Situating Democratic Writers in Western New York: Tocqueville, Cooper, Stanton, and Douglass

FAIN: FS-261646-18

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY 14850-2820)
Shirley R. Samuels (Project Director: February 2018 to March 2021)
Sandra M. Gustafson (Co Project Director: August 2018 to March 2021)

A two-week seminar for 16 college and university teachers to study the works of significant 19th-century writers in the historical and literary context of western New York.

"Situating Democratic Writers in Western New York" is a two-week seminar designed for advanced graduate students, recent PhDs, and established scholars. The seminar aims to develop fresh teaching and research approaches to classic works by authors including Alexis de Tocqueville, James Fenimore Cooper, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglass, situating them in a region that made important contributions to American democracy. The group will engage in a practice of situated reading, highlighting the historical context tied to the locale and juxtaposing familiar works with lesser-known texts from the area. Gustafson and Samuels, who are experienced editors, will confer with interested participants about organizing conference panels and publishing the product of their research in a special issue of a journal. The seminar will also focus on pedagogical questions, including how to incorporate non-canonical writings into courses, and how to address central texts of American democracy.