Women's Utopias

Code:

MEAAM022

Acronym:

UM

Instance: 2010/2011 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Anglo-American Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Masters in Anglo-American Studies

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
EAAM	1	Course Programme	1	-	6	-
MEAA	5	Study Plan since 2007/2008	1	-	6	-

Teaching language

English

Objectives

The aim of this programme is to make the students aware of the way the process of women’s liberation and affirmation within a patriarchal society has been amply illustrated in literary texts of different genres and epochs, which are characterized by a utopian perspective. The programme will provide students with specific skills, theoretical information and conceptual tools that will enable them, at the end of the seminar, to have a critical understanding and a deep knowledge of some of the main trends of Utopian and Women Studies.

Program

Based on the consideration of fundamental theoretical texts in the field of Utopian and Spatiality Studies – particularly those related to feminist criticism – we will define the suitable conceptual tools to analyse selected texts of different genres and epochs, where a utopian perspective is clearly shown. Issues such as the fight against an essentialist perspective of women, women’s conquest of new spaces and the way feminist utopian discourse asserts itself by being essentially transgressive will be illustrated by resorting to a variety of British texts published between the 17th and the 19th centuries. This approach will also be used to study Portuguese texts of the 17th and 18th centuries, focused on spaces where a utopian – and even dystopian – discourse prevails, due to the enclosure and reclusion of women in Portugal at that time.

Works to be studied: As You Like it, by William Shakespeare, The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing World, by Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle; The Female Man, by Joanna Russ; poems by Maria de S. José, Violante do Céu and Maria do Céu.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Teaching will be centred on the students, offering them an opportunity to understand the contents of the programme by debating the main issues and by carrying out individual and / or group activities

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Attendance (estimated)	Participação presencial	30,00
Research	Trabalho escrito	98,50		2011-07-01
	Total:	-	0,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Description	Type	Time (hours)	End date
Stuey	Estudo autónomo	20	2011-07-01
	Total:	20,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance to 75% of the seminars will be required.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final mark will be based on the following evaluation components:

-Active participation in seminars -50%- A written essay to be discussed at the end of the semester - 50%

Examinations or Special Assignments

N/A

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

N/A

Classification improvement

N/A