A course entitled "Women and Violence in Literature and the Media" extends the definition of violence to include not only physical and emotional abuse but psychological manipulation and destruction as well. The course has two major objectives: to establish that violence against women does occur in our society and is culturally approved of and perpetuated, and to explore the expression in literature and the media of male violence against women, the ways women respond to that violence, and the conditions under which women become violent. In the first part of the course, several documentaries on the subject of women as victims are shown, including "The Fear That Binds Us," which incorporates personal testimony of women who experienced incest, battering, or rape, and "Why Men Rape," based on interviews with convicted rapists. In the second part of the course, various pieces of literature are assigned, including Norman Mailer's "The Time of Her Life," John Fowles's "The Collector," and Judith Rossner's "Looking for Mr. Goodbar." While the course paints a grim picture, the reality is that it is a violent world and women are particularly vulnerable. However, women do not have to resign themselves to being victims. Individually and collectively, women can not only cope with male violence against them but can reduce and, ultimately, stop it. (A list of films and texts used in the course as well as a selected bibliography of materials on violence against women are appended.) (DF)