prof. foote: so it is an aristocratic culture spread through the american middle classes. what are some of the key elements of gentility? beauty andmore than in britain and europe focuses on beauty and how you appear in in american middle class societies, it is about the household and what you do in your parlor and how to maintain comfort there. prof. foote: so we want to maintain a comfortable environment for everyone. if i say even in vernacular gentility, you're supposed to be refined. what would be some of the elements we talked about that would mark you as being refined? marcy. >> little boys and little girls would be raised to set a certain had to stand a certain way, court in their future so man in a woman or how a woman should appear to amend. prof. foote: there are a lot of rules of manner or -- manners and etiquette that children will be trained to follow. even everyone in the comfortable world of american gentility, you should have taste. what do i mean by that? we talked about that. e

prof. foote: so our topic for today is popular culture. we have been talking about the social changes that go on in the 1830's and 1840's in the united states. and what we are going to do today is we are going to look at how popular culture reflects some of the conflicts that go on in american society over these social changes. we are going to be surprised to see that theater and what people read becomes a point of conflict over issues about gentility. last class period, we talked about the spread of gentility through american culture. we need to pause and remind ourselves of what that was. if i say "vernacular gentility," what do i mean by that? >> vernacular gentility is the spread of a more common style of gentility in the american middle class that was originally taken from the aristocratic courts in europe. prof. foote: it is an aristocratic culture that spreads through the american middle classes. what are some of the key elements? >> comfort more so than beauty. britain and europe really f

prof. foote: that is a perfect definition of sensibility. the sense of being indulging in your emotions and reacting strongly. what about taste? >> about adding more decorative items in the home, maybe having a base on your table or upgrading your bathroom. whereas before it was bare necessities in your home. prof. foote: so everything should give a lovely impression. that is why they worked so hard in the way they carried so hard -- carry themselves. as i'm trying to gesture gracefully with my hand, everything needs to give a lovely impression. great. that gentility is spreading through the american middle class, even among some people of the working and lower classes. why did some people oppose gentlelady? if i say some people in the revivals opposed gentility, why? >> you're not giving yourself up to god. you are concerning yourself too much with worldly and personal possession. prof. foote: great. >> widespread concern and gentility leads to more materialistic types of worlds. prof. foote: ex

prof. foote: so our topic for today is popular culture. we have been talking about the social changes that go on in the 1830's and 1840's in the united states.

prof. kline: about 32 states midwifes,professional but the rest don't. the extent to which, even if they are recognized, midwives often have trouble getting malpractice insurance, hospital privileges, getting their foot in the door to work with obstetricians. it is really a mess and it helps explain why birth is in such a bad state here if you compare it to, for example, the u.k. this is different model and more effective. >> has the american medical association weighed in on this recently? prof. kline: the american college of obstetricians, they have weighed in on the homebirth issued to say it is too risky and we don't support it. historically, they fought midwives, but there has been a lot of collaborative efforts to try and increase collaboration and understanding. >> your presentation here at sacramento is what? prof. kline: the title is when legal mechanisms fail, medicine, midwifery and the law in california. >> any surprising questions during this conference? panel was thise morning, and i was struck by how the three of us on the panel were grappling with similar issues about reproductive rights and choice. and accessibility to reproductive health care, even though we were all taking differen