Past Projects | Center for Dewey Studies | SIU

2010

Publication of The Class Lectures of John Dewey:  Volume 1
ISBN Number: 978-1-57085-021-9

The Class Lectures of John Dewey is an electronic edition of the class lecture notes of John Dewey, edited by Donald F. Koch and The Center for Dewey Studies, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Volume 1: Political Philosophy, Logic, Ethics, includes: fifteen of Dewey's class lecture sets.

For purchasing information visit InteLex

2009

Dewey's Lecture Notes

In 2007 the Center for Dewey Studies embarked on a project in conjunction with Donald F. Koch to publish the Dewey class lecture notes in electronic format.  Professor emeritus of philosophy at Michigan State University, Professor Koch has edited four publications of lecture notes from Dewey’s classes and was eager to complete this work.  Added to The Collected Works of John Dewey, 1882-1953 and The Correspondence of John Dewey, 1871-2007, these class lecture notes, taken by students or specifically designated stenographers, will illuminate and trace the development of yet another facet of Dewey’s thought processes and ideas.  Some aspects of the notes, such as class discussions and the student-professor interaction, have been previously unavailable.

Existing primarily in typescript form, with some handwritten sections, the lecture notes span 1892 to 1937, covering Dewey’s career at the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago, and Columbia University.  Sample topics include Hegel, the theory of logic, political philosophy, sociology of ethics, philosophy of education, the evolution of morality, and modern idealism.  The first step in the process was to decide which sets of notes to publish and, secondly, to select and arrange the contents for volume 1.

In this cooperative venture, the Center staff transcribes and proofreads the typescripts, provides some annotation, and formats the material for electronic presentation.  Professor Koch provides introductions, additional annotation, and, with Director Larry Hickman and the staff, determine the handling of general theoretical matters and ambiguous specific points. Communicating through e-mail, telephone, personal visits, and computerized documents several sets of class lecture notes have been completed.  In 2009 the Center expects to publish Volume 1, 1892-1904.  Following is the tentative table of contents:

Volume 1: Class Lecture Notes

Part 1
1892 Introduction to Philosophy
1892-93 Political Philosophy
1893-94 Political Philosophy
1897 Hegel's Philosophy of Spirit

Part 2
1895 Logic of Ethics
1899-1900 Theory of Logic
1900 Logic of Ethics

Part 3
1898 Psychological Ethics
1901 Psychology of Ethics

Part 4
1895-96 Political Ethics
1898 Political Ethics
1901 Political Ethics
1902-03 Sociology of Ethics

Appendix
1885-86 Real Logic

August 2008
We are currently at work on an edition of Dewey's lecture notes, including extensive notes on Hegel's Logic, as well as on social and political philosophy, and ethics.  This multi-year project is supported in part by a generous grant from Barbara Sawyer Koch and Donald F. Koch.  Contributions are welcome, and tax deductible.

June 2007
By the end of 2007, two new titles of interest to Dewey scholars will be available on CD from InteLex Corporation.  The first, a supplement to the three volumes of the Correspondence of John Dewey, will provide access to letters and other items pertaining to the disposition of Dewey's literary estate, the formation and activities of the John Dewey Foundation, and the formation and activities of the Co-operative Research on Dewey Publications project, now known as the Center for Dewey Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. 

The second title, a supplement to the thirty-seven volume Collected Works of John Dewey, will provide access to various essays, addresses, reports of addresses, and interviews that were not included in the Collected Works, but whose publication recent scholarship now warrants. 

In addition to generous grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, this project has also been supported by Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the John Dewey Foundation, and private donors.

2007
During 2007 we will also publish a new edition of Works About Dewey.  This exhaustive bibliography of books and essays about the life and work of John Dewey will be available on CD from Southern Illinois University Press.  This project was made possible by a generous grant from the John Dewey Foundation.  Center editor Barbara Levine has already begun to collect materials for a future edition of Works About Dewey.  Funding for this ongoing project is supported in part by a generous grant from the Makiguchi Educational Research Institute. 

On June 13, 2007, in a ceremony in Tokyo at Soka University Japan, the title of Honorary Advisor to the Center for Dewey Studies was conferred on Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, founder of Soka University Japan and Soka University of America, and President of Soka Gakkai International.  The visit to Soka University also included visits to Soka high schools and the new Center for Dewey Studies at the Makiguchi Educational Research Institute. 


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