ENGL 0133 - Women in Literature

(SGE) 060 & 070- 3 Credit Hours

This is an introductory course to the representative literature of women authors beginning in the late seventeenth-century through the twentieth century. The literature will be explored from the historical, social, and literary perspectives while seeking to articulate gendered roles and identities. The course will address issues such as the social construction of gendered roles and identities; the perceptions of women’s strengths and weaknesses; women’s self-perception; and the varying ways in which women negotiate their positions as subordinate members in a society that privileges males. Different literary forms will be studied, including poetry and short stories. While the focus will be on common themes and perspectives, the course will also address differences in women’s writing based on race, class, and ethnicity. The selections will include literature from the dominant culture, from minority cultures within the United States, as well as literature from international female authors.