Super heroines from Ripley to Wonder Woman

Education facts

Code: 1FV708

Female film heroes such as Katniss Everdeen and Wonder Woman are not a recent phenomenon. Even though they have been statistically rare, there has been, at least since the late 1970s, a number of influential female protagonists who have had a significant symbolic impact. However, it it is quite clear that the representation of female hero figures within popular culture are shaped by their particular cultural and historical context. Dominant norms concerning gender, sexuality, functional diversity, and ethnicity have influenced how female protagonists in traditionally masculine or in other ways gender transgressive roles have been portrayed. This course deals with popular genre films, mainly action films, with female heroes from 1979 and forward. The films are placed in historical and cultural context and discussed in relation to theories about gender, sexuality, ethnicity, functional diversity, and genres.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements for university studies.

Education offerings

Each offering has its own dates and conditions. Closed offerings are retained as history and do not mean that a new application is open.

• Super heroines from Ripley to Wonder Woman

  Linnaeus University (Kalmar Växjö)

  Start date: 31 August 2026

  End date: 8 November 2026

  Pace of study: 50 %