Research Seminar (395-0-20)
Topic
The Establishment and its Critics
Instructors
Michael J. Allen
847/467-3979
Harris Hall - Room 342
Meeting Info
University Hall 312: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
Topic: The Establishment and Its Critics
"The Establishment" as a term used to describe a small group of insiders or an entrenched power structure that exerts secret, shadowy, or outsized influence over our lives, politics, and culture has become ubiquitous in contemporary discourse. Yet the term is relatively recent in origin, emerging in the 1950s and '60s, and it sprang from political concerns and social conditions particular to that time, making possible a populist critique of power that gave rise to both the New Left and the New Right, and helped usher in the hyper-partisan politics of our own time. This seminar gives students the opportunity to write an original research paper on a question of their choice related to the utility and application of "the establishment" in the study of modern US History. After a few weeks of introductory readings to give students a grasp of the origins, spread, and scope of this concept, the remainder of the course will be devoted to developing and refining individual research projects related to it. That research may range from writing about particular people, practices, or institutions associated with "the establishment," to attempts to prove or disprove its influence, to investigations into previously unidentified instances of it, to meditations on why this concept has proved useful and enduring in so many contexts. The course is broadly defined to allow almost any student with a background in recent US or world history to fulfill their 395 requirement, and it lends itself to the sort of research than can be done online using electronic resources in the event we are unable to meet in person or conduct research using library print materials. Students who wish to research "the establishment" in contexts outside the United States or earlier than the twentieth-century may do so only with the consent of the instructor.
Learning Objectives
- Identify and articulate an unresolved research question of interest to professional readers in modern U.S. history.
- Find and assess primary sources relevant to that question which you can use to make arguments about the past, choosing the best evidence available to suit your needs.
- Position your research within a broader scholarly literature on related matters, putting yourself in conversation with other scholars across time and space.
- Engage in reasoned and respectful discussion with other practitioners in your field through thoughtful, evidence-based arguments.
- Refine your writing skills in order to produce clear, concise prose that is faithful to the available evidence and accessible to a professional audience.
- To develop problem-solving and detective skills using your own initiative, adapting to unanticipated developments, dead ends, and constructive criticism.
Evaluation Method
Participation, short research related assignments, a substantive research paper
Class Materials (Required)
William Storey, Writing History: A Guide For Students
Class Notes
Concentration: Americas
Class Attributes
Advanced Expression
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Only History majors and minors can currently enroll in this class.
Freshmen may not register for this course.