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Workshop Overview
In partnership with the New York Historical Society, we invite teachers, grades 4-12, to deepen their knowledge of women’s history so that we can all offer our students a more complete picture of the past.
Most teachers want to incorporate women’s voices in their teaching about the past but struggle to find robust resources and integrate them into our larger historical narratives. In this workshop we address both difficulties. We begin with a brief introduction to five theoretical approaches that help us teach women’s history with integrity and rigor. We then introduce the New York Historical Society’s Women and the American Story program and show participants how to use the resources to weave women into their curriculum. In the afternoon, participants will hear a lecture by Kirsten Swinth, a leading scholar of women's economic citizenship, on the ways women's work tends to evolve (or not!) over time. The day will end with an activity to seamlessly integrate this set of new knowledge and practices into our existing courses.
Teachers from all departments are welcome and encouraged to attend. While we will be using historical documents and examining change over time, the workshop will be useful to any educator who wants to know more about women and gender in the past and incorporate inspiring stories about women into their teaching. We will emphasize interdisciplinary story-telling approaches that can be used in advisory discussions and across departments, especially to discuss ongoing gender inequalities in politics, economics, and STEM.
Led by seasoned educators with deep and varied experience, this workshop offers teachers methods and resources to integrate women more fully into the stories we tell our students about the past. Participants will complete the day with a rich collection of primary and secondary resources as well as a personalized curriculum maps for integrating these sources into their teaching.
Most teachers want to incorporate women’s voices in their teaching about the past but struggle to find robust resources and integrate them into our larger historical narratives. In this workshop we address both difficulties. We begin with a brief introduction to five theoretical approaches that help us teach women’s history with integrity and rigor. We then introduce the New York Historical Society’s Women and the American Story program and show participants how to use the resources to weave women into their curriculum. In the afternoon, participants will hear a lecture by Kirsten Swinth, a leading scholar of women's economic citizenship, on the ways women's work tends to evolve (or not!) over time. The day will end with an activity to seamlessly integrate this set of new knowledge and practices into our existing courses.
Teachers from all departments are welcome and encouraged to attend. While we will be using historical documents and examining change over time, the workshop will be useful to any educator who wants to know more about women and gender in the past and incorporate inspiring stories about women into their teaching. We will emphasize interdisciplinary story-telling approaches that can be used in advisory discussions and across departments, especially to discuss ongoing gender inequalities in politics, economics, and STEM.
Led by seasoned educators with deep and varied experience, this workshop offers teachers methods and resources to integrate women more fully into the stories we tell our students about the past. Participants will complete the day with a rich collection of primary and secondary resources as well as a personalized curriculum maps for integrating these sources into their teaching.
Schedule For October 21, 2025
8:30-10: Five Ways to Weave Women into your Curriculum - Primary Source Analysis + Introduction to the Five lenses (Georgina Emerson)
10-10:30: Break
10:30-12: Session 2: A More Complete Picture - Amplifying and Integrating AAPI Women's Stories in US History (Molly DePippo)
12-1: Lunch
1-2: Session 3: Lecture & Discussion - Women and Work (Kirsten Swinth)
2-2:30: Debrief & Turnkey Examples - How can I integrate these tools into my existing curriculum? (Georgina Emerson+ Joanne Yoon)
10-10:30: Break
10:30-12: Session 2: A More Complete Picture - Amplifying and Integrating AAPI Women's Stories in US History (Molly DePippo)
12-1: Lunch
1-2: Session 3: Lecture & Discussion - Women and Work (Kirsten Swinth)
2-2:30: Debrief & Turnkey Examples - How can I integrate these tools into my existing curriculum? (Georgina Emerson+ Joanne Yoon)
Five Theoretical Lenses + Sources
We will use five theoretical lenses to frame our exploration of women in the past and present turnkey method for bringing these ideas into classrooms. Here are the lenses along with an academic source that lays out the theory, its importance, and ways to apply to the study of history. These particular sources are for teachers to deepen their own understanding of the lenses, they are often too dense for any students below 12th grade. At the conference, we will show teachers numerous methods and examples of how these lenses can enrich their teaching.
[Link to Google Folder with PDF's]
1. Beyond Resistance: Culturally-Situated Agency
Mahmood, Saba. “Feminist Theory, Embodiment, and the Docile Agent: Some Reflections on the Egyptian Islamic Revival.” Cultural Anthropology 16, no. 2 (2001): 202–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/656537.
2. Race as a Structure Force in Society
Burkholder, Zoe, "Race as Nation in" in Color in the Classroom: How American Schools Taught Race (1900-1954). Oxford University Press, 2011.
