Reconstructing Women’s Lives

This seminar we will consider history as a written craft, placing academic historical scholarship on women's lives in conversation with other genres that address the same subject, chiefly historical fiction, memoir, and creative nonfiction. We will explore questions of voice, narrative, argument, and evidence within these genres. What makes a piece of writing persuasive? How do readers come to feel like they "know" something about the past? Students will discuss and write review essays of works from these different genres. The final project will be a piece of original historical research presented in a non-traditional format. 3 hrs. sem.