Topics in Modern/Contemporary American Literature I (Winter 2026)
ENGL 471: American Women's Short Stories
In addition to exploring the formal and thematic variety of the genre of the short story, this course will examine its utility in conveying the life experiences and insights of 20th-century American women writers. We will read their works in light of historical events and feminism鈥檚 evolution in the United States, explore how their writings address gender and depict domestic lives and familial relations, and consider their respective use of the short story鈥檚 hallmark brevity and concision in rendering the experiences of everyday life.
Authors studied include: Zora Neale Hurston, Dorothy Parker, Grace Paley, Lucia Berlin, Lydia Davis, Jhumpa Lahiri, Catherine Lacey, and Ay艧e Papatya Bucak.
Assessments
Grading Components
- Attendance
- Participation
- Seminar presentation
- Short exercises and assignments
- In-class writing
- Final exam
**Subject to change**
This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
成人大片 Repeatable Courses
With repeatable courses, the course number (e.g., ENGL 466) is repeatable, but the topic is not. You can take as many topics as you like under the same course number, but you can only take each individual topic once.
Questions? Please email our Undergraduate Assistant