Hermiene Friederica Ulrich (1885–1956) was the first female lecturer at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. She played a central role in shaping the early teaching and curriculum of the University of Queensland.

Early life

Hermiene Ulrich (later Hermiene Parnell after her marriage) was born in 1885 in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia to German and Irish parents, and was raised around Ararat. Her family moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

so that she and her siblings could attend school. Ulrich attended the Presbyterian Ladies' College. Ulrich went on to study at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

from 1906 to 1910. She took her B.A. with first class honours in the modern languages in 1909, and then went on to study her M.A. completing this in 1911. She undertook a Dip. Ed in 1913, winning three scholarships over the course of these studies.

Career

Ulrich applied for a lecturer's position at the newly formed University of Queensland in 1911. She was hired as an Assistant Lecturer, the first woman to be employed as a lecturer at the university. Possibly reflecting the attitudes of the era to women in higher education, she was not upgraded to a full lecturer despite creating the curriculum for the first intake of Arts students in English, French and German. She was to be unofficial head of the department, until the appointment of Professor

Jeremiah Joseph Stable Jeremiah Joseph Stable (1883–1953) was the first professor of English at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Early life Jeremiah Joseph Stable was born on 14 May 1883 in Willaston, the son of Benjamin Stable and h ...

. Ulrich married

Thomas Parnell Thomas Parnell (11 September 1679 – 24 October 1718) was an Anglo-Irish poet and clergyman who was a friend of both Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. He was born in Dublin, the eldest son of Thomas Parnell (died 1685) of Maryborough, Queen' ...

, a fellow University of Melbourne graduate, who had also been appointed to a lecturing position at the University of Queensland in 1913. Women were not permitted to work after marriage at this point in time, but Mrs Parnell was granted teaching positions in 1913 and 1915–1918, as male members of staff began to enlist in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. At the conclusion of the war, Parnell was again released from the university.

Memberships and Societies

Parnell had been active on the public speaking circuit during the War, speaking at the

Brisbane Theosophical Society Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

and others. She attracted the attention of

Margaret Thorp Margaret Sturge Thorp (12 June 1892 – 5 May 1978), also known as "The Peace Angel", was a peace activist and labour activist active in Australia in the 20th century. A Quaker, her religious beliefs guided her to a life of advocating for a v ...

, a leader in Brisbane's peace movement, and John Latham, who were both impressed by her oratory skills, as much as her moderate views. Parnell was a member of the Scribblers ladies literary society in Brisbane in 1911–1912. She was President of the Lyceum Club in 1924–1925. She was a member and President of the Women's Club at UQ and helped to establish the

Women's College Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male stud ...

at UQ. Parnell was also an active member of the

Workers Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

(WEA), whose purpose was to bring the study of literature to a wider audience non-University audience. Her lectures on

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

and

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

showed her continued interest in early English literature, and she had introduced Chaucerian studies into the curriculum at UQ whilst she had been lecturer there.

Legacy

Parnell's work as a teacher and designer of the early curriculum at the University of Queensland was overshadowed by that of her successors. Her impact on an entire generation of younger scholars is visible from curriculum and examination records, lecture scripts from the Queensland branch of the

Worker's Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

, and her participation on the

public-speaking circuit, and entries in journals.Louise D'Arcens, "'She ensample was by good techynge': Hermiene Ulrich and

under Capricorn," in:
Eminent Chaucerians? Early Women Scholars and the History of Reading Chaucer
', ed. Richard Utz and Peter Schneck, ''Philologie im Netz'' (Supplement 4, 2009), pp. 21-40; and Louise D'Arcens, "Australian Medieval Studies," in: ''Studies in Medievalism'' X. ''Medievalism and the Academy'' II. Cultural Studies. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 1–40. Her husband died in 1948. Hermiene Parnell died in 1956, and was survived by her son, Thomas Meredith Parnell (1925-2012).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulrich, Hermiene 1885 births 1956 deaths Academic staff of the University of Queensland Chaucer scholars