Topics
in American History:
The
History of Philanthropy in the United States
Indiana
University/Purdue University, Indianapolis
History
A421 (C341) and H511 (C364) - 3 credits
Spring
2002, Wednesdays, 5:45pm to 8:25pm
Cavanaugh
Hall 215
Dr.
Nancy M. Robertson Office:
Cavanaugh Hall 504N
Office
Hours: Tuesdays, 11:00-12:00 phone/voice
mail: 274-8017
Wednesdays, 4:00-5:00 fax: 278-7800
or by appt. e-mail
address: nmrobert@iupui.edu
Course
Description:
Rather
than attempt a comprehensive account of the history of philanthropy in the
American context, this course will focus on debates over wealth and poverty as
a way to explore issues in U.S. history ranging from the relation between
government and the economy to the role of women or the situation of African
Americans. These issues were debated
not only in the past, but also by present-day writers who seek to analyze the
past in order to understand the present and shape the future. Many of today’s political and economic
debates focus on the relation between the wealth of individuals and the wealth
of the country as well as the question of who deserves what. An underlying theme of the course is that it
is useful to see philanthropy as a social relation between various groups of
people who have differing, and at times, competing goals. While I have divided the material more or
less chronologically, I have also selected material to reflect specific themes
(suggested in the session titles).
Although
there will be some lecture to provide (historical) background, classes will
largely be discussion. Students should
come prepared to talk about the issues raised by the readings, their own
research and writing, and their understanding of their colleagues’ projects
(and lectures, when applicable).
Students will develop, research, and write an original work utilizing
both primary and secondary materials.
In addition, as part of being colleagues, students will exchange work
with classmates for peer review.
Course
Objectives:
By
analyzing the historical context for events, activities, social change people,
etc. in the past, students will improve their ability to reflect on the context
for the present. Examining similarities
and differences between the past and present assists students in understanding
the contingency of what is happening now and what they will face in the future.
Lectures,
discussions, and written assignments are designed to help students learn how to
analyze documents from the past, take a position on a historical question, use
evidence to support it, and express their insights to others. Particular attention will be paid to
analyzing the underlying values of the actions and language used to describe or
promote those actions. Gaining these abilities
helps not only in understanding American history and the role of philanthropy
(broadly defined) in that history, but also in improving critical thinking and
communication skills essential to doing well both in school and in the future. A goal of this course is to assist students
in developing their analytical and writing skills. In addition, the peer paper critiques, will demonstrate the
student’s ability to constructively assist colleagues in improving their work
These
course objectives relate to the “Principles of Undergraduate Learning”
developed to identify what all IUPUI undergraduate students are expected to
have mastered by graduation. You can
find more about the Principles at:
http://www.iupui.edu/~history/principlesundergradlearning.htm
Books
to buy:
" Louisa May Alcott, Work: A Story of Experience (Boston: Robert Brothers: 1873; New
York: Penguin Books, 1994); other editions are also acceptable.
" Jacob A. Riis, How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York
(New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1890; New York: Dover, 1971); other
editions do not have as good photographs.
" Walter I. Trattner, From Poor Law to Welfare State: A History of
Social Welfare in America, 6th ed. (New York: Free Press, 1999)
[referred to as Trattner].
" Anzia Yezierska, Arrogant Beggar (Durham: Duke University Press, 1996).
Optional
" Robert H. Bremner, American Philanthropy, 2nd ed. (Chicago: University of
Chicago, 1988)
Books
on reserve:
" Robert H. Bremner, American Philanthropy, 2nd ed. (Chicago: University of
Chicago, 1988).
" James West Davidson, et al., eds. Nation of Nations: a Narrative History of the American Republic, 3rd ed. (New York: McGraw
Hill, 1998).
" George M. Fredrickson, The Inner Civil War: Northern Intellectuals
and the Crisis of the Union (New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1965).
" David J. Rothman, The Discovery of the Asylum: Social Order and Disorder in the New
Republic, rev. ed. (Boston: Little Brown, 1990).
" Raymond Williams, Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, rev. ed. (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1985).
" others as announced.
Course
Requirements:
I
will hand out longer descriptions of each of the written assignments, but below
you will find a brief overview of them.
