Gertrude Leighton papers

The Gertrude Leighton papers consist mainly of the office materials and academic materials of Gertrude Leighton, Bryn Mawr class of 1938, and later an assistant professor of Political Science. The collection, which ranges from 1930 to 1982, contains syllabi, reading lists, evidence of conference participation, and class notes.

The collection consists of five series: “Series I: Course Materials,” “Series II: Correspondence,” “Series III: Miscellaneous Material,” “Series IV: Unpublished Manuscript Material,” and “Series V: Class Notes.”

“Series I: Course Materials” consists of syllabi and reading lists for BMC political science courses taught from the 1950s to 1989, as well as exams for political science courses from the 1930s to 1981. There are miscellaneous materials from senior conferences, the journal club, and special conferences. “Series II: Correspondence” contains departmental correspondence, miscellaneous correspondence, correspondence as Secretary of the General Faculty; and correspondence re: “Woodrow Wilson and the World of Today” conference 1/5-6/1956. “Series III: Miscellaneous Material” holds a Memorandum on Rules and Practice and the Chairman’s Calendar in Political Science; a Report on the National Conference of the US National Commission for UNESCO; a reprinted article entitled “Rights of Man in the World Community Communal Illusions Versus Rational Action;” and a typescript called “Chapter IV, Standards and Sanctions.” “Series IV: Unpublished Manuscript Material” contains typed drafts for an unpublished fifteen-chapter book Leighton was writing in collaboration with Richard G. Lonsdorf. The title was to have been A Psychodynamic Approach to Law: Case Materials on Law and Psychiatry. The book may have been intended as a text or source book for a class she taught with Lonsdorf called Law, Policy, and Personality. “Series V: Class Notes” contains lecture notes for this class.

This collection provides insight into the political science department at Bryn Mawr College during much of the 20th century. It would be a valuable resource to political science students and researchers.