Columbia University MOOC Lectures
Professor Alice Kessler-Harris talks with scholars about the history of women’s work in this Massive Open Online Course from Columbia University in collaboration with New-York Historical.
Check out more videos in the Video Library
Settler Colonialism and the American Revolution, 1692-1783
Republican Women
Alice Kessler-Harris overviews women’s duties and participation in society in the immediate aftermath of the American Revolution.
Watch (2:25)A Nation Divided, 1832-1877
Enslaved Women on the Plantations with Deborah Gray White
Alice Kessler-Harris discusses the experience of enslaved Black women with Deborah Gray White. Content warning: This video discusses sexual assault and physical violence.
Watch (4:50)Modernizing America, 1889-1920
Women’s Citizenship Extended and Redefined
Alice Kessler-Harris examines how women’s citizenship in the early 20th century was tied to marriage.
Watch (6:18)Modernizing America, 1889-1920
Black Clubwomen in the late 19th Century
Alice Kessler-Harris discusses how Black women organized in the Progressive Era to support their communities with Deborah Gray White.
Watch (6:36)Confidence and Crises, 1920-1948
The Gendered Impact of the Great Depression
Alice Kessler-Harris explores some of the impacts of the Great Depression on women’s work and domestic life.
Watch (7:20)Growth and Turmoil, 1948-1977
Changing the Law to Achieve Equality
Alice Kessler-Harris outlines the historical context in which people advocated for equality in the 1970s.
Watch (4:01)