3. Patriarchal Equilibrium
Bennett, Judith M. “Chapter 4: Patriarchal Equilibrium” in History Matters: Patriarchy and the Challenge of Feminism. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006.
4. Queer Experiences
Susan Stryker, "Introduction" inTransgender History. Seal Press, 2008.
5. Redefining Power
Mary C Erler and Maryanne Kowaleski. “A New Economy of Power Relations: Female Agency in the Middle Ages” in Gendering the Master Narrative. Cornell University Press, 2003.
[Link to Google Folder with PDF's]
1. Beyond Resistance: Culturally-Situated Agency
Mahmood, Saba. “Feminist Theory, Embodiment, and the Docile Agent: Some Reflections on the Egyptian Islamic Revival.” Cultural Anthropology 16, no. 2 (2001): 202–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/656537.
2. Race as a Structure Force in Society
Burkholder, Zoe, "Race as Nation in" in Color in the Classroom: How American Schools Taught Race (1900-1954). Oxford University Press, 2011.
3. Patriarchal Equilibrium
Bennett, Judith M. “Chapter 4: Patriarchal Equilibrium” in History Matters: Patriarchy and the Challenge of Feminism. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006.
4. Queer Experiences
Susan Stryker, "Introduction" inTransgender History. Seal Press, 2008.
5. Redefining Power
Mary C Erler and Maryanne Kowaleski. “A New Economy of Power Relations: Female Agency in the Middle Ages” in Gendering the Master Narrative. Cornell University Press, 2003.
Weaving Women Worksheet
How can I use the five lenses to integrate women and gender more fully into the narrative arcs of my teaching?
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Kirsten Swinth is an associate professor of history and American studies at Fordham University. Upon earning a bachelor’s degree at Stanford University and a Ph.D. in American studies at Yale, she taught for two years at George Washington University before joining the Fordham faculty in 1997. Swinth is the author of Feminism’s Forgotten Fight: The Unfinished Struggle for Work and Family (Harvard, 2018) and Professionals: Women Artists and the Development of Modern American Art, 1870–1930 (University of North Carolina Press, 2001), and she edited the collection of documents under the heading “How Did Settlement Workers at Greenwich House Promote the Arts as Integral to a Shared Social Life?” that was published in Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600–2000 (Alexander Street Press, 2006). Her research and teaching focus on women, work, and family, with a concentration most recently on working mothers. Swinth’s commentaries have been featured on cnn.com, WNYC, and NPR’s To the Point, and have appeared in The Huffington Post and The Christian Science Monitor. She is a former chair of Fordham’s Department of History, a Truman Scholar, and a recipient of fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies and the Getty and the Mellon foundations. In 2017, Fordham recognized her for excellence in undergraduate teaching in the social sciences.
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With a rich background in museum education and professional development, Molly Depippo and brings extensive experience in creating impactful learning experiences for both students and teachers. Currently, Molly is the Manager of Professional Learning at the New-York Historical Society, where she develops and implement innovative programs, including the Women and the American Story Curriculum (WAMS). She previously worked as Manager of School and Teacher Programs at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where she coordinated K-12 initiatives, encompassing program outreach, evaluation, and speaker events. Molly holds a BA in History and an MA Museum Studies from Georgetown University. Molly's journey began as a Museum Interpretive Guide and Visitor Services Host, laying a solid foundation in public engagement and accessible content delivery. Molly's comprehensive experience underscores her commitment to meaningful educational opportunities.
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Georgina Emerson is a teacher and the founder of Teach About Women, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the gender leadership gap by changing how we teach. Since 2018 she has been giving workshops and presenting at schools across the United States to showcase ways to integrate women into history programs. She holds a BA in History and an MA in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth College and a Master’s Degrees in History from L’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. Currently, she is an ambassador for the New-York Historical Society’s Women in the American Story program and a teacher at a New York independent school. She lives in Brooklyn with her wife, the scientist Shana Caro, and their two dogs, who both identify as feminists. Follow her on social media @TeachAboutWomen or read her Substack.
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Joanne Yoon has been a dedicated educator at the Spence School for more than 20 years. She is committed to fostering a rigorous and engaging learning environment. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for academic excellence, she strives to cultivate critical thinking and a deep understanding of historical content and historical thinking skills in her students. Around the History department she is know for her meticulous approach to lesson planning and assessment as well as her amazing sense of humor. Joanne is excited to share ways to teach about women and gender in the past that ensure that each student better understands our world.
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Featuring Sources from the New York Historical Society's Women & The American Story (WAMS) |
