Carolyn Chappell Lougee : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Carolyn Chappell Lougee, the Frances and Charles Field Professor in History, Emerita, describes her early life and education, her research and writing in French history, and her contributions to undergraduate education at Stanford as dean of undergraduate studies and senior associate dean in the School of Humanities & Sciences. She speaks about the adoption of a western culture requirement, the decision to transform the western culture requirement into CIV (Civilization, Ideas, and Values), changes in interdepartmental programs such as SWOPSI, and undergraduate research opportunities at Stanford. A pioneering woman leader in the Stanford administration, Lougee also offers reflections on gender, leadership, and academia.
Description
| Type of resource | sound recording-nonmusical, text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 2 audio files; 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | November 8, 2019 - 2019-11-12 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Lougee, Carolyn Chappell | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Lougee, Carolyn Chappell | |
| Interviewer | Marine-Street, Natalie J. | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Lougee, Carolyn Chappell |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of History |
| Subject | Stanford Workshops on Political and Social Issues |
| Subject | Stanford University. School of Humanities and Sciences |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Carolyn Lougee was recruited to Stanford in 1973 as the first woman faculty member hired in Stanford’s History Department since the 1890s. She is a European historian, with a particular focus on France, and a pioneer in the use of information technology and quantitative social history methods. She was the first woman granted tenure in the History Department and the first to be its chair. Lougee has held many senior academic leadership posts at Stanford, serving as chair of Stanford’s Faculty Senate, senior associate dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, and dean of Undergraduate Studies. In the 1980s she was a leader in revamping Stanford’s entire undergraduate curricula, a change later emulated by many other universities. She was granted Stanford’s highest award for distinguished service to undergraduate education and the University’s top teaching awards. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles and highly acclaimed books. She holds a BA from Smith College and a PhD from the University of Michigan. |
|---|---|
| Summary Part 1 | Part 1 [00:00:00 – 00:29:14] Early life in suburban Detroit and family background • Difficulty understanding messages in the 1950s and 1960s regarding women’s abilities and careers • Advantages of attending a women’s college • Thoughts on female role models in the 1950s • Reflections on others expectations for her • Freshman year at the University of Michigan and falling in love with history • Finishing undergraduate degree at Smith College and studying traditional and consensus-style history there • Desire to teach and decision to attend graduate school at the University of Michigan • Husband Dave Chappell [00:29:15 – 1:04:34] Discovering the field of French history with Professor Lionel Rothkrug • The appeal of the Annales School of history • Dissertation Feminism and Social Stratification in 17th Century France / first book Le Paradis des Femmes • Mentor David Duckworth Bien • Coming to Stanford • Stanford Department of History in the 1970s [01:04:35 – 01:33:35] Reflections on being the only woman faculty member in the department • Attitudes towards the field of women’s history in early 1970s and her early course on European women’s history • Unique structure of her appointment, including supporting the yearlong History 123 course for freshman • Reflections on being an assistant professor at Stanford, including high demands for both teaching and research and feeling that she could not quit because “women depended upon me” • Women faculty at Stanford in the 1970s • Service on numerous university committees [01:33:36 – 02:02:01] Service on Committee on Undergraduate Studies and revising core curriculum in 1979-80, including instituting Western Culture requirement • Factors that led her to advocate for revising the Western Culture requirement in mid-1980s |
| Summary Part 2 | Part 2 [00:00:00 – 00:31:31] Description of the role of the dean of undergraduate studies during her tenure • Adding additional challenge and rigor to undergraduate education, e.g. through honors programs • Increasing emphasis on undergraduate research opportunities, including the origin of the Chappell Lougee Undergraduate Research Grants • Writing intensification for undergraduates • Cross-school responsibility of dean of undergraduate studies • Foreign language requirement [00:31:32 – 01:04:40] Changes in SWOPSI, SCIRE, and ARLO • Milestone celebrations - Sophomore Celebration and Junior Convocation • Reflections on serving in senior leadership, the H&S Curriculum Committee, and leadership style • Faculty Women’s Caucus • Faculty Senate and time as chair, including impact of Loma Prieta earthquake and Gorbachev’s visit • Meeting Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton at Chelsea Clinton’s graduation [01:04:41 – 01:32:11] Returning to the H&S dean’s office as associate dean in charge of most humanities and arts departments • Efforts to forge community amongst the arts departments • Service on university and Senate committees • Budget crisis at Stanford during the early 1990s, allocating cuts and organizing faculty committees to make decisions • Opportunities for leadership positions at other universities • Research - quantitative methods and studying the Saint Cyr school [01:32:12 – 02:08:23] Creating the educational computer software game “The Would-Be Gentleman” for the MAC • Interest in women’s autobiography leads to discovery of the Champagné papers • Researching and writing her book Facing the Revocation, which reinterprets the Huguenot migration • Future projects • Serving as a faculty leader on Stanford Travel-Study trips |
| Transcript |
|
| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/qj407sc9072 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
View other items in this collection in SearchWorksAlso listed in
Loading usage metrics...