For the major project in this class, Carley and I have agreed that we would like to research dress codes. There are a few different directions that would could possibly go with this topic, and the one that we choose will ultimately come down to what kinds of resources are available to us. We have contacted Special Collections in Truman’s library to see what sort of documentation they have, such as past student handbooks and codes of conduct for Truman or other schools in Kirksville. They responded that they have quite a few documents that we could look through for information in the University Archives, so that seems like a great place to start. I checked Truman’s current student handbook and code of conduct, and it does not look like there is a dress code. While that on its own may be significant, it is possible that colleges in general do not have dress codes that are as strict as middle and high schools. Therefore, it is a possibility that we will not be researching colleges at all.
Here are the directions that I could foresee this project going:
1. We focus on a specific school in Kirksville (not necessarily Truman) and analyze changes in dress code over time. I am not sure who our interviewees would be, but we may be able to find people through research.
2. We focus on a time period (I’m partial to the 70s), and look at schools around the country. We can research a school in Kirksville, and get information on other schools through interviews with our parents, our friends’ parents, and professors who would have been in school during this time.
Hi, Kathryn. This project sounds fun. I am liking option #1. I like that it is more focused and more local. Having been a child in the 1970s (!), I can tell you school dress codes were definitely a thing. I went to a small, Catholic school from k-8th grade, and I remember in the early years girls could only wear dresses. Then we could wear pants but never jeans (I can’t remember if the boys could?). I went to a public high school, and there was still a pretty strict dress code. Even with my own kids, there was a dress code–no spaghetti straps, no skirts shorter than x, etc. I think you could definitely be on to something. What technology are you thinking about using? Dr. Brown
I love your topic! I had to wear a uniform in elementary school which I believe put me behind the self expression curve. I think you should go with the first direction you mentioned. It would be incredibly interesting if you can find a school that either had a uniform and got rid of it or didn’t have a uniform and has one now. Even if you can’t find a school that had/has a uniform it would be interesting to follow the changes in dress code from the school’s founding to the present. I’m sure it only got stricter as time went on. I think it would also be interesting if you asked some former students if the dress code affected the way they dress now. Maybe they felt restricted so they have a crazy sense of style now or maybe the dress code taught them how to dress in a professional setting. Plus, you can ask if they ever intentionally broke the dress code. I did. I wore crop tops to school a few times in hopes of getting sent home to change so I could miss class. I think your oral histories will be really interesting.