The English department will be offering two new senior English courses – Women’s Literature and Film and Sports in Literature.

Women’s Literature and Film will be taught by Jan Willis as a senior option.

“This class is an opportunity for students to further analyze the writings of female authors through history,” while also “looking at race, gender and class and how writers addressed it,” Willis said.

Throughout the course, students will learn about feminist theory and how it is expressed differently in each work. Gender, class and race’s influence on status will be discussed by reading and watching works such as “The Feminine Mystique,” “Julie and Julia,” “Fried Green Tomatoes” and poems by Sylvia Plath.

“Students will draw conclusions about how culture shapes the way films depict women and the way women write about issues including marriage, friendship, sexuality, religion, child-rearing, resistance to patriarchy and political oppression, and the search for identity,” wrote English teacher Don Enoch in the course description.

“I really like the idea of a course focusing on female voices in literature,” junior Claire Matulis said.

The class will also show films either directed by women or that strongly feature women in them to expose students to differing perspectives on women throughout history.

On the other side of the spectrum is Sports in Literature, to be taught by David Kinberg.

“We are going to be studying sports writing, poetry that’s inspired by sports, novels, short stories as well as looking at feature films and documentaries that are inspired by sports,” Kinberg said.

“We will really study how sports are an integral part of our society and culture and how they intertwine with political issues, gender and racial equality, and ethical questions such as what is cheating.”

Sports in Literature is centered around the impact sports have on people and the inspiration that individuals take from sports.

“I think it’s going to be an exciting course,” Kinberg said.