WCP 131 (Social Systems I) Fall, 1994
The initial Social Systems course, "the individual in society," aims to sensitize students to the impact of society on who they are, what they value, how they think, and what they do. It introduces key social science perspectives, identifies ways they are distinguished from those of humanities or natural science, and includes perspectives outside the mainstreams of American culture. Attention is given to regularities rather than idiosyncrasies in behavior and to contrasting or conflicting interpretations of that behavior. Subject matter is treated as unresolved issues to be explored rather than finished knowledge to be learned, in a seminar format emphasizing student discussion over faculty presentation. Improvement in written and oral expression is an important goal and evaluation is normally by papers and discussion. Both the topic and pedagogy emphasize tolerance and empathy for people who think or value differently from the characteristic ways students bring to the course. Histori- cal treatments exploring processes of social, economic, and religious change, meeting the historical perspectives requirement of the Miami Plan; nondominant perspectives such as race, gender, and ethnic background are included. These are joined with methodological issues of prediction, control, and ethics, philosophic issues of free will and determinism, and consideration of key disciplinary assumptions from anthropology, economics, education, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. Students are encouraged to see that they cannot rely on authority or status alone but must make judgments for themselves, and seminar groups are invited to engage in self-evaluation.
"The worship of success [in the United States] has gone further than
in any known
culture."
--Clyde Kluckholm, Mirror for Man
"The exclusive worship of the bitch-god success..is our national
disease."
-- William James in a letter to
H.G. Wells
"I say you ought to get rich and it is your duty to get rich. Money is
power and you
ought to be reasonably ambitious to get it. You ought because you
can do more
good with it than you could without it. Money printed your Bible,
money built
your churches...I say, then, you ought to have money. If you can
honestly attain
unto riches, it is your Christian and Godly duty to do so. It is an
awful mistake of
these pious people to think you must be awfully poor in order to be
pious.
--Russell Conway, Acres of
Diamonds
INSTRUCTORS:
Bill Newell 349 Hoyt Tel. 529-2213
Office hours: 10:30-11 T, 1-3 W, 9:30-11 R
Chris Wolfe 343 Hoyt Tel. 529-5670
Office hours:
Xuiwu Liu 348 Hoyt Tel. 529-5661
Office hours:
MEETING TIMES:
Lecture 9:30-10:20 T 100 Art Building
staff
Section A 11-11:50 TR 30 Mary Lyon
Newell
Section B 11-11:50 TR 36 Mary Lyon
Liu
Section C 11-11:50 WF 30 Mary Lyon Wolfe
Section D 11-11:50 WF 36 Mary Lyon Liu
Section E 3:00-3:50 WF 30 Mary Lyon Wolfe
Section F 3:00-3:50 WF 36 Mary Lyon Liu
Section G 1:00-1:50 TR 36 Mary Lyon
Newell
There are few ideas which have been more powerful in the development of the identity and personal self-image of individual men and women in American society than the idea of individual success. Indeed, as Moses Rischin observes: Perhaps nowhere else in the world has a seemingly materialistic cult been so uninhibitedly transformed into a transcendent ideal, into a veritable gospel that has been called a dream. According to popular imagination, success is the birthright, even the duty, of every American and, although there has been a long tradition of dissent from this common folklore, the idea that America is an open land where birth, family background, and social class do not stand in the way of individual success is a persistent and powerful belief. However accurate or inaccurate this belief may be, it continues to inform profoundly the way we view the world, understand ourselves, and judge ourselves and others as individuals in American society.
To appreciate the complexity of the success motive in American life, we will examine the individual in society through an examination of our American character and experience as these have been manifested in that most distinctively American myth - SUCCESS. We will examine, with the aid of the various social sciences, both the ideas and the realities of success in America together with the ideas proposed for achieving it. Beginning with the foundations of American culture in 17th Century Puritanism, we will trace the devolution of the idea of success from a God-centered and collective universe to a secular, humanistic, and individualistic one. In addition to examining the development of the traditional and popular view of success from the early years of the Republic to our present time, we will consider the voices of dissent which have been critical of this dominant white, and male tradition. Finally, we will examine the question of individualism and success in a contemporary critical perspective.
