SEL3445 : Unsex'd Females: Feminism in the Age of Revolution and Reaction
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Laura Kirkley
- Owning School: English Lit, Language & Linguistics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
- Capacity limit: 48 student places
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
* To study a transnational range of prose texts written at key political moments during a short but turbulent period of history (1780s-1820s);
* To examine how feminist literature and representations of gender identity and women's sexuality developed during the Revolutionary and Romantic eras, particularly as they intersected with radical and reactionary politics and attitudes to nationhood, world citizenship and empire-building;
* To analyse how representations of gender identity and women's sexuality were shaped by different writers' responses to important political, cultural and literary phenomena. Depending on the set texts, these phenomena might include: the French Revolution and the Revolutionary Wars; the Napoleonic Wars and their aftermath; the Irish Rebellion of 1798; the Italian Risorgimento; the slave trade and the abolition campaign; the celebrity of the Chevalier d'Eon; the public reaction to revelations about Mary Wollstonecraft's private life; the transnational rise of the sentimental and Gothic novel.
* To develop students' ability to analyse texts from an intersectional feminist perspective incorporating analysis of sexuality and gender;
* To communicate critical responses orally and in writing, and to consider how content and register should vary to communicate effectively with different intended readerships.
Outline Of Syllabus
The syllabus focuses primarily on the novel genre, but it also includes various forms of life-writing. Content will vary but will typically include a representative sample of the following key writers active in the Revolutionary and Romantic periods: J.H. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre; Mary Wollstonecraft; William Godwin; Mary Hays; Mary Robinson; Maria Edgeworth; Amelia Opie; Sydney Owenson; Mary Anne Radcliffe; Mary Shelley.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 16 | 1:00 | 16:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 2 | 18:00 | 36:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 11 | 8:00 | 88:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | N/A |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Seminar preparation in study groups |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 8 | 2:00 | 16:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 30:00 | 30:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The lecture materials introduce students to knowledge outcomes related to the module. They address themes in the set texts, encourage students to think comparatively, and provide introductions to relevant theoretical approaches to the course material.
Seminars develop this knowledge and enable students to practise key skills, namely close textual analysis, theoretical analysis, and interpersonal communication. Seminar activities incorporate formative feedback in preparation for the summative assessment.
Study groups enable students to consolidate knowledge learned in the lectures, exchange ideas, and practise key skills in smaller groups before the seminar.
Independent study gives students the chance to develop their research skills and prepare for seminars in terms that give them genuine ownership over the material.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | A | 100 | Students will have a choice between 1) a 3800-word literary critical essay responding to keyword prompts or 2) two 1500-word extended book reviews accompanied by an 800-word commentary on the aims of the pieces. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 1 | M | Structured tasks undertaken throughout the semester. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The formative assessment tasks enable students to develop the knowledge and skills requisite for the summative assessment.
The summative assessment gives students a choice between an academic or public-facing piece of writing and invites them to consider how voice and content should vary according to their intended readership. Students can choose between 1) a 3800-word literary critical essay responding to keyword prompts or 2) two 1500-word extended book reviews accompanied by an 800-word commentary on the aims of the pieces. Option 1 encourages independent thought by inviting students to develop their own essay question and thesis about at least two module texts. Option 2 invites students to apply the theoretical insights learned on the module to reflect on the continuing relevance of at least two module texts and to consider how best to communicate their ideas to a non-specialist audience. The commentary gives them the opportunity to explain the rationale for their approach.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- SEL3445's Timetable