Class 11: Historians as Purveyors of Hope?

Learning Goals:

• Identify the role of hope in theories of liberalism, Marxism, communitarianism, and democracy
• Consider whether history can offer hope

Prior to Class:

Listen:

• Podcast: Ada Palmer, A History of Saving the World

• Podcast: Ernst Bloch and the Philosophy (Principle) of Hope

Read and complete annotation assignment:

• James Fraser, Foreword in A History of Hope ·
• Tim Tyson, “Can Honest History Allow for Hope?” The Atlantic, December 18, 2015. ·
• Ta-Nehis Coates “Hope and the Historian.” The Atlantic, December 15, 2015.