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154:069:SCB Topics in Sexuality Studies – Spring 2007
“Representations of Sexuality in Postwar American Literature”
Office Telephone: 660-7075
Office: 200Y Art Building
Email: keith.wilhite@duke.edu
W 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. 140 BHC
Course Description
In this course, we will peer beyond the façade of middle-class decorum and question the relationship between sexuality and postwar U.S. culture. The works we consider will challenge the predominant hetero-normative narratives of “organization men” and the “feminine mystique” of the stay-at-home mom. In the literary works we read and the films we watch, we will confront representations of imperiled masculinity, disaffected “soccer moms,” homosexuality, bi-sexuality, infidelity, “swinging,” and sexual abuse. We will begin by examining the historical and social context of postwar culture—from scholarly texts, magazines, television, and advertisements—in order to formulate a set of critical questions about how our culture normalizes heterosexual identity. Our primary objective will be to explore how these works disrupt or re-affirm that hetero-normative ideal. By the end of the semester, we should have a better understanding about how sexual identities and practices both stabilized and threatened society in the postwar era.
Since our inquiry into representations of sexuality will be grounded in literature, we will also pay close attention to the formal and thematic dynamics of literary texts and the connection between individual texts and broader cultural contexts. This course should help you become more aware of your role as readers and the influence of gender, sexuality, and past experience on interpretation. The assignments are designed to help you refine your reading, writing, and interpretive skills. Note: some of our readings depict sex in forthright, occasionally crude, ways, and our class discussions will undoubtedly address culturally controversial issues. Please take this under consideration when deciding if this is the right class for you.
Required Texts (available at IMU Bookstore)
Patricia Highsmith, The Price of Salt / Norton (0393325997)
Ira Levin, Stepford Wives / Harper Collins (0060080841)
Rick Moody, The Ice Storm / Little Brown (0316706000)
Tom Perrotta, Little Children / St. Martin’s – Griffin (031231573)
Paula Vogel, Hot ‘N’ Throbbing / Dramatists Play Service (0822216698)
Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road / Random House (0375708448)
You will also need to print material from our ICON course website.
Grading Policy and Course Requirements
Completing the reading and writing assignments, showing up to class with your text(s), notebook, and a writing utensil, and contributing to our discussions will take you far in this course. You should know, however, that I consider a “C” an average grade and a grade you must earn. If you satisfy the minimum objectives of an assignment, your work will earn a “C.” Failure to satisfy the minimum objectives of assignments, or for the course, will earn your work a below average grade. Only work that demonstrates innovative thinking and superior clarity in writing and delivery will earn above average grades. Interpretation, writing, and critical reading are all difficult and time-consuming processes that require practice and effort on your part if you want to be successful.
The University expects a 3-hour credit course to entail at least 6 hours of outside preparation per week by students. Here’s the breakdown for our course requirements:
Formal Essay (30%): You will write one formal essay, 6-8 pages in length, in which you offer your interpretation of two works from the course. Your thesis statement should relate your interpretation of the two works to some topic, theme, or question we’ve posed about sexuality and postwar culture during the semester. Your purpose is to explain how these two works maintain specific postwar ideologies OR how they produce examples of individuals and situations which do not conform to such traditional narratives.
Reaction Papers (20%): You will write four “reaction papers” over the course of the semester, each 1 ½ to 2 pages in length. You may be asked to respond to discussion questions, offer close readings of passages you select from our texts, or explore some context related to the works we are reading.
Participation & Group Presentation (20%): Consistent and thoughtful contributions to our discussions are essential. Participation includes your preparedness for class, as well as your participation in small group activities or writing workshops. As a member of a small group, you will also help lead discussion on ONE of the assigned secondary texts that we will read as a class in order to enhance our understanding of postwar American fiction and film.
Discussion Questions & Quizzes (15%): Every Wednesday by 10:00 a.m. this semester (starting January 31), you will submit a discussion question on the “Dropbox” page of our ICON course website. Each question will make specific reference to a passage from the day’s reading assignment and should be designed to promote discussion—i.e. no questions that would necessitate one and only one specific answer. You should also expect a number of reading quizzes throughout the semester. These quizzes may ask you to identify characters, discuss plot points, or respond to a passage selected from the day’s reading. You are expected to read the assignments thoroughly, taking notes and highlighting passages to improve your comprehension. Always read with a pen/pencil in your hand!
Final Exam (15%): For the final, I will give you two prompts; you will select one and write a short essay response. Details will be announced as we approach the end of the term.
