Details

The year 2009 marks the bicentennial of the founding of the first apostolic sisters in the United States: St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton's Sisters of Charity.

To a great extent, when we think about what the Catholic church in America is all about, we think about the contributions of sisters- the parochial school system, hundreds of hospitals, untold numbers of charitable organizations founded and staffed by sisters. These ministries have transformed the lives of millions of Catholics and the social and humanitarian character of the nation itself.

Now, you can explore the remarkable personal stories of these sisters, and the great ministries and institutions they made possible. This vital history has until now been largely inaccessible. Through reading hundreds of books, visiting over 6-dozen congregational archives, and interviewing countless sisters, Professor Thompson is able to share with you a wealth of knowledge and insight.

Through 18 lively rich lectures, you'll explore the origins of women's religious life, the often treacherous foundlings of the first North American communities, the lives of pioneer nuns, ethnic and assimilation issues, tensions with clergy, Vatican II and its impacts, current circumstances, and much more.

You will find this course surprising, fascinating, well researched, and enjoyable.

With this order you will receive, free of charge, a detailed Electronic Study Guide. With your confirmation email, you will receive a link that will take you to this Electronic Study Guide, which includes outlines for each topic, review questions and suggested readings for further study. The link to access this Electronic Study Guide will also be included on the case of your CDs or DVDs. You are allowed to print up to 7 copies of your guide. Simply click on the link, or type it into your browser, to access the file.

With this order, you will receive, free of charge, a detailed study guide on CD. The study guide, included on a special CD, includes outlines for each topic, review questions and suggested readings for further study and will arrive with your audio CDs. Using this CD, you are allowed to print up to 7 copies of your guide. Simply insert the CD into any computer to access the file.

About Your Presenter

Dr. Margaret Susan Thompson is a professor of history at Syracuse University, where she also holds appointments in the departments of religion, political science, and women & gender studies. She has an AB from Smith College, and an MA and PhD in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has written and spoken extensively on the history of women''s religious life in the United States. Her research has taken her to the archives of over 60 congregations across the U.S. Dr. Thompson is also an expert on presidential and legislative history, and a former American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. Her upcoming book, The Yoke of Grace: American Nuns and Social Change, 1809-1917 will be published by Oxford University Press.

Topic Titles

• Discovering Foremothers: Origins of Women's Religious Life
• From Enclosure to Apostolate: the Counter-Reformation Impulse
• New World Initiatives: Spanish and French Colonial Precedents
• From New Orleans to Maryland: Religious Roots in North America
• Patterns of Founding: Transplantation, Adaptations and New Births
• Early Struggles and Sacrifices
• Living the Life of a Pioneer American Nun
• What Did They DO? New Country, New Conditions, New Ministries
• Ethnicity and Assimilation: Preserving the Old Culture and Americanization
• Charism and Personality: Individuals as Shapers of Communities
• 'Father' Didn't Always Know Best: Relations and Tensions with the Clergy: Part I
• 'Father' Didn't Always Know Best: Relations and Tensions with the Clergy: Part II
• Success and Standardization: Myth and Reality of 'Traditional' Religious Life
• World of our (Grand?) Mothers: Sisters on the Brink of Vatican II
• Vatican II and its Aftermath: Why Did Things Change SO Much?
• Quantity or Quality? Where Did All the Sisters GO?
• Reaction and Response: Adjusting to New Circumstances to the Future- or IS There a Future for Women's Religious Life in America?