KEY WORDS
Discussion Starter
Research Methods
Historical Analysis
Role Playing
Group Travel

COURSES FOR WHICH THIS MODULE IS APPLICABLE
American Government
History
Research Methods
Dramatic Criticism
Theater
Argumentation and Debate

MODULE DESCRIPTION
The instructor should begin by giving an overview LECTURE of the period in which Tocqueville made his visit, including historical, political, and social implications. Students should be permitted to bring the printed page to life by the use of performance as a medium to enable them to fully intellectualize the printed text.

The second phase of the module should effect a practical field experience, entailing VISITS to sites where Tocqueville spent his time. The purpose of the trip is to explore the various contributions to democracy as well as uncover some of the many ignored, denied, or forgotten landmarks, persons, experiences, events, etc. recorded in the work. The Environmental/ Association Travel Course field experience will provide a vast amount of first-hand information from tours and lectures. Tours and lectures would be delivered by experts on Tocqueville. The field experience should provide a unique opportunity for students to study the natural environment from a host of diverse perspectives.

FORMAT
3-week lecture before trip
3-weeks travel
1-week lecture on return trip

CLASS WORK

In the final week of the course students will focus on the following questions to help guide their research paper:

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, trans. George Lawrence, ed. J. P. Macer (Garden City, New York: Double day/Anchor, 1969 (1835)..

AMERICAN STUDIES/ISSUES IN DEMOCRACY

"I confess that in America I saw more than America; I sought there the image of democracy itself. With its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions, in order to learn what we have to fear or to hope from its progress."
-- Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, "Authors Introduction"

Alexis de Tocqueville cast a rather broad net in his analysis of America, seeking to assess the impact of non-political institutions on the political process and institutions, and the impact of the political process and institutions on non-political institutions. He dealt with law, politics, religion, art, science, and geography. The definition or culture was as broad as his analysis was deep. In studying America, he often found it useful to enlighten his readers through comparisons with cultures they knew more about.

In analyzing the American political scene, Tocqueville set the stage for the analysis of broader issues of democracy. He used the American experience as a test tube to predict the applicability of American patterns to other settings.

The modules which follow deal with various aspects of the American culture Tocqueville discovered and some of the broader applications of his findings.