Attendance Policy
This is a participation based course, not a lecture course. Frequent absences or consistently arriving late to class will adversely affect your performance. Emergencies arise, people get sick, and other obligations intrude; I understand. Each student will be allowed two absences, for any reason whatsoever. Beyond two missed class periods, however, you will need to provide written documentation in order for the absence to be excused. Missing more than two classes will likely result in an “F” for Participation.
Deadlines
Assignments are due in class at the start of class. Quizzes and other in-class assignments cannot be made-up at a later date. If you are absent on a day that a Reaction Paper is due, you will likely receive a zero for that assignment. I will accept a late Formal Essay if you notify me in advance and explain why you are unable to complete the assignment on time. However, your grade on the Formal Essay will be lowered by one letter for each day it is delinquent beyond the original due date.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s ideas or words as your own, whether in writing or speaking. Copying material from another source without using quotation marks and citing your source is plagiarism. Paraphrasing or summarizing information without citing your source is plagiarism. Presenting another student’s paper as your own is plagiarism. The University considers plagiarism a grave offense. If you plagiarize, you will receive an F for that assignment and possibly for the course.
The Writing Center
The Writing Center in 110 EPB is open for twice-a-week enrollment hours from 9:30-3:30 MTWTh (come to the center in person to sign up for twice a week.) For individual appointments, sign up on the bulletin board outside the writing center. Appointment hours are 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. MTWTh and 12-2 F in 110 EPB. There are also four writing center satellites across campus, and e-mail tutoring is available. Visit http://www.uiowa.edu/~writingc/ where you will find more information about writing center services, locations, and hours.
Students with Special Needs
I need to hear from anyone who has a condition which may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Please contact me during my office hours.
Contact Information
The best way to get in touch with me is via e-mail. I check my e-mail daily, usually in the morning, and will do my best to respond to any messages or inquiries within 24 hours. Please do not wait until the day before an assignment is due to contact me with your questions. If you have any questions or concerns about the course, the assignments, or your grade, please contact me first, either during office hours or via e-mail. The Supervisor for Topics in Sexuality Studies is Kevin Mumford (kevin-mumford@uiowa.edu).
CLAS Statement
This course is given by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This means that class policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Details of the University policy of cross enrollments may be found at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~provost/deos/crossenroll.doc .
Reading Schedule (page numbers in parentheses)
Wed. 1/17: Course Introduction
Discuss assignment for January 24
W 1/24: Defining the Postwar Culture through Images & Narrative
“The Night the Roof Fell In” (Dick Van Dyke Show, Nov. 21, 1962)
- Hayden, Building Suburbia, chapters 1-2 (ICON)
W 1/31: Yates, Revolutionary Road (3-176)
W 2/7: Yates, Revolutionary Road (177-337)
- Moreno, “Consuming the Frontier Illusion: the Construction of Suburban Masculinity in Richard Yates’s Revolutionary Road.” (ICON, “Links” Page)
Reaction Paper #1 Due
W 2/14: Levin, Stepford Wives
W 2/21: Film Screening: Stepford Wives
- Beuka, “Approaching Stepford: Suburbia and the Limits of Domesticity” (ICON)
- Silver, “The Cyborg Mystique: The Stepford Wives and Second Wave Feminism” (ICON)
W 2/28: Moody, The Ice Storm (1-129)
Reaction Paper #2 Due
W 3/7: Moody, The Ice Storm (130-279)
SPRING BREAK
W 3/21: Film Screening: Far From Heaven (dir. Todd Haynes)
- Brekhus, Peacocks, Chameleons, and Centaurs: Gay Suburbia and the Grammar of Social Identity—chapter TBA (ICON)
W 3/28: Highsmith, The Price of Salt (Afterword 259-262 & 1-119)
Reaction Paper #3 Due
W 4/4: Highsmith, The Price of Salt (123-257)
- Evans, “A Feminist Approach to Patricia Highsmith’s Fiction” (ICON)
W 4/11: Perotta, Little Children (1-176)
Reaction Paper #4 Due
W 4/18: Perotta, Little Children (177-355)
W 4/25: Vogel, Hot ‘N’ Throbbing
- Stanley, “Screamingly Funny and Terrifyingly Shocking: Paula Vogel as Domestic
Detective”(ICON)
- Savran, “Loose Screws” (ICON)
FORMAL ESSAY DUE BY FRIDAY, APRIL 27 @ 5:00 P.M.
W 5/2: Cheever, “The Swimmer” (ICON) & The Swimmer (dir. Perry)
- Aubry, “John Cheever and the Management of Middlebrow Misersy” (ICON, “Links” page)
Final Exam Date: Thursday, May 10, 4:30 p.m.