I taught a course with Ted on the politics of the 1960s. He generously agreed to co-teach the class with me without ever stating out loud what we both knew to be the case – that teaching the course with him was really the only way I could do what I really wanted to do: take the course from him. And when I say “generously” I mean that quite literally – Ted taught at his discretion, and so the class did not take the place of a different one that he would have taught, rather he simply took on the course voluntarily, as an additional responsibility that semester.
It was a tremendous experience for me, learning not only about the 1960s, but also for the opportunity [to] observe a master teacher in the classroom (and to consult with him along the way about the process).
I like to think that Ted left our class on the politics of the 1960s wiser about (if not fully sold on) Bob Dylan and the New Hollywood; I know that the class was everything that I hoped it would be.
Jonathan Kirshner
Stephen and Barbara Friedman Professor of International Political Economy
Cornell
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