HIST235 - Topics in United States Intellectual History

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Academic Year 2005/2006

Topics in United States Intellectual History
HIST 235 SP

Crosslistings:
AMST 236

This course may be repeated for credit.

The Progressive era of American history (1890-1920) marked a profound watershed in American thought, as formalistic styles of reasoning gave way to "pragmatic" and "scientific" modes of thought. Underlying this intellectual watershed were new concerns about "progress"--what social advance meant in America's rising multiethnic, industrial society. This course explores Progressive-era thinking about the problem of "progress" across the social spectrum. The course will look not only at the ideas of "great thinkers" in mainline academic and philosophical traditions, but also at the intellectual outlook of diverse Americans like religious figures, business leaders, socialists, African-Americans, feminists, Native Americans, and immigrants. The course hypothesizes that different groups formulated varying conceptions of "progress" during the Progressive era, and indeed, that "progress" was a contested idea up for grabs. By exploring competing notions of "progress" and how the contest over its meaning played out, the course will cultivate a fuller appreciation of Progressive-era thought and its political dynamics.

MAJOR READINGS

Louis Menand, THE METAPHYSICAL CLUB (2001)
Thomas Woods, CHURCH CONFRONTS MODERNITY: CATHOLIC INTELLECTUALS (2004)
Jane Addams, TWENTY YEARS AT HULL HOUSE (1910)
Frederick Winslow Taylor, PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT (1911)
Leon Fink, PROGRESSIVE INTELLECTUALS (1997)
Upton Sinclair, THE JUNGLE (1906)
Michele Mitchell, RIGHTEOUS PROPAGATION: AFRICAN AMERICAN DESTINY (2004)
Lucy Maddox, CITIZEN INDIANS: NATIVE AMERICAN INTELLECTUALS (2005)
Gail Bederman, MANLINESS AND CIVILIZATION (1995)
Jonathan Hansen, LOST PROMISE OF PATRIOTISM: DEBATING IDENTITY (2003)
Selected documents exemplifying Progressive thinking.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Two papers (5-7 pages each), one in-class midterm exam, out-of-class final exam project (10-12 pages), class participation.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

This course may be repeated for credit a second time so long as the selected topic for the semester is different each time.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST Grading Mode: Graded

Prerequisites: NONE

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Rogers,Donald W.

Times: ..T.R.. 10:30AM-11:50AM; Location: FISK302;

Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 30)

SR. major: 5 Jr. major: 10

SR. non-major: 5 Jr. non-major: 5 SO: 5 FR: 0

Special Attributes:

Curricular Renewal: Ethical Reasoning

Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-30-2006