Topics Courses and Writing Courses
History Department
Fall 2008
TOPICS COURSES
Course#: Hist 2280/Amst 3705
Course Title: The Literature of Slavery
Instructor: John Davies
This course examines the intersection of persuasive writing and the institution of slavery from 1680 to 1861, with a special focus on the antebellum period, when the problem of slavery came to occupy a central role in American politics and American literature. The emphasis is on the politics of antislavery writing, and on the cultural and rhetorical strategies of those who attacked slavery. Class discussions, and writing projects, will center around careful reading of original sources, making comparisons and connections between significant texts, and developing the ability to make an argument about the logic and workings of anti- (and pro) slavery in historical context.
Course#: Hist 2280
Course Title: American Legal History
Instructor: Robert Deal
This course provides an introduction to American legal history. From the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century to the present, Americans have produced a massive legal literature. Constitutions, case law, statutes, and even works of fiction will be considered as we examine how Americans have made, enforced, manipulated, ignored, and thought about law. While we will survey the general development of American legal institutions and the substantive law, four questions will be examined in greater detail. 1. How and by what authority do people come to own or control things such as land and natural resources? 2. Why are particular activities criminalized? 3. What rights do individuals have to live their lives free of government interference? 4. When should government interfere with the rights of some people in order to protect the rights of others? This course will be useful for students considering law school. In addition to learning legal terminology and how lawyers think about problems, students will receive a limited introduction to the case and Socratic methods of instruction used in many law schools.
Course#: History 2280
Course Title: Topics in US History
"Gender, Race, and the Workplace"
Instructor: Stephen Patnode
How do categories like gender and race affect the working lives of people? This course seeks to answer this question by examining the historical intersection of gender (including both femininities and masculinities) and racial identities in workplaces. We will focus on the history of the United States, while drawing comparisons with examples from abroad. Topics covered include class and gender, the white-collar revolution, and affirmative action. Students will write short response papers, make in-class presentations, and prepare a longer essay during the second half of the course.
Course#: History 2680
Course Title: Modern Asia
Instructor: Sophie Quinn-Judge
History 2680, cross-listed as Asian Studies 1052, covers the incursions of Western imperialism; the birth of modern nationalism and independence movements; and postcolonial developments until roughly the end of the Cold War in the three major regions of Asia: South, Southeast and East Asia. The course deals with continuity and change, in state, society and culture. As in Asian Studies 1051, Premodern Asia, comparisons will shed light on similarities and differences in patterns of cultural adaptation and the diversity of Asian cultures and institutions. No prerequisites. This is a Foundation Course for the Asian Studies Major.
Students will gain a broad understanding of the topic through lectures and the textbook, but discussion of supplementary documents (drawn from religion, the writings of political leaders, the press and literature) and films will sharpen student understanding of the countries being studied. Students will be asked to write short response papers to prepare for class discussions. An exam or longer essay will be given at the end of each of the three regional sections.
Course#: 3352
Course Title: Roman Archaeology
Instructor: Michael M. Eisman
Roman Archaeology will show and examine the physical remains of Roman culture as it pertains to the study of history. After looking at the Greek and Etruscan contributions to Rome life and a brief look at the limited remains from Republican Rome, the material from the Roman Empire will be surveyed.. Special attention will be paid to architecture city planning and sculpture. Detailed examination of the ruins from the cities of Rome, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia will comprise the bulk of the course. Student will be expected to do some work at area museums. No prior knowledge of Roman history or culture needed. There will be a short museum paper, a short paper on a Roman building and a longer paper on one aspect of Roman Archaeology which will also be given as an oral report. There will be a final evaluation essay.
Course#: 3860
Course Title: Historical Backgrounds of the Hebrew Bible
Instructor: Michael M. Eisman
This course will explore the history behind the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh, Christian Old Testament). As such it is an exercise in historical reconstruction where “probabilities” and “possibilities” are more in evidence than historical certainties and solid factual material. The course of study includes close attention not only to the biblical text, but also gives fully consideration to the archaeological material, historical documents for the surrounding cultures and the history of the study of the historical backgrounds of the bible as it has evolved over the last century and a half. It is intellectually challenging and, yes, fun. Students will do two short book reviews and a longer paper on one of the books of the Hebrew Bible.
