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Academic Year 2002/2003

A Century of Women in History and Memoir, 1870-1970
HIST 292 SP

Crosslistings: WMST 292

What kind of historical document is an autobiography? How do women tell the stories of their lives? Does the genre of autobiography provide access to women's authentic experience? How do women construct their subjectivity within the constraints of the gendered identities offered by their culture in different historical moments? How do they understand their sexuality? their public roles? In what ways do working-class and middle-class women differ in their conception of their life stories and in their ways of representing them? And what is the relationship between remembering and creating in autobiographical writing? By examining a wide range of writing--from that of a Victorian maid-servant to the work of important 20th-century literary figures--we will seek to map out changing parameters of European women's lives, looking at the relationship between individual and social/collective experiences. At the same time, we will explore the different ways of representing these worlds, paying attention to various models of storytelling and their effects.

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-18-2003

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