1.) Create a list of the
different roles that universities play in American society. Which of these
roles are at cross purposes? Which of these roles tend to take priority in the
university of today? Which of these roles should take priority? What in your
estimation is the proper function of a university in American society?
2.) Consider Leland J. Stanford as a representative historical figure.
In what ways did he personify his times? How does his biography set
a pattern for future lives and historical developments?
3.) Situate the early history of Stanford in its historical context. What
made the university distinctive? In what ways did it represent more general
historical developments?
4.) Evaluate the following thesis: “The career of Herbert Hoover, Stanford
Pioneer Class of 1895, personifies the vision for Stanford laid out by Leland
and Jane Stanford.”
5.) Start thinking about the following thesis: “Stanford is the key engine
in the creation and maintenance of Silicon Valley.” What elements from
Stanford’s early history might be used to either support or challenge
this thesis?
6.) The history of Stanford University and the history of Silicon
Valley are both particular cases of the larger history of the making
of the “American
West.” What do these histories have in common? How do they illustrate the
larger history of the “American West?” What role does technology play
in this history, and how are technology and “the West” related?