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Dibs Fall 2026

AN N EA 15

Women and Power in Ancient World

Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour. Not open for credit to students with credit for course 15W. Examination of how feminine power confronts masculine dominance within complex social systems in ancient world. To gain political power, some female rulers used their sexuality to gain access to important men. Other women gained their position as regents and helpers of masculine kings who were too young to rule. Others denied their femininity in dress and manner, effectively androgynizing themselves or pretending to be men so that their femininity would not be obstacle to political rule. Many women only gained throne at end of dynasties after male line had run out entirely, or in midst of civil war when patrilineal successions were in disarray. Women were sometimes only effective leaders left in drawn-out battles against imperial aggression. No women were able to gain reigns of power through their bloodlines alone. Women's power was compromised from outset. Examination of root causes and results of this political inequality. P/NP or letter grading.

Course statistics

Predicted GPA
3.44
n = 510 · 1 term · ± 0.024
A range
67%
of letter grades
Taken P/NP
4%
95% of those passed
D / F / W
4.9%
incl. withdrawals

Sections in Fall 2026

Not offered in Fall 2026.

Enrollment history

Final enrollment per term, averaged across that term's sections. Four years deep, summer excluded. Per-section live curves are on each section page.

  • 26623F
Enrolment by term: 23F 266
Peak 266 Most recent 266 in 23F 1 term on record

Grade distribution

  • A+ 48 · 9.0%
  • A 206 · 38.8%
  • A- 88 · 16.6%
  • B+ 50 · 9.4%
  • B 34 · 6.4%
  • B- 21 · 4.0%
  • C+ 9 · 1.7%
  • C 18 · 3.4%
  • C- 11 · 2.1%
  • D+ 5 · 0.9%
  • D 4 · 0.8%
  • D- 2 · 0.4%
  • F 14 · 2.6%
  • P 20 · 3.8%
  • NP 1 · 0.2%

Grey bars are non-letter outcomes — P/NP, S/U, incompletes. They are excluded from the GPA entirely rather than scored, because counting a P as a 4.0 would be a fabrication.

By instructor

Instructor Predicted Raw n Terms A range
COONEY, KATHLYN M 3.44 3.44 510 1 67%

“Predicted” is shrunk toward the course average, which is itself shrunk toward the department — so an instructor with a handful of students sits near the course mean rather than topping the list.

By term