A Girl's Course Guide: Term I - 2025

Silvie Leaf ‘26

Next year (Fall 2025), Bard will transform its course schedule to reflect the truth of American femininity. It has been a long denied subject in liberal arts education, and as an institution, Bard has a moral obligation to address this matter.

(Un)natural Disasters

Everyone knows that the teenage girl is the most superficial being on the planet. Disaster follows them at every turn. A chipped nail, a hair out of place, a lack of appropriate footwear, and the list goes on. No, Dr. Freund, this is not an earthquake or tsunami. It is far worse. Dried mascara and cracked concealer can fracture a good day. They are disasters for (wo)mankind. A girl must break free of this cycle of catastrophe to flourish. (Un)natural Disasters is here to point you in the right direction. Losing your favorite top is only a disaster if you let it become one. Limp heatless curls may feel worse than climate change, but don't get hysterical ladies! They are only calamitous if you let them be. This class focuses on learning to move beyond the superficial. For heaven's sake - if you keep crying over makeup, your future husband will never take you seriously! Light reading ~ 400 pages a week.

Pain, Truth, and Justice: Testimonies of a Trad-Wife

Why should the truth hurt? Does pain guarantee the truth told? Is pain the price of exposure to the truth? Does that make punishments just? In this course, we will take a historical and philosophical approach to examine the relations between pain, truth, and justice in the trad-wife. This seminar style class then moves past the trad-wife as we attempt to unpack the kernel of truth at the heart of femininity, through the lens of many rightly oppressed women. At the end of this course you will be able to conquer your pride and understand your role in the home and the truth and pain that comes with it. You are no more than your bread and no more than your children. As a trad-wife, they are your purpose. Your husband works hard to put food on the table, he pays the bills - not you. Smile ladies, America is watching! Learning to embrace your role as a trad-wife, this class encourages you to grapple with the pain of truth, opening your eyes to the fact that there is no justice. Happy baking!