This interdisciplinary course draws on religious, economic, and social changes to understand historical trends in American culture's myth of success. It probes how socially- constructed roles have influenced attitudes towards that dominant myth of Blacks and women. It concludes with an examination of how social, economic, and political institutions as well as beliefs should be changed in the future to right the public/private imbalance and make success available to people other than white, middle-class males.
By the end of the semester, you should
1. Be more familiar with some of the content and method of the social sciences. This includes reasoning from data, interpreting quantitative information, and communicating results.
2. Be able to use those contents and methods to analyze, support, and challenge ideas proposed by authors, lecturers, and fellow students in this course.
3. Seek out and appreciate interdisciplinary connections among the areas explored in this course, and between this course and the other courses you are taking.
4. Be better prepared to understand empathically a variety of voices concerned with issues of achievement and success: scholarly, personal, and historical.
5. Improve your written and oral expression. Evaluation of your essays includes not only their content but how well you use standard English to express your ideas.
6. Improve your participation in group discussion. Participation includes listening as well as speaking. A valuable discussion relates the ideas of the participants, so be sure your contribution advances the group's line of reasoning.
1. A journal, with at least one 1-2 page entry per week, summarizing and responding to the week's readings 10%
2. 3-5 page paper due Monday, September 26 at 9 am in instructor's office 20%
3. Midterm exam (comprehensive), October 11 in lecture 20%
4. 3-5 page paper due Monday, November 14 at 9 am in instructor's office 20%
5. 5-7 page final essay (first draft) due December 5 at 9 a.m. in instructor's office ----
6. Take-home final exam (revised final essay) due at scheduled exam time 30%
You are expected to attend all lectures, seminars, and special presentations of this course. You are expected to prepare for these meetings by reading the assignments and noting questions and comments that will contribute to discussion. Attendance, preparation, and participation will be taken into account in assigning course grade.
Your journal will be collected periodically throughout the semester. You should think of it as a chronicle or log of changes in your views from your first to your final essay. It should document how each reading contributed to that shift. On the back page, keep a glossary of key terms from lectures or readings (e.g., Enlightenment, cultural hegemony, role)
Participation in the course evaluation process during the last lecture period of the semester is a requirement of the course.
Academic honesty:
Please read Part V, Section 501-507
of The Miami Student
Handbook. University policy applies to all aspects of this course.
Steinbeck, John. The Winter of Our Discontent.
Liu, Xuiwu, Bill Newell, and Chris Wolfe (eds.). Success Reader. Oxford Copy Shop: Oxford, OH, 1994.
Lemay, J. A. Leo & Zall, P. M.(eds.). Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. New York: W.W. Norton Co., 1986 (Norton Critical Edition).
Bellah, Robert, et al. Habits of the Heart. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985.
Aug. 23-26 Initial Reflections on Success First seminar: write and discuss in class a one-page essay on "what is included in my view of success and ways I would hope to achieve it." Put the last four digits of your SS# at the top of your essay. Discuss Steinbeck in second seminar. Steinbeck, John. The Winter of Our Discontent.
Aug. 29-Sept. 2 Salvation & Success: The Puritans John Winthrop, "A Model of Christian Charity" (R) Cotton Mather, "A Christian at His Calling" [discuss Steinbeck 1st seminar; Winthrop and Mather 2nd seminar]
Sept. 6-9 Individualism and the Secularization of Success Cayton, "The Early National Period" (R); Perry Miller, "Errand into the Wilderness" (R) Monday/Tuesday exchange day: no classes 9/6
Sept. 12-16 Benjamin Franklin Read first and second parts of Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography, pp. 1-76.
