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FSC dean gives keynote address
at Napoleonic Society of America

LAKELAND, Fla. (Oct. 22, 2002) - Susan P. Conner, Vice President for Academic Affairs of Florida Southern College and Professor of History, delivered the keynote address at the Sept. 27-29 annual meeting of the Napoleonic Society of America in Philadelphia.

Conner, who is a specialist in women's history and gender studies, spoke on "Courtesans, Citoyennes, and Cantinières." In the talk, she highlighted women's roles during the period of the French Revolution and Napoleonic era from 1789 through 1815. 

"What is most interesting about this period in history," Conner noted, "is that the late eighteenth century revolutionaries opened the doors to many activities for women-including an expansion of employment opportunities and property rights, contracts, guardianship of minor children and even the name citizen as it applied to women. Unfortunately for them, the period was short-lived as the revolution came to a close and Napoleon turned away from women's rights." In the course of the presentation, Conner described women's roles in the military (as soldiers and in supply), as members of the later Napoleonic court and as citizens in the new republic. 

Members of the Napoleonic Society of America include professional historians, descendants of Napoleonic families, and persons interested in the period. The annual meeting included presentations on aspects of the Napoleonic period, an antique fair, period music, the keynote address, and awards.

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world. 

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