Continuity and Change in American Society 2100-ERASMUS-CCAS

Sociology postulates that one of the fundamental features of any society is its reproduction. On the other hand adaptation to the changing conditions requires continuing modification of the social order. The American project has incorporated change as one of its fundamental characteristics. And yet it has always stressed the immutable adherence to the American way as its unchanging course of action. Thus, unlike in any other society, there is an acute sense of intentional human agency in the construction of the American project and hence the sense of its changeability combined with the appeals to the immutability of the project's premises founded in divine providence. Thus the American project is often seen as unique and future oriented, rather than a mere reproduction of its generic design. But it is also seen as one of its kind and unlike any other of human endeavors. Moreover it is equipped with ‘manifest destiny’ prospect that is rooted in an eschatological design.

In the course we will investigate the premises and the consequences of this paradox looking at the cultural, social and political aspects of the American project. Following de Tocqueville’s, Bellah’s and Elazar’s insights into the nature of the American society we will try to understand the mechanisms that allow the American project to maintain its unmistakable identity, while constantly modifying its component parts. It will be our objective, hopefully, to find out to what extent is change inherent in the project and to what extent the continuity is a myth rather than a fact.
Syllabus
- Introduction; Cultural dimensions.
- Generations in American Society.
- A Frontier Society; America at Arms;
- America and the World.
- Family and Religion in America.
- The Peoples of the US and their Cultures
- The Origins of Immigration.
- Patterns of Immigrant Settlement;
- Occupational and Economic Adaptation.
- Sectional, Class and Ethnic Patterns in the XX c.;
– Identity, Citizenship and Political Participation.
- The Political Subcultures of the USA;
- The New Generation and the American Dream.
- What’s Ahead - Review and discussion of the future development
- Papers due