St. Ignatius and Christianity in Antioch.

manosca148 Virginia Corwin Papers, 1930-1996 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Melvin Carlson, Jr.. Smith College Archives

Northampton, MA

Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Deborah A. Richards. 2006-09-01 Finding aid written in English Smith College Archives Virginia Corwin Papers, 1930-1996 Finding Aid RG 42 Melvin Carlson, Jr. 2005

Collection Overview Corwin, Virginia Virginia Corwin Papers 1930-1996 RG 42 4 boxes (2.5 linear ft.) English Smith College Archives

Northampton, MA

The papers of Virginia Corwin contain some papers related to her career at Smith College as Professor of Religion, class notes from her graduate work at Yale University and research notes and preliminary drafts for a book on modern Hinduism. 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.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open for research according to the regulations of the Smith College Archives without any additional restrictions.

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or quote from the documents must be obtained from the Smith College Archives.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Virginia Corwin Papers, Box #, Smith College Archives.

History of the Collection

The Virginia Corwin papers were created by Virginia Corwin, Professor of Religion at Smith College from 1930-1966.

Additional Information Bibliography

Corwin, Virginia. St. Ignatius and Christianity in Antioch. (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1960) Corwin, Virginia. "The Personal Touch: Advice Unlimited," Smith Alumnae Quarterly 29 (May 1938): 246-247. Bixler, J. S. "Religion in the New Curriculum," Smith Alumnae Quarterly 22 (November 1930): 59-60. Lincoln, Eleanor T. "Virginia Corwin," Smith Alumnae Quarterly 57 (Summer 1966): 215. Theological Discussion Group Papers, Yale University Library, Divinity Library Special Collections, Record Group no. 43.

Series I. General 1 1 Biographical materials 1 2 Photographs 1 3 Correspondence, addresses, travel notes 1940s-1960s 1 4 Miscellaneous items Series II. Research Notes and Writings 1 1 Sermon - Mark 8:31-37 -- typescript April 12, 1938 1 2 The Teaching of Religion (chapter in Liberal Learning and Religion) 1951 1 3 Modern Hinduism - notes and outline 1 4 A Study on Reform in Modern Hinduism - preface - handwritten draft 1 5 Gandhi - handwritten draft 1 6 Gandhi - typescript draft 1972 1 7 Gandhi - notes on 1 8 Understanding Gandhi's Ways, by Stephen Hay 1977 1 9 Richard V. De Smet pamphlets 2 10 Rammohun Roy - typescript draft - 1st draft 2 11 Rammohun Roy - typescript and handwritten draft - 3rd draft? 2 12 Rammohun Roy - handwritten and typescript draft - additional 2 13 Rammohun Roy - notes on 2 14 Rammohun Roy - articles on 2 15 Ramakrishna - handwritten and typescript draft and notes 2 16 The Transformation of Sri Ramakrishna, by Walter G. Neevel, Jr. 1972 2 17 K. C. Sen - handwritten and typescript draft and notes 2 18 K. C. Sen - articles on 2 19 Aurobindo - handwritten draft and notes 2 20 Debendranath Tagore - handwritten and typescript drafts 2 21 Debendranath Tagore - articles on 2 22 Tagore - notes on 2 23 Vivekanada - typescript draft 2 24 Vivekanada - handwritten draft and notes 2 25 Modern Hinduism bibliography 2 26 Tukfatul Muwahhiddin - notes on 2 27 Satyagraha - notes on 2 28 Bengali Renaissance notes 2 29 Hinduism in American - notes one 2 30 Man the Mystic: Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis, by Virginia Corwin - typescript and handwritten drafts and notes - presentation for Smith College's Alumni College 2 31 Village Celebration in Malabar, by Virginia Corwin - handwritten draft 2 32 Ramakrishna Mission pamphlets 1946-1972 2 33 Arya Samaj - articles on 2 34 Brahma Samaj - article on 2 35 India - Newspaper clippings, etc. 1960s-1970s 2 35 Robert Bellah - selections from 2 36 The Basis for the Hindu Act of Truth, by W. Norman Brown 1940 2 37 The Myth of the Four Yugas in the Sanskrit Puranas: a Dimensional Study, by Cornelia D. Church 1971 2 38 Letters on Hinduism, by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee 1940 2 39 J. Krishnamurti: the Pathless Way, by Diana Eck 1968 2 40 Ritual and Cult of Indian Buddhists, by Adelle M. Fiske 1970 2 41 Indian temple architecture - articles by F. H. Gravely and others 1959-1962 2 42 The Characteristics of Oriental Nothingness, by Shin-ichi Hisamatsu 2 43 Siva, Minaksi and Vishnu: Reflections on a Popular Myth in Madurai, by D. Dennis Hudson (?) 2 44 Sunyata as a Master-Symbol, by Winston L. King 2 45 One Fire, Three Fires, Five Fires: Vedic Symbols in Transition, by David M. Knipe 2 46 Possession, Dance and Religion in North Malabar, Kerala, India 1964 2 47 Hindu Monastic Orders and the Continuing Process of Syncretism: selected bibliography; by David McGregor Miller 1970 2 48 Ken Morgan on Vivekananda -- notes 2 49 Reaching for the Moon: Exploring Asian Religious Paths, by Kenneth W. Morgan 1990 2 50 Buddhism and the Changing Society in Modern Ceylon, by W. Pachow 1970 2 51 Religion and Political Authority in Modern Burma, by John Pemberton 2 52 Saiva Siddhanta, by S. Pillai 2 53 Hindu Symbolisms in Syro-Malabar Liturgy and Devotions, by Cyriac K. Pullapilly 2 54-55 A. K. Saran - articles and syllabi 1960s-1972 2 56 The Ideal Social Order as Portrayed in the Sinhalese Chronicles, by Bardwell L. Smith 2 57 An Apology for the Present System of Hindoo Worship, by Mkityanjaya Vidyalankar 2 58 O. H. de A. Wijesekera - articles 1960s 2 59 Smith College Religion 11 - syllabi 1950s 2 60 Centemporary Hindu Thought - Smith College Religion 36b and 311b - Leela Gole 1964-1965 2 61 Buddhism - Smith College Religion 24b and 36b - Syllabi and notes (Wijesekera?) 1966 2 62 Religion in Modern India - Smith College Religion 370b - Syllabi, lecture notes, etc. - Virginia Corwin and D. Dennis Hudson 1974-1975 2 63 Modern Hinduism - Wells College Religion 326 - Virginia Corwin 1972 3 64 Seminar notes - Christian Ethics - Richard Niebuhr - Yale University 1932-1933 3 65 Seminar notes - World Religions - Yale University 1930s 3 66 Seminar notes - History of Christian Doctrines - Robert L. Calhoun 1932 3 67 Collected poetry and liturgies - scrapbook 3 68-69 Notes from the Minnesinger Seminar 1932 on Henry Burton Sharman - notes from Esther Duke 1931?, 1932 4 Note cards - notes on general subjects, but primarily note cards on topics to be covered in Corwin's study on modern Hinduism