Degree Year
2015
Document Type
Thesis - Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
Advisor(s)
Clayton Koppes
Committee Member(s)
Renee Romano, Chair
Shelley Lee
David Kelley
Keywords
The Free Speech Movement, Norman Jacobson, Existentialism, Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, Authenticity, Commitment, Responsibility, 1960s, Radical politics, Mario Savio, Political theory, Clark Kerr, Multiversity, University of California, Berkeley
Abstract
Norman Jacobson, a renowned political theorist at the University of California, Berkeley, experienced firsthand the radical campus politics of the 1960s. Through an analysis of Jacobson's letters, speeches and lectures, this thesis seeks to reconstruct the way Jacobson understood and experienced the 1964 Free Speech Movement. Jacobson attempted to authentically face an overwhelming political crisis at the university. Ultimately, Jacobson knew he must take a stand in response to the student protests. By simply focusing on the concrete political action Jacobson did take, however, one risks overlooking the complexity of his political thought.
Repository Citation
Gardner, Kai, "Into the Fray: Norman Jacobson, the Free Speech Movement and the Clash of Commitments" (2015). Honors Papers. 259.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/honors/259
