Required Books:

Core 102 Faculty, compilers, The Idea of Democracy NY: McGraw-Hill, 2000

Thomas H. Greer and Gavin Lewis, A Brief History of the Western World, 7th edition (Harcourt, Brace, 1997)
 

Mid-term exam (30%)

Final exam (30%)

Reading Response papers (2 at 15% each)

Attendance/participation/tweak factor (10%)

March 29 or 30  (depending on section)

May 15

#1 March 1 or March 2 (depending on section)
#2 May 15
 

I can start by introducing myself, I guess. I'm Mike Swanson of the American Studies and History programs in the Feinstein College of Arts and Sciences. My background is cultural history. I took my Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio, majoring in American Studies. I began here in the American Studies program in 1972 (wow, that's a long time).. I've always had an interest in material culture (the study of things people make) as well as intellectual history, and that interest took me into the historic preservation field about twenty years ago. I proposed the first Historic Preservation major here, and I expect to continue teaching in it from time to time, though I returned to my roots here in the College of Arts and Sciences this past fall.

The Core Program at Roger Williams College centers on three recurring questions in Western thought: "Who am I?", "What can I know?, and "Based on what I know, how should I act?". No single academic experience can provide satisfactory answers to these questions: five of them, working in concert, at least introduce the perspectives which traditionally have provided tentative answers to these questions. Core 102 uses the disciplines of History and Political Science to look at socio/political answers to the question "Who am I?", the methodology of history and political science to explore "what can I know?", and at the results of behavior based on former answers to these questions to suggest avenues of responsible action in today's society.
 

The course description gives an insight into the content of Core 102. It is more opaque concerning the rationale for a Core Curriculum in the first place. There was a time when the idea of a Core Curriculum would have made no sense: not because the idea seemed ridiculous, but because there was within the western world, at least, a universal agreement concerning what constituted a fit education. Throughout most of the periods we're studying, this was the case. Though the content varied across time, the categories of content proved remarkably stable. It wasn't until a little over a century ago that the idea of "electives" was put forth in academic circles. The culprit was a President of Harvard University. 

    A decade or two before, the idea of specialties began not as an undergraduate mode of investigation, but as what one did in graduate school. Here, the first American venture was based on a German model, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore was the grand innovator. Now, of course, specialty education is shattering the cohesion of what Thomas Jefferson called the "Academical Village".   Perhaps that's a bit too strong: "threatening to shatter" might be a more appropriate turn of phrase. Core Curricula such as the one at Roger Williams University are responses  to this sense of fragmentation. We are participating in an attempt to forge a universal educational experience for all members of the Roger Williams student community, regardless of major, regardless of age, regardless of the majors they take or the schools in which those majors are located. This might be a brilliant exercise: it might also be a noble folly. I have the kind of mind which can hold both of these views simultaneously. It is worth the effort, in my judgment, to bring this diverse group into a common enterprise. 

I'm planning to have a good time doing it. I'm also planning to continue to develop a class website for Core 102.  At this stage of its development, the internet is perhaps the most democratic medium ever invented. It is certainly the most potent educator since the invention of moveable type. I make that statement fully recognizing we've a few other means of disseminating information which have been invented since Gutenberg's day: movies, radio, television, to name the big three. Yet none of these allows the level of public access that the internet does. You'll be required to drop by to check weekly: http://core102.homestead.com is the URL. There, I've uploaded a version of the "cover sheet" which all the faculty distribute, and copies of the statements on writing expectations and plagiarism. The required readings are listed there as well, and each has a link to an internet resource. Notes on each week's reading and discussion activities will also be found there. These will develop as the semester progresses. 

The work ahead.

Shortly I will distribute paper version of the semester calendar with the principal readings for the semester. I have prepared an original draft of it for the internet, and you can reach it by clicking here. The common core readings are those which all of us agree are important enough to merit being included in the final examination you'll take at the semester's end. I will be supplementing those readings with others which reflect some of my own personal interests. Some of these will be handouts, and some will be internet sources. Generally  once a week, I'll prepare a week's mini-syllabus like this one, with notes concerning the ideas and issues under discussion in the week coming. These will be posted on the Internet.  If you want a hard copy print  it from there.

Attendance Policy

I don't take attendance as a regular course of events. I will read the roll over often the first few sessions so that I can begin to put faces with names. I reserve the right to change course in mid-stream, assigning new material or revising the sequence of thing on the spur of the moment. If you miss a class you may miss the turn. See me or look on the internet for the latest information.

Get to Know You Assignment

I've used this handout to introduce myself to you. I want you to return the compliment with a 1 page typed paper, due the class period after this handout reaches your attention. The topic: one word. Democracy. No further instructions...just give me a sense of who you are, what you think, and how you write. I won't grade this, but I may put a smiley face on it, if you're into smiley faces.