Course: Emily Balch Seminars - bmc.EMLY.B001.010.F26

Section outline

Select section General

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General

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- Select activity Syllabus
  
  Syllabus File PDF
  
  230.1 KB · Uploaded 09/8/26, 11:03
- Select activity Announcements
  
  Announcements Forum
Select section Resources

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Resources
- Select activity Bryn Mawr Libguides: Research guides with resources compiled by librarians to aid in student research.
  
  Bryn Mawr Libguides: Research guides with resources compiled by librarians to aid in student research. URL
- Select activity The Writing Center: Make an appointment with a peer tutor and access writing resources.
  
  The Writing Center: Make an appointment with a peer tutor and access writing resources. URL
Select section Assignments

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Assignments
- Select activity Reflection Paper 1
  
  Reflection Paper 1 Assignment
  
  Opened: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 12:00 AM
  
  Due: Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 11:59 PM
- Select activity Assignment 1
  
  Assignment 1
  
  Opened: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 12:00 AM
  
  Due: Thursday, September 24, 2026, 11:59 PM
- Select activity Assignment 2
  
  Assignment 2
  
  Opened: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 12:00 AM
  
  Due: Thursday, October 22, 2026, 11:59 PM
- Select activity Assignment 3
  
  Assignment 3
  
  Opened: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 12:00 AM
  
  Due: Thursday, November 19, 2026, 11:59 PM
- Select activity Assignment 4
  
  Assignment 4
  
  Opened: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 12:00 AM
  
  Due: Monday, December 14, 2026, 12:00 PM
Select section Week 1 - Introductions

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Week 1 - Introductions
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  Tuesday, September 1
  
  Select activity Questionnaire
  
  Questionnaire Assignment
  
  Opened: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 12:00 AM
  
  Due: Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 12:00 AM
  
  If you did not complete the questionnaire in class on Tuesday (9/1), you can submit a digital copy here or print it and bring it to class on Thursday (9/3).
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  Thursday, September 3
  
  Select activity Read: The Cross at Wren Chapel (A), The Pluralism Project, Harvard University.
  
  Read: The Cross at Wren Chapel (A), The Pluralism Project, Harvard University. File PDF
  
  242.3 KB · Uploaded 08/27/26, 17:34
Select section Week 2 - Initial Concepts

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Week 2 - Initial Concepts
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  Tuesday, September 8 - Reflection paper 1 due (ungraded)
  
  Select activity Read: Steensland, Brian. Jaime Kucinskas and Anna Sun. 2022. “Eminently Social Spirituality: Context, Practice, and Power” in Steensland et al eds. Situating Spirituality: Context, Practice and Power. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3-19.
  
  Read: Steensland, Brian. Jaime Kucinskas and Anna Sun. 2022. “Eminently Social Spirituality: Context, Practice, and Power” in Steensland et al eds. Situating Spirituality: Context, Practice and Power. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3-19. File PDF
  
  704.5 KB · Uploaded 08/31/26, 11:56
  
  Select activity Taylor Hall chapel in 1926
  
  Taylor Hall chapel in 1926
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  Thursday, September 10
  
  Select activity Read: Driven by Faith Case (A), The Pluralism Project, Harvard University
  
  Read: Driven by Faith Case (A), The Pluralism Project, Harvard University File PDF
  
  219.4 KB · Uploaded 08/27/26, 17:46
  
  Select activity Driven by Faith (B)
  
  Driven by Faith (B) File PDF
  
  171.2 KB · Uploaded 09/10/26, 13:20
  
  Select activity Driven by Faith - fatwa
  
  Driven by Faith - fatwa File PDF
  
  95.0 KB · Uploaded 09/10/26, 13:21
Select section Week 3 - Scholarly Approaches

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Week 3 - Scholarly Approaches
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  Tuesday, September 15
  
  Select activity Read: “How We Gather” Report
  
  Read: “How We Gather” Report File PDF
  
  10.8 MB · Uploaded 08/27/26, 18:03
  
  Select activity Please bring to class a written draft of your thesis statement for Assignment 1 and the three central pieces of evidence you will use to make your argument.
  
  Please bring to class a written draft of your thesis statement for Assignment 1 and the three central pieces of evidence you will use to make your argument.
  
  Select activity Read: Eliade, Mircea. 1957. “Introduction” in The Sacred and Profane: The Nature of Religion. New York: Harper One, p. 8-18
  
  Read: Eliade, Mircea. 1957. “Introduction” in The Sacred and Profane: The Nature of Religion. New York: Harper One, p. 8-18 File PDF
  
  158.3 KB · Uploaded 08/31/26, 12:01
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  Thursday, September 17
  
  Select activity Please explore the website of Boston’s Hidden Sacred Spaces and engage with one of the immersive experiences
  
  Please explore the website of Boston’s Hidden Sacred Spaces and engage with one of the immersive experiences here.
  
  Select activity Read: Durkheim, Emile. 1995 [1912]. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. The Free Press (p. 22-25, p. 62-63)
  
  Read: Durkheim, Emile. 1995 [1912]. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. The Free Press (p. 22-25, p. 62-63) File PDF
  
  135.3 KB · Uploaded 08/31/26, 12:07
Select section Week 4 - Secular Spaces

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Week 4 - Secular Spaces
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  Tuesday, September 22
  
  Select activity Please bring to class a rough draft of Assignment 1. We will workshop papers in class.
  