Course#: 3860 (cross-listed as Asian Studies 2000)
Course Title: Vietnamese Voices: An introduction to Vietnamese Culture and History through Literature
Instructor: Sophie Quinn-Judge
This course introduces students to Vietnamese culture and history by means of a direct encounter with Vietnamese writing. Lectures and background readings provide the context for the interpretation of the poetry, prose and memoirs that we will read. We will also watch films made by Vietnamese film makers. .The emphasis will be placed on understanding the cultural significance of these works, rather than on literary criticism. Readings will follow the chronological development of Vietnamese literature and philosophy, and will be guided by five major themes:
Who Are the Vietnamese People?
Vietnamese Philosophy and World View
Development of the Language
Development of National Consciousness
The Culture of War
Course Requirements and Grading
This course requires frequent, short written response papers of one to two pages, in which students will record their reactions to a particular reading or answer a specific question. I will grade these papers as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory; students will be encouraged to rewrite unsatisfactory response papers. Students will also be asked to make brief presentations (five to ten minutes) on a rotating basis, as a way of jump-starting class discussions. A mid-term paper of 4-5 pages will also be assigned.
CAPSTONE SEMINARS
Course#: 4206
Course Title: US Capstone seminar: America in the 1960s
Instructor: David Farber
Course description: Students will research and write an original paper based on primary sources on the broad topic of the American Sixties.
Course#: 4296
Course Title: US Capstone: Research in the Early History of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley
Instructor: Susan Klepp
An introduction to historical methods, archival research, and scholarly writing through original investigations of regional history, 1600- ca. 1820.
Course#: 4296
Course Title: America in the 1950's
Instructor: Stephen Patnode
This capstone course will focus on the 1950s as a critical “moment” in U.S. history. The goal of the class is to assist students in the development of advanced-level skills in historical writing, argumentation, and research. During the first half of the semester, we will examine a number of topics to help develop these skills, including developments in business culture, popular culture, civil rights and the Cold War. Students will complete an original research project.
Course#: 4497
Course Title: European Capstone History Writing Seminar Dracula/Colony/Archive
Professor Kathleen Biddick
Why do historians base their research on archival sources? Dracula/Colony/Archive is a writing-intensive course that explores the stakes of this question as it guides students through the process of writing a research paper (minimum of 15 pages-maximum of 20 pages) on the topic of their choice. Our reading of the novel Dracula, first published in 1897, will open up discussion about the constitution of imperial knowledge, the fabrication of national archives, the conception of modernity, and the work of the historian. We will also read W.G. Sebald’s Austerlitz (2001) to explore new ways of writing about archives that take into account their violent genealogies. What do archives have to do with the power of memory and the memory of power? Why was there blood in the 19th century archive? How is sovereignty intervening today in the formation of new bioarchives? This course will trace genealogies of the archive through selected case studies and examine how postcolonial historiography and digital and biotechnologies are transforming the way historians imagine and use archives.
The seminar will be conducted as a writing seminar with required writing assignments for each session. You will have much practice writing papers that require you to read closely, to develop an interpretation of what you have read, and to tailor your writing for the needs of your readers (your fellow students, friends, and teacher)—readers who expect that you will offer an arguable point in what you discuss, analyze, and argue. This course is essentially a course in rhetoric: rhetoric provides a way to think about writing and speaking as part of a conversation, a conversation that aims to bring about both understanding and, perhaps agreement. History is a rhetorical discipline.
Course#: 4896
Course Title: Third World Capstone Seminar: "Decolonizing Culture:" Nationalism and Third World Imaginations
Instructor: Harvey Neptune
Course Description:
This seminar examines the significance and uses of 'the arts' in the historic move from colony to nationhood. Ranging from the late 18th to the late 20th century and covering the globe from North America to South Asia, we inquire into the roles played by literature, film, music, sport, visual arts and other creative expressions as communities challenged their status as subject peoples. In this course, finally, we not only analyze various cultural forms but also employ them as part of our methodology.
Honors Courses
Course#: 0949 (Honors)
Course Title: Honors Dissent in America
Instructor: Ralph Young
A central aspect of a democratic society is the constitutional guarantee that all citizens possess freedom of speech, thought and conscience. Throughout American history individuals and groups of people, oftentimes vociferously, marched to the beat of a different drummer, and raised their voices in strident protest. We are going to study the story and development of dissent in America. How has dissent shaped American society? Why is it that some people never “buy into” the “American Dream” perceiving it not as a Dream, but more like a Nightmare? How has dissent molded groups of people within American society and, indeed, even transformed individuals? What are the various forms and methods of dissent? What is effective dissent? Ineffective?
