History Lecture Shocks Students

Students expecting a survey of Napoleon and the Industrial Revolution were surprised to find sex the topic of the first History 10b lecture yesterday.

According to several students who shopped 10b, "Western Societies, Politics, and Cultures: From 1650 to the Present," Goelet Professor of French History Patrice L. Higonnet '58 discussed gender roles and sexuality and showed explicit slides of historical drawings of genitalia in the class.

Students said that they expected 10b to be a traditional survey of western history and several were surprised by the content of the unusual lecture. "It wasn't what I expected at all," said Polly C. Langendorf '97.

Robert S. Sanders '97 said that the lecture was "strange, different from what [he] expected."

He said he felt that the lecture reflected an "extreme point of view" and that the course promised not to be a "standard history course."

Higonnet, however, said that he had not set out to teach a survey of events, dates and names, but rather "the origin, development and decline of the ways that people thought about life, history and politics from the middle of the seventeenth century to our own century."

Higonnet said that he had not meant to shock his audience. "I went out of my way not to offend anybody."

"I meant for the lecture to be surprising," said Higonnet. "My idea was not to shock, my idea was to make people understand that their lives, and historical lives, are constantly being reinterpreted."

Higonnet said that he teaches history in terms of "constructs"-- objects or institutions toward which society's view change with time.

"We think of bodies as things, but they're not things, they're constructs," explained Higonnet. "I think history should be about the way that people interpreted their lives."

Higonnet said that he hopes to inspire a new interest in history by moving away from traditional methods of teaching in his classes. "This antique way of dealing with history just doesn't appeal to people, it has no relevance to their lives."

"I really have a missionary feeling for this course," he said. "I think it's very important for people to think of history differently."

Professor of History James Hankins, the head tutor in the department, said that he was "not surprised" to hear of Higonnet's approach.

Higonnet was "trying to do some- thing original and interesting," Hankins said.His is "a very good way to approach history."

Lea Professor of Medieval History Thomas N.Bisson, who chairs the department, also defendedHigonnet's innovative teaching style.

"He's a very respected, very serious andimaginative member of the department," Bissonsaid.

"I don't think [Higonnet is] asking too much byasking people to think in a different way," saidKevin C. Murphy '97, who shopped the course.

"He did a good job of picking a more extremeexample of this 'constructs' idea so people coulddecide whether they wanted the class or not."

Higonnet said that yesterday's lecture is themost extreme he plans to give.

Other topics on which he plans to speak arealcoholism and disease

Lea Professor of Medieval History Thomas N.Bisson, who chairs the department, also defendedHigonnet's innovative teaching style.

"He's a very respected, very serious andimaginative member of the department," Bissonsaid.

"I don't think [Higonnet is] asking too much byasking people to think in a different way," saidKevin C. Murphy '97, who shopped the course.

"He did a good job of picking a more extremeexample of this 'constructs' idea so people coulddecide whether they wanted the class or not."

Higonnet said that yesterday's lecture is themost extreme he plans to give.

Other topics on which he plans to speak arealcoholism and disease