ENG4456 - Edith Wharton: Text and Context
Course content
This graduate seminar will offer a survey of a representative selection of the fiction of Edith Wharton (1862-1937). The main analytical focus of the course will be on Wharton’s representation of gender and sexuality in a middle- and upper-class setting—European and American—from the 1870s until the 1930s. Though the seminar will have a largely historical emphasis, another starting point for our analysis will be the narrative structure of each individual text.
Learning outcome
After completing this course you will have:
- gained a detailed understanding of the fiction of the major American author Edith Wharton;
- gained an understanding of the historical period Wharton is depicting;
- learned to analyze narrative structures in fiction and how they shape the perception of reality, particularly the representation of gender and sexuality;
- received advanced training in scholarly writing.
Admission
Students at UiO must apply for courses in StudentWeb.
International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.
The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Admission to the master program in literature, LeP or other suitable master programs.
Teaching
Seminar, two hours per week for ten weeks, 20 hours in total.
Attendance is obligatory at least 8 out of 10 seminars. Additional absences must be justified by documentation to the exam coordinator.
Regular attendance and active participation is required, e.g. in the form of one or more oral presentations.
At various points during the semester there are reading weeks without teaching to be used for individual study and work on assignments.
Students are expected to participate actively in the seminar discussions, which are the basis for teaching. Students prepare by studying the primary texts and completing assignments they are given in class or that are posted in Classfronter. All handouts in connection with the course will be available in Classfronter.
Access to teaching
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
The assessment of the course is based on a term paper of approximately ten pages.
The topic for the term paper will be determined by the teacher and student together. Students are required to submit the term paper at an appointed time. Beforehand, students will be given an opportunity to submit a draft of the term paper and receive individual feedback on both the form and content of the draft.
The final paper must be handed in within a certain date at Fronter.
Language of examination
English
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
You may request an explanation of your grades, and you may also appeal against your grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals.
Resit an examination
You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam.
Withdrawal from an examination
A term paper or equivalent that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.
A term paper that has recieved a pass mark, can not be submitted in a revised version.
Special examination arrangements
If you have a disability or a health problem that entails significant inconvenience in an examination situation, you may be considered for special examination arrangements. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.
Evaluation
Feedback from our students is essential if we are to provide the best possible education. As a student at the University of Oslo you will be asked to participate in various types of evaluation of our courses. Every time a course is given, we ask students to participate in mid-term evaluations, and periodically we ask them to participate in periodic evaluation of the course.