Course#:1908 (Honors)
Course Title: Honors Gender and History
Instructor: Stephen Patnode
What happens when cultures clash? What happens to preconceived notions of gender relations and gender identities? This course focuses on the impact of conflicting notions of feminine and masculine roles when different societies come into contact. We will spend time examining the development of gender roles specifically in the United States. In addition, we will investigate the function of gender in European exploration, European imperialism and U.S. expansion. Case studies include the Columbian exchange, the Middle East, and Puerto Rico.
Course#: 2980 (Honors)
Refuge/Refugees: Contemplating Asylum
Professor Kathleen Biddick
As the European Union and the United States increasingly deny requests for asylum made by individuals and groups, it would appear that this treasured Western concept of human rights-- to extend protection to the radically unprotected-- is collapsing. This course dives into this problem and unfolds around three approaches: 1) a multimodal (historiographical, literary, juridical, political, theological) investigation of the paradox that institutions of violence and asylum have been closely bound historically; 2) a contemplative classroom practice grounded in meditation in action as exemplified by the work of the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat with exiled Tibetans and Vietnamese. Regular meditation sessions scheduled in this course are devoted to encountering the question of refuge in fresh and compassionate ways; 3) a final collective class project that imagines ways in which the city of Philadelphia, founded historically as a “city of refuge,” might recuperate this legacy and join with International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN: http://www.icorn.org/).
In May 2007, The American Council of Learned Societies awarded Professor Biddick one of its curriculum fellowships intended to support the development of innovative curriculum in the Humanities. This new course offering is the product of that fellowship.
In order to ground the classroom practice of “meditation in action,” portions of each class- meeting will be devoted to cultivating the diverse techniques of silent contemplation based on the experience garnered by Professor Biddick in her insight meditation practice which includes her participation in a three-month silent retreat in Fall 2007 supported by the American Council of Learned Societies.
Course#: 2970 (Honors)
Course Title: Mexican Migration to the United States
Instructor: Arthur Schmidt
Although immigrant bashing will probably not dominate this fall’s presidential campaign as once seemed possible, illegal immigration remains a volatile and divisive question for the United States. To some significant extent, the issue stems from the rapid growth of the number of undocumented Mexicans inside the U.S. at a time of widespread public anxiety over matters of physical and economy security. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, Mexicans constitute nearly 60 percent of all undocumented immigrants, a proportion unlikely to diminish in the immediate future. Amid the denunciations of a supposed “silent invasion” and the construction of walls to “secure the border,” most discussions of illegal immigration ignore—willfully or otherwise—the extensive history of Mexican migration to the United States. We will examine the pervasive influence of that history upon the present as well as the tight connections that exist between Mexican labor migration and phenomena that most U.S. citizens prize—the spread of American culture and influence abroad, international political stability, reliable domestic economic growth, and the availability of inexpensive goods and services. The dilemmas involved in Mexican migration to the United States echo Bill Ong Hing’s comments in Defining America Through Immigration Policy (Temple University Press, 2004): “We are a nation of immigrants. However, the simplicity of that statement conceals the nation’s consistent history of tension over whom we collectively regard as `real Americans’ and, therefore, whom we would allow into our community.”
Course#: 2970 (Honors)
Course Title: The Anti-Apartheid Struggle in South Africa and the World
Instructor: Benjamin Talton
This course examines the system of apartheid in South Africa through the lives of those who experienced it and the individuals, groups, and events in South Africa and around the world that contributed to its fall. Our primary focus is the internal dynamics of power and resistance in South Africa between 1948 and 1994. We also explore the global influences on and responses to South African apartheid. We pay particular attention to the ways in which the Cold War, decolonization in Africa, and evolving racial politics in the United States contributed to social and political change in South Africa. Our goal is to understand the historical context in which local and international events gave rise to challenges to the basis and viability of minority rule and race-based social policies.
Course#: 4968 (Honors)
Course Title: Honors Hitler's Europe: War, Genocide, Resistance (3 s.h.)
Instructor: Dr. William Hitchcock
Prerequisite: Two 2000-level courses in History and one 3000-level course in History. Non-majors must acquire permission from the instructor.
What was it like to live in Europe during World War II? This course will examine the history of Europe between 1939 and 1945 with a particular emphasis on the consequences of military occupation by Germany of various European countries, including France, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece, Yugoslavia and Italy. It will focus in depth on the structures of authority and power the Germans imposed in occupied lands; it will examine the genocidal project of the German occupation; and it will explore the various forms of resistance that local peoples organized in opposition to German occupation. We will read a wide range of original sources, autobiographies, and recent historical scholarship.
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