Virginia Corwin Papers, 1930-1996
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Smith College Archives Northampton, MA
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Deborah A. Richards. 2006-09-01
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Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Virginia Corwin Papers
Creation of Virginia Corwin Papers
Time of Creation of Virginia Corwin Papers
Corwin, Virginia
Biographical History for: Virginia Corwin Papers
Biographical Note Virginia Corwin was born in Orange, New Jersey, on August 17, 1901, the daughter of Joseph R. and Caroline (Stallkencht) Corwin. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1923 and received the B.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 1929; at Union she was a Kent Fellow. In 1930 she came to Smith College as an Instructor of Religion and Biblical Literature. Prof. Corwin entered Yale University in 1932 and received her Ph.D. from it in 1937. Her dissertation was on St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch; Yale University Press published a revision of the text in 1960. Prof. Corwin taught at Smith until 1939 when she went to Western Reserve University as Harkness Professor of Biblical Literature and acting head of the Department of Religion. In 1942 Miss Corwin returned to Smith College as an Associate Professor of Religion and was made Professor of Religion in 1953. She retired from Smith College in 1966. After Prof. Corwin retirement she was visiting professor at Claremont College in California and at Wells College in New York. While at Smith College Prof. Corwin became interested in the study of non-Christian religions and invested time and energy studying Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions. She created courses in these topics and taught them, sometimes in conjunctions her colleague D. Dennis Hudson. Prof. Corwin was active in the American Academy of Religion and served as its president in 1950. A constant traveler she visited the Asian countries associated with the non-Christian religions. In 1975 she married Herman A. Brautigam, a former classmate of hers at Yale University, and they lived in Pennsylvania. She died August 19, 1996 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The papers of Virginia Corwin contain extensive notes from her student days at Yale University including her seminars with H. Richard Niebuhr in Christian ethics and Robert L. Calhoun in the History of Christian doctrines. Also included are transcripts from a conference in the 1930s on the work of Henry Burton Sharman on the life of Christ. The bulk of the papers consist of her research notes and preliminary drafts for a book on the history of modern Hinduism that was never published. In addition there are some notes on other non-Christian religions.
series
Series I. General
Biographical materials
Photographs
Correspondence, addresses, travel notes 1940s-1960s
Miscellaneous items
Series II. Research Notes and Writings
Sermon - Mark 8:31-37 -- typescript April 12, 1938
The Teaching of Religion (chapter in Liberal Learning and Religion) 1951
Modern Hinduism - notes and outline
A Study on Reform in Modern Hinduism - preface - handwritten draft
Gandhi - handwritten draft
Gandhi - typescript draft 1972
Gandhi - notes on
Understanding Gandhi's Ways, by Stephen Hay 1977
Richard V. De Smet pamphlets
Rammohun Roy - typescript draft - 1st draft
Rammohun Roy - typescript and handwritten draft - 3rd draft?
Rammohun Roy - handwritten and typescript draft - additional
Rammohun Roy - notes on
Rammohun Roy - articles on
Ramakrishna - handwritten and typescript draft and notes
The Transformation of Sri Ramakrishna, by Walter G. Neevel, Jr. 1972
K. C. Sen - handwritten and typescript draft and notes
K. C. Sen - articles on
Aurobindo - handwritten draft and notes
Debendranath Tagore - handwritten and typescript drafts
Debendranath Tagore - articles on
Tagore - notes on
Vivekanada - typescript draft
Vivekanada - handwritten draft and notes
Modern Hinduism bibliography
Tukfatul Muwahhiddin - notes on
Satyagraha - notes on
Bengali Renaissance notes
Hinduism in American - notes one
Man the Mystic: Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis, by Virginia Corwin - typescript and handwritten drafts and notes - presentation for Smith College's Alumni College
Village Celebration in Malabar, by Virginia Corwin - handwritten draft
Ramakrishna Mission pamphlets 1946-1972
Arya Samaj - articles on
Brahma Samaj - article on
India - Newspaper clippings, etc. 1960s-1970s
Robert Bellah - selections from
The Basis for the Hindu Act of Truth, by W. Norman Brown 1940
The Myth of the Four Yugas in the Sanskrit Puranas: a Dimensional Study, by Cornelia D. Church 1971
Letters on Hinduism, by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee 1940
J. Krishnamurti: the Pathless Way, by Diana Eck 1968
Ritual and Cult of Indian Buddhists, by Adelle M. Fiske 1970
Indian temple architecture - articles by F. H. Gravely and others 1959-1962
The Characteristics of Oriental Nothingness, by Shin-ichi Hisamatsu
Siva, Minaksi and Vishnu: Reflections on a Popular Myth in Madurai, by D. Dennis Hudson (?)
Sunyata as a Master-Symbol, by Winston L. King
One Fire, Three Fires, Five Fires: Vedic Symbols in Transition, by David M. Knipe
Possession, Dance and Religion in North Malabar, Kerala, India 1964
Hindu Monastic Orders and the Continuing Process of Syncretism: selected bibliography; by David McGregor Miller 1970
Ken Morgan on Vivekananda -- notes
Reaching for the Moon: Exploring Asian Religious Paths, by Kenneth W. Morgan 1990
Buddhism and the Changing Society in Modern Ceylon, by W. Pachow 1970
Religion and Political Authority in Modern Burma, by John Pemberton
Saiva Siddhanta, by S. Pillai
Hindu Symbolisms in Syro-Malabar Liturgy and Devotions, by Cyriac K. Pullapilly
A. K. Saran - articles and syllabi 1960s-1972
The Ideal Social Order as Portrayed in the Sinhalese Chronicles, by Bardwell L. Smith
An Apology for the Present System of Hindoo Worship, by Mkityanjaya Vidyalankar
O. H. de A. Wijesekera - articles 1960s
Smith College Religion 11 - syllabi 1950s
Centemporary Hindu Thought - Smith College Religion 36b and 311b - Leela Gole 1964-1965
Buddhism - Smith College Religion 24b and 36b - Syllabi and notes (Wijesekera?) 1966
Religion in Modern India - Smith College Religion 370b - Syllabi, lecture notes, etc. - Virginia Corwin and D. Dennis Hudson 1974-1975
Modern Hinduism - Wells College Religion 326 - Virginia Corwin 1972
Seminar notes - Christian Ethics - Richard Niebuhr - Yale University 1932-1933
Seminar notes - World Religions - Yale University 1930s
Seminar notes - History of Christian Doctrines - Robert L. Calhoun 1932
Collected poetry and liturgies - scrapbook
Notes from the Minnesinger Seminar 1932 on Henry Burton Sharman - notes from Esther Duke 1931?, 1932
Note cards - notes on general subjects, but primarily note cards on topics to be covered in Corwin's study on modern Hinduism