SD0812 Literature and Gender

3 ECTS - 2-0 Duration (T+A)- 0. Semester- 2 National Credit

Information

Unit
Code SD0812
Name Literature and Gender
Term 2026-2027 Academic Year
Term Fall and Spring
Duration (T+A) 2-0 (T-A) (17 Week)
ECTS 3 ECTS
National Credit 2 National Credit
Teaching Language İngilizce
Level Üniversite Dersi
Label UCC University Common Course
Mode of study Yüz Yüze Öğretim
Catalog Information Coordinator Öğr. Gör. Dr. MUSTAFA KARA
Course Instructor Öğr. Gör. Dr. MUSTAFA KARA (Güz) (A Group) (Ins. in Charge)


Course Goal / Objective

The aim of this course is to enable students to critically examine the representation of gender in literary texts and to understand the role of literature in constructing and questioning concepts such as identity, power relations, social roles, and equality. The course aims to develop students' ability to analyze literary works from different historical periods and cultural contexts, interpret texts through critical and analytical approaches, understand the interaction between literature and society, and appreciate diverse perspectives through literary inquiry.

Course Content

This course explores the representation of gender in literary texts and examines how literature reflects and shapes ideas about femininity, masculinity, identity, power, equality, and social roles. Through the study of novels, short stories, and selected literary works, students analyze gender representations within their historical and cultural contexts. Drawing on texts from different periods and cultures, the course addresses themes such as identity, otherness, family, the body, labor, freedom, and resistance. Students develop critical reading and analytical skills while exploring the relationship between literature, society, and culture from multiple perspectives.

Course Precondition

Resources

Lecture notes prepared by the instructor and scholarly works, as well as selected literary texts below: Virginia Woolf – A Room of One's Own Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid's Tale Charlotte Perkins Gilman – The Yellow Wallpaper

Notes

Showalter, E. (1977). A Literature of Their Own: British Women Novelists from Brontë to Lessing. Princeton University Press.


Course Learning Outcomes

Order Course Learning Outcomes
LO01 Explain the fundamental concepts and approaches related to gender.
LO02 Critically analyze representations of gender in literary texts.
LO03 Evaluate the construction of femininity, masculinity, identity, and power relations in literary works from different historical periods and cultural contexts.
LO04 Interpret the relationship between literature and social and cultural structures.
LO05 Examine literary texts using the basic concepts of feminist literary criticism.
LO06 Compare and discuss different perspectives on gender, equality, and representation.
LO07 Interpret and evaluate literary texts through oral and written academic communication.
LO08 Demonstrate improved critical reading, analytical thinking, and communication skills.


Week Plan

Week Topic Preparation Methods
1 Course Introduction, Gender, and Literature Read the course syllabus; selected excerpt from Simone de Beauvoir Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
2 Introduction to Feminist Literary Criticism Selected reading from Elaine Showalter Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
3 The Yellow Wallpaper I: Womanhood, Domesticity, and Patriarchy Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper (first part) Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
4 The Yellow Wallpaper II: Madness, Identity, and Resistance The Yellow Wallpaper (complete text) Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
5 A Room of One's Own I: Women Writers and Literature Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own (Chapters 1–3) Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
6 A Room of One's Own II: Space, Education, and Economic Independence Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own (Chapters 4–6) Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
7 Comparative Discussion and Midterm Review Review of previous weeks Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma, Soru-Cevap
8 Mid-Term Exam Review course notes Ölçme Yöntemleri:
Yazılı Sınav
9 The Handmaid's Tale I: Dystopia and Gender Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale (Chapters 1–15) Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
10 The Handmaid's Tale II: Power, the Body, and Control The Handmaid's Tale (Chapters 16–30) Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
11 The Handmaid's Tale III: Resistance, Memory, and Narrative The Handmaid's Tale (remaining chapters) Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
12 Literary Analysis through Feminist Literary Criticism Selected excerpt from Judith Butler Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
13 Gender, Representation, and Contemporary Literature Lecture notes and selected articles Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
14 Comparative Analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper, A Room of One's Own, and The Handmaid's Tale Review the three literary works and lecture notes Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Tartışma
15 General Review and Course Evaluation Review of the course materials Öğretim Yöntemleri:
Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma
16 Term Exams Review course notes Ölçme Yöntemleri:
Yazılı Sınav
17 Term Exams Review course notes Ölçme Yöntemleri:
Yazılı Sınav


Student Workload - ECTS

Works Number Time (Hour) Workload (Hour)
Course Related Works
Class Time (Exam weeks are excluded) 14 2 28
Out of Class Study (Preliminary Work, Practice) 14 2 28
Assesment Related Works
Homeworks, Projects, Others 0 0 0
Mid-term Exams (Written, Oral, etc.) 1 8 8
Final Exam 1 16 16
Total Workload (Hour) 80
Total Workload / 25 (h) 3,20
ECTS 3 ECTS

Update Time: 04.08.2026 07:09