Women and Madness through a Gothic Lens
Spring 2015
Tuesdays 5:45-9:45
Room 307 Fitzgerald
Instructor: Kim Olynyk
Office: 228 St. Paul’s College
Office Hours: Wed 5:45-6:45
Telephone: N/A
Email: [email protected]
Website: kimolynyk.ca
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this course we introduce ourselves to a divergent range of Gothic literature
and tragic narratives of madness. We look at four different genres: the novel,
short fiction, cinematic representations of works and a play to explore tales of the
supernatural and ghastly through the lens of the gothic female imagination and
her descent into psychosis. These works produce in the reader individual
anxieties about the unknown, terrifying and dark side of humanity through the
theme of insanity. Moreover through these stories we will further explore the
theme of duality and look at the irrational aspects of things we cannot control or
understand about our psychology, shadow self and life. We begin the course with
Euripides’ Medea, a narrative of cruelty and revenge. We further explore
traditional gothic romance exemplified by Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, as well
as Jane Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea. Looking at regional transformations of the
genre we will read Daphne Du Maurier’s, Rebecca, short fiction by American
authors Henry James, The Turn of the Screw and Charlotte Gilman-Perkins’, The
Yellow Wallpaper. Through these writers we will explore literary history, which
helps us to establish ways of reading, writing and thinking critically about
literature.
REQUIRED READING
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Third ed. University Park: Pennsylvania State University,
2003. 6-459. PDF.
du Maurier, Daphne. Rebecca. London: Victor Gollancz, 1938. 1 -311. PDF.
Euripides, . Medea. N.p.: The Stoa Consortium, 2006. 1-39. PDF.
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw. N.p.: Elegant Books, 1898. 3-149. PDF.
Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. London: Penguin, 1966. 1-154. PDF
Stetson, Charlotte, P. The Yellow WallPaper. Boston: The New England Magazine,
1892. 648-56. PDF.
RECOMMENDED TEXT(S)
For guidance on the preparation and formatting of papers for this course, consult
The MLA Handbook available in the reference section of the University of
Manitoba library.
You should also have a good dictionary. I recommend the Concise Oxford
Dictionary, 10th Ed.
ASSIGNMENTS (Incl. Dates and Values & word count)
Summary, Citation and Response paper (four (4) paragraphs) 1000 words
due: June 16, 2015;
Two in-classes stylistic analyses (four (4) paragraphs, each worth 12.5%
(1000 words each) for a total of (2000 words) 25%.
First in-class analysis: May 26, 2015.
Second in-class analysis: June 30, 2015
Comparison and Contrast paper (5-7 pages, 1500 words) (25%) due: July 21,
2015.
Final in-class exam worth (2 final essay questions 500 words, 1000 words)
(25%) TBA, 2015.
GRADING SCAL5
A+
A
90 - 100%
80 - 89%
GPA 4.50
GPA 4.00
B+
B
75 - 79%
70 - 74%
GPA 3.5
GPA 3.0
C+
C
D
F
65 - 69%
60 - 64%
50 - 59%
Below 50%
GPA 2.5
GPA 2.0
GPA 1.0
GPA 0
Notes:
1.
This course outline should be considered a guideline only.
Time constraints and other unforeseen factors may require
that some of the above topics be omitted or covered in less
detail than indicated.
2.
Work submitted for evaluation must be either typed or text
processed.
3.
Cellular phones MUST be turned off during classes. No
texting.
4.
It is the student’s responsibility to retain a photocopy or
computer digital copy of ALL assignments submitted for
grading; in the event of loss or theft, a duplicate copy is
required.
5.
Students are advised to read the ICM Student Handbook for
the rules regarding Registration, Voluntary Withdrawals,
Academic Misconduct including plagiarism, and Appeals.
6.
Services for Students with Disabilities:
Students with documented disabilities requiring academic
accommodations for tests/exams (e.g., private space) or
during lectures/laboratories (e.g., access to volunteer notetakers) are encouraged to contact the ICM Academic
Manager. All information about disability is confidential.
7.
July 10, 2015 is the final date to withdraw without academic
penalty from courses that begin in May, 2015 and end in
July, 2015.
8.
Late Assignment Penalties: one grade per day late, including
weekends.
9.
Students will be asked to follow the ICM rules and
regulations related to final exams. These are found on the
student portal.
