Topic: Am. Liberals in Thought/Action

TimeDaysLocationInstructorGERCreditOPUS Class NumberSyllabus (Tentative)
4:00pm-6:00pm
W
Candler Library 119
Fraser Harbutt. HSCW. 42983 TBA.

January 13, 2010- April 26, 2010

Catalog Description: (Similar in nature and format to History 487.) Recent colloquia in American history include: free blacks in antebellum U.S., Jews and other "others" in American history, American Conservatism since 1945.

Semester Details:

Content: This period, moving from Depression to World War and then to the so-called "Golden Age," is generally seen as America's classic liberal era.  It was dominated by the actions and legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, by a distinct ethical outlook and reform impulse associated with the New Deal and Great Society, and by a missionary temper that projected American power in hegemonial fashion around the world.  No American generation has lived through more turbulent times or looked at itself in such a searching way.  Our task will be to recapture the thought, emotions and controversies that marked this uniquely creative time.

Probable texts include:  A. Hamby, Liberalism and its Challengers from FDR to Bush; S. Fraser and G. Gerstle, The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order; Arthur M. Schlesinger, The Vital Center: The Politics of Freedom; M. Harrington, The Other America: Poverty in the United States; B. Friedan, The Feminine Mystique; J. Baldwin, Another Country; R. Carson, Silent Spring

Particulars:  Midterm review: 25%; Class Participation: 25%; Final research paper: 50%

The schedule of courses on O.P.U.S. is the official listing of courses, including days and times they meet and the General Education Requirements they satisfy. Students should use course descriptions as general guidelines. Course requirements, grading details, book lists, and syllabi are subject to change.