Opening in 1837, Wesleyan Female Seminary became by 1855 one of the small number of colleges for women in the United States. The question is to what extent Wesleyan was a true college as that word was understood at the time, along with the wider issue of what constituted a college as the concept became transformed during the nineteenth century. In…

The role of the women's rights press in reporting on and advancing coeducation in the United States is considered. The women's rights press was linked to the women's rights movement and articulated the goal that women should enjoy full participation in all aspects of U.S. life, including higher education. This analysis is based on 12 of the most…

The early history of physical education for women in the northeastern section of the United States is presented. Short biographies of notable contributors, both men and women, to the expansion of physical education programs, first in womens colleges, and later in coeducational institutions, are presented. (JN)

The history of Spelman Seminary (Georgia) for African-American females is reviewed as an example of education as an instrument of socialization for southern women to their prescribed roles. The discussion covers the missionary role, Georgia in the 1880s, the institutional mission, school founding, debate over classical versus industrial roles of…

Reviews the European response to U.S. women's colleges. Contends that most international visitors believed that the United States was the world leader in women's rights in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Concludes that women's colleges' influence as models was limited severly by generally negative perceptions of all U. S. colleges. (CFR)

Three recent books ("In the Company of Women,""Alma Mater," and "Women in College") focus on very different but interrelated topics: the general history of women in higher education in America, the history of women's colleges, and the shaping of women's identities through higher education. (MSE)

Reviews literature on the history of women in higher education in the United States, focusing on colleges for women (specifically Bryn Mawr and Wellesley) in comparison with each other and coeducational colleges (specifically Oberlin and the University of Michigan). Discusses women's access at the community college level. (DMM)

Reviews the history of arguments opposing coeducation in the university setting. Traces the arguments chronologically in order to detect patterns and processes. Concludes that, although the Victorian fears of association between males and females are no longer accepted, our patriarchal institutions remain intact in higher education. (KO)

Literature from the late nineteenth century and a case study of Cornell University between 1870 and 1900 are discussed in relation to higher education of women to explore how contemporary theorists and academic administrators dealt with the issues. Theoretical definitions of "equal" opportunities for women in academe shifted from…

This book examines the role of women's colleges in the United States from the early 1800s to the present. It reviews how they began, how they changed as more colleges became coeducational, and the legality of publically supported single-sex colleges. The book also looks at what women's colleges are like today and examines differences in…

African American women hold a unique position as members of two groups that have been treated in a peripheral manner by postsecondary education (Moses, 1989). Membership in both marginalized groups often makes African American women invisible in colleges and universities. Given the complex intersection of race and gender, more attention should be…