Universität Wien

128220 SE Literary Seminar (MA) (2025W)

Ageing Women in Literature

10.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle
Mo 17.11. 14:15-15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 10 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

This is an interactive course. It relies in large parts on flipped-class room methodologies and therefore requires students' regular attendance.

  • Monday 13.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 20.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 27.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 03.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 10.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 24.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 01.12. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 15.12. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 12.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 19.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 26.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This course examines the representation of ageing women and menopause in Anglophone literature from 2000 to the present. Contemporary fiction has increasingly explored the bodily, emotional, and cultural dimensions of midlife and ageing, bringing to the fore questions of gender, sexuality, visibility, and autonomy beyond reproductive narratives.
The seminar will focus on novels and other genres that engage with menopause as a critical life stage and with older women as complex literary subjects. We will investigate how these texts challenge ageist and sexist cultural scripts, negotiate embodiment and desire, and explore themes of loss, renewal, and intergenerational relationships. The course combines literary analysis with insights from feminist theory and age studies.

By the end of the semester, students will have:
- Analysed representations of ageing and menopause in contemporary Anglophone fiction.
- Interrogated cultural narratives of gender, ageing, and embodiment beyond youth.
- Developed critical and methodological skills in literary studies, feminist theory, and age studies.
- Conducted independent research and presented their findings in both oral and written form.

Topics in this seminar:
- Menopause as a literary and cultural theme.
- Narrative strategies for representing ageing women and midlife embodiment.
- Desire, sexuality, and intimacy beyond reproductive narratives.
- Contemporary reimaginings of family, care, and intergenerational dynamics.
- Intersectional perspectives on age, gender, race, and class.

Methods:
- Close reading of primary texts.
- Seminar discussions.
- Student-led expert sessions.
- Group and independent research tasks.
- Engagement with theoretical and critical scholarship.

Assessment and permitted materials

Regular attendance and preparation of session material (students may miss two sessions, i.e. 2x90 min); general participation in class, including individual contributions, work with a partner as well as work in groups; expert work on assigned readings: each student will be assigned to one source material of the syllabus and provide expert input in the respective session; a portfolio of three short tasks (written and creative) that prepare you for your term paper; a formal written term paper of 6,500-8,000 words.

Ensure compliance with the standards of good academic practice and the correct application of the techniques of academic work and writing. Plagiarized and fraudulent performances (also in single tasks or parts of an exam) lead to non-grading of the course (entry of an 'X' in the transcript). In case of doubt, the course instructor may invite students to a grade-related conversation (plausibility check) about submitted partial performances.
The use of AI is only permitted for specific tasks as outlined by the lecturer. Concrete instructions on Moodle as well as in class.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

[14/10/2025]
- Active participation and contributions in class (including your expert input in your respective session and your paper presentation): 25% (20% expert session, 5% active participation)
- Portfolio Tasks: 25% (15% presentation pitch, on the basis of portfolio task 1 and 2), 10% Zine
- Term paper (BA thesis): 50%
(for more detailed information, see Moodle page of the course)

Marks in %:
1 (very good): 90-100%
2 (good): 80-89%
3 (satisfactory): 70-79%
4 (pass): 60-69%
5 (fail): 0-59%

Passing grade requires at least 60% overall and satisfactory performance in all assessed components.

The term paper will be marked according to the following categories: argumentation; use of primary and secondary sources; methodology; quality of thesis; language; form; style.

The term paper has to be uploaded on Moodle to be checked for plagiarism using Turnitin. The deadline is 28 February 2026. If you need the grade early enough to subscribe for the courses next semester, talk to the convenor at the beginning of the course.
The written work itself is 6,500-8,000 words for a term paper. It has to be accompanied by a signed and dated anti-plagiarism statement plus a declaration that you have not used ChatGPT or any other AI-based tools in the process of writing your paper.

Examination topics

This is an interactive course with continuous assessment. Students are expected to complete reading assignments, actively participate, lead one expert session, complete the specialist research task, and submit a term paper on time. There will be no written exam.

Reading list

Students will read selected primary and secondary texts. The final choice of novels will follow in September. The finalized list of secondary sources will be presented during the first session. While the secondary texts will be provided on Moodle, students will be requested to purchase primary texts (3-4 books).

Primary Texts
- Miranda July. All Fours. 1st ed., Canongate Books, 2024.
- Fran Littlewood. Amazing Grace Adams: A Novel. Henry Holt, 2023.
- Carole Hailey. The Silence Project. Corvus, 2023.

Secondary Literature:
- Beauvoir, Simone de. The Coming of Age. New York: Norton, 1972.
- Gullette, Margaret Morganroth. Ending Ageism, or How Not to Shoot Old People. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2017.
- Greer, Germaine. The Change: Women, Ageing, and the Menopause. London: Penguin, 2018.

Association in the course directory

Studium: MA 844(2)
Code/Modul: M 4.1, M 4.2
Lehrinhalt: 12-0631

Last modified: Tu 14.10.2025 10:46