Women and Madness
Women’s Studies 395
Spring 2001
Liz Cannon Office: Radford 303
Email: cannon@uwosh.edu Office Phone: 0299
Time and Place:
TTh 11:30-1:00 Home Phone: 231-4768 (M-W)
Arts and Com S117 608-270-4440 (Th-Sun)
Office Hours: TTh 9:45-11:15
And by appointment
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This course will examine women’s experiences with madness, mental institutions, and mental illness. We will explore the following questions: what is madness, why are women institutionalized, what disorders do women suffer from, and what environmental causes lead to women’s mental illnesses.
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Lynne M. Deming, The Feminine Mystic
Barbara Sapinsley, The Private War of Mrs. Packard
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper
Sigmund Freud, Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
Daphne Scholinski, The Last Time I Wore a Dress
Harriet Goldhor Lerner, Women in Therapy
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Feminine Mystic Project—5%
Mendota Project—10%
Midterm—15%
Analytical Paper—15%
3 Lerner Responses—20%
Final Paper and Presentation—25%
Participation—10%**
**Attendance is also required—you must be here mentally as well as physically. You are allowed one free absence. After that, absences will lower your participation grade.
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Please do not hesitate to come see me if you have any questions or concerns about this class. My office hours are listed above, but we can make an appointment if these are not convenient for you. Students with disabilities needing a reasonable accommodation should inform me immediately.
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January 30 T: Introduction
February 1 Th: Phyllis Chesler, “Demeter Revisited—An Introduction” and “Heroines
and Madness: Joan of Arc and the Virgin Mary” (Handout) ________________________________________________________________________
February 6 T: Feminine Mystic Projects
8 Th: Feminine Mystic Projects
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13 T: Sapinsley, Chpts 1-3
15 Th: Sapinsley, Chpts 4-6
Library Intro to Archives
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20 T: Sapinsley, Chpts 7-11
22
Th: Tour ________________________________________________________________________
27 T: Movie: Wisconsin Death Trip
March 1 Th: Mendota Projects
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6 T: Mendota Projects
8 Th: Gilbert and Gubar, Madwoman in the Attic (excerpt--handout)
Movie: Jane Eyre
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13 T: Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper
15 Th: Midterm ________________________________________________________________________
March 19-23: SPRING BREAK
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27 T: Lerner, Chpts. 1, 2, 3
29 Th: Freud, 1 and 2 (Pref Remarks and Clinical Picture)
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April 3 T: Freud, 3 and 4 (The First Dream, The Second Dream)
5 Th: Lerner, Chpts. 4, 5, 7
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10 T: Plath, 1-70 (Chpts 1-7)
12 Th: Plath, 71-138 (Chpts. 8-13)
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17 T: Plath, 139-216 (Chpt.
14-Biographical Note)
19 Th: Lerner, Chpts. 6, 8, 9
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24 T: Scholinski, 1-63 (Chpts. 1-7)
26 Th: Scholinski, 65-130 (Chpts. 8-12) _____________________________________________________________________
May 1 T: Scholinski, 131-200 (Chpts. 13-16)
3 Th: Lerner, Chpts. 11, 12, 13 ANALYTICAL PAPER DUE
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8 T: Final Paper Presentations
10 Th: Final Paper Presentations—FINAL PAPER DUE