Background
Bender, Thomas was born on April 18, 1944 in Redwood City, California, United States. Son of Joseph Charles and Catherine Frances (McGuire) Bender.
(One of the nation's leading historians makes the most com...)
One of the nation's leading historians makes the most compelling case yet for why we should care about American cities. Throughout American history, cities have been a powerful source of inspiration and energy, nourishing the spirit of invention and the world of intellect, and fueling movements for innovation and reform. In The Unfinished City, the nationally renowned urban scholar Thomas Bender uses New York City to plumb the source of the city's power over American life. The Unfinished City traces the history of New York from its humble regional beginnings to its glittering present status on the global map. In Bender's account, the city took shape not only according to the grand designs of urban planners and business tycoons, but also in response to a welter of artistic visions, intellectual projects, and everyday demands of the millions of people who made the city home. Bender's story of urban development ranges far and wide, from the streets of Times Square to the workshops of Thomas Edison, the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, and the photographs of Berenice Abbott. In a tour that spans neighborhoods and centuries, The Unfinished City makes a powerful case for the enduring importance of cities in American life. For anyone who loves New York, and for those who are interested in the rich possibilities for all cities, The Unfinished City is an unparalleled guide to the city's past and present.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1565847369/?tag=2022091-20
(In 1958, the American Historical Association began a stud...)
In 1958, the American Historical Association began a study to determine the status and condition of history education in U.S. colleges and universities. Published in 1962 and addressing such issues as the supply and demand for teachers, student recruitment, and training for advanced degrees, that report set a lasting benchmark against which to judge the study of history thereafter. Now, more than forty years later, the AHA has commissioned a new report. The Education of Historians for the Twenty-first Century documents this important new study's remarkable conclusions. Both the American academy and the study of history have been dramatically transformed since the original study, but doctoral programs in history have barely changed. This report from the AHA explains why and offers concrete, practical recommendations for improving the state of graduate education. "The Education of Historians for the Twenty-first Century" stands as the first investigation of graduate training for historians in more than four decades and the best available study of doctoral education in any major academic discipline. Prepared for the AHA by the Committee on Graduate Education, the report represents the combined efforts of a cross-section of the entire historical profession. It draws upon a detailed review of the existing studies and data on graduate education and builds upon this foundation with an exhaustive survey of history doctoral programs. This included actual visits to history departments across the country and consultations with scores of individual historians, graduate students, deans, academic and non-academic employers of historians, as well as other stakeholders in graduate education. As the ethnic and gender composition of both graduate students and faculty has changed, methodologies have been refined and the domains of historical inquiry expanded. By addressing these revolutionary intellectual and demographic changes in the historical profession, "The Education of Historians for the Twenty-first Century" breaks important new ground. Combining a detailed historical snapshot of the profession with a rigorous analysis of these intellectual changes, this volume is ideally positioned as the definitive guide to strategic planning for history departments. It includes practical recommendations for handling institutional challenges as well as advice for everyone involved in the advanced training of historians, from department chairs to their students, and from university administrators to the AHA itself. Although focused on history, there are lessons here for any department. "The Education of Historians for the Twenty-first Century" is a model for in-depth analysis of doctoral education, with recommendations and analyses that have implications for the entire academy. This volume is required reading for historians, graduate students, university administrators, or anyone interested in the future of higher education.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0252071654/?tag=2022091-20
( Did urbanization kill 'community' in the nineteenth cen...)
Did urbanization kill 'community' in the nineteenth century, or even earlier? In this highly regarded volume Bender argues not only that community survivedthe trials of industrialization and urbanization but that it remains a fundamental element of American society today.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801829240/?tag=2022091-20
( Periodic "crises" in our academic culture remind us tha...)
Periodic "crises" in our academic culture remind us that the organization of our intellectual life is a product of history―neither fixed by the logic of social development nor inherent in the nature of knowledge itself. At a time of much unease in academia and among the general public about the relation of intellect to public life, Thomas Bender explores both the nineteenth-century origins and the twentieth-century configurations of academic intellect in the United States. Intellect and Public Life pays special attention to the changing relationship of academic to urban culture. Examining the historical tensions faced by intellectuals who aspired to be at once academics and citizens, Bender traces the growing commitment of intellectuals to professional expertise and autonomy. He finds, as well, a historical pattern of academic withdrawal from the public discussion of matters of general concern. Yet the volume concludes on a hopeful note. With the demise of the classical republican notion of the public, Bender contends, there has emerged a more pluralistic notion of the public that―combined with the revival of interest in pragmatic theories of truth―may offer the possibility of a richer collaboration of democracy and intellect.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801857848/?tag=2022091-20
(This volume asks questions about both nationalism and the...)
This volume asks questions about both nationalism and the discipline of history itself. The essays offer fresh ways of thinking about the traditional themes and periods of American history. The aim is to provide a history that more accurately reflects the dimensions of American experience.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FDVFNCG/?tag=2022091-20
writer history and humanities educator
Bender, Thomas was born on April 18, 1944 in Redwood City, California, United States. Son of Joseph Charles and Catherine Frances (McGuire) Bender.
He graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Arts (1966) and the University of California, Davis with an Master of Arts (1967) and a Doctor of Philosophy (1971).
Assistant professor of history and urban studies, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, 1971-1974; assistant professor of history, New York University, New York City, 1974-1976; associate professor of history, New York University, New York City, 1976-1977; professor of history, New York University, New York City, since 1977; Samuel Rudin professor humanities, New York University, New York City, 1977-1982; University professor humanities, New York University, New York City, since 1982; dean for the humanities, New York University, New York City, 1995-1998. Member research planning committee New York City Social Science Research Council, 1985-1988. Director International Center Advanced Studies New York University, since 1997.
( Did urbanization kill 'community' in the nineteenth cen...)
( Periodic "crises" in our academic culture remind us tha...)
(In 1958, the American Historical Association began a stud...)
(One of the nation's leading historians makes the most com...)
(This volume asks questions about both nationalism and the...)
( "Remarkable history -- superb in research, insight, and...)
(Urban Imaginaries: Locating the Modern City, locating the...)
(Book by Bender, Thomas)
Board directors Municipal Art Society New York, New York City, 1983-1984, New York Council for the Humanities, 1989-1996, chair, 1992-1995. Member governor council Rockefeller Archives Center, Pocantico Hills, New York, 1987-1992. Trustee Grace School, New York City, 1987-1994.
Fellow American Academy Arts and Sciences, Davis Center History Studies, Princeton University. Member American History Association, Organization American Historians, Society of America Historians, American Antiquarian Society, Writers Guild, Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists association.
Married Sally Hill, June 8, 1966 (divorced 1983). 1 child, David William. Married Gwendolyn Wright, January 14, 1984.
1 child, Sophia Wright.