Sept. 20-23 Benjamin Franklin Complete Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography, pp. 77-146, 212- 228, Criticisms by Mark Twain, Frederick Jackson Turner, D. H. Lawrence, John William Ward, J. A. Leo Lemay
Sept. 26 WRITING ASSIGNMENT (due 9 am, instructor's office): In a format of your choice, construct a 3-5 page debate between Cotton Mather and Benjamin Franklin on the nature of success and the way to achieve it. Be sure to have them discuss the relationship of virtue to success, the role of the individual and the community, and the role of religion.
Sept. 27-30 The Ethics of Character and Mind Horatio Alger, Struggling Upward (excerpts) (R) Andrew Carnegie, The Road to Business Success (excerpts) (R) Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich (excerpts) (R) Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking (excerpts) (R) Stuart McConnell, "The Gilded Age, Populism, and the Era of Incorporation" (R)
Oct. 4-7 The Ethic of Personality and Corporate Culture Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People (excerpts) (R) Michael Maccoby, The Gamesman (excerpts) (R)
Oct. 11 MIDTERM EXAM (Taken in lecture. No discussion sections this week.)
Oct. 18-21 Materialist Explanations of Success and Attribution Theory Marvin Harris. Excerpts From Culture, People, Nature: (R) Charles L. Harper. Excerpts From Exploring Social Change (R) G. Weary, M. A. Stanley, and J. H. Harvey. Excerpts from Attribution (R)
(R) = included in the Reader
Oct. 24-28 Black Americans and Success: Historical context Quintard Taylor, "Postbellum African American Culture" (R) Frederick Douglass, "The Future of the Colored Race" (R) Booker T. Washington, "Atlanta Exposition Address" (R) W.E.B. DuBois, "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington" (R) Alain Locke, "The New Negro" (R) Marcus Garvey, "Principles of the U.N.I.A." (R)
Nov. 1-4 Black Present Visions and Realities Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have a Dream" (R) Malcolm X, Autobiography (excerpt) (R) Lois Benjamin, "The Color Line as Reality" (R) Jennifer Hochschild, "Equal Opportunity and the Estranged Poor" (R)
Nov. 8-11 The Success Ethic: Individual Choice or Social Programming? Berger, ch. 4 and 5 from Invitation to Sociology (R)
November 14 WRITING ASSIGNMENT Due 9 am (instructor's office). Apply a theoretical perspective from Berger or Harris to the historic experience with success of Black Americans.
Nov. 15-18 Women and Success: Historical Context Barbara Welter, "The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860" (R) Catherine Beecher, A Treatise on Domesticity (excerpts) (R) Belva Lockwood, "My Efforts to Become a Lawyer" (excerpts) (R)
Nov. 22-25 Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 28 - Dec. 2 Women and Success: Present Realities Margaret Foegen Karsten. From Management and Gender:(R) Linda Pinson and Jerry Jinnett. From The Woman Entrepreneur (R) Molly Martin. From Hard-Hatted Women. (R) Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, & Bronwen Godfrey.From Laurel's Kitchen (R)
Dec. 5 WRITING ASSIGNMENT (due 9 a.m. in instructor's office): The first draft of your final essay of 5-7 pages should reexamine your initial essay on your view of success explicitly in the light of at least one reading from each unit of the course.
Dec. 6-9 Contemporary Individualism Robert Bellah et al., Habits of the Heart, Chapters 1, 2, 6, 11
Finals week: The revision of your final essay is due at scheduled final exam time. The final draft will serve as your take-home final for the course.
John Winthrop. "A Model of Christian Charity." [1630] in Moses Rischin (ed.), The American Gospel of Success: Individualism and Beyond (Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1965), pp. 22-27.
Cotton Mather. "A Christian at His Calling" [1701] in Rischin, The American Gospel of Success: pp. 23-30.
Perry Miller. "Errand into the Wilderness." Errand into the Wilderness (Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1956)Ÿ p. 2- 15.
Andrew Cayton. "The Early National Period." in Cayton et. al. (eds.) The Encyclopedia of American Social History. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1993), pp. 87-104.
