Alma Mater- 2nd Ed [Paperback]

Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0870238698 | ISBN-13: 978-0870238697 | Publication Date: November 1993 | Edition: 2

Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s ASIN: 0870238698

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press; 2 edition (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870238698
• ISBN-13: 978-0870238697
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #724,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I enjoy working in a number of fields that connect my interest in American history with women's studies, landscape studies, architecture, education, biography, sexual representation, law, and medicine. I began at Wellesley where I got my B.A. in 1963 and continued at Harvard, where I earned an American Studies Ph.D. in 1969. I've taught at MIT, Union College, Scripps College, the University of Southern California, and, most importantly, Smith College. I love to write and learn about new subjects. I am currently working on neurasthenia and hysteria in the era before Freud.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alma Mater sheds an interesting light on women's colleges., September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Alma Mater- 2nd Ed (Paperback)

I really liked the way Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz looked at the physical structure and plan of the seven sister colleges to interpret their varying purposes and views on higher education of women. I am currently studying the history of Radcliffe, and I found Alma Mater enlightening and valuable.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book on Women's Educational Institutions and Building Design, March 19, 2010

By 

D. Rubel (Brighton, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alma Mater- 2nd Ed (Paperback)

I thought it was quite good, but from the cover blurbs I was hoping it was going to discuss UM at some point in relation to the classic architecture at the Seven Sisters, which it never did. It also cuts off just before WW2 and for the length I was expecting it to continue until the modern building era. It does have TONS of archival photos and notes in it though, so if you're looking for a readable reference on the subject I would highly recommend this book. It was also quite interesting to see how conceptualizations of women were reinforced by building design because it is something I've never considered. I also wish I had read this while I was in high school because it might've influenced me to apply to one of the Seven Sisters instead of going to a large public university like UM. I know at the time I thought single sex education was silly, but after reading about the traditions at these schools I was moved and have slightly regretted not exploring that educational avenue.