- to introduce students to major works of world literature
written by women from antiquity to the present, with special 
emphasis on the relevance of these authors' work, whether old or 
new, to contemporary society around the world;
- to instruct them in the specific problems and issues related to
women's writing in various cultural contexts; 
- to interpret women's literary texts as both autonomous
aesthetic creations and statements within broad social and 
cultural milieus; 
- to hone students' interpretive skills through the analysis of
individual works of literature; 
- to improve students' communication skills through classroom
discussions and presentations and out-of-class writing 
assignments.

Student performance is assessed through presentations, tests,
in-class writing exercises, papers, and a final examination.

The course is structured through a chronological series of 
readings of works by women writers from around the world. The 
topics considered are specific to the works studied, with issues 
commonly treated in the course, including gender and the 
institution of writing, women's writing and education, style and 
gender, sexual identity and interpretation, etc.  The works 
treated vary with the instructor.  The following is a sample 
syllabus of readings for a single semester:

Sappho.  Selected Poems
Sei Shonagon.  The Pillow Book
Murasaki Shikibu.  The Tale of Genji (selections)
Hrosvit of Gandersheim.  Dramas
Marie de France.  Lais
Hildegard of Bingen.  Selected writings
Christine de Pizan.  The Book of the City of Ladies
Marguerite de Navarre.  Heptameron
Gaspara Stampa.  Selected Poems
Madame de Lafayette.  The Princess of Cleves

Students are required to abide by the University of Georgia academic honesty policy.