3415 - Fatherhood in the Machine Age, 1918-1941 (Ralph LaRossa)
Course Description
Instructor: Ralph LaRossa
"Every once in a while, in the ebb and flow of human events, there is an era so significant, so cataclysmic, that it forever changes the heart and soul of a country and its people. Such a time was the Machine Age, which, in America, began when World War I ended and ended when World War II began. . . . Much has been written about the Machine Age: about the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, about the technological innovation and the personal devastation, about the national euphoria following the 'war to end all wars,' and the collective anguish over having to fight another. But the Machine Age was also an important time in the history of American gender relations, particularly in the history of American fatherhood. For it was during the Machine Age that the current image of the father as economic provider, pal, and male role model all rolled into one became institutionalized" (from The Modernization of Fatherhood). How this process developed is the focus of this course. Simply put, we will explore how American fatherhood was refashioned during the Machine Age into the configuration that is familiar to us today. If you enjoy unearthing how family dynamics and gender politics historically intersect, or desire to learn more about how early-twentieth-century culture shaped our parents' and grandparents' lives, or are curious about how, in detective-like fashion, historical evidence is assessed and pieced together to offer clues to the past, this course is for you. Join us as we dissect a societal transformation that was deeply personal and decidedly impactful and that continues to reverberate.
Bio: Ralph LaRossa is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Georgia State University and the author of, among other works, The Modernization of Fatherhood: A Social and Political History; and Of War and Men: World War II in the Lives of Fathers and Their Families. He has received grants from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health in support of research on the social realities of fatherhood during the Machine Age and on the experience of becoming a father in contemporary society. He also has done research on the transition to parenthood, the social transformation of childhood, and the cognitive world of family life.