The different ways in which literature is gendered not only determine the type of literature produced, but they also have a decisive influence on the access men and women have to literature as authors and readers. Therefore, we also look at biographical documents, such as letters, that reflect the forms and motivation of gender bias in literature as an institution. A brief review of the evolution of feminisms is traced in order to identify the areas of thought and conflict which most influence the condition of the female writer and specifically the playwright. An introduction to the primary sources through which we can know about the lives of women in the past, and to the range of historical writing now being done in the field of women's history. A variety of topics and methodologies in the field of women's history are examined.
Students also pursue research in an area of special interest.
Courses offered occasionally to students in special areas of Gender and Women's Studies not covered in the usual curriculum. The focus is on Ernest Hemingway. This course explores the history of women in Europe and America from the 17th century through the 20th using the vehicle of memoirs and autobiographies written by women. Within the accounts, we look for commonalties and divergences in women's experiences across place, time, class, religion, race, and sexuality. Putting the accounts in historical context, we explore the changes in gender roles and relations as influenced by the industrial revolution, liberal and revolutionary political movements, world wars, and modern feminism.