Class Description
Over five weeks we'll examine the early years of Studs Terkel's life. Most people think of Terkel as America's premier oral historian. This course explores the formative decades of Louis "Studs" Terkel, from his birth to age 45, by tracing his journey from a childhood in a Chicago rooming house to the publication of his very first book, Giants of Jazz, in 1957.
Studs Terkel graduated from University of Chicago Law but chose never to practice. He was a WPA theater actor, a Cold war blacklisted television star, and a pioneer of the WFMT radio program that became his enduring platform. By examining Terkel’s early career, from the radical politics of the Federal Writers' Project and Chicago Repertory Theater to the transformative, improvised "Chicago School" of television, we'll not only learn about the man, but how his life intersected with the contentious history of mid-century Chicago. We will discuss how Terkel navigated early civil rights activism and the complex realities of the McCarthy-era blacklist to emerge as one of the most vital, empathetic chroniclers of American life.
Drawing on memoirs, archival recordings, and contemporary accounts, we will examine how Terkel's early years shaped a distinctive voice committed to ordinary people and their stories.
Chris Stacey is a cultural historian who taught Chicago history at DePaul University and the University of Illinois Chicago. Since 2021, he has presented a series of virtual and in-person public lectures on Chicago's history. Chris has taught courses at the Newberry Library beginning in the fall of 2023.
What to Expect
Format: In Person
Class Capacity: 18
Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged
Materials List
Required
- Studs Terkel, Touch and Go. The New Press, 2008. ISBN: 9781595584113
- Additional Instructor-Distributed Materials
No required reading for the first day.
A Brief Syllabus
- Early Life & Education (1912-1934)
- The Formative Years (1935-1945)
- New Frontiers (1946-1952)
- Legendary Radio (1952-1957)
- Glimpse to the Future (Early 1960s)
Cost and Registration
5 Sessions, $200 ($180 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($200), Community Supported ($185), and Sponsor ($215). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
Having trouble signing up? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to registration by clicking here.
RegisterThe views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.
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