The birth and development of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (C.L.S.C.) was intertwined with other major social movements during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. From its beginning in 1878 to its enormous success throughout the 1880s and 1890s to its ultimate demise in 1914, the C.L.S.C. offered men and women in rural towns throughout the Midwest the opportunity for a four-year "college" degree via a correspondence course of "systematic home study" organized and operated by the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle headquarters in Plainfield, New Jersey. For some people, and particularly for women living in rural towns, the C.L.S.C. represented one of the few practical means available for earning a four-year degree. As such, the primary focus of the C.L.S.C. was educational, not social. But without intending to influence the social life of rural towns, the introduction of the C.L.S.C. did have unforeseen social consequences for the circle members and the communities where they lived. The most significant consequence, and the one explored in this essay, is that the "home study" format placed the reading circles under the domain of "woman's sphere," at the same time bringing a traditionally male liberal arts education within that sphere. Also of consequence is that many - although not all - midwestern circles were coeducational; while a number of Chautauqua circles attracted only female members, a significant number attracted both sexes. At the very least, the C.L.S.C. created coeducational opportunities in midwestern towns. Adult men and women often pursued the Chautauqua course together, reading the same assignments and pursuing the same degrees. The coeducational atmosphere, combined with a liberal arts curriculum within the woman's sphere, created a new social dynamic among men and women in midwestern towns.
BT - Agricultural History IS - 4 LA - English N2 -The birth and development of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (C.L.S.C.) was intertwined with other major social movements during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. From its beginning in 1878 to its enormous success throughout the 1880s and 1890s to its ultimate demise in 1914, the C.L.S.C. offered men and women in rural towns throughout the Midwest the opportunity for a four-year "college" degree via a correspondence course of "systematic home study" organized and operated by the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle headquarters in Plainfield, New Jersey. For some people, and particularly for women living in rural towns, the C.L.S.C. represented one of the few practical means available for earning a four-year degree. As such, the primary focus of the C.L.S.C. was educational, not social. But without intending to influence the social life of rural towns, the introduction of the C.L.S.C. did have unforeseen social consequences for the circle members and the communities where they lived. The most significant consequence, and the one explored in this essay, is that the "home study" format placed the reading circles under the domain of "woman's sphere," at the same time bringing a traditionally male liberal arts education within that sphere. Also of consequence is that many - although not all - midwestern circles were coeducational; while a number of Chautauqua circles attracted only female members, a significant number attracted both sexes. At the very least, the C.L.S.C. created coeducational opportunities in midwestern towns. Adult men and women often pursued the Chautauqua course together, reading the same assignments and pursuing the same degrees. The coeducational atmosphere, combined with a liberal arts curriculum within the woman's sphere, created a new social dynamic among men and women in midwestern towns.
PY - 1996 SP - 653 EP - 671 T2 - Agricultural History TI - A Subtle Revolution: The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle in Rural Midwestern Towns, 1878-1900 VL - 70 ER -