By Angelina Tang
The Williamsville East guidance department, thanks to proposals from the English department, intends to add a Feminist Literature course to the catalog starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The course will cover written works with feminist rhetoric and involve class discussions, essays, a creative writing assignment, feminist poetry, and—obviously—annotated reading. It must be noted that these are only plans, and not reflective of the finalized class, nor whether or not further unforeseen developments in the future may stop this course from coming into fruition.
The course proposal included a reading material lineup of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf. Poetry will also be covered, although a comprehensive material list has not yet been specified, and students will read with an eye for feminism and how it is ingrained in these female authors’ works. This course is meant to stray away from the historical perspective on feminism that U.S. History and Women’s History take on, instead diving into how it is expressed and woven into literature. The course will also discuss subjects strongly related to feminist literature such as exploration of sexuality, deviation from societal norms of worldly perception, mental illness and psychosis, and social justice.
Students will additionally be given an opportunity to research one of the authors of the course materials, or find a feminist artist of their own. This is similar to the biographical project the English 10 classes do, pushing students to pursue good research habits while learning about feminism in action. The course is supposedly meant to “bring feminism to life,” injecting color into the otherwise black and white or PR-voiced beginnings of feminism, in addition to showing how feminist voices were alive in society prior to the modern feminist movement that began in the 1960s.
When members of the ESN got the inside scoop on this budding development and were given permission to announce it in the paper, many writers expressed joy that the class would be added. Sophomore Jessica Dennehy says, “I think that it would be a great opportunity to learn more about women’s roles in reforming and bettering society,” but that she would rather go to college–something that women historically were not permitted to do–and play her part as a “modern feminist.” “It’s just college over personal interest, unfortunately.” Jessica’s sentiment towards electives mirrors the opinion many East students have, thanks to the education system that prioritizes warfare over college admissions in high school.
Of course, some other students do not feel the same–one anonymous girl stated, in response to whether or not she’d like to take the course, “Of course… I can’t wait to stare at Marilyn Monroe’s chest for ten minutes while someone gives a mediocre lecture on the symbolism of her blonde bob and still get a 100.” Fascinating, how teenage minds work at maximum efficiency–low input for high output.
