Women in Literature and Media

What do we gain by studying writing by and about women? Have the roles and representations of women in literature and media changed over time, or are there still societal norms that impact the way we view women in the world? In this course, students will examine these questions, and the roles, representations, and issues of women in written, auditory, and visual texts.

The course begins with a focus on the interplay between society and the written word. Students will read and analyze the play, A Doll’s House, as well as written and visual texts from the early 20th-century to today. Students will consider how texts both reflect societal norms and break them and how women’s roles and representations have shifted over time. Students will research and reflect on representations of women in the world around them today.

The course then broadens to consider how race, culture, and class impact women’s issues and how diverse women’s voices have brought new issues to light. In addition to reading a variety of shorter texts, students will select and read a novel from a diverse list of female authors and examine how culture, race, and class affect not only the message but the reader’s interpretation of the text.

The final part of the course examines how women have used their voices to shape the world around them. Students will analyze a variety of texts such as podcasts, speeches, articles, and poetry, considering how authors craft their message to influence others. Taking inspiration from women writers, students will create their own message for change.

Throughout the course, students will consider the relationship between power, society, and the written word as they examine ways that power is used to shape texts as well as how female authors have harnessed the power of media and the written word.

This course incorporates a variety of literary and nonfiction texts such as plays, short stories, poetry, novels, graphic novel excerpts, advertisements, podcasts, songs, speeches, images, videos, articles, and essays. In this honors-level course, students are expected to invest 8-10 hours per week on their course work.

Acknowledgements

Proctored Exam: Please note that this course contains an end-of-course proctored exam. Instructions for students to identify an appropriate adult proctor are included in the course lessons.

Mature Themes: Some texts contain adult language, drug use and abuse, racism, sexuality and sexual orientation, suicide and mental health challenges, or violence and/or abuse.

Required Texts: This course requires students to obtain copies of certain texts. Details provided in the Additional Requirements field of this course description.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

In what ways do social, political, and cultural factors influence the roles and representations of women in texts and the reader's interpretation of the text?
To what extent are there common themes and issues in texts about women across race, class, culture, and time? Where and how are there differences?
How do authors use literary tools to express ideas and affect their audience?
What is the relationship between power, society, and the written word?

Course Objectives

Analyze, compare, and contrast context, topics, and themes across literary and nonfiction texts from a variety of time periods, genres, cultures, and perspectives.
Analyze an author's point of view or purpose in a text, determining how the author's choice of content, development, and style contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or effect of the text.
Support claims with strong and thorough text evidence.
Produce clear and coherent presentations and texts in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Conduct research to answer a question or investigate an issue, analyze and evaluate evidence and findings, and effectively communicate understanding of the subject under investigation.
Participate effectively in a range of discussions on course topics, texts, or issues; posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; seeking a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarifying, verifying, or challenging ideas and conclusions; and promoting divergent and creative perspectives.

Additional Requirements

Students will need to obtain copies of the following texts which are available at many school or local libraries or for purchase online for a small fee.

Needed in Week 2: A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen (1879) (Freely available online)

One of the following needed in Week 5:

The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor (1982)
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (1983)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (2000)
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2003)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (2005)
Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (2016)