A University of Illinois Chicago honors-level online course will allow students to analyze the rich history of women during 20th century Chicago politics and will allow them to interact with people who created some of the documentation.
The UIC course, Women and Politics in 20th Century Chicago, is being presented during the spring semester by David Greenstein, lecturer in Special Collections and University Archives.
The course utilizes materials from the University Library’s special collections including compilations from the Chicago chapter of the National Organization for Women (Chicago NOW), the League of Women Voters of Chicago, Jane Addams Hull-House Settlement, the Daley Family and others, said Greenstein.
The 24 students enrolled in the course examine the history and politics of women and gender in Chicago during the 20th century. Themes covered include progressive reform, labor, health and reproduction, sexuality, women’s liberation and the Equal Rights Amendment.
The class is part of a general education requirement and is open to students on an introductory level. Students will be able to learn about the women’s movements in Chicago, how to conduct archival research and how to use a digital publishing format to present the results of that research.
“The collections become great resources to build a class around,” Greenstein said.