A Century of Coeducation Syllabus

A Century of Coeducation

HIST XXX-XX / GSWS XXX-XX

Wednesdays, 12-1PM

Spring 2019

Kelsey Wright, Ahlexus Bailey, Abigail Fitzsimmons

                                                                                                                                                     

Course Description

This course offers an overview of one hundred years of women at William & Mary and the College’s commemoration of the anniversary. This class aims to challenge students to think critically about the reasoning behind coeducation at W&M. We will analyze the College’s motives behind its introduction, as well the importance of coeducation on both the university-specific and national levels. This course will also explore the discrepancies between portrayal and realities of the introduction of and motivations behind co education. We will discuss how the College should address this centennial, and in turn, the ways in which it can be more engaging and supportive of the different people among this campus. Are there elements the college should have acknowledged that they haven’t, or things that shouldn’t have been addressed at all? We will strive to address the significance of the introduction of women to this university and the ways in which the College has commemorated this milestone.

Content Learning Objectives

1. Students will understand how, when, and why coeducation was introduced to William & Mary.
2. Students will be able to articulate of the sentiments offered by the president of the College at the time of the introduction of women, as well as the efforts of his successor.
3. Students will understand the differences between white and intersectional feminism.
4. Students will have a thorough knowledge of the College’s 100 Years of Women campaign.

 

Skills Objectives

1. Students will be able to examine primary and secondary sources in the fields of history and gender studies.
2. Students will be able to critique, analyze, and construct arguments.
3. Students will be able to understand how an author’s perspective can impact the narratives they tell.

Required Texts, Materials, or Equipment

All readings are posted on Blackboard.

 

Assignments and Exams

There will be weekly readings students should have prepared for the start of class, which are listed in the outline below. In addition, students will design their own newspaper article in which they act as a journalist in the time it was announced that the university would become a coeducational institution. This will be due at the beginning of the third class. There will also be a short-answer assignment due at the beginning of Week 8 asking students to analyse William and Mary’s commemoration of this anniversary in terms of white feminism as opposed to intersectional feminism.

The midterm exam (Week 6) will be an in-class essay about the introduction of coeducation—William and Mary’s causes and reasoning behind it. For the final project, which will be due the last day of class, students should design an event that they feel could be included in the celebration of 100 Years of Women at William and Mary. Within this assignment, they will include the event’s layout and structure, and how this event will improve the already existing campaign.  

 

Preliminary Schedule of Topics, Readings, Assignments, and Exams

Week	Topics/Assigned Readings/Assignments	Major Assignments
1	Topic: Introduction to the Class and a History of Coeducation Readings: A Reply to Dr. E.H. Clarke’s “Sex in Education”, Putting the Co in Coeducation: Timing, Reasons and Consequences of College Coeducation from 1835 to Present
2	Topic: William & Mary and Women at the College In and Before 1918 Readings: Introduction of When Mary Entered With Her Brother William: Women Students at the College of William and Mary, 1918 – 1945
3	Topic: Introduction and Reception to Women to the College Reading: Chapter 1 of When Mary Entered With Her Brother William: Women Students at the College of William and Mary, Farewell Address of Lyon Gardiner Tyler	Create a newspaper article capturing a response to the implementation of coeducation at W&M during this time period; the response can be from the viewpoint of the student’s choosing
4	Topic: Lives of Women at the College Readings: Chapters 3-5 of The Life Histories of Ten of the First Women to Attend the College of William and Mary (1918-1930), Installation Address of Dr. J.A.C. Chandler
5	Topic: Socratic Seminar on President Tyler and President Chandler	Prepare points to compare and contrasts the stances taken by President Tyler and President Chandler on the College’s educating of women
6	In-class Midterm Paper: Write a paper that outlines the causes that led to and the reasoning behind the implementation of coeducation at William & Mary.
7	Topic: Commemoration and “100 Years of Women at William & Mary” Readings: Review wm.edu/100yearsofwomen, The Social Context of Commemoration
8	Topic: Criticisms of “100 Years of Women at William & Mary” Reading: Kimberle Crenshaw on Intersectionality	Short answer response—Analyze the 100 Years of Women at William & Mary campaign through an intersectional lens
9	Topic: Criticisms of “100 Years of Women at William & Mary” cont. Reading: Schedule of Women’s Weekend
10	Topic: Presentation Week	Create a proposal for the implementation of a potential element of the 100 Years of Women campaign. Include annotations on how your plan would improve upon the existing campaign.