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Richard G. Braungart Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Maggie Teschler
Date: 2017

Biography

Richard G. Braungart was a professor of sociology, international relations, and political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Braungart was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1935. At the age of nineteen, he was drafted into the United States Armed Forces and served until 1962. He attended the University of Maryland under the GI Bill and earned his B.A. in 1961, majoring in sociology and minoring in history. Braungart remained at the University of Maryland to earn his M.A. in 1963, focusing on sociology and Middle East history.

After earning his master’s degree and marrying in 1964, Braungart focused on doctorate work at Pennsylvania State University. Here, Braungart established his two principle fields of inquiry: political sociology and generational politics. For his dissertation he surveyed left, right, and moderate university students to study the campus political turmoil of the 1960s. He earned his PhD in 1969.

Braungart taught at Pennsylvania State University until 1972 when he became an associate professor of sociology at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. He became Professor of Sociology in 1976 and would later add the titles of Professor of International Relations and Professor of Political Science in 1993 and 1998 respectively. His teaching specialties revolved around political sociology, life course and generational politics, and political psychology.

As a professor and researcher, Braungart highly valued a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective, highlighted by his involvement in international organizations, travel experience, and research work with his wife Margaret, a psychologist. From 1985 to 2002 he and Margaret co-directed the Center for Research on Life-Course and Generational Politics of the Department of Sociology at Syracuse University. During this time Braungart also maintained memberships with various organizations, such as the Alpha Kappa Delta Honorary, Delta Tau Kappa International Honor Society, the Political Sociology Organizing Committee, and the American Sociological Association section on Political Sociology.

Braungart was also involved in numerous research projects while he was a professor at the University. Many of his projects focused on the Vietnam War generation, youth movements, education, and elections. Specifically, Braungart conducted two pre-election surveys in Syracuse, one about youth politics in 1972 and another of 505 Syracuse residents in 1976. In the 1980s he also worked on both a senate research grant to study the socioeconomic effects of private foreign investment and aid on third world countries as well as a Maxwell research grant to study global historical generations and youth movements. He worked as a consultant for various projects with organizations such as the U.S. Department of Labor, the Center for the Study of the Vietnam Generation, Public Broadcasting Service, and George Washington University.

In 2000 Braungart was awarded the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from the Syracuse University Alumni Association. He is now a Professor Emeritus of Syracuse University.

Scope and Content

The Richard G. Braungart Papers contain three series:

Course materials contains syllabi, handouts, notes, lectures, and teaching materials from various courses Braungart taught at Syracuse University. This series also contains some correspondence from students who specifically address courses they took.

Research and writings includes publications, articles, lectures, workshops, and research materials that Braungart wrote and studied. Many of his writings were done with his wife, Margaret Braungart.

Subject files contains biographical information, materials related to organizations Braungart was involved with, such as the American Sociological Association, and other materials of various topics like political art. Additionally, it includes albums and scrapbooks of materials documenting his professional career that were reprinted and compiled at a later date.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Researchers are restricted from accessing the USB flash drives in this collection. Please consult an archivist to inquire about access.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

In addition to his papers, the Syracuse University Archives also holds a clippings file on Richard G. Braungart.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Braungart, Margaret M.
Braungart, Richard G., 1935-
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Political sociology.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Albums (books)
Flash drives.
Political art.
Scrapbooks.
Writings (documents)

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Richard G. Braungart Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Richard G. Braungart in 2017 and 2023.

Processing Information

Materials have been rehoused in acid free folders and boxes. Many of the folders maintain their original titles and organization.

Arrangement

Materials have been arranged alphabetically within each series.

Table of Contents

Course materials

Research and writings

Subject files

Inventory