A new study conducted by Preply ranks the University as the ninth school with the most female authors represented on their English literature syllabi.
The study examined English literature syllabi from 170 universities in the U.S. by using Open Syllabus and compiled a list of the top 10 universities with the most female author representation.
The University was found to have 38.2% of its studied authors being female, a percentage which could be rising soon, said Catharine Gray, professor in LAS.
“There’s a relatively recent campus-wide requirement that all gen ed classes have to deal with issues of gender and women,” Gray said. “I think (it) would change all courses in all departments.”
The university with the highest percentage of female author representation is Western Illinois University, also based in Illinois, with 44.9%.
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“I think there should be absolutely equal representation,” said Hina Nazar, associate professor in LAS. “Of course, it depends on the course, but I think women authors need the same treatment that male authors get.”
While the highest percentage is still just below 50%, NPR reports that more than half of published books are now written by female authors.
“It’s good to get a balance of male and female authors in a syllabus because you get different points of view,” Gray said. “You see them changing across time, but then you also see (how) debates around gender are carried out, especially among or between male and female authors.”
Additionally, the Preply study found that the most studied book overall is “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer, the most studied author overall is William Shakespeare and the most common genre is philosophy.
Gray also spoke about why she believes it is important to study works written by women and the historical implications behind what they say.
Understanding the historical situatedness of the female body and its effect on how female authors interpret the world can provide insight into broader culture, Gray said.
