US Women’s History Series 2: The Gilded Age to the 2000s

Teacher

Dylan Monshaugen

Categories

History

$90

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Class Description
Syllabus

This is the 1st of 2 installments in our Women’s US History course.

The second installment is:
US Women’s History Series 1: From Puritans to Pioneers

It is not required, but it is highly recommended that students first complete US History Series 2, 3, and 4 before taking this class.

Note: This Women’s History course series is scheduled a bit differently.
The US History course series provides a solid background on which the Women’s history courses are built. Series 1 of US Women’s History correlates with US History Series 1, so it is offered in the spring semester after US History Series 1 finishes in the fall. US Women’s History Series 2 starts in the fall to allow students to first take US History Series 2, 3, and 4 in the prior spring semester. You do not have to take Women’s History 1 before 2.

CLASS DESCRIPTION
This six-week course is the second and final section of the US Women’s History series. The twentieth century was a crucial time for women in the United States. Over the course of the century, women saw a wide variety of new freedoms and opportunities. From gaining the right to vote to increased chances to go to college and pursue careers, the idea of womanhood changed significantly in a short time. This class is dedicated to learning about those changes and the women who made them happen.

DISCLAIMER: At times, mature subject matter will be discussed in this class that may not be suitable for students under 13. As this course focuses on US history from the perspective of women, a discussion about the role and evolution of sex in women’s history is important, relevant, and will be briefly discussed at times in this course.

CLASS FORMAT
No live classes—view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both—the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2.

Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback. Read more details about class format.

Week 1: The Late 1800s
The first week in the class picks up where Series 1 left off. After the events of the Civil War and Reconstruction, women across the country began fighting en masse for rights and equalities they had never been granted before. From the small mining towns of the American West to the bustling cities of the Gilded Age, we will see how women lived at the end of the nineteenth century.

Week 2: Immigration in the early 1900s
Femininity and womanhood began drastically changing in the twentieth century. We will begin our look into this important century with an examination of the ways womanhood shifted during the early decades of this century. There will be a special focus on the stories of immigrant women and how they adjusted to their new homes and roles.

Week 3: Progressivism, War, and the Right to Vote!
In this week of the class, we will be learning about the events surrounding the progressive suffragist movement of the early 1900s that led to women receiving the right to vote in federal elections. Many factors led to this fateful decision, and we will be spending this unit covering the hows and whys of women’s suffrage.

Week 4: The Great Depression and World War II
As the country experienced the hardships of major economic depression, women found themselves filling more roles in providing for the home and the family. Their newfound roles as providers peaked in World War II, where they were once again propelled into new jobs and opportunities while the able-bodied men were off fighting. Unlike in previous wars, women’s roles changed forever as a result of their hard work and tenacity.

Week 5: The 1950s and 1960s
The world changed after World War II, and the lives of women in the United States changed along with it. The traditional values of the 1950s were met with a new wave of feminism in the 1960s that worked to cement women as equals to men in American politics, economics, and society. We will explore these two important decades in depth in the fifth week of the course.

Week 6: Women Heading into the 21st Century
The final week of the course focuses on the last three decades of the twentieth century. Women during this time found new roles in politics and careers during this time period, and the stage for the modern American woman was set. We will wrap up the class by providing the context for women’s roles heading into the twenty-first century.