Writing the Female Body: Women in Medieval Literature and Medicine   WST 150S/MEDREN 100S, Spring 2005   Instructor: Julie Singer jes26@duke.edu Office Hours: Wednesday 11:30-12:30, Trinity Cafe

The European Middle Ages are notorious as an era characterized by both the poetic idealization of woman and rampant misogyny. But how, precisely, were women defined by male “authorities” in the Middle Ages, and how did women define and describe themselves? In this course we will explore medical and literary definitions of the female body, largely written by men, in the medieval West. In counterpoint to the dominant male voices we will read the rarer writings of woman writers and doctors, and we will explore the extent to which their texts provide an alternate view of what it means to be a woman. This is a designated writing (W) course. Although we will be reading texts originally written in Latin, French, Italian, and Middle English, no prior knowledge of these languages is required.

The course will be focused on classroom discussion and on the writing and revision of response and research papers. The students will be responsible for very brief (up to one page) weekly reaction papers intended to facilitate classroom discussion. Additionally, each student will write two short essays (3-5 pages): students will bring drafts to an in-class writing workshop, and will then have a week to revise their work. Finally, students will write one longer research paper (8-12 pages) that may expand upon one or both of the shorter papers: they will turn in a proposal and present their topic to the class before the final version is due at the end of the semester. Participants are encouraged to take advantage of Duke’s excellent primary resources in the Medical Library and in the Rare Book Room.

required texts :

Cadden, Joan. The Meanings of Sex Difference in the Middle Ages : Medicine, Natural Philosophy, and Culture. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Siraisi, Nancy. Medieval & Early Renaissance Medicine: An Introduction to Knowledge and Practice. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1990.

recommended texts on reserve :

Butler, Judith . Bodies That Matter. New York : Routledge, 1993.

Laqueur, Thomas. Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud . Cambridge , Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1992.

other readings available on E-RESERVE www.lib.duke.edu/access/reserves/

Calculation of Grades :

Participation & Reaction Papers 25%

Short Paper 1 20% (average of original draft grade and revision grade)

Short Paper 2 20% (average of original draft grade and revision grade)

Presentation of Final Paper Topic 10%

Final Research Paper 25% (proposal 5%, paper 20%)

Grading Scale :

A+ 98-100 B- 80-82 D 63-67

A 93-97 C+ 78-79 D- 60-62

A- 90-92 C 73-77 F 59 or below

B+ 88-89 C- 70-72

B 83-87 D+ 68-69

Course Schedule

Readings in normal typeface are required for all students; responsibility for readings in italics will be divided among the class.

All film excerpts will be viewed in class.

Final research paper due May 2