From: Francisco Paulo Cipolla (cipolla@UFPR.BR)
Date: Mon Jan 17 2005 - 14:17:47 EST
Hi Jerry! When did exactly you take Heilbronerīs HET? I think it was in 1981 for I remember your very participative presence in some oval table wehere questions were discussed, I think, under his presence. What stroke me in those 1981 classes taught by Heilbroner was that he would read whole sentences in front of large audiences. I must tell though that he knew which quotes to make for they were really illustrative of a point he was making at the moment. That year, as was probably his custom, Heilbroner distributed a handout explaining what one should avoid while writing a paper. That handout encouraged a direct writing, without dubious or inapropriately exclamative sentences. It made an impression on me for some of the things I was not supposed to do were indeed part of my habit. I wrote on Ricardoīs theory of value. Got an A. Paulo Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM wrote: > Remembering Bob Heilbroner takes me back a few years. > > In the Fall of 1976, when I enrolled in the graduate program > in the Economics Department at the New School for Social > Research (now "New School University" -- yuck!) Bob > Heilbroner was the best known faculty member. He was also > the best known graduate _of_ the Economics Department -- > he had studied with Adolph Lowe (who was a professor emeriti > in '76 who occasionally -- depending on his health -- offered > seminars) many years before and _The Worldly Philosophers_ > was accepted in lieu of a dissertation. > > Adolph Lowe (a fascinating and important figure in his own right) > was his most influential mentor. Lowe, I believe, was > especially influential in encouraging him to seriously study > methodology and the history of thought. Politically, they were > not all that dissimilar either -- both were social democrats. > > Within the Department, Heilbroner taught courses mainly in the > history of economic thought -- most notably the 100-level > 2-semester HET sequence which most of the new students > enrolled in (the first semester was a required course for an M.A. > in political economy). That's how I first met him. > > I thought he was an excellent teacher -- but he did have a rather > dry style. He mostly lectured and wasn't exactly very animated > in the classroom. But, he was always well-prepared and > knowledgeable. He encouraged discussion in the classroom -- > even though these were big classes -- but generally got few > takers. > > I will never forget the first day of that class. The class of perhaps > 70 students was stunned by his demanding requirements and > expectations: he told all present (mostly new students like myself) > that if they received a final grade below A- then they should > consider that to be a failing grade and should consider dropping-out > of graduate school! > > Once you got to know him, though, he was a very likeable and > supportive faculty member. Like the rest of the economics faculty > at the NSSR, he preferred to be called by his first name. All of > the students called him Bob. This level of informality was a distinctive > feature of the Department and was a progressive practice intended to > break-down the traditional lines of demarcation that separate faculty > from students. Like most of the other faculty, he also attended social > functions sponsored by the Department and/or the Economics Society > -- the student organization that represented students (with voice and > vote!) at Department meetings. If he saw promise in a student, he > would go out of his way to talk to and encourage that person. Even > though he socialized, he was actually a rather shy person who, one > could sense, felt awkward at such occasions. > > He had a very good -- but unappreciated -- sense of humor. In the > classroom, he had such a dry sense of humor that most students > didn't even recognize it. I remember on several occasions he made > humorous comments (I can't remember what they were now) and > hardly anyone recognized them for what they were. One time he > made a joke in class and I started laughing. All eyes were on me -- > other students glared at me quizzically as if to ask 'why is Jerry > laughing?'. It made me wonder whether it wasn't a joke after > all -- but Bob reassured me with a twinkle of acknowledgement > and a half-smile. Another occasion comes to mind. After my > first semester I was elected a representative of the Economics > Society and, along with the other representatives and most of the > faculty, we were waiting in a seminar room for the Department > meeting to begin. Ross Thomson -- who was at the time a new > faculty member who taught the "Introduction to Political > Economy" sequence (a 2 semester required course in the p.e. > program on reading the three volumes of _Capital_) -- complained > about all of the time it was taking him to read and grade the > student papers for his courses. Ross had a reputation for > meticulously reading papers and making copious comments. > Anyway, Ross asked Bob how he managed. Bob said -- with > a perfectly straight face -- that his system is to make a pile of > all of the papers and throw them up in the air. Those that > landed on one side of the room passed and those that fell on the > other side failed! Not a single person in the room laughed. > Not a single person smiled or smirked. A pregnant pause ensued. > During the pause, everyone else looked at each other as if to > ask "You don't think he's serious, do you?". Finally, one of the > student representatives (Robert U?) asked "You don't really do > that, do you?". Slowly -- with a timing that a professional > comic would have appreciated -- a big smile came to Bob's face. > > No one questioned Bob's integrity. He treated everyone fairly > and, if he thought that someone within the Dept. was wronged, > would fight tirelessly on that person's behalf. He was > distressed, however, by the intrigue that sometimes accompanied > faculty hirings and re-hirings. He found it .. well ... unseemly and > distasteful. At the end of my first year, two political economy > faculty members were not being re-hired (primarily due to complaints > from students who objected to their theoretical perspectives!) -- > Alfredo Medio and Harry Cleaver (who, as you know, went on > to make important contributions and have outstanding careers). > Well, I had a bright idea. I went to Bob's office and asked if I > could speak to him. When I mentioned Alfredo and Harry a > pained look came over his face. I suggested that the students and > faculty sponsor a going away party for the outgoing faculty members > and asked him if he thought it was a good idea. A _huge_ smile > came across his face and he reached into his wallet and handed me > three $20 bills. And that's how we were able to have a going > away party. > > There were many things in the late 1970's that made the New School > Economics Department unique (e.g. over 90% of the students > considered themselves to be Marxist and all but 3 faculty members > also considered themselves to be Marxist; there was only one > truly mainstream marginalist faculty member [David > Schwartzman -- whose specialization was industrial > organization]). One such thing was the _emphasis_ within > the Dept. on the history of economic thought and methodology. > More than any other faculty member, Bob Heilbroner was > responsible for this emphasis. Under his tutelage, several > generations of NSSR students were able to specialize in > these areas and write HET dissertations -- including many > on Marx and classical political economy. This contrasted > sharply with other Economics Departments around the > country and the world which de-valued HET and > discouraged and even prevented students from studying and > writing dissertations on HET. Even today, most Eco. > Depts. do not take HET seriously. > > Within the NSSR, he helped to stimulate the study of HET. > Outside of the NSSR, he was influential in popularizing > HET -- most notably with the best-selling book, _The > Worldly Philosophers_. I suspect that his popular books > -- of which there were many -- will be what he will be most > remembered for by those who never attended the NSSR. > Former students -- like myself -- will remember him for > so much more. > > In solidarity, Jerry
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Tue Jan 18 2005 - 00:00:01 EST