Sevan G. Terzian

Scrambled eggheads: ambivalent representations of scientists in six Hollywood film comedies from 1961 to 1965:

The American publics longstanding preference for intelligence over intellect informed ambivalent portrayals of American scientists in the postwar era. This essay considers how six popular Hollywood films from a largely neglected genre—comedy—projected ambivalent images of scientists from 1961 to 1965. It argues that scientists were often respected for their intelligence, but were mocked or even feared for their intellect. In the comedic subgenres of the family film and slapstick, scientists who were safely contained at institutions of higher education committed merely social transgressions and became objects of mockery. In the political satire of Dr. Strangelove, however, the direct threat of nuclear annihilation cast the scientist as an object of fear and a real threat to the security of the nation. This discussion of popular comedies thus accounts for an under-studied cultural barometer and powerful medium in the popularization of science.

Postwar Era Precedents and the Ambivalent Quest for International Students at the University of Florida.

The number of international students studying at U.S. institutions of higher education in the 2003-2004 academic year dropped for the first time in more than three decades. New visa restrictions and international tensions in the wake of September 11, 2001, have been cited as central factors. This article identifies historical precedents from the postwar era (1945 to 1960) as additionally significant causes of this decline. Highlighting competing advocates of altruism, cultural diplomacy, or exclusion, it recounts the conflicting priorities of one public research university in the post-war years—the University of Florida—as an exemplification of the nation’s ambivalent quest for international students at American colleges and universities.

“Adventures in science”: casting scientifically talented youth as national resources on American radio, 1942–1958

From 1942 to 1958, a national weekly programme on CBS radio and presented by Science Service, Inc. devoted 37 of its broadcasts to profiling American high school students’ achievements in science talent searches, clubs and fairs. These “Adventures in Science” radio programmes cast scientifically talented youth as potential contributors to national goals in the hopes of eliciting greater public appreciation of science and science education. This characterisation reflected meritocratic and democratic justifications for American science education. First, the host of this series and director of Science Service, Watson Davis, argued that these students could someday become elite scientists to help compensate for the perceived scientific manpower shortages during World War Two and the postwar era. As a result, listeners of these programmes should value these talented boys and girls, because the potential military applications of their research could safeguard the nation from external threats. Second, journalistic intermediaries such as Davis and announcers at local broadcast sites presented the importance of students’ scientific work in practical terms: as commercial and domestic products to be evaluated and consumed by democratic citizens. Listeners should therefore appreciate the contributions of science and science education to their everyday lives, material comforts and a vibrant consumer economy – especially in the postwar era. This article concludes that these popular radio programmes demonstrate that the enlistment of science education for national political and economic agendas both during and after the Second World War well preceded the US government’s curricular response to the launching of Sputnik with the National Defense Education Act of 1958.

The Elusive Goal of School Spirit in the Comprehensive High School: A Case History, 1916-1941.

Scholars and practitioners have recently asked whether large comprehensive high schools contribute to student alienation. At the same time, some school administrators have stressed the importance of school spirit to create a powerful sense of community and as a way to mitigate feelings of student detachment and anonymity. This paper considers a historical case from 1916-1941 at Ithaca High School, in Ithaca New York, to see how students and administrators defined school spirit. Using an underutilized artifact—school newspapers—it uncovers the social dynamics within the school. Select students writing in the school newspaper articulated three dimensions of school spirit: participation, loyalty, and pride. Their views reflected those of the administration. Frequent complaints about the perceived absence of school spirit, however, indicate that not all students at I.H.S. embraced this seemingly elusive ideal. This paper suggests that the ideal of school spirit never came to full fruition at I.H.S., because its very definition was undemocratic and static. It concludes that in order for current and future attempts to establish and nurture school spirit in comprehensive high schools to succeed, they must include all members, and that its definition must be open to revision.

Federal precedents and the origins of the charter school movement in Florida, USA, 1981–1996

After four years of failed attempts, lawmakers in the State of Florida sanctioned charter schools in 1996. This paper traces the political origins of the charter school movement in Florida and the USA as a whole. Examining legislation and reforms at the federal level, as well as state legislative proceedings, this paper identifies key political precedents. Nationally, the privatisation initiatives of the federal government created a climate conducive to charter school programmes. In Florida, a dual educational emphasis on local operational autonomy and accountability to the state appeared in the early 1990s, which paved the way for charter school legislation. By 1996, new federal charter school programmes solidified bipartisan support in Florida for this particular brand of school choice.

Corporate science education: Westinghouse and the value of science in mid-twentieth century America.

This study examines a largely neglected aspect of the history of science popularization in the United States: corporate depictions of the value of science to society. It delineates the Westinghouse Electric Corporation’s portrayals of science to its shareholders, employees and consumers, and schoolchildren and educators during World War Two and the postwar era. Annual reports to shareholders, in-house news publications, publicity records, advertising campaigns, and educational pamphlets distributed to schools reveal the company’s distinct, but complementary, messages for different stakeholders about the importance of science to American society. Collectively, Westinghouse encouraged these audiences to rely on scientists’ expert leadership for their nation’s security and material comforts. In an era of military mobilization, the company was able to claim that industry-led scientific research would fortify the nation and create unbounded prosperity.

Popular Media Representations of American Schooling from the Past

Education happens everywhere. The emergence of mass media over the past century is a prime example of the ubiquity of education— often beyond the confines of schools. Lawrence Cremin had long advocated a broader scope of investigation for educational historians. He characterized the rise of news and entertainment media in the twentieth-century United States as educative as the nation emerged as a global power.1 For Joel Spring, meanwhile, movies, radio, comic books, and television have been sites of ideological conflict over the shaping of values and tastes among American youth.2 Some historians have followed these leads by studying the didactic functions of radio, film, and television in American society—and the various struggles over the content and form of their programming.3 In addition to considering the implicitly educational aspects of these popular media, a host of other historical works has considered popular media’s explicit depictions of formal education. Such studies have examined past representations of schooling and higher education in mass magazines,4 movies,5 and popular radio.6

Enlisting Science Education for National Strength

World War II profoundly altered American schools. The nation’s urgent demand for soldiers and factory workers enticed many adolescents to abandon their studies. 1 After a half century of dramatic growth, high school enrollments fell from nearly seven million students in 1940 to roughly five and a half million by 1945. Those who remained in school encountered new vocational and “pre-induction” courses, funded by hundreds of millions of federal dollars, to train those who would soon serve in the military or in war-related industries. Existing curricula—primarily in the sciences, mathematics, and physical education—frequently adjusted to meet these national imperatives as well. Some chemistry classes, for example, began to focus on explosives, gases, and plastics. Mathematics courses incorporated lessons in navigation and aviation. General science classes often highlighted meteorology, photography, and radio transmission. Vocational programs similarly introduced war-related subjects including nurse training, aeronautics, mechanics, and military preparation. Beyond coursework, more than two-thirds of the nation’s high schools adopted a Victory Corps for community service and conservation of resources. Schools also served other war-related functions, including registering soldiers, disseminating ration books, selling war bonds and stamps, and assisting the Junior Red Cross. Historians disagree about the extent to which mobilization for national defense during World War II left a lasting legacy on American schools. But the war’s immediate and pervasive impact is unquestioned. 2

The Public School as Battleground and Facilitator of Democracy

(2003). The Public School as Battleground and Facilitator of Democracy. Theory & Research in Social Education: Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 132-136.