Abstract
Looking back at the history of the College of Wooster and higher education in general, the fifteen-year period after World War II is often portrayed as a quaint, peaceful decade. Male students flooded back to campus, and many college traditions halted due to the war, resumed. The College of Wooster's social life flourished, with events like Homecoming and Color Day being the highlights of the year. With a campus culture filled with school spirit, the 1950s may seem like an ideal time to be a college student. However, my Independent Study (IS) challenges this perception by examining the 1950s college experience through a gendered lens. To narrow the scope of my research, I chose to focus on a crucial aspect of the college experience: the college town. Town businesses were essential to students, providing clothes, school supplies, food, social spaces, and entertainment. To attract Wooster students, these businesses advertised in the school's student newspaper, The Wooster Voice. This interaction between the college and the town reveals the societal pressures and constraints that particularly targeted female students. Through a gendered analysis of Wooster's town-gown relations, I aim to the clear difference between the male and the female college experiences that contradict the idyllic image of the 1950s.
Advisor
Hettinger, Madonna
Department
History
Recommended Citation
Chapman, Katie Grace, "“Coeds and the City” A gendered analysis of the College of Wooster’s town-gown relations in the 1950s." (2023). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 11689.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/11689
Disciplines
United States History | Women's History
Publication Date
2023
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2023 Katie Grace Chapman