I
will be running this class essentially as a colloquium which means that a
substantial percentage of your grade is based on class participation. Please note that participation means not
just speaking. It means being prepared
and contributing thoughtful ideas or arguments or questions. Completion of reading by the assigned date,
attendance at class meetings, pass/fail assignments, ungraded written
assignments in class, and participation in class discussions will count toward 20% of your final grade. You are allowed one absence in the course of
the semester; more than this will affect this portion of your grade. If you do have to miss a class (excused or
otherwise), you need to find out from a classmate what was covered during the class
and you should check ONCOURSE for any handouts or revisions in
assignments. You will also need to
submit a 3-4 page paper identifying critical points in that week’s reading and
suggesting how the material speaks to earlier weeks in supporting or challenging
ways (this paper will be graded on an “outstanding,” “satisfactory,” or
“unsatisfactory” basis).
Beginning
the week of February 6th and
until April 10th, class discussions will be led by students (2-3
per class) who will do additional readings, raise questions (ahead of time) for
the rest of the class to think about, and make a brief presentation. You need to speak with me at least one week
before to plan for this and you should talk amongst yourselves beforehand. Please suggest three topics (or weeks) that
you would be interested in leading by Monday, January 14th so I can
develop a schedule to hand out on the 16th (5% of your final grade).
One
paper, 4-5 page (i.e., 1000 to 1250 words), where you develop a question and expand
on your class presentation. It will be
due the week following your class presentation (15% of your final grade).
One
5-page (i.e., 1250 words) analytical paper on one of the key terms on the class
list. This will be due March 20th (20% of final grade). See
Raymond Williams and Fraser & Gordon as a starting point, but we will
discuss this more.
A
2-page analysis of current solicitation or advertisement due April 17th (with copies for
the whole class). These will be
discussed on April 24th. I strongly encourage you to keep an eye out
for good candidates to write on (10% of
your final grade).
Final
paper, 15-20 pages, due Wednesday, May 1st. The topic needs to be approved ahead of
time, with a list of primary and secondary sources given to me. A draft
will be due April 3rd,
for critique by classmates (and you, obviously, will give a critique to some of
your colleagues). In addition there
will be opportunities to present your project to the class. In addition to the paper, graduate students taking
the class will include an annotated bibliography of secondary literature
related to the topic. (All told, these
steps with constitute 30% of final grade.)
Grading
Policies:
Class
discussions will go better and be more interesting and useful if students keep
up with the reading (indicated on the schedule below for each class). I expect you to meet due dates for written
assignments. If you have a problem,
please talk with me BEFORE the deadline.
Unless we have reached an alternate agreement, late papers will be
marked down a 1/3 of a letter grade for each day they are late. That is: a paper that would have been an A,
will be an A- if it is one day late and a C- if it is 7 days late, etc. (Days means days of the week, not class
sessions).
I
cannot stress too heavily the usefulness of planning ahead, saving work on your
computer OFTEN, making backups, and printing out your paper early. A goal of this course is to assist students
in developing their analytical and writing skills. That means I count improvement in your work. If you want to rewrite an assignment, you
MUST speak with me first. You must also
hand in the original version when you submit the rewrite.
Developing
your intellectual skills is possible only when you actually do the work
assigned. We will have a longer
discussion of intellectual work, academic integrity, and plagiarism. Plagiarism and cheating will result in an
“F” for the work in question and possible disciplinary action by the
University. The University’s policy on plagiarism,
as stated in the IUPUI Campus Bulletin,
2000-2002 (p.36) is:
A student must not adopt or reproduce
ideas, words, or statements of another person without an appropriate
acknowledgment. A student must give due
credit to the originality of others and acknowledge an indebtedness whenever he
or she does any of the following:
a.
Quotes another person’s actual words, either oral or written;
b.
Paraphrases another person’s words, either oral or written;
c.
Uses another person’s idea opinion, or theory; or
d.
Borrows facts, statistics, or other material, unless that information is
common knowledge.
For more
information, you can find the IUPUI
Student Code of Conduct on line at:
http://life.iupui.edu/dos/code.htm
You
may also talk with me if you have questions about what is or is not
permissible.
A
grade of “incomplete” is troublesome for everyone. The University’s policy is that they are only for students who
have completed 75% of the course requirements and have been prevented by
significant or unanticipated circumstances from finishing them.
