Revised 05/2025

ENG 275 - Women in Literature (3 CR.)

Course Description

Examines literary texts by women writers from diverse time periods, genres, and authors. Develops skills of close reading and literary analysis through analysis of texts within their historical, cultural, social, and/or literary contexts. Explores how women's experiences have shaped their literary contributions, the cultural forces affecting their lives, and how they have used writing to shape their cultures. This is a UCGS transfer course. Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

ENG 275 introduces traditions in literature by women writers. This course focuses on the skills of close reading, interpretation, and literary analysis.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisite: ENG 112, or department approval.

Course Objectives

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

Critical Thinking

  • Evaluate, interpret, and use information, ideas and arguments from a variety of perspectives (including the written arguments of others) to analyze complex issues
  • Interpret and combine information to reach and/or evaluate well-reasoned conclusions 

Written Communication

  • Construct evidence-based writing about literary texts
  • Develop and explain complex ideas in writing

Cultural and Civic Engagement

  • Critique the impact of historical, geographical, social, and cultural events, including social and political activism, affecting women of different races, religions, ethnicities, classes, sexualities, and cultures, including understandings of intersectional gender identities.
  • Develop a framework for understanding civic values and responsibilities as conveyed in women’s literature

Literary Traditions

  • Discuss and analyze women writers, literary movements, genres and/or texts studied in the course

Inquiry

  • Construct and explore meaningful questions about diverse human and intersectional gendered experiences through literary study

Historical, Geographical, and Social Contexts

  • Explain connections between literary texts and related historical, geographical, social, and literary contexts

Close Reading and Critical Analysis

  • Analyze literary texts using appropriate vocabulary and a variety of methodological approaches and perspectives, exploring the ways literary texts reflect and challenge cultural values, beliefs, and understandings of gendered identities, different races, religions, ethnicities, classes, sexualities, and cultures

Literary Analysis

  • Support interpretations of literary texts with valid textual evidence and use appropriate scholarly sources to further inquiry into literary texts

Writing

  • Compose well-organized writing of literary analysis that features substantial, logical, and concrete development of ideas with appropriate documentation

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Close Reading and Critical Analysis of Women’s Literature
  • Historical, Geographical, and Social Contexts of Women’s Literature
  • Literary Genres and Traditions
  • Inquiry into Women’s Identities and Lived Experiences Writing about Women’s Literary Traditions
  • Literary Analysis
  • Critical Thinking
  • Written Communication
  • Cultural and Civic Engagement