INTELLECTUALS AND INTELLECTUAL HISTORY IN MODERN AMERICA

HIST 407/507 (CRN 12520/12538)
Fall 2008
Thursday, 2:00 - 4:50
475 McKenzie Hall

Professor Ellen Herman
Department of History
University of Oregon

office: 321 McKenzie Hall
phone: 346-3118
e-mail: eherman@uoregon.edu
office hours: Tuesday 11:30-12:30; Thursday 1-2

Brief Description

This research seminar will be a place to think and talk about the exciting field of American intellectual history. It will offer an opportunity to consider what difference intellectuals and ideas have made in modern America. I expect student research projects to cover a wide range of topics and time periods.

Students will do two weeks of common reading designed to expose students to some recent work in the field. Responsibility for making weekly presentations of that reading will be shared by all members of the seminar. The primary purpose of this course, however, is for students to engage in a substantial independent research project resulting in a paper of 20-25 pages. Students can expect to devote a lot of time to defining, executing, and discussing this work with other participants in the seminar. Written research proposals will be shared with everyone in the course in order to generate constructive suggestions, questions, and ideas for revision and refinement. Students will present their works-in-progress during the second half of the term.

For the purpose of this course, "intellectuals" and "intellectual history" will be defined broadly rather than narrowly. People and subjects related to the formal world of intellectual production (including academia, journalism, the arts and literature, think tanks, education) may be a useful starting point. But public and movement intellectuals are also perfectly appropriate subjects, as are figures and issues in popular culture. Projects may be focused in any number of ways. For example, student might choose to focus on one or more intellectuals, one or more intellectual communities, one or more intellectual traditions. For a good place to start in defining a project, see the brief listing of "Resources and Scholarship in American Intellectual History."

Each student should consult in person with the instructor during the first two weeks of the term about his or her research project.

Writing Requirements

Each student in this course is expected to produce a 20-25-page (double-spaced) research paper, based on primary sources. The final paper is due on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at noon in 321 McKenzie Hall. A one-paragraph statement of the research project will be due during week 2. A three-page research prospectus will be due during week 4.

Reading Requirements

David A. Hollinger and Charles Capper, eds., The American Intellectual Tradition vol. 2, 1865 to the Present (Oxford University Press, 2005).

Sarah Igo, The Averaged American: Surveys, Citizens, and the Making of a Mass Public (Harvard University Press, 2007).

thinking Requirements

Rules

Academic Honesty: If this course is to be a worthwhile educational experience, your work must be original. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are very serious infractions and will not be permitted. Students who are uncertain about what plagiarism is, or who have questions about how to cite published, electronic, or other sources should feel free to consult with the instructor. You may also find my brief guide a helpful place to begin.

Lateness Policy: No unexcused late papers will be accepted.

Accommodations: If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please arrange to see me soon and request that Disability Services send a letter verifying your disability.

Grades

This is a research-oriented course, so grades depend very heavily on the quality of the final paper. But everything will be taken into account: level of preparation for and participation in weekly discussions, verbal presentations of research projects, and critiques of one another’s research agendas.

Calendar

Week 1

Week 2

October 9, 2008: The Research Projects in Brief

Reading: Contninue discussion of Sarah Igo, The Averaged American

One-paragraph statement of research topic due. (Note: Make enough copies for all course participants because we will be sharing these.) It must include:

• working title

• general statement of primary research problem and/or question to be explored

• bibliography: at least 4-6 preliminary sources

You should also become familiar, if you aren’t already, with using a variety of materials including encyclopedias, microforms, audio and film recordings, journal articles, etc. Many of these are available in Knight Library or through interlibrary loan, which requires a little advance planning. In addition, electronic indexes and databases (many available through the UO library website) are indispensable for conducting research. These will help you build a good bibliography of primary and secondary sources for your project.

These indexes include, but are not limited to:
• America: History and Life
• JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archives
• Readers’ Guide Retrospective
• WorldCat

There are a number of excellent web sites and more and more sources are being digitized. You should certainly avail yourself of these resources, but there’s a lot of junky history on the internet as well, so be critical about what you use. I do not want to see bibliographies consisting largely or exclusively of internet materials.

October 16, 2008: Nuts and Bolts: Getting Acquainted With Sources

Discussion of the one-paragraph research statements. Each student should come to class with a few written comments and suggestions for other students. We will discuss these in class as a way of expanding the research proposals and moving them forward.

Reading:
Please select five sources from The American Intellectual Tradition that look interesting to you, are related to your research interests, or both. Come to class with a few notes about each of them and prepared to talk about their value as sources.

Please also bring in two sources from your own research thus far, one primary source and one secondary source. Be prepared to talk about those too.

October 23, 2008: NO CLASS MEETING TODAY. Please spend the time in the library instead!

Three-page research prospectus due by email. It must include:

• working title
• detailed statement of primary and secondary research problems and questions
• tentative outline: the major topics you plan to cover and the order in which you plan to cover them
• bibliography: at least 15-20 sources

We will continue the discussion of using and interpreting sources.

October 30, 2008: Nuts and Bolts: Bibliographies, Organization, Outlines, Writing, Revising, and Other Elements of Paper-Writing

Please write an opening paragraph for your paper, make enough copies for everyone, and bring it to class.

Resource: The Stages of Writing Research Papers

November 6, 2008: NO CLASS MEETING TODAY. Please spend the time in the library instead!

November 13, 2008: NO CLASS MEETING TODAY. Please spend the time in the library instead!

November 20, 2008: Student Presentations

Resource: Guidelines for Research Presentations

Chantelle DeCorte, project on anti-intellectualism in China and the U.S., 1950s-1960s

Mallory Blaschka, "Ayn Rand: Feminist or Foe?"

Christofer Sneed, "The Method of Speciesists"

Tim Dunn, project on CP-USA and/or fears of socialism

Matthew Kruer, "Robert Zubrin and the Dream of Mars: The Significance of the Frontier Thesis in the Twenty-First Century"

Carrie Adkins, project on twilight sleep movement

November 27, 2008: Thanksgiving!

December 4, 2008: Student Presentations

Resource: Guidelines for Research Presentations

Joseph Beaton, "Paine and Goldman: The Role of the American Radical"

Daniel Weinzveg, "The Impact of Panther Intellect"

Alex O'Dell, "Feminists Through Foucault: Ideas of Power in Two Second Wave Texts"

Erik Partlow, project on the Manhattan Project

Katherine Strother, "The Undercurrents of America: Why Labor and the Impoverished Control America's Economy"

Dylan White, "From Right to Left: A Look at Americans' Support for the Nazi State"

Research papers due on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 by noon in 321 McKenzie Hall.