PUTNAM’S STORIES & INDIVIDUAL REACTION PAPER

Robert Putnam, Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard’sKennedy’s School of Government, is largely regarded as one of the most important andinfluential social scientists of the last quarter century. Putnam’s work focuses on theintersection between public affairs and civil society, ideas that largely serve as theintellectual foundation for the nonprofit sector. His emphasis on ways to advance socialsolidarity, social change, and social capital in an effort to improve civic engagement andcommunity association is particularly relevant for this course.

In his latest work, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, Putnam explores the social,economic, and community challenges of achieving the American Dream in the 21stcentury. One of the distinctive elements of this work is Putnam’s reliance on the stories of ordinary, individual Americans. These stories illustrate one of the book’s centralthemes: the zip code in which you reside is the single, most important factor thatdetermines economic advancement and access to social capital. Taken as a whole, thesestories provide valuable insight into the economic, social, and demographic challengesof what it means not only to live in America at the present time buy also how we worktowards achieving stability and security with family, community, and employment.

As part of this course, we will read Our Kids in its entirety. Each student will berequired to present at least one story to the class and discuss the individual and/orfamily studied and what that story adds to the concept of achieving the AmericanDream. On Class 14, April 19th, students must submit a 5-7 page reaction paper on thebook that answers the following questions:

*Based on Putnam’s work, what does the American Dream mean to you?*Do we live in a country that rewards hard work equitably?

*Do Putnam’s stories and his accompanying analysis make you feel lessconfident or more confident about pursuing a career in public affairs?