Course Description

English 3217-002: Prose in English from 1994-2006 by women writers

This course will consider prose written by women. As we study works of the last twelve years, we will examine the relationships among women's voices, women's authority, social and economic conditions producing and influencing writers and film-makers, and the impact of identity politics upon writers.

In the spring of 2006, we will study works to be drawn from Anna Deavere Smith, Twilight; Gish Jen, Mona in the Promised Land; Cherry Muhanji, Her; Margaret Edson, W;t; Sapphire, Push; Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies; Zadie Smith, White Teeth; Monica Ali, Brick Lane; Amulya Malladi, A Breath of Fresh Air; Patricia Volk, Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family; Arundhati Roy's Power Politics; Rupa Bajwa's The Sari Shop; Leila Aboulela's Minaret; Zadie Smith's On Beauty; Bend It Like Beckham, a film by Gurinder Chada; Go Fish, by Rose Troche and Guinevere Turner; Ratcatcher or Morvern Callar by Lynn Ramsay.

As we analyze these works, we will expect to gain a wider understanding of how women create voices for themselves and their audiences.

During the semester, students will prepare papers outside of class to send to the instructor by email. Students will prepare an oral prsentation by working in small groups of 2-3; most will be power point presentations. Two exams during the semester, emailed to the instructor, and the final exam will also help us to think about how women create.

For further information about this course, please contact R.Widmann@Colorado.edu and/or go to the home page for English 3217, Spring 2005.

Go to the Engl 3217-002 home page