Faculty First Year Seminars 197POL19 - American Ideologies and Public
Fall
2016
01
1.00
Justin Gross
TU 1:00PM 1:50PM
UMass Amherst
81214
The United States is today ideologically polarized. Yet our political differences are not primarily partisan ones?indeed, more Americans now consider themselves
independents than either Democrats or Republicans?but rather differences in values, beliefs, and even perceptions of reality.
We examine the history of U.S. popular political thought during the 20th century (with brief glances at earlier roots) and then trace the ramifications of previous ideological conflicts to those of today. What does it mean to be ?conservative? or ?liberal? in the American context, how did these broad world views evolve in unexpected ways from earlier philosophies of the same names,
and how have modern conservatism and liberalism come to be associated at times with certain parties and policies? Of particular
interest will be the identification of sub-ideologies on the right and left, the liberalisms and conservatisms (and more radical visions) that sometimes coalesce and sometimes fragment.
independents than either Democrats or Republicans?but rather differences in values, beliefs, and even perceptions of reality.
We examine the history of U.S. popular political thought during the 20th century (with brief glances at earlier roots) and then trace the ramifications of previous ideological conflicts to those of today. What does it mean to be ?conservative? or ?liberal? in the American context, how did these broad world views evolve in unexpected ways from earlier philosophies of the same names,
and how have modern conservatism and liberalism come to be associated at times with certain parties and policies? Of particular
interest will be the identification of sub-ideologies on the right and left, the liberalisms and conservatisms (and more radical visions) that sometimes coalesce and sometimes fragment.
Freshmen Only