Susan McWilliams Barndt - The American Road Trip and American Political Thought

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LEXINGTON BOOKS

Lanham Boulder New York London

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Barndt, Susan McWilliams, 1977- author.

Title: The American road trip and American political thought / Susan McWilliams Barndt.

Description: Lanham, Maryland : Lexington Books, [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018016039 (print) | LCCN 2018024701 (ebook) | ISBN 9781498556873 (electronic) | ISBN 9781498556866 (cloth : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Political culture--United States. | Public spaces--Political aspects--United States. | United States--Description and travel.

Classification: LCC JK1726 (ebook) | LCC JK1726 .B28 2018 (print) | DDC 306.20973--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018016039

TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

for SKY

In 2013, a Pomona College student named Clara Shelton suggested to my colleague John Seery that he teach a class on the American road trip. Within hours, John had asked me to co-teach the course, and I had agreed. This book has its origin in those quick but inspired conversations. My first and heartiest thanks are to Clara and John.

I owe a debt of gratitude to all of the other students, too, who participated in the American Road Trip course at Pomona in the spring of 2014: Benjamin Brasch, Gabe Bronshteyn, Rachel Brownell, Cameron Cook, Larkin Corrigan, Claudia Crook, Laura Epstein, Joel Fagliano, Wesley Haas, Nicholas Herzeca, Madeline Jenks, Amanda Kallis, Kathryn Kelly, Frances Kyl, Jennifer Livermore, Samuel McLaughlin, Emily Morris, Emma Paine, Aaran Patel, Megan Raymond, Kyle Schneider, Jessica Warren, Nathaniel Yale, and Sonya Zhu. And I am especially grateful to my colleague Joti Rockwell, who was formally a class auditor but informally a third professor, bringing musicboth literal and figurativeto the course.

As an institution, Pomona College has supported this project in myriad ways. I am lucky to teach there. I am particularly grateful for the support and insight of my colleagues Elizabeth Crighton, Lorn Foster, Mary Paster, and Bill Swartz (the last of whom is probably the only member of our faculty to ride a Harley). Many Pomona families, friends, and alumni alsoin various discussion opportunities arranged through the Collegeasked questions and made insights that informed what I say in these pages.