C308 Democratic Dissent in Wartime
Spring Semester, 2009
Professor: Robert Ivie (rivie@indiana.edu)
Meeting Time: MW, 1:00–2:15 p.m.
Office Hours: MW by appointment; Room 247, 800 East Third Street.
Course Theme and Purpose
This course examines dissent—its cultural status, political
role, and rhetorical characteristics—as a democratic practice in the
Although dissent is a quintessentially democratic practice
and
Yet, dissent holds ambitious governments and misguided
policies accountable to public scrutiny and democratic standards. It provides a safeguard against senseless
conformity and unchecked power, a foundation for democratic governance, and a
check on extremism and polarization (Cass Sunstein, Why Societies Need Dissent; Steven Shiffrin, Dissent,
Injustice, and the Meanings of
The course explores these themes by tracing the historical roots of contemporary attitudes toward dissent in wartime and by critically examining the foundational belief that democracy is itself a dangerous practice that must be controlled and contained. Accordingly, we will examine dissent’s cultural status, its rhetorical tactics and strategies, and underlying motives for its political containment.
Required Books
Geoffrey R. Stone, Perilous
Times: Free Speech in Wartime (
Robert L. Ivie, Democracy and America’s War on Terror (
Austin Sarat, ed., Dissent in Dangerous Times (
Schedule of Topics and Assigned Readings
Note: please complete the assigned readings before each class meeting.
1. Protesting against the Vietnam War
1/12 Introduction to the Course
1/14 Martin Luther King’s Dissent
Read and Listen: Martin Luther King, “Beyond Vietnam,” April 4, 1967: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm
Read: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee,
Position Paper on
Read: Background information on SNCC: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/enc_SNCC.htm
1/19 No class: Martin Luther King Day
1/21 The Vietnam War and the Anti-War Movement
Read: Stone, pp. 427-487,
Antiwar Dissent at Indiana University
Read: Port Huron Statement, 1962: http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/huron.html
Read: Carl Oglesby’s Speech against the Vietnam War, November 27, 1965: http://sdsrebels.com/oglesby.htm
Read: John Kerry’s statement opposing the Vietnam War, April 23, 1971: http://hnn.us/articles/3631.html
1/26 COINTELPRO and the Suppression of Dangerous Speech
Read: Stone, pp. 487-526
2. Dissent’s Democratic Function and Rhetorical Form
1/28 Cass Sunstein, “Why Society Needs Dissent”
Read: http://www.cceia.org/resources/transcripts/1030.html
Lessons of History
Read: Stone, pp. 527-557,
2/2 Read: Robert Ivie, “Democratic Dissent and the Trick of Rhetorical Critique,” Cultural Studies < - > Critical Methodologies 5 (2005): 276-293. Available as pdf file at Oncourse site.
Documentaries of Dissent: Uncovered: The War on
3. McCarthyism
2/4 Communism and Un-American Activities
Stone, pp. 311-374
2/9 Senator Joseph McCarthy, Cold War, and Edward R. Murrow’s See It Now
Read: Stone, pp. 374-426,
Read: Margaret Chase Smith, “Declaration of Conscience,” 1950: http://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/margaretchasesmithconscience.html
2/11 Review
2/16 Examination
#1
4. Sedition
2/18 Free Speech and Sedition in 1798
Read: Stone, pp. 15-78
2/23 Free Speech and Sedition in 1918
Read: Stone, pp. 135-158, 170-191
Read: Robert M. LaFollette, Speech Against War, April 4, 1917: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5017/
Read: Robert M. LaFollette, Free Speech in Wartime, October 6, 1917: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/robertlafollette.htm
2/25 The Case of Eugene Debs
Clear and Present Danger? Red Scare
Read: Stone, pp. 192-211, 220-233
Read: Eugene V. Debs, Antiwar Speech,
Read: Eugene V. Debs, Statement to the Court on Freedom of Speech, September 18, 1918: http://www.wfu.edu/~zulick/341/Debs1918.html
Read: Eugene Debs as Political Activist, Labor Leader, Presidential Candidate, and American Paradox: http://www.eugenevdebs.com/pages/political.html; and http://www.djdinstitute.org/debs.html; and http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1991/08/art4full.pdf
