Social Relations 148

(The following is a statement by the staff of Soc Rel 148.)

Background

Soc Rel 148 is a course that intends to discuss "social change in America." By that, we mean to investigate the obstacles to the solution of America's major political, social and economic problems.

The course grew out of another course, "Critiques of American Society," organized by a group of Harvard undergraduates under the auspices of Noam Chomsky in the spring of 1968. Students from the "Critiques" course, joined by other undergraduates, graduate students, some students from other schools and a former student, and Assistant Professor Thomas Cottle planned the essentials of Soc Rel 148 during the summer.

Intensive discussions were held as to the content of the course, how it would be run, and what the goals of the course would be. The group held meetings which were intended to be "samples" of typical section meetings; the group discussed and criticized them to determine the flows of discussion that might take place.

Through the summer, many ideas for the content and organization of the course were forwarded, and only after long discussion were any final decisions reached. A great deal of reading was done by members of the seminar to filter through and select the appropriate list of books and articles.

Concurrently, discussions were held and decisions made about who would speak before the class and in what context. We developed a philosophy of teaching which emphasized the need for intensive discussion, a description of the course as we finally conceived it.

Overall Structure

The course is divided into four sections: Race, Imperialism, Labor, and Theory. Each section will begin with two speakers followed by a series of section meetings. The speakers will raise important issues, and the sections will discover that it disagrees with certain ideas, is uncertain about others, and is in confusion about yet others. At the end of each section, the group will refer to the reading lists and select a unit of readings to clarify the dispute and motivate further discussion. The class will do the readings and then return to the seminar to re-evaluate the old discussion and push it further into new areas and problems.

This process will continue throughout each of the sections of the course. The discussions will motivate the reading which will motivate further discussions; this will end with a new set of speakers and a new topic.

The course was designed to bring students into interaction around what we feel to be the major issues confronting American society. Naturally everyone has a different conception of what these problems are, and from that flows a different conception of how they should be solved.

We want all these positions to be aired in the course. We feel the course cannot succeed unless they are. We feel it is only by open and complete dialogue among people with different positions that any real learning and understanding can result.

Course Content

Naturally, the course reflects the political and intellectual perspectives of the course organizers, many of whom are members of Students for a Democratic Society and thus can safely be described as "radicals." Throughout the planning of the course this was a major consideration and we never doubted that the course would reflect our politics. Nor have we tried to alter this. There are two principal reasons for this:

* It is our perception that radical ideas are not fully or articulately represented in the current Harvard curriculum. We feel this is wrong, and in part this course is meant to alter (or mitigate) this imbalance. We believe that it is crucial for students to understand and confront radical ideas about American society in any case, but because we consider ourselves radicals, we feel that when they do understand these ideas, they will see their validity.

Students do not accept ideas uncritically. They do and will listen to many points of view and want to reach an understanding of them with which they are intellectually and personally comfortable. Thus, while we feel it essential to present them with radical ideas, we also feel that they will respond to these ideas critically.

* We hold that there is no course--especially in the social sciences--which does not reflect a political bias. In most instances, this bias is masked (usually unintentionally), but not removed, through the introduction of uncritically accepted assumptions.

In our case we hope to make our position as clear as possible from the outset both by the stated positions of the section men and by the readings. Our aim is to stimulate the students to a critical evaluation of the radical position both in its faithfulness to the evidence and its explanatory power.

Therefore, we do not deem it necessary to introduce other intellectual assumptions simply because they are different from our own, though such positions will be examined as alternatives whenever they may become relevant to the discussions.

Speakers

All the speakers for this course are radicals, and almost all of them are activists. The main reason for this selection lies in our feeling that these ideas are not adequately represented in the persent university curriculum (mentioned above). Within that framework we used three criteria to decide who the actual speakers would be:

* We wanted to bring in speakers who would forcefully raise issues. Translated into concrete terms, we wanted exciting speakers. Many lectures are not heard because they are dull. We want our lectures to be heard, so we have selected speakers who are not dull.

* We chose speakers who can convey information which is not available in written form. In almost every instance, where we felt that the same idea appeared in print, we eliminated nominees for speakers on the basis that the written material could be provided.

* We wanted our speakers to generate discussion about the difficulties encountered in changing American society; therefore, we selected people who we felt were actively involved in attempting to change important wrongs in America.

Discussion Sections

The heart of this course is in the discussion sections. In preparing the course, we paid most careful attention to developing productive methods of leading discussion. If these discussions are to be successful, students will be motivated to read and think further about issues raised. The success of the course therefore depends on the section leaders responding to the interests and ideas expressed by the students.

Students will, in large part, determine what topics are discussed and how they will be examined. The section leader will, of course, try to direct the discussion toward important issues, but the interests of the students will define the areas within which he can direct their discussions. Similarly, readings and other assignments will be selected to provide evidence and arguments relevant to the issues raised in section.

Obviously, the role of the section leader is by no means a passive one. The section leader must constantly be aware of the questions underlying the discussion. When disputes arise, he must clarify positions and pose questions. In general, he must be able to direct the discussion so that useful questions are investigated and the relevant information and concepts brought out.

The section leader's task is difficult and delicate. He must guide, but not dictate; he must keep the discussion coherent and focussed, but not at the expense of the interest of the students. We have worked out two important aids for this course: a teachers' manual and section man's seminars.

The Teachers' Manual

During the summer and after long discussion, a manual for teachers has been prepared to aid the section men in generating and directing discussion. During the semester the manual will be expanded and revised as our experience in section confirms some ideas and disproves others.

Basically, the manual is a catalogue of techniques which can be used to start discussion, keep it coherent, and guide it to fruitful conclusion. At the same time, it points to sources of section-man domination, reviews the basic concepts of the course, and describes the attitudes the section man must deal with in himself and others.

The Section Man's Seminar

Every Friday, for two hours, the section man will meet with Professor Cottle to discuss the class in terms of substance, administration, and teaching. These meetings will help section men bring all the resources of the group to bear upon intellectual or teaching problems as they arise. Such problems will be discussed and evaluated, and the combined experience of the group should go far in aiding the solution of problems, in revising techniques which were used, and heightening the sensitivity of the section men to their causes.

For example, a problem we feel certain to arise is that of the domination of discussion by one point of view. Already, we have begun to discuss how to break this "consensus" by pointing to the unspoken and unconscious assumptions of such a situation. When one point of view dominates, those who do not hold it become disinterested and silent. If the course is to be meaningful, then all points of view must be expressed. Therefore, when such a situation arises, the section man must take positive action to break it up.

This, and other problems, will continue to be discussed in the section man's seminar. We have great hope that the seminar will be an important aid in giving the students a course which will be interesting and useful. We would like, in fact, to invite all students to come to the meetings of