Upper School Curriculum

Grade: 12
Spring

PREREQ: Teacher recommendation advised 

ADV English 12: Women’s Literature applies several theoretical lenses (e.g., feminist theory, queer theory, formalism, old historicism, Marxism) to the study of literature written by and about people who identify as women. Essential questions of the course include: Are the themes that interest or occupy women different from those that appear in books by and about people who identify as men? What do some of the language’s most talented writers have to say about their lives and experiences, and why have some of them perennially been left off reading lists in English classes? Students in the class read nonfiction, poetry, short stories, and novels by cis- and trans women, considering their sociological, historical, and aesthetic contexts. Much of the learning and reading is processed through in-class discussions that require full and engaged participation from every student. Frequent short writing assignments will help students see connections between the texts we study and between those texts and their own lives. A culminating research project will allow students to identify, explain, and respond to connections between the literature we study and our sociopolitical moment.