5. Demophobia
3/2 Public Deliberation in a Rational Container
Read: Ivie, pp. 1-49
3/4 Distempered Demos
Read: Ivie, pp. 50-91
3/9 Democratic Peace
Read: Ivie, pp. 92-122
Read: Cornel West, “Democracy Matters Are Fighting in Our Time,” Logos 3.3 (2004); online at http://www.logosjournal.com/issue_3.3/west.htm
3/11 Terror
Read: Ivie, pp. 123-147
3/16
No Class Spring Break
3/18 No Class Spring Break
3/23 Dissent in a Democratic Idiom
Read: Ivie, pp. 148-198
3/25 Examples of Citizen Dissent over the Iraq War
Read: Not In Our Name, “Statement of Conscience Against War and Repression,” online at http://www.nion.us/NION.HTM
Read: Veterans Against the Iraq War, “Call to Conscience from Veterans to Active Duty Troops and Reservists” online at http://uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=3298
Read: Cindy Sheehan, “A Lie of Historic Proportions,” online at http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0606-29.htm
Browse one or more of the following: United for Peace and Justice http://www.unitedforpeace.org/; Nonviolence.org http://www.nonviolence.org/; Peace.protest.net http://pax.protest.net/; Bloomington Peace Action Coalition http://www.bpac.info/; Antiwar.com http://www.antiwar.com/
3/30 Review
4/1 Examination
#2
6. Underlying Motives for Suppressing Wartime Dissent
4/6 Read: Wendy Brown in Sarat, pp. 23-45, Collective Idealization of the Nation
Read: Lauren Berlant in Sarat, pp, 46-78, Moral Clarity, Shared Pain, Belonging
4/8 Read: Hugh Gusterson in Sarat, pp. 88-110, Academic Dissent and Ideological Orthodoxy
4/13 Read: David Cole in Sarat, pp. 111-145, Guilt by Association
Read: Nancy Rosenblum in Sarat, pp. 146-175, Reasons of State, Survival, Revivification
4/15 Panel Discussion on Suppressing Dissent in
Times of Terror: Brown’s Argument
4/20 Panel Discussion on Suppressing Dissent in
Times of Terror: Berlant’s
Argument
4/22 Panel Discussion on Suppressing Dissent in
Times of Terror: Gusterson’s
Argument
4/27 Panel Discussion on Suppressing Dissent in
Times of Terror: Cole’s Argument
4/29 Panel Discussion on Suppressing Dissent in
Times of Terror: Rosenblum’s
Argument
Graded Assignments
1. Two in-class essay examinations over the reading assignments and lectures, each examination counting 25% of course grade. Blue books will be provided in class.
2. Panel discussion and paper will count 25% of the course grade. Each student will participate in one of the four panel discussions during the final two weeks of class, making a prepared opening statement of 4-5 minutes (which should be delivered extemporaneously from notes, not using Powerpoint and not reading word for word from a paper). Each student is also expected to make one or two follow-up comments during the discussion. Additionally, each student will write a 1,000 word summary and assessment of the argument advanced by the author featured in their panel discussion. The paper is due in class on the day of the student’s panel discussion.
3. Class attendance will count 25% of course grade. The attendance grade will be determined by the number of classes attended. No absences are excused (for medical or other reasons) on the premise that I cannot give you credit for classes missed. Consistent with IU policy on holy days and holidays, reasonable accommodation will be made when a student must miss an exam because of a required religious observance. Be sure to let me know of such conflicts with religious observances at the beginning of the semester so that appropriate accommodations can be made.
The grading scale for this portion of the course grade is as follows: attend all or all but 1 class = A; attend all but 2 classes = A-; attend all but 3 classes = B+; attend all but 4 classes = B; attend all but 5 classes = B-; attend all but 6 classes = C+; attend all but 7 classes = C; attend all but 8 classes = C-; attend all but 9 classes = D+; attend all but 10 classes = D; attend all but 11 classes = D-; attend all but 12 or more classes = F.
Note: to receive credit for attendance, students must arrive by the time class begins and not leave before it ends.