RC CORE 100 – 14 FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR Fall 2007
COURSE DESCRIPTION
By worldwide standards the Left has never been very strong in the United States, but in the 1960s the political pendulum appeared to be shifting to the Left. The Kennedy and Johnson administrations pursued policies that sought to enhance the role of the state in improving the lot of the less fortunate and in protecting people from adverse effects of market forces. Moreover, a variety of non-governmental movements gained strength as they sought to combat evils perceived to characterize American capitalism – such as poverty, racism, sexism, militarism, and environmental deterioration. Since the 1960s, however, the trend in U.S. politics has been unmistakably to the Right. Both of the major parties have espoused policies that reduce the role of the state, that give more play to the free market, and that call upon individuals to take more responsibility for their own fate. Moreover, Left-wing social and political movements are weaker and less influential than in the past.
In this seminar we will seek to understand some of the key forces that have accompanied and may well have contributed to this major shift in the U.S. political climate. We will consider trends and developments over the past five decades in a variety of spheres that arguably have an important influence on U.S. politics – such as accelerating globalization, rising concentration of media ownership, and changing religious practices across the United States. We will also examine the growth of a variety of powerful Right-wing movements. Like all RC first-year seminars, this one will involve a substantial amount of reading, discussion and – most importantly – writing.
Course topics and readings for the first part of the course (through mid-October) are listed below. Also listed are tentative course topics and readings for the second part of the course; these will be finalized by early October. The unstarred readings are required, and the starred readings are recommended. The required readings will be found either in the first of two course-packs (available at Excel, 1117 South University) or in the following paperback books (available at the Shaman Drum Bookstore, 313 South State):
John Micklethwait & Adrian Wooldridge (M&W), The Right Nation (2005)
M.J. Heale (MJH), The Sixties in America (2001)
Dean Baker (DB), The United States Since 1980 (2007)
I strongly urge you to buy each of the above books as well as the course-packs. A copy of every book on the course reading list, as well as a copy of each course-pack, will also be on reserve at the Shapiro Undergraduate Library.
The due dates for the papers to be assigned are included in the syllabus below; paper topics and related details will be distributed in class.
September 4: Introduction
September 6: The "Right Nation"
M&W, The Right Nation, Introduction (pp. 5-24).
Al Gore, The Assault on Reason (2007), Introduction (pp. 3-22)
*"Buying the War," Bill Moyers Journal (PBS, 4/25/07).
*"Tough Talk on Impeachment," Bill Moyers Journal (PBS, 7/13/07).
Paper # 1 due prior to class on September 11.
September 11: The U.S. "Breaks Ranks"
DB, The United States Since 1980, main part of chapter 1 (pp. 1-28 only).
*DB, The United States Since 1980, appendix to chapter 1 (pp. 29-43 only).
September 13: The 1950s
David Halberstam, The Fifties (1993), chapters 8-9, 13-15 (pp. 116-143, 180-202).
*David Halberstam, The Fifties (1993), chapters 22, 28-29, 31, 35, 36, 39, 42, 44.
September 18: Stirrings on the Right
M&W, The Right Nation, chapter 2 (pp. 40-62).
September 20: The 1960s: Spirit and Context
Paper # 2 due prior to class on September 25.
September 25: The 1960s: From Hope to Strife
September 27: The 1960s: Protest and Revolt
M&W, The Right Nation, part of chapter 3 (pp. 63-68 only).
October 2: The 1970s: The Reddening of America
Bruce Shulman, The Seventies (2001), chapters 1 and 4 (pp. 23-52, 102-117).
*Bruce Shulman, The Seventies (2001), chapters 2, 3.
October 4: The 1970s: The Rise of a New Right
Bruce Shulman, The Seventies (2001), chapter 8 (pp. 193-217).
M&W, The Right Nation, part of chapter 3 (pp. 68-89 only).
*Bruce Shulman, The Seventies (2001), chapter 7.
Paper # 3 due prior to class on October 9.
October 9: The 1980s: The Reagan Culmination
Bruce Shulman, The Seventies (2001), chapter 9 (pp. 218-252).
M&W, The Right Nation, part of chapter 3 (pp. 89-93 only).
October 11: The 1980s: Reaganomics
DB, The United States Since 1980, chapters 2, part of 3 (pp. 44-81 & 92-99).
*DB, The United States Since 1980, chapter 4.
October 18: In-class audio and readings.
No readings for this week; one-on-one meetings to discuss your writing.
October 23: The 1990s: Clinton and the Right
M&W, The Right Nation, chapter 4 (pp. 94-128).
*DB, The United States Since 1980, chapter 5.
M&W, The Right Nation, parts of chapters 5 and 6 (pp. 131-134, 139-171).
Paper # 4 due prior to class on October 30.
DB, The United States Since 1980, part of ch. 5 (pp. 162-167) and ch. 6 (pp. 168-201).
November 1: The United States in 2005
DB, The United States Since 1980, chapter 7 (pp. 202-235).
November 6: The Politics of the Media
Robert McChesney, The Problem of the Media (2004), preface and chapter 1 (pp. 7-56).
*Robert McChesney, The Problem of the Media (2004), chapters 4 and 5.
November 8: Journalism in the United States
Robert McChesney, The Problem of the Media (2004), chapter 2 (pp. 57-97).
Michael Massing, "The End of News" and "The Press: The Enemy Within,"
New York Review of Books 52.19 & 20 (Dec. 1 & 15, 2005).
*Robert McChesney, The Problem of the Media (2004), chapter 3 and 6.
November 13: The Grass Roots of the Right
M&W, The Right Nation, chapter 7 (pp. 172-197).
November 15: The Neoconservatives
M&W, The Right Nation, Chapter 8 (pp. 198-224).
*Sara Diamond, Roads to Dominion (1995), chapter 8.
Paper # 5 due prior to class on November 20.
November 20: Bowling Alone
Robert Putnam, “Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital,” Journal of Democracy (1995).
Robert Putnam, "The Strange Disappearance of Civic America," The American Prospect, (Winter 1996)
*William Galston, "Won't You Be My Neighbor," The American Prospect (May-June 1966).
November 27: Radicalized Religion in America
Kevin Phillips, American Theocracy (2006), chapter 4 (pp. 99-124).
Excerpts from Gary Wills, "A Country Ruled by Faith."
*Sara Diamond, Roads to Dominion (1995), chapters 7, 10.
November 29: With God on Our Side
Kevin Phillips, American Theocracy (2006), chapter 6 (pp. 171-197).
Articles by Barbara Ehrenreich and by Michael Lerner.
*Chris Hedges, American Fascists (2006), esp. chapters 1, 2, 4, 7, 10.
December 4: America vs. Europe
M&W, The Right Nation, chapter 12 and part of chapter 13 (pp. 291-324).
December 6: American Exceptionalism
M&W, The Right Nation, chapters 13 and part of chapter 14 (pp. 324-353).
Paper # 6 due prior to class on December 11.
December 11: Concluding observations
No readings for this week; final class session.