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| THE AMERICAN DREAM PROJECT The Philosophy, Politics & the Public honors program is a key participant in a new academic project centered upon the concept of “The American Dream.” Through a series of combined courses, students will become well-versed in the various languages of politics. The purpose is to overcome unnecessary misunderstandings among political actors, and also to sharpen our understanding of what divides us politically. The American Dream Project serves as something of a test case for our understanding - and refinement - of our political languages. It represents an ideological tool used across the political spectrum and one that gets to the heart of American values, aspirations, and anxieties. The block of courses will enhance the students' ability to debate and deliberate on issues of public importance as well as their capacity to articulate a vision of the promise of American life. Each of these courses will include guest speaks from a variety of disciplines within the university. There will also be, at appropriate points, outside speakers who will help refine the survey instrument and provide students with the visual and digital skills for establishing a presence for the American dream project on the web. In the spring, the students will take a third and final course in this block in which they will produce (perhaps in teams) a visual documentary on the American dream and help launch an initial survey of the American dream. Both the videos and the survey will be part of an on-going effort to make the Institute for Politics and Public Life a major nation voice in interpreting the American dream. That effort will include a web presence for the documentaries, a contest state-wide and then nation-wide for the best short documentary on the American dream and, eventually, an annual, professional-quality opinion survey on the state of the American dream. Courses for the American Dream Project Fall 2009 Philosophy: “The American Dream: Past, Present and Future” Instructor: Michelle Brady, Associate Professor of Philosophy This course considers the American Dream by focusing on one core concept of that dream, the idea that we are “self-made.” It has long been part of America's self understanding that our path in life is not determined by our origins, but we instead have unlimited potential to succeed. This dream of potential takes different forms, including political and economic success. Over the course of the semester, we will examine some of the most significant statements of that dream. In addition to understanding the historical context of these specific versions we will also consider whether or to what extent those particular conceptions are applicable in contemporary American politics and culture. Two time periods will receive particular attention: the founding of our nation and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. What are the ideas that shaped our nation at its origin? What do the choices made then about the form our government would take say about who we are as Americans? Do we still hold the values that informed that origin? Was the expansion of civil rights a fulfillment of that original dream? Was it a different version of the dream of the Founding Fathers, one that was necessary to overcome inherent problems in the values that animated them? English: “The Rhetoric of Politics” Instructor: Tyrone Williams, Professor of English This course examines the crucial role that political rhetoric, and its underlying philosophical presuppositions, has played in the development of how Americans conceive of their nation. Indeed, as we will see, political rhetoric has shaped “America” as a nation as much as the wars it has fought, as much as the social and cultural convulsions it has absorbed and, thus, withstood. One might even say that these military, social and cultural upheavals were predicated on, and justified by, a certain rhetoric of nationhood. We will trace some of this rhetoric from the inception of the nation to the present day, drawing on political rhetoric that is, in many cases, almost inseparable from literary, theological and philosophical rhetoric. Guest lecturers in political science, history, philosophy, theology and other disciplines will dissect the key words and ideas that shape conservative, liberal and moderate thought in the United States. The course will identify points of agreement and disagreement as well as misunderstandings and obstacles to compromise and agreement. One task of this course is to identify a set of issues that can be translated into a series of questions as the basis for an opinion survey interpreting the ever-evolving American Dream. Spring 2010 History: “The Politics of Image-Making” Instructor: John Fairfield, Professor of History At least since Thomas Nast's devastating caricatures of Boss Tweed in the early 1870s, images have played an important role in American politics. With the development of motion pictures at the turn of the century, the power and pervasiveness of images exploded and reshaped every aspect of American culture. During the Great Depression, New Deal, and World War II, a variety of images, from the Blue Eagle and the Four Freedoms to such Hollywood creations as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Victory Through Air Power, and the Why We Fight series, transformed the character of political and ideological struggles. Images, combined with the modern means of communication, enabled politicians to reach over the political parties and speak directly to national constituencies. In other words, the political culture that brought the Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan to the White House had its origins in the age of Franklin Roosevelt. The digital age has now ratcheted up the role of images in daily life to an even higher degree, so much so that virtual reality has come to rival and displace - even call into question the existence of - physical reality. This course traces the history and examines the present condition of image-making in the United States. It will include a series of special lectures and seminars from nationally recognized leaders in digital communications. Students in the class will produce their own documentary videos as a practical exercise designed to sharpen their visual literacy, that is their ability to produce, understand, and critically examine images. This course will result in a web presence for the documentaries, a contest state-wide and then nationwide for the best short documentary on the American dream and, eventually, an annual, professional-quality opinion survey on the state of the American dream. In the following summer or fall, interested students will be placed in a high-level internship or residency in which they can apply what they have learned in practical work in the public realm (government, public relations, think tanks). |
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First Year Courses |
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PPP Sophomore Year Course Sequence |
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PPP Junior Year Course Sequence |
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