Section Info: HIST-259-01

Course Title: Mary Lyon's World and the History of Mount Holyoke
Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Description: What world gave rise to Mary Lyon's vision for Mount Holyoke and enabled her to carry her plans to success? Has her vision persisted or been overturned? We will examine the conditions, assumptions, and exclusions that formed Mount Holyoke and the arrangements of power and struggles for justice that shaped it during and after Lyon's lifetime. Topics include settler colonialism and missionary projects; northern racism and abolitionism; industrial capitalism and the evolution of social classes; debates over women's education, gender, and body politics; religious diversity; and efforts to achieve a just and inclusive campus. Includes research based on primary sources.
Distribution(s): I - Humanities
Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate     Credits:4.00    

Faculty         Phone         Email address        
Mary Renda   413-538-2567   mrenda@mtholyoke.edu  

Meeting Dates         Method         Meeting days         Meeting times         Building name         Room     Frequency    
01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026   Discussion   Tuesday and Thursday   10:30AM - 11:45AM   TBA   TBA   Weekly

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Requisite Courses        
Prereq: Either 8 credits in History or 4 credits in History and 4 credits in either Gender Studies or Critical Race Political Economy. All other interested students may apply with an email to the instructor. Take previously   Required  

Comments        
Additional Comments        
Available for 300-level credit.  
Course Tags        
NXMAP0001   NXMAP: Nexus in Museums, Archives, and Public History   This course is approved for the Museums, Archives, and Public History Nexus track.  
PRI0001     Used to identify primary sides of crosslisted courses for Workday conversion  

Cross-listed Sections        
HIST-259-01 Mary Lyon/Hist of Mt Holyoke  
GNDST-206MA-01 Mary Lyon/Hist of Mt Holyoke  

Course Availability
Section status: Waitlisted     Capacity: 18     Enrollment: 17     Available: 0     Waitlist: 1
Please note: The "Available" count will equal 0 in a Waitlisted course where spaces in the course have recently opened and students have not yet been moved into them from the waitlist.

BOOK INFORMATION

Book List         Required         Publisher Full Price        
To be determined.                    

Additional Book Comments        
This is NOT the complete book list for this class.