History Department Contemplates its "Intellectual" Future

For the past several decades, Trumbull Professor of American History Donald H. Fleming has shepherded Harvard's instruction in intellectual history.

In the publish-or-perish world of academe, he is a bit of an iconoclast. Since being tenured at Harvard in 1959, Fleming has been less than prolific in his scholarship. And yet, he has remained in the classroom, teaching students nearly every year.

Most recently, in addition to graduate seminars, he taught Harvard's only course in modern European intellectual history. But Fleming,

took ill earlier this year and will retire later this spring.

"Donald was a stalwart of intellectual history for many years, and a big draw as a lecturer," says James Hankins, professor of history and a specialist in the Renaissance.

Fleming's departure from teaching was not unexpected. This year, he is 76 years old. For a while now, the department has sought to beef up its courses in intellectual history.

And newly hired Professor of History James Kloppenberg, a superstar scholar hired last year from Brandeis, may be intellectual history's anchor, according to other professors in the department.

Fleming's Flame Still Burns

Fleming may not be teaching but his presence can still be felt in Robinson Hall.

William C. Kirby, chair of the history department, says that Fleming's courses were both well-known and well-liked by students.

"He has been a powerful voice in intellectual history and in the history of science ever since his appointment to

Harvard over forty years ago," Kirby says. "In his famous undergraduate lecture courses, he has taught many thousands of Harvard students; and he is the only colleague whom I know whose lectures were received with daily

applause."

The historians of tomorrow benefited from Fleming's tutelage. He oversaw many dissertations in history, the history of science and American civilization.

Far from isolating his study and pedagogy to European thought, colleagues say Fleming sought ways to bridge American intellectual currents with those on the continent.

"He was a splendid lecturer and had big enrollments," Hankins says. "He did both American and European intellectual history and that was really his great strength. He was able to bring the two together in a way that few people could."

Hankins also cites the humor in Fleming's lectures as an element that is hard to replace.

"He was a splendid lecturer and stand up comic and all that one needs to be to succeed as a professor," he says.

"In short, he will be very much missed when he retires," Kirby says.

A New Direction?

The one other Faculty member who has regularly taught courses in modern European intellectual history--Assistant Professor of History and of Social Studies Louis H. Miller--is leaving Harvard at the end of the year.

Two other associate history professors, Ann M. Blair and Brendan Dooley, have incorporated the progress of thought into their own courses.

But it is up to Kloppenberg to fill Fleming's shoes, Harvard historians say.

"Kloppenberg...has, like Donald Fleming, extensive background in European intellectual history as well and will presumably go on to play a role at least somewhat like the role that Professor Fleming has played," Miller says.

Hankins says that he does not know if the department plans to focus on certain types of history in the future.

"I don't know if we have sat down and thought about a particular direction for the department to go in,"

Hankins says. "But Professor Fleming had a set of interests that were very strongly literary and scientific. Kloppenberg is more into philosophy and social science."

Kloppenberg says that though he wants to do the best job that he can to improve the department, he does not plan to build a whole new program.

"The popularity of intellectual history depends on the particular students," Kloppenberg says. "I want to offer the best courses that I can and to the students who are interested in the material. If I offer courses people like, they will take them."

That Intellectual Feeling

According to Hankins, who has served as the department's head tutor, intellectual history is relatively popular among students and is the third largest track. Only American and European history draw more concentrators.

The intellectual history track is currently home to between 15 and 20 students, Hankins says. "To my mind that is just the right number," he says. "Enough for a certain esprit de corps, but not too many that we can't give individual attention to the students."

Hankins points out that the intellectual historians of the department have traditionally been an "elite group."

He said that last year, four out of six summa designations were given to degree candidates in intellectual history.

The academic rigor of intellectual history has attracted students not concentrating in history.

Kloppenberg says students in his class, History 1661: "Social Thought in Modern America," came from a wide range of concentrations and took the class for many different reasons.

"For none of those people was intellectual history something new," he says. "It appeals primarily to students who want to see how material they have learned in other courses fits together. But it can be useful regardless of their interests.