Barnard Summer School for Women Workers in Industry
1 media/e855d8c1f4e00a8e7fac1395dfba7306_thumb.jpg 2021-03-08T15:48:33+00:00 Beck Morawski 96cc976c28237c9360a23386037c6cfc1ed23738 105 1 Students attending class on the roof of Barnard Hall, Barnard Summer School for Woman Workers in Industry, circa 1930. Verso: “An evening class on the roof. It was followed by an exhibit of class work for which some of the students were dressed to represent historical periods they were studying.” plain 2021-03-08T15:48:33+00:00 1930s SSWW_ rooftop_evening_class_c1930, Box 6, RG #13, Shelf D2. Barnard College Archives. Women at the Industrial Summer School at Barnard College attend class on the roof of Barnard Hall, some students in historical costumes to give presentations about certain periods in history c. 1930 Courtesy of the Barnard College Archives Student Life: Summer School for Women Workers in Industry: Box 6, RG #13, Shelf D2 White Studios Photograph by White Studios Property Rights BCA Women in Class on Roof 1930 History Summer School for Women Workers in Industry AA Beck Morawski 96cc976c28237c9360a23386037c6cfc1ed23738This page is referenced by:
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Plans of Expansion and Influence
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The creation of the Bryn Mawr Summer School was a learning experience for not just the workers that attended as students, but also for the professors, instructors, and administrators that contributed to the School’s continued success. The first residential labor school of its kind, the Summer School was a model that others sought to emulate as they created schools of their own on college campuses across the nation. Professors at the School taught as a constantly rotating faculty, with the intention that after their time at Bryn Mawr, they would continue in whatever capacity they could to teach workers who otherwise could not access education. Working at the Summer School, professors and the undergraduate tutors learned firsthand the ways in which they could better teach adults continuing their education, and exactly what could be done to alter curriculums to better suit industrial workers.
Several programs using Bryn Mawr’s models sprung up around the country, with some of the most notable schools being the University of Wisconsin Summer School for Workers in Industry and the Barnard Summer School for Women Workers in Industry. The University of Wisconsin Summer School, holding its first session in 1927, was also a residential program as Bryn Mawr was, but differed in the way that it was a co-ed school, accepting men alongside women. The original goal of the Bryn Mawr Summer School as claimed by M. Carey Thomas—to empower and unify women under education—had long since evolved, and its influence on the progress of the University of Wisconsin School was evident. The University of Wisconsin Summer School allowed for a space where worker unity was fostered across lines of gender, unifying workers in fields that may not otherwise interact during the retreat to the college campus.
By contrast, the Barnard Summer School for Women Workers in Industry was not co-ed, and indeed was not a residential school either. Students commuted from their homes across the greater New York City area to attend classes on campus, before returning in the evenings to their homes and families. This type of program allowed students to attend who may otherwise have obligations that they could not leave behind, such as families they needed to support or housework that they needed to do. Despite losing the residential experience that was provided in the Bryn Mawr Summer School, the Barnard School provided greater flexibility, and greatly expanded the number of students who would be able to attend, no longer burdening students with the fact that they would have to leave their home lives behind. While the Barnard program could not accept students from across the country as the Bryn Mawr School did, the Barnard School could provide a more focused curriculum to students that directly related to the unique experiences of those living and working in and around Manhattan. The programs inspired by the Bryn Mawr Summer School were able to take the tried and tested template and adapt it to suit the needs of their student body, creating a variety of school experiences for students hoping to continue their education.
