Isms in American Politics 46.310Major Movements in American Political ThoughtThis course surveys some
of the major ideological movements and perspectives that have shaped American
politics including federalism and anti-federalism, racism, abolitionism,
Social Darwinism, anarchism, progressivism, individualism, socialism, creationism,
Keynesianism, feminism, anti-communism,
libertarianism, neo-liberalism, and what might
be described as the “anti-governmentism” of recent decades.
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Introduction: An Overview of Foundational Ideas in American Political Thought |
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1. Federalism and Anti-Federalism |
REQUIRED READINGS Declaring Independence, Digital History. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 6, 1787. Patrick Henry, Remarks at the Virginia Ratifying Convention, 1788. Saul Cornell, "Antifederalists: The Other Founders of the American Constitutional Tradition?," History Now, Issue 13, 2007.
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3. Contemplating the Course of American Empire |
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4. Capitalism and Anti-Capitalism in the Industrial Age |
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5. Feminism, Anti-Feminism & Post-Feminism |
REQUIRED READINGS Ellen DuBois, "Reconstruction and the Battle for Woman Suffrage," History Now, March 2006. "The History of Second Wave Feminism," Suite 101. (Summary) R.A.P., "Feminism in America," Mother Earth, February 1915, 26-28 (PBS). Gloria Steinem, "Women's Liberation Aims to Free Men Too," Washington Post, June 7, 1970. Katha Pollitt, "Feminism's Unfinished Business," The Atlantic Online, November, 1997. Roe v. Wade, 1973. (abridged) Fact Sheet on Abortion, Guttmacher Institute "Third-Wave Feminism," Suite 101. (Summary) Meritor Savings v. Vinson (1986), defined liability in cases of sexual harrassment. Dahlia Lithwick, "The Death of Roe v. Wade," Slate," April 19, 2011. |
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REQUIRED READINGS Douglas O. Linder, "State v. John Scopes," University of Missouri-Kansas City. “Enemies from Within”: Senator Joseph R. McCarthy’s Accusations of Disloyalty, February 9, 1950, HistoryMatters. "National Suicide”: Margaret Chase Smith and Six Republican Senators Speak Out Against Joseph McCarthy’s Attack on “Individual Freedom," June 1, 1950. Richard Hofstader, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," Harpers Magazine, November, 1964, posted at Columbia University. Nelson Jones, "The Politics of Creationism," New Statesman, August 24, 2011. The Values and Beliefs of the American Public, Wave III, Baylor University Religion Survey, September 20, 2011. (pdf) Additional readings: Paul Krugman, "Republicans Against Science," Op-Ed, New York Times, August 28, 2011. Susan Jacoby, "The Dumbing of America," Op-Ed, Washington Post, February 16, 2008. Midterm Exam Instructions and Materials (Updated 10/12) |
7. Anti-Racism, Anti-Sexism, and other Legacies of the Civil Rights Movement |
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8. Post-War Liberalism, Neo-Liberalism, and the Collapse of the New Deal |
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9. Capitalism & Environmentalism: The Last Showdown? |
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