American Social Thought

Fall 2001

Marist College

Dr. Greg Moses

• Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey
   Following up on Robert Putnam's seminal study, Bowling Alone, this survey measures connection and participation between people in America.



• Crossroads: The American Studies Web
   Home Base for the American Studies Association
  
  
• Episteme Links
   A Philosophy Portal
  
  
• 49th Parallel: Journal of North American Studies
   Includes Web Reviews
  
  
• L.I.S.N.: League of Indigenous Sovereign Nations of the Western Hemisphere
   With a comprehensive review of principles and actions to secure human, political, and religious rights.
  
  

Course Description: In this course we will explore contemporary frontiers of American Social Thought in areas of nationality, religion, race, and family. Our first readings will consider recent meditations on Latin America, raising questions of cultural continuity and influence between Americas South and North. Next, we will focus on race, social identity, and related problems of justice. Our final set of readings will focus on family, with emphasis on gender.

Course Method: The fifteen-week semester will be divided into three parts. In each five-week section, we will read two books and write a paper. Daily work will consist of readings, short written responses, brief small-group discussions, followed by a forum where we will review main points and issues that arise. The process is designed to sustain an exploratory attitude toward materials, inviting students to participate in critical reconstruction of meanings suggested by our texts.

Outcomes: By the end of the course, students should be able to discuss the cultural lifeworld of America, with awareness of ways in which nationality, gender, race, and family pose challenges and opportunities for human development. Participation, papers, and portfolios will provide regular opportunities to assess student development.

Required Texts (in order of use):

• Silvana Paternostro. In the Land of God and Man: A Latin Woman's Journey. New York: Plume, 1998.



• Jeannette Rodriguez. Our Lady of Guadalupe: Faith and Empowerment among Mexican-American Women. Austin: U of Tx, 1994.



• Ruth Frankenberg. White Women, Race Matters: The Social Construction of Whiteness. Minneapolis: U of Mn, 1993.



• Iris Marion Young. Jutice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton: Princeton U, 1990.



• Patrice DiQuinzio. The Impossibility of Motherhood: Feminism, Individualism, and the Problem of Mothering. New York: Routledge, 1999.



• Martha Alberton Fineman. Neutered Mother, Sexual Family, and other Twentieth Century Tragedies. New York: Routledge, 1995.

Course Requirements: The following areas each count for 25 percent of the final grade:

• Portfolio and participation.



• Paper One: On the Environment of Cultural Values in the Americas.



• Paper Two: On Racialized Identities and Problems of Justice in the USA



• Final Paper: On Family and Assumptions of Gender in the USA

Portfolio and Participation: Brief written preparations are due in class at the beginning of class. Grade penalties apply whenever students or preparations fail to appear on time. For instance, any preparation submitted via mailbox will be marked with a penalty. At the end of the course, students will be asked to submit portfolios of their daily preparations. Grades for these portfolios will be based upon completeness of collection, thoroughness of preparations, and responsiveness to assessments.

Attendance Policy: More than two unexcused absences will result in penalty of one full letter from the final grade. More than three unexcused absences will result in penalty of two full letter grades. More than four unexcused absences and the instructor reserves the right to issue a failing grade for the course. A documented excuse will be accepted within ten days of an absence.

Weather: We will miss class for weather only if the college announces a closing. Please call the college weather line.

Schedule of inquiry:

Contact Information
Office: 322 Fontaine
Phone: x2217
Email: greg.moses@marist.edu
WWW. gregmoses.net