Required Materials
The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Vol. 1 (Expanded Edition) W. W. Norton

Course Description
In Western culture the roles that men and women have played in society have been much different. The complex codes of behavior in any of the distinct cultures that make up "Western" culture as a whole are often determined for each person by wealth, status, or rank, but also quite simply by gender. In this survey of Western literature, we will be looking broadly at the ways literature depicts the complex codes that determine cultural roles based on one’s gender. How has Western literature addressed questions of what must a man do to act like a man, and what is the proper work of a woman? How do gender roles both constrain and empower men and women within society? Starting with excerpts from the Bible, we will move on to the ancient Greek world, to medieval Europe, and then to the beginnings of the Renaissance and the discovery of the New World. We will touch on themes of love, war, sex, power, politics, and others along the way.

Course Requirements
Response papers 35%
Midterm 20%
Final 20%
Group work 5%
Quizzes 10%
Participation 10%

Response Papers
    Response One
    Response Two
    Response Three
    Response Four

There are  four response papers, one due about every  third week.  About every three  weeks you will receive a response question handout with questions taken from the upcoming reading assignments. You are to respond to any one day’s questions from the list. Response questions must be typed, double-spaced and turned in on the day that you have selected.  For example, answers to questions from October 16th's reading must be turned in class on that day.
There will also be a mid-term exam and a final, and four surprise quizzes.

Regular attendance of classes is absolutely expected for this course. Three or more unexcused absences will lower your participation grade significantly. Papers are due in class on the assigned date. Late papers will be subject to a reduction in grade.  If you feel you have a good reason for requiring an extension, please come talk to me about it beforehand. However, after-due date extensions, except in the case of emergencies, will be difficult to obtain.

Avoid plagiarism (stealing the exact words or ideas of another) like the plague. In this class acts of plagiarism incur a zero and could also result in course failure.
 

Calendar

Week 1

September 6: Introduction

Week 2

September 11: The Bible. Genesis 1-3, 6-9; pp. 64-72

September 13:  The Odyssey, Book I, pp. 219-229; Books VI-VII, pp. 279-294

Week 3

September 18: The Odyssey, Book X, 319-332

September 20:  Book XII, pp. 348-360

Week 4

September 25: The Odyssey, Books XXIII-XXIV, pp. 482-504

 Student Response: The Odyssey Book XXIV

September 27: Sappho, Poems, pp. 505-506; Lysistrata, pp. 702-715

Week 5

October 2: Lysistrata, pp. 715-733

October 4: Catullus, Lyrics, pp. 992-997

Week 6

October 9: Virgil, The Aeneid, Book I-II, pp. 1000-1030

October 11: The Aeneid. Book IV, pp. 1030-1050

Week 7

October 16: St. Augustine, Confessions. Books I-VIII, pp. 1133-1147

October 18: Confessions. Book IX, pp. 1147-1158

Week 8

October 23: Reading Day.  No class

October 25: Mid-term

Week 9

October 30 : The Thousand and One Nights; Prologue, pp. 1517-1524

November 1: The Thousand and One Nights,  Tales, pp. 1524-1539

Week 10

November 6: Beowulf, Sections 1-9, pp. 1550-1563

November 8: Beowulf, Sections 10-18, pp. 1563-1575

Week 11

November 13: The Story of Deirdre, pp. 1616-1622

Student Response: "The Story of Deirdre"

November 15: Marie de France, Eliduc, pp. 1680-1692

Week 12

November 20: Dante, The Inferno, Canto II, pp. 1708-1712; Canto V, pp. 1720-1723; Canto XV, pp.1755-1759

November 22:  Thanksgiving break, happy holiday

Week 13

November 27: Boccaccio, The Decameron, The First Day, pp. 1871-1882

November 29: The Decameron, Second Tale of the Fourth Day, pp. 1883-1888

Week 14

December 4: Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, General prologue, pp. 1900-1917

December 6: Miller’s prologue and tale, pp. 1917-1933

Week 15

December 11: Petrarch. Sonnets, pp. 2408-2411

December 13: Florentine Codex, pp. 2930-2931

Final Exam Week

Final exam:  Thursday, December 20th, 9:00 a.m.

Useful Links
The Greek Mythweb:  The Odyssey
Book Rags Aeneid Page
A Guide to Dante's Inferno
The Geoffrey Chaucer Website Homepage