AMST 30144 - Women and Work in Early America

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

American Studies

Description:

What did shopping, tavern-keeping, and midwifery have in common in early America? They could all be considered legitimate forms of "women's work." This course introduces students to early American social history (from colonial settlement to 1820) by considering the dynamic relationship of women and work. We will consider the ways that girls and women helped make the world of pre-Industrial America through their contributions both inside and outside of the home. The course will consider different forms of labor: skilled and unskilled, free and enslaved, and paid and unpaid. It will also pay special attention to the ways that women of European, African and Indian descent wove their own cultural beliefs and social practices into the broader laboring regimes of early America. Throughout, we will explore the changing meanings of "women's work" and "men's work" and assess how these definitions helped to shape boundaries of race and class. We will cover a range of sites from New England to Charleston, Louisiana to Jamaica, and analyze topics such as the gendering of agricultural work, African women's market activities in the New World, women and politics in Washington, and shopping as skilled work.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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