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Contribution
This paper begins from the premise that historical research is a key way of understanding and informing contemporary issues. Its inherent epistemological value fosters critical thinking and helps us to develop a better understanding of the complex nature of educational phenomenon. An examination of the lives of the first cohort of women students of University College Dublin provides a unique lens through which issues of gender, social class and religion can be examined. It also allows for the exploration of the issues of access and inclusion, which are key issues in university provision currently.This paper profiles the first cohort of women to enter University College Dublin in the academic session 1909-1910. Through an analysis of the University Register, 1909-10, held in the Archives Department, University College Dublin, a profile of the first women students at UCD is provided. This profile is further enhanced by reference to the records of the Royal University of Ireland, held in the archives of the National University of Ireland. Many of these women were prominent figures in Irish society at the turn of the century and played a leading role in the movement for higher education and related social and cultural movements. The majority pursued courses in Arts, but a significant minority also chose other disciplines such as medicine. The context within which women pursued further study, public attitudes towards women graduates and the career options open to women are all considered.The opening of university education to women in Ireland and the advent of co-education, although the ultimate goal of the women's lobby, was problematic for a number of reasons. While women were now entitled to enter the university domain, their access and integration was successfully and powerfully restricted on many levels. The first cohort of women students at University College Dublin, in keeping with the experience of the first women graduates internationally, had to consistently and tirelessly campaign for meaningful inclusion. This struggle continues in many respects today as women academics fight for equality within the university power structure. Harford, J., (2007) 'An Experiment in the Development of Social Networks for Women: Women's Colleges in Ireland in the Nineteenth Century,' Paedagogica Historica (in press).Harford, J. (2007) The Opening of University Education to Women in Ireland (Dublin and Portland OR: Irish Academic Press, in press) Harford, J. and Raftery, D., (2007) 'The National System and the Education of Females, 1831-1922,' in D. Raftery and S.M. Parkes, From Madonna to Minerva: The Education of Girls in Ireland in the Nineteenth Century (Dublin and Portland OR: Irish Academic Press). Parkes, S. M. and Harford, J., (2007) 'Women and Higher Education, 1840-1900' in D. Raftery and S.M. Parkes, From Madonna to Minerva: The Education of Girls in Ireland in the Nineteenth Century (Dublin and Portland OR: Irish Academic Press). Harford, J., (2005) 'The Movement for the Higher Education of Women in Ireland: Gender Equality or Denominational Rivalry?' History of Education, vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 473-492. Harford, J., (2005) 'Margaret Byers and Victoria College,' History of Education Researcher, no. 75, pp. 39-49. International peer reviewed journal
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