HIST 3256 Study and Writing of History: Odd Women to the New Women
History Major Standing In the second half of the nineteenth century in Britain, it was discovered that 30% of women of marriageable age remained unmarried. Contemporary observers were alarmed, dubbing it the "redundant woman problem." They proposed shipping these "odd women" off to male-rich colonies. But in addition to proposals for emigration, a number of women started organizations to train these women in occupations that were respectable and could enable them to live independently. In this class, we will use women's magazines to explore why being single in this period was considered so dangerous and how this problem ultimately produced the "new woman."
Course overview
- Department
- History
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Periodically in the Fall
Catalog details
- Prerequisites
- History Core, Parts I and II or its equivalent in AP credits
Requirements fulfilled
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.62 / 5 · Excellent
- Instructor rating
- 4.78 / 5 · Excellent
- Terms evaluated
- 5
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | Penelope Ismay | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4–6 hrs/week | 8 of 14 |
| Spring 2025 | Penelope Ismay | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4–6 hrs/week | 7 of 13 |
| Fall 2023 | Penelope Ismay | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 of 13 |
| Fall 2022 | Penelope Ismay | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 3.7 | — | 11 of 14 |
| Fall 2021 | Penelope Ismay | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4–6 hrs/week | 13 of 15 |