  Please bring to class a rough draft of Assignment 1. We will workshop papers in class.
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  Thursday, September 24 - Assignment 1 due
  
  Select activity Read: Klinenberg, Eric. 2018. Palaces for the People: How social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life. New York: Broadway Books. (c. 1 A Place to Gather, p. 25-53)
  
  Read: Klinenberg, Eric. 2018. Palaces for the People: How social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life. New York: Broadway Books. (c. 1 A Place to Gather, p. 25-53) File PDF
  
  2.2 MB · Uploaded 08/31/26, 12:09
Select section Week 5 - Civil Religion

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Week 5 - Civil Religion
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  Tuesday, September 29
  
  Select activity Read: Bellah, Robert. 1970. Belief: essays on religion in a post-traditional world. New York: Harper & Row. (c. 9 Civil Religion in America)
  
  Read: Bellah, Robert. 1970. Belief: essays on religion in a post-traditional world. New York: Harper & Row. (c. 9 Civil Religion in America) File PDF
  
  2.5 MB · Uploaded 08/27/26, 18:15
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  Thursday, October 1
  
  Select activity Select an inaugural address by one of the ten Bryn Mawr Presidents and come to class ready to talk about it.
  
  Select an inaugural address by one of the ten Bryn Mawr Presidents and come to class ready to talk about it.
  
  Select activity Past BMC presidential inaugural addresses
  
  Past BMC presidential inaugural addresses Folder
Select section Week 6 - Writing

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Week 6 - Writing
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  Tuesday, October 6
  
  Select activity Please bring to class a written draft of your thesis statement for Assignment 2 and the three central pieces of evidence you will use to make your argument.
  
  Please bring to class a written draft of your thesis statement for Assignment 2 and the three central pieces of evidence you will use to make your argument.
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  Thursday, October 8
  
  Select activity Please bring to class a rough draft of Assignment 2. We will workshop papers in class.
  
  Please bring to class a rough draft of Assignment 2. We will workshop papers in class.
Select section Week 7 - No class, Fall Break

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Week 7 - No class, Fall Break
Select section Week 8 - History and Context

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Week 8 - History and Context
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  Tuesday, October 20
  
  Select activity Read: Horowitz Helen Lefkowitz. 1993. Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s. University of Massachusetts Press (chapters 8 and 9, p. 105-133).
  
  Read: Horowitz Helen Lefkowitz. 1993. Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s. University of Massachusetts Press (chapters 8 and 9, p. 105-133). File PDF
  
  8.2 MB · Uploaded 08/27/26, 18:30
  
  Select activity Tour by Jeffrey Cohen, Growth and Structure of Cities
  
  Tour by Jeffrey Cohen, Growth and Structure of Cities
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  Thursday, October 22 - Assignment 2 due
Select section Week 9 - Layered Histories and Visiting the Archives

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Week 9 - Layered Histories and Visiting the Archives
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  Tuesday, October 27
  
  Select activity Read: Lang, Mabel. 2000. “Taylor Hall in the Beginning”
  
  Read: Lang, Mabel. 2000. “Taylor Hall in the Beginning” File PDF
  
  4.7 MB · Uploaded 08/31/26, 12:21
  
  Select activity Please read about Old Library’s Renaming and the ARCH Project
  
  Please read about Old Library’s Renaming and the ARCH Project
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  Thursday, October 29
  
  Select activity Please read, “How Do Archivists Organize Collections” before class and browse college historical materials here
  
  Please read, “How Do Archivists Organize Collections” before class and browse college historical materials here
Select section Week 10 - Exploring the Archives

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Week 10 - Exploring the Archives
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  Tuesday, November 3
  
  Select activity Research time in the archives
  
  Research time in the archives
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  Thursday, November 5
  
  Select activity Please bring to class a written draft of your thesis statement for Assignment 3 and the three central pieces of evidence you will use to make your argument.
  
  Please bring to class a written draft of your thesis statement for Assignment 3 and the three central pieces of evidence you will use to make your argument.
Select section Week 11 - Lantern Night

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Week 11 - Lantern Night
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  Tuesday, November 10
  
  Select activity Prepare for close looking session
  
  To prepare for our close looking session with Lantern Night lanterns, please watch "Describing what you see: sculpture" and "Close Looking: Jean-François Leleu's Secrétaire"
- Select activity Optional: Read Rose, Sam. (2017). Close Looking and Conviction. Art History, 40(1), 156–177.
  
  Optional: Read Rose, Sam. (2017). Close Looking and Conviction. Art History, 40(1), 156–177. File PDF
  
  4.9 MB · Uploaded 08/31/26, 12:57
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  Thursday, November 12
  
  Select activity Please bring to class a rough draft of Assignment 3. We will workshop papers in class.
  
  Please bring to class a rough draft of Assignment 3. We will workshop papers in class.
Select section Week 12 - Exploring the Cloisters

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Week 12 - Exploring the Cloisters
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  Tuesday, November 17
  
  Select activity Visiting the Cloisters with Jeffrey Cohen, Growth and Structure of Cities
  
  Visiting the Cloisters with Jeffrey Cohen, Growth and Structure of Cities
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  Thursday, November 19 - Assignment 3 due
Select section Week 13 - Connecting the Dots

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Week 13 - Connecting the Dots
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  Tuesday, November 24
  
  Select activity Class workshop on connecting the dots
  
  Class workshop on connecting the dots
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  Thursday, November 26 - No class, Thanksgiving Break
Select section Week 14 - Workshopping

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Week 14 - Workshopping
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  Tuesday, December 1
  
  Select activity Workshopping ideas for Assignment 4
  
  Workshopping ideas for Assignment 4
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  Thursday, December 3
  
  Select activity Class time in the archives or peer conferences
  
  Class time in the archives or peer conferences
Select section Week 15 - Final Presentations

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Week 15 - Final Presentations

Section outline

Taylor Hall chapel in 1926