Fall 2026
Women Playwrights Speak Their Truths: A Call to Activism
Dates: August 31, 2026 – December 09, 2026Day/Time: Monday; Wednesday 10:05 AM - 11:30 AM EDT
Level: 200-Level
Certificate: Civic Engagement, Global Humanities
Civic Engagement certificate requirement: A community-engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) course.
Global Humanities certificate requirement: Global imagination (study of art and culture).
Instructor: Aimée Michel, Simon's Rock at Bard College
Across the world, the voices of women continue to be marginalized or silenced. Our stories are not considered relevant. They are “women’s stories.” Yet those women identifying writers who have broken through speak truths that are revelatory and vital. This course celebrates women playwrights across the spectrum of age, race, sexual identification, and varying cultural backgrounds, from the 1970s to 2026, who have often worked in marginalized spaces due to the political, confrontational style and content of their writing. Students will co-lead class discussions, which will address the historical moment when the plays were written as well as each playwright’s use of language and literary style as we read the work together out loud. Each week, a pair of students from two different institutions will be asked to research and introduce the playwright we are reading that week, starting off our discussion of the play.
Credits: 4 US / 8 ECTS