Upper School English Teacher Tracy Peterson is introducing a fresh perspective to the Women’s Literature syllabus, aiming to explore what it means to navigate the world as a woman. The course features a broad range of media, including literature, music, and visual arts, to shed light on women’s issues from diverse angles.

“We’re looking at different media forms and pieces of literature through the lens of women's issues. We’re using those forms to give context and learn more,” explains Maggie H. ’26, who is taking the course.

The most recent syllabus features books such as “Salvage the Bones” by Jesmyn Ward and Louise Erdrich’s “Four Souls,” a novel about a Native American woman who hopes to exact revenge on a lumber baron who stole her land and razed its forest.

For their first assignment, Ms. Peterson asked her students to analyze women’s magazines and create collages based on what that medium suggests women care about. Then, they wrote poems inspired by the images in their collages.

“I may never play like Mozart
But I could
I may never write like Shakespeare
But I could

The only thing that I am supposed to do
Is to buy perfume
And better my mood”

Excerpt from a poem by Jackie K. ’25 inspired by content from women’s magazines

Ms. Peterson and her students supplement the core texts with songs, short stories, poems, essays, and excerpts from plays.

For another assignment, each student researched a woman singer-songwriter and presented their findings. Raigan M. ’25 told the class about Erykah Badu, an R&B singer-songwriter. She shared Badu’s background and how she’s influenced others in the music industry.

She then played two of Badu’s songs while her classmates read a profile of Badu from Vogue magazine. The class discussed the article, with students sharing the pieces that caught their attention.

“She says that being a mom used to be a kiss of death for your career, but now it doesn’t hold you back. She’s able to support her children while being successful, breaking a stereotype,” one student points out.

Another student, Everett J. ’25, added, “Someone says in the article, ‘It seems like she finds her clothes at the bottom of a thrift store bin,’ but I think it shows that she has her own sense of style. She’s self-confident, and she doesn’t care about other peoples’ opinions.”

Ms. Peterson encouraged the class to think about how the article was written and what it calls attention to — would the focus be so much on Badu’s style if she were a man? Would the writer make the same points?

“I want them to understand the issues that women face simply because they are women,” Ms. Peterson said.

She makes it clear that while the course is about women’s experiences, it’s for all students.

“I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to relate or voice my opinions. We do go into a lot of things I wouldn’t experience. But Ms. Peterson is really kind, and she makes it easy for everyone to contribute,” says Ethan B. ’26. “Learning the history of Native American communities in Four Souls has been really interesting to me, in particular.”

English: Women’s Literature is a semester-long English honors course. Flint Hill offers the course every other year for two semesters to juniors and seniors.

Looking for more information about our Upper School curriculum? Read other Course Spotlights or view the Upper School Program Guide, which lists our 200+ course offerings.