UConn POLS alum and instructor for Stamford Public Schools Continuing Education Program Jordan Kolovson will be teaching a course through Stamford Adult and Continuing Education called "Our Country Divided, Understanding the Origins of MAGA". Professor Kolovson plans to tell the story of how MAGA sentiment evolved over the past 75 years and get a lively and respectful discussion among students with different perspectives about what is happening in America today.
Course - Our Country Divided, Understanding the Origins of MAGA
Why is Donald Trump our President? Why is half the country deeply loyal to him and the MAGA message? This class will do a deep-dive that explores how disruptive changes in America over the past half century generated the MAGA movement. This complex story weaves together the effects of changing social values, business relocation, wage inequality, cost of living, immigration, social media, globalism and loneliness. Importantly, we will see how these changes affected Americans differently, benefiting some, while hurting others. As a result, resentment and distrust exist now between Americans and against our government and big business, with opinion news inflaming everyone. Are there really two incompatible ‘Americas’ now? What might happen next? Let’s discuss.
Syllabus
Lecture 1 - Seeing American History as a ‘Stream of Time’
Lecture 2 - America “Great Again” - Return to the 1950s?
Lecture 3 - MAGA & Liberalism in America - Benefits & Grievance
Lecture 4 - MAGA & Conservatism in America - Benefits & Grievance
Lecture 5 - Early Backlash Candidates - Wallace, Perot, Buchanan
Lecture 6 - Post 9/11 Chaos - Iraq to ‘08 Crash
Lecture 7 - Movie Review - ‘Lions for Lambs’ (Views of Citizen Engagement in Society)
Lecture 8 - Rural Attitudes Towards Government
Lecture 9 - 2008 - Obama’s Election & Its Aftermath - Bailouts, Healthcare, Tea Party
Lecture 10 - 2016 - Why Trump Won
Lecture 11 - Trump’s First Term - Disrupter-in-Chief
Lecture 12 - 2021-25 - Biden & MAGA Durability
There will be 6 weekly classes (two lectures per class) from March 18 - April 22 at Rippowam School (room 128) from 7:00-8:30pm. You can enroll in this class through this link https://www.stamfordadulted.org/ (click on Public Interest classes).
About Professor Kolovson: I earned a Master’s degree in Political Science and an MBA in International Business from the University of Connecticut. Now retired, I was a Senior Project Director for RTi Research, a market research company in Norwalk, CT. I have taught several classes about American Presidential history with Lifetime Learners at NCC in Norwalk and Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY.
For more information, contact: Jordan Kolovson at jfkolovson21@att.net