Donald Trump’s rise is, to almost every political commentator, pretty flummoxing. One of the most popular questions this year seems to be “How did we get to here?” Some people may say this entire election is a fluke, but unfortunately Trump’s campaign does not exist in a vacuum. To explore the phenomenon, two groups have made an attempt at explaining exactly how we got to here.
The first is the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Trump 101, a syllabus designed to teach people about the historical shifts in politics, both liberal and conservative, that made his candidacy possible. It may also be the only syllabus in existence that starts with The Federalist Papers and ends with Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue.
A few people, however, noted that Trump 101 ignores the racist and sexist overtone’s in the Republican candidate’s campaign. Considering certain statements Trump has made, these are pretty blaring omissions. Luckily, N.B.D. Connolly and Keisha N. Blain, an NYU professor and a Princeton professor respectively, have posted their own reading list on Public Books: Trump Syllabus 2.0. With readings suggested by dozens of scholars, it takes a far more critical view of Trump and the attitudes of the United States that have led to his success.
With Trump 101 lasting 12 weeks, Trump Syllabus 2.0 lasting 15 weeks, and the election only 14 weeks away, it looks like it’s time to start reading.
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This is a really interesting blog and I will definitely be checking out 2.0. Thanks Thomas for the great leads.