Logistics:
Information
for this class will be posted on ONCOURSE.
I have included all students on the ONCOURSE roster for H511 so everyone
is in one place. This will include
announcements to the class, changes in the syllabus or due dates, some
handouts, e-mail, etc. I expect that all students in this class
will access ONCOURSE regularly. Generally, I will post materials for class by 7 pm the preceding
Friday.
I
encourage you to set your ONCOURSE options to let you know when you have
ONCOURSE mail.
As
you may know, you are entitled to an e-mail account through IUPUI. I realize that many of you prefer to use
another provider for e-mail and web work.
The University encourages you to set up your IUPUI account to forward
information to your other accounts. It
means that you can easily access information from the University. If you need help setting up the account or
forwarding mail, contact:
http://iupui-accts.iupui.edu/students/student.html
There is a University web page that
will let you know if the campus is closed for snow:
http://registrar.iupui.edu/adverseweather.html
You
can also call: 317/278-1600
The
Dean’s Office has advised me to warn students that “ultimately, they are
responsible for activity on their computer accounts.” Be so advised.
SCHEDULE OF CLASS MEETINGS
If there are revisions in the
syllabus [or handouts], they will be given out in class and posted on
ONCOURSE. It is your responsibility to
keep track of the changes, especially when you miss a class. With the exception of those noted below, the
articles will be on ERROL, the Library’s electronic reserve system.
January 9: INTRODUCTION
Bertolt
Brecht, “A Worker Reads History” [handout]
Florence
Miller, “Open Letter to Salman Rushdie” (1992) [handout]
List
of Terms [handout]
January 16: BACKGROUND, FRAMEWORKS, TERMS,
and RESOURCES
LIBRARY and ARCHIVES VISIT–meet at the
Philanthropic Studies Library behind the circulation desk in the Library.
The Challenge: Merle Curti, “American Philanthropy and
the National Character” (1958) [J-STOR]
Bremner, Editor’s Preface and Introduction
(optional, but advised)
Bremner,
“Important Dates” (required–use as resource during semester)
Trattner,
prefaces (read in chronological order: 1973-1998)
John D.
Rockefeller, 3rd, “The Third Sector” (1978)
Peter
Dobkin Hall, “A Historical Overview of the Private Nonprofit Sector” (1987)
Nancy Fraser
and Linda Gordon, “A Genealogy of Dependency”
(1994)
Aphorisms, definitions, quotations on terms due
(electronically and in hard copy).
January 23: WHO IS THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT DO WE OWE TO EACH OTHER?
Trattner,
Chapters 1-3
Bremner, Chapters 1-2 (optional, but
advised)
The
Seal of the Massachusetts Bay Company (1629)
John
Winthrop, “A Modell of Christian Charity” (1630)
Cotton
Mather, Magnalia Christi Americana (1702)
[excerpts]
Cotton
Mather, Bonifacius: An Essay upon the
Good (1710) [excerpts]
Benjamin
Franklin, “The Way to Wealth” (1758)
January 30: SOCIAL REFORM: SOCIAL JUSTICE, SOCIAL ORDER, SOCIAL
CONTROL?
Trattner,
Chapter 4
Bremner, Chapters 3-4 (optional, but advised)
Alexis
de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
(1835/1840) [excerpts]
Ralph
Waldo Emerson, “Man the Reformer” (1841)
Dorothea
Dix, editorials, The Indiana State
Journal (1847)
David J.
Rothman, The Discovery of the Asylum:
Chapters 3- 4 (1971 or 1990), required; “Introduction to the 1990 Edition” (optional)
February 6: RICH MAN’S WAR, POOR MAN’S
FIGHT, WOMAN’S WORK
Trattner,
Chapter 5
Bremner, Chapter 5 (optional, but advised)
Louisa
May Alcott, Work (1873)
George
Fredrickson, “The Sanitary Elite: The Organized Response to Suffering” in his The Inner Civil War (1965) [book is on
RESERVE]
Mary
P. Ryan, “The Power of Women’s Networks” (1979)
Lori
Ginzberg, “Moral Suasion is Moral Balderdash” (1986) J-STOR
February 13: THE QUESTION OF WEALTH:
CHARITY or JUSTICE?
