Welcome to the Reading and Writing Women course site!

This is the site for the fall 2005 seminar. A new site will be set up soon for fall 2006.

In April 1645, John Winthrop lamented the sorry state of Ann Yale Hopkins, "who was fallne into a sadd infirmytye, the losse of her vnderstandinge & reason, which had been growinge vpon her diverse yeares, by occasion of her giving her selfe wholly to readinge & writing, & had written many bookes" (Journal 570). We will consider colonial women as authors and as readers, sampling a variety of genres (court transcripts, confessions, poetry, autobiographies, captivity narratives, novels, and commonplace books) and exploring topics including theology, marriage, scribal publication, and the American Revolution.

Course Texts

Below are some assignments that will help you get started using the wiki:

Week 1 wiki assignment (three steps): create a user account using your uni, but not your Columbia password. Then visit the Participants page. Create a link to your own participant page by adding your name enclosed by double brackets to the list of participants. The link will be red. When you click on the link, it will take you to a page that you can edit. Type a short bio and save the page. Due September 12.

Week 2 wiki assignment (two steps): create a link to your commonplace book from your participant page (see my page as an example: Lisa Gordis). In your commonplace book, add the code "category:Commonplace Books" in double brackets. This will add your commonplace book to the Commonplace Books category page. Then, proceed to the reading for the week and the Anne Hutchinson Assignment listed below. Due September 15.

Week 4 wiki assignment: So far you've all been reluctant to try out the discussion feature of the wiki. This week, you're required to post a comment, question, or suggestion under the discussion tab of the course plan page. You may comment on the moderators' postings, raise questions you'd like us to address in class, or post a passage you'd like us to discuss. Due September 29.

Current Assignments

• Thesis Topic Proposal: Due September 30
• Annotated Bibliography Assignment: Due October 17

• Conference Sign-ups
• Thesis Prospectus Assignment: Due November 4
• Working draft: Due November 18
• Commonplace Book Assignment: Due December 8
• Senior Thesis: Due December 12 (two copies)

Don't forget to assign your bibliography to Category:Bibliography!