Last class we looked at a document that appeared to be the 1961 issue of Santa Clara’s newspaper publication. The headline announced the integration of women into SCU in a rather sexist and severe manner, with a spacious headline that declared “TRADITION SHATTERED.” From its obnoxious typography to its over-the-top wording, I was immediately intrigued by the archive.
Knowing that we are about to further look into SCU’s archives, one possible research question I may want to further explore would be what the general gender dynamic was like on campus during this time, a.k.a what the attitudes of the male students towards women on campus were, how the women felt about it, and what student life in general was like for both genders (was there tension?).
Other questions I may want to explore to facilitate my research into this subject may also include: did this headline represent the attitude of most male students, or was the case simply that there was a sexist editor in charge of that particular issue? Overall, my focus would be on the true attitudes and values held by the students during that time.
During my search through the archives, I’m hoping to find more newspaper publications along with anything that would reveal students’ honest and uncensored opinions about how student life may have felt and changed. One thing I’m fearful of is not being able to distinguish the more filtered and censored papers from those that are simply expressing changed opinions and values.
Journals would of course be ideal, as they contain some of the most honest pieces of writing from an individual. If there was some sort of diary I could find that would be a huge assistance in determining the typical ideas held by the student body towards the gender integration that occurred during the 1960s at SCU.
With this topic, I could also explore possible catalysts that led to such a change, such as historical events or contexts that were prevalent at the time and how they may have ultimately influenced the school and the attitude that students held.
After reading Gaillet, however, I’m now aware of the erratic nature of archival research. With this in mind, I know that during the course of my research, I may find a different topic interesting and could completely change my question altogether. So at this point, I’m very open-minded about what I am to choose as my topic of choice, and am curious to see what I will discover.
Images Cited:
https://www.scu.edu/media/university-library/giving/Tradition_Shattered_Newspaper_Headline-760×1161.jpg
https://media.giphy.com/media/8e65kx6dqTjyM/giphy.gif
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ba2198e4b089e26e4a4631/t/52289920e4b0802282473c25/1378392355212/Sexism_Header.png