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?

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