Bremner,
Chapters 6-7 [REQUIRED]
Andrew
Carnegie, “Wealth” and “The Best Fields for Philanthropy” (1889)
William
Jewett Tucker, “The Gospel of Wealth” (1891)
A
Workman, “The Workingman’s Prayer” (1894)
Five
Cartoons (1892, 1892, 1905, 1913, 1914)
Mary Harris
[Mother] Jones, “In Rockefeller’s Prisons” and “You Don’t Need a Vote to Raise
Hell” (1925)
Reread
Brecht, “A Worker Reads History”
February 20: THE CHALLENGE OF THE CITY
Trattner,
Chapter 7
Jacob
Riis, How the Other Half Lives (1890)
[excerpts]
William
L. Riordon, ed., Plunkett of Tammany Hall
(1905) [excerpts]
Sharlene
Hesse-Biber, “The Ethnic Ghetto as Private Welfare” (1979)
Gail
Bederman, “The Women Have Had Charge of the Church Work Long Enough” (1989)
J-STOR.
Joel
Schwartz, “The Moral Environment of the Poor” (1991)
February 27: WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?
Trattner,
Chapter 8
Jane
Addams, “The Subjective Necessity for Social Settlements” (1893)
Anzia
Yezierska, Arrogant Beggar
(1927/1996)
Nancy
B. Sinkoff, “Educating for ‘Proper” Jewish Womanhood” (1988)
March 6: LIFTING AS WE CLIMB
J.E.
MacBrady, ed., A New Negro for a New
Century: title page (1900).
Booker
T. Washington, “Afro-American Education” (1900)
David
W. Adams, “Philanthropists, Progressives, and Southern Black Education” (1983)
Fannie
B. Williams, “The Club Movement Among Colored Women of America” (1900)
Darlene
Clark Hine, “We Specialize in the Wholly Impossible” (1990)
Stephanie
J. Shaw, “Black Women and the Creation of the NACW” (1991)
March 13: SPRING BREAK - no class
March 20: THE SEARCH FOR ORDER
Trattner,
Chapters 10-12
Bremner, Chapter 8 (optional, but advised)
I.M.
Rubinow, “Can Private Philanthropy Do It?” (1929)
Ellis
W. Hawley, “Herbert Hoover” (1974) J-STOR
Barry
Karl & Stanley Katz, “The American Private Philanthropic Foundation” (1981)
Keyword paper due.
March 27: A NEW DEAL FOR WHOM?
Trattner,
Chapter 13
Bremner, Chapter 9 (optional, but
advised)
Linda Gordon,
“Social Insurance and Public Assistance” (1992)
J-STOR
April 3: FOUNDATIONS AND SOCIAL CHANGE
Gunnar Myrdal,
An American Dilemma (1944/1962)
[excerpts]
Walter A.
Jackson, “The Making of a Social Science Classic” (1985)
Donald Fisher,
“The Role of Philanthropic Foundations” (1983)
Martin Bulmer,
“Philanthropic Foundations: a reply to Donald Fisher” (1984)
Draft of paper due (multiple copies for
your peer group).
April 10: THE AFFLUENT SOCIETY “MOVING TOWARD TWO SOCIETIES”
Trattner,
Chapter 14
Bremner, Chapters 10-11 (optional,
but advised)
Saul
D. Alinsky, “Community Analysis and Organization” (1941) J-STOR
Dwight
Macdonald, “Our Invisible Poor” (1963)
Alice
O’Connor, “Neither Charity nor Relief” (1998)
Discussion of drafts (critiques due).
April 17: THE WAR ON WELFARE and THE CONTRACT ON AMERICA
Trattner,
Chapters 15-16
Bremner, Chapter 12-13 (optional,
but advised)
Contract With America (1994) [excerpts]
Analysis of current charity/foundation/voluntary association
solicitation due (copy for all class members).
Presentations of your research paper.
April 24: WILL WE HAVE THE POOR ALWAYS WITH US?
Trattner,
Chapter 17
Theresa Funicello,
“The Poverty Industry” (1990)
Allan
Sloan, “The New Rich” [and sidebars] (1997)
reread Fraser
and Gordon, “A Genealogy of Dependency”
(1994)
Discussion of solicitation analysis.
Presentations of your research paper.
May 1: FINAL PAPER DUE.