10.
No unauthorized material or equipment may be brought with
you to the final exam.
Attendance:
For this class, “regular attendance” means missing no more than one class over
the entire session. Regular attendance is vital to successful completion, and is a
requirement for the course. Please collect any material that you might have
missed, for example, photocopies and/or notes from a fellow classmate.
Policy regarding Extensions:
You must ask for an extension before the deadline. Generally one week from the
original due date and you must provide valid reasons for your extension, for
example either illness or emergency accompanied by written documentation.
What are your rights and responsibilities?
Please refer to ICM Student Handbook for rights and responsibilities of students.
This information is also available in the student portal under ‘My Services Forms”. You should also refer to the “Academic Regulations and Policies” in the
International College of Manitoba 2015-2016 student handbook to familiarize
yourself with the University expectations. As stated above, the final voluntary
withdrawal date with no academic penalty is July 10, 2015.
Cellular phones MUST be turned off during classes.
It is the student’s responsibility to retain a photocopy or computer disk for All
assignments submitted for grading; in the event of loss or theft, a duplicate copy
is required.
The University of Manitoba Library has a number of online terminals, journals,
indexes of journal articles; various search databases on CD-ROM, and
interlibrary loan service, a rare book room, and the University of Manitoba
Archives. The Reference Desk staff will be happy to direct you to resources or
databases relevant to your topic.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/student/student_responsibilities.html 1.
All students must review the information from the Faculty of Arts regarding Academic Integrity, Penalties for Academic Dishonesty, Avoiding Academic Dishonesty, and Resources to Help You Maintain Academic Integrity. 2.
The full excerpt of the ICM Academic Integrity Policy (below) ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
ICM expects that students will approach their academic activities with honesty
and integrity. Students are responsible to be ethical in their academic work and
are expected to ask for information and clarification to ensure they adhere to the
principles of academic integrity.
3.3.1 Cheating and Plagiarism
§ Collusion occurs when two or more individuals combine their efforts in
order to deceive the instructor as to who is responsible for a particular
piece of work.
§ Cooperation may be permitted by an instructor in certain circumstances,
where a joint study effort, class presentation or group project forms an
appropriate part of the overall assessment.
§ Plagiarism occurs when a student copies the ideas, sentences, diagrams
and other forms of work, without acknowledging the source of the work
used. This includes work done by other students on previous occasions.
Copying someone else’s work without acknowledgement and all other forms of
cheating, collusion or plagiarism is viewed harshly at ICM, regardless if the
student is ‘aware’ of the offence. The ICM policy on cheating and plagiarism
applies to all UTP courses.
All incidents of cheating, plagiarism, collusion or interference with other students’
academic work and performance will be referred to the Academic Manager.
Students found in breach of the regulations related to cheating and plagiarism
will be subject to the following measures:
•
•
•
First Offence: Student will be awarded ‘0’ marks for the
assignments and given a permanent record on their file
Second Offence: Student will be awarded ‘F’ for the course,
regardless whether the second offence was committed in the same
course or another course
Third Offence: Student risks expulsion from ICM and the
cancellation of their studies with ICM.
Instructors will initially meet with the student to discuss the incident, and to
determine whether the student requires additional training with respect to the
behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct will be recorded in a ‘Letter of
Allegation’, with one copy given to the student and another kept in the student’s file.
The Academic Manager will meet with all students who receive a Letter of Allegation
to discuss the incident and provide an opportunity for the student to address the
allegation. The Academic Manager will also determine the need for additional
education regarding academic integrity and to review the consequences of
subsequent violations.
Schedule of Readings & Screenings
May
5
Introductions & Screening: J. Stahl’s Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
12
Euripides: Medea
19
Screening: Lars Von Trier’s Medea (1988).
26
In-class stylistic analysis #1
June 2
16
Screening: Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight (1944).
Charlotte Bronte’s, Jane Eyre. Screening: Franco Zefferelli’s Jane
Eyre (19)
17
Jane Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea. Response paper due: June 16,
23
Screening: Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940).
30
In-class stylistic analysis #2
7
Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw.
14
Charlotte Gilman-Perkins, The Yellow Wallpaper.
21
Stephen King’s Misery Comparison and Contrast paper due: July
2015.
July
21, 2015.
28
Exam Review