Horatio Alger. excerpts from Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck [1886] in Rischin, The American Gospel of Success: pp. 67-89.
Napoleon Hill. Think and Grow Rich (Meriden, CT: Fawcett, 1960), pp. 9-31.
Norman Vincent Peale. The Power of Positive Thinking (New York: Prentice-Hall, 1987 [1952]), pp. xviii-xv, 1-14, 84-100, 210-220
Andrew Carnegie. "The Road to Business Success." [1885]) in Rischin, The American Gospel of Success: pp. 91-97.
Stuart McConnell. "The Gilded Age, Populism, and the Era of Incorporation." in Cayton, The Encyclopedia of American Social History, pp. 157-172.
Dale Carnegie. How to Win Friends and Influence People. (New York: Pocket Books, 1940), pp. 12-39, 56-60.
Michael Maccoby. The Gamesman (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1976), pp. 43- 123.
Marvin Harris. From Culture, People, Nature: Introduction to General Anthropology (New York: Harper & Row, 1988), pp. 130-136.
Charles L. Harper. From Exploring Social Change (Edgewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1993), pp. 68-73.
G. Weary, M. A. Stanley, and J. H. Harvey. Exerpts from Attribution (New York: Springer-Verlag, 1989), pp. 3-6; 30-35.
Quintard Taylor. "Postbellum African American Culture" in Cayton, The Encyclopedia of American Social History, pp. 835-854.
Frederick Douglass. "The Future of the Colored Race," North American Review CXLII (May 1886), pp. 437-440.
Booker T. Washington. "Atlanta Exposition Address," Up From Slavery (New York: Doubleday, 1901 [1895]), pp. 218-225.
W.E.B. DuBois. "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington," The Souls of Black Folks (New York: 1903), pp. 240-252.
Alain Locke. The New Negro (New York: Athaneum, 1970 [1925]), pp. 1-16.
Marcus Garvey. "Principles of the U.N.I.A.," Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey (London: Cass, 1922), pp. 93-100.
Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream," speech delivered August 28, 1963
Malcolm X, Autobiography (New York: Grove Press, 1964), pp. 149-192
Lois Benjamin, The Black Elite: Facing the Color Line in the Twilight of the Twentieth Century. (Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1991), pp 1-43.
Jennifer L. Hochschild, "Equal Opportunity and the Estranged Poor." In Wilson (ed) Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science: "The Ghetto Underclass: Social Science Perspectives." v. 501 (January 1989), pp 143-155.
Peter Berger, ch. 4 "Man in Society" and 5 "Society in Man" from Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective (New York: Doubleday/Anchor, 1963), pp. 66-121.
Barbara Welter. "The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860" from Michael Gordon (ed.), The American Family in Socio-Historical Perspective (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1978), pp. 224-243.
Belva Lockwood. "A Determined Assault Upon the Bar." From "My Efforts to Become a Lawyer", Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, vol 87 (February 1888), pp 215-29.
Catherine Beecher. A Treatise on Domestic Economy (Boston: Marsh, Capen, Lyon, & Webb, 1841) pp 1-14.
Margaret Foegen Karsten. "Managerial Women: Yesterday and Today." From Management and Gender: Issues and Attitudes (Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 1994), pp. 9-25.
Linda Pinson and Jerry Jinnett. Sketches of selected women entrepreneurs. From The Woman Entrepreeneur: 33 Personal Stories of Success (Tustin, CA: Out of Your Mind.... and into the Marketplace, 1992), pp. 21-27; 29-34; 47-50; 51-56.
Molly Martin.Sketches of selected women in the trades. From Hard-Hatted Women: Stories of Struggle and Success in the Trades (Seattle, WA: Seal Press, 1988), pp. 45-54; 71-80; 171-175; 225-234;
Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, & Bronwen Godfrey. "The Keeper of the Keys" from Laurel's Kitchen. (Nilgiri Press, 1976 (Bantam), Petaluma, CA), pp. 38-50.