The Legacy of Failure - Losing and “Losers” in America
Legacy - HNRS 1120
Instructor(s): Ryan Swanson
Course Description
Failure. Losing. Rejection. Defeat. A look around American society and throughout history reveals that countless noble efforts and ideas have failed. This course will investigate notable failures and "losers" in America's past and present. The course will weave together economics, history, and psychology in order to address how and why these failures occurred. Just as significantly, we will study how the rejections were received. The course will begin with Articles of Confederation and end with the New Mexico Spaceport. In between we will consider winless basketball teams, real estate collapses, failed inventors, and spectacularly flawed political experiments. Students (and the instructor) will be asked to consider failure and losing on a more personal level as well. And we will, of course, debate the very definition of failure itself.
Texts
1. Nikole Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story2. Pat Conroy, My Losing Season
3. Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle: A Memoir
Social Media
For news, information, prizes and more fun stuff follow us on our social media!
Honors College Resources