W4300 U.S. Jewish Women Writers, Part I (1900-1939) and II (1939-present)

Professor Klepfisz rocks my world. She only teaches in the fall at Barnard; in the spring she does other stuff, including writing her incredible poetry. Her readings of the texts are truly insightful, and the texts themselves are often--although not always--fabulous. My one critique (shared w/several other students I've talked to) is that sometimes I wish she'd talk more in class, since her analysis is so much better than ours. I've learned a *huge* amount from her about how to read a work and how to write an excellent paper (I can't emphasize that point enough). By forcing you to keep papers incredibly short, she makes you learn how to actually focus and hone an argument--a truly valuable lesson. She's also a hugely cool person. Intensely political, she's a lesbian-feminist and grew up in the Yiddishist Socialist movement. She's one of those professors who not only make you talk about class and gender and but also help you understand just why doing that is so incredibly important. Be warned, however, she is a harsh, harsh grader and an extremely tough lady who refuses to suffer fools. This should not scare you off. It's totally possible to do well if you are willing to work your ass off. It seems like a lot of people who would love this class don't know about it. Perhaps this is because of the subject matter. However, there are several non-Jews in the seminar this semester who are totally digging it, so don't let yourself be scared off. It's an enormous privilege to have the opportunity to learn with Professor Klepfisz.