Assignments <> Schedule

Description

Spanning three oceans and five centuries, the British Empire was a major force in early modern and modern world history. Its political and cultural legacies remain powerful today. Indeed, it is impossible to understand many contemporary global issues (such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in Afghanistan) without a basic understanding of the British Empire's history. This course provides an overview of that history, from the sixteenth century, when the English first ventured across the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, to the decolonization movements of the mid-twentieth century. The course also asks students to think critically about key themes and issues, such as how empires emerge, accrue power, change over time, and are challenged.

Objectives

• To introduce students to the history of the British Empire and examine key themes and issues that history presents.

• To demonstrate how the British Empire specifically, and other empires more generally, can be used as laboratories to investigate complex processes—such as international relations, migration, race relations, identity formation, decolonization, and globalization—through the methodologies of comparative and connective history.


• To expose students to various aspects of the historian’s craft, including key terms, concepts, and modes of argument. Over the course of the semester, we will discuss how to pose questions to historical texts; evaluate events, issues, and people; and review and marshal evidence to support arguments.
   
• To give students the opportunity to work with both primary and secondary sources.


• To help students develop their critical thinking and oral and written communication skills, which are vital to all post-collegiate careers.  The assignments listed below are therefore designed to help students improve their abilities to articulate ideas clearly and concisely.

Readings

Note: books are available at Gator Textbooks, 3501 SW 2nd Ave, Suite D (374-4500)

• Philippa Levine, The British Empire: Sunrise to Sunset (Pearson, 2007)
  
  
• The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: or Gustavus Vassa, the African (Modern Library Classics edition)
  
  
• Kate Grenville, The Secret River (Canongate, 2007)
  
  
• Zareer Masani, Indian Tales of the Raj (UC Press, 1990)
  
  
• readings on the web and on ARES (Smathers Library reserves)

Policies and expectations

History classes are most rewarding when students interact with the texts, each other, and the instructor on a sustained basis. Readings provide the raw material for class discussion, where much of the learning takes place.  Students must complete the reading before class in order to participate effectively in class. Students can expect a respectful atmosphere in which to express their opinions.

Students are expected to attend class regularly and arrive on time. Unexcused absences, tardiness, and late work will be penalized. Please make every effort to apprise the instructor of adverse circumstances that affect your ability to attend class or complete assignments on time. Official documentation is required to excuse and absence and to schedule make-up assignments.

In writing papers, be certain to give proper credit whenever you use words, phrases, ideas, arguments, and conclusions drawn from someone else’s work.  Failure to give credit by quoting and/or footnoting is PLAGIARISM and is unacceptable and will be penalized. Please review the University’s honesty policy.

Please do not hesitate to contact the instructor during the semester if you have any individual concerns or issues that need to be discussed. Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office.  The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation.

Assignments and Grading

Papers (1st 15%, 2nd 25%)	topics and guidelines
Tests (10% each)	short answer and document identifications [study guide]
Activities #1 Petition to the king (10%) #2 Emigrant letter (5%) #3 Decolonization manifesto (5%)	guidelines
Participation/ reading journal (20%)	participate regularly in class discussions and/or keep a journal in which you reflect on the readings

Note: Students must submit hard copies of all assignments. Late papers will be accepted only in extraordinary circumstances.

Current UF grading policy

Schedule [Note: schedule is subject to change. Please check website regularly.]

Week 1 Aug 24	Course introduction
Aug 26	The Irish laboratory Reading: Levine, Preface and Ch 1
Aug 28	Discussion: Internal colonialism Reading: Levine Ch 1 and Irish documents Optional: How to Read a Document
Week 2 Aug 31	Building a maritime empire Reading: Levine, Ch 2 and Ch 3, 31-36 Richard Hakluyt, Discourse of Western Planting [read intro, then click on "Text"] Extra credit: construct a 1-page, single-spaced timeline of British imperial history using key dates from Levine's chronology, 220-243
Sept 2	The empire becomes British Reading: "The Glorious Revolution," House of Commons Fact Sheet The Darien Scheme, Glasgow University Library Darien Act of Union [skim]
Sept 4	The slave trade Reading: begin Equiano and review Levine, Ch 2, 13-25 Jennifer Howard, "Unraveling the Narrative," Chronicle of Higher Education, 9 Sept 2005 [ARES]
Week 3 Sept 7	Holiday
Sept 9	War, trade, and empire Reading: continue Equiano
Sept 11	Discussion: Equiano Paper 1 due [guidelines]
Week 4 Sept 14	The first world war Reading: Levine, Ch 3, 36-42
Sept 16	Problems of confessional governance Reading: Royal Proclamation of 1763 James Grant to the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations (1764) Quebec Act (1774)
Sept 18	Colonial nationalism Discussion: T. H. Breen, "Ideology and nationalism on the eve of the American Revolution," Journal of American History 84, 1 (1997): 13-39 [ARES]
Week 5 Sept 21	Second British Empire Reading: Levine, Ch 4, 43-60
Sept 23	The Cook voyages and the origins of NSW
Sept 25	The emergence of the Company State Reading: Levine, Ch 5, 61-76
Week 6 Sept 28	Group activity: Petitions to the king -New Smyrna -New South Wales
Sept 30	Group activity: Petitions to the king -Nova Scotia -Sierra Leone
Oct 2	Abolition Reading: review Equiano and Levine, 21-26 begin Kate Grenville, The Secret River
Week 7 Oct 5	Greater Britain Reading: The Secret River
Oct 7	Canada: rebellion and responsible government Reading: Levine, Ch 6 (86-87) [review 51-60] and the Durham report [this is a long text; just spend a few minutes getting a sense of it]
Oct 9	Discussion: The Secret River Extra credit: 2-3-page reaction paper
Week 8 Oct 12	Free trade and informal empire Reading: Levine, Ch 6
Oct 14	1857 Reading: review Levine, Ch 5, 71-81
Oct 16	Holiday
Week 9 Oct 19	Ireland: kingdom or colony?
Oct 21	Test 1 [study guide]
Oct 23	Tools of empire Reading: Levine, Ch 7 [we will discuss in class]
Week 10 Oct 26	Empires in the mind Reading: Levine, Chs 8 and 9 [we will discuss in class]
Oct 28	Race Reading: Levine, Chs 8 and 9 [we will discuss in class]
Oct 30	Discussion: Masani, Indian Tales of the Raj, 1-80
Week 11 Nov 2	The new imperialism
Nov 4	The Anglo-South African War Reading: The Rudd Concession [available from instructor]
Nov 6	Activity: emigrant letters [guidelines]
Week 12 Nov 9	The Great War Reading: Levine, Ch 10 Indian Soldiers in World Wars
Nov 11	Holiday
Nov 13	The Easter Rising Reading: The Proclamation of the Irish Republic
Week 13 Nov 16	Discussion: Bush, "Africa after the First World War" [ARES]
Nov 18	Empire between the Wars/ Second World War
Nov 20	Indian nationalism and communalism Reading: Orwell, "Shooting an Elephant"
Week 14 Nov 23	Discussion: The last days of the Raj Masani, Indian Tales of the Raj, 81-164
Nov 25	tba Paper 2 due
Nov 27	Holiday
Week 15 Nov 30	Decolonization Reading: Levine, Ch 11
Dec 2	Case study: Ghana Reading: Levine, Ch 11 and Nkrumah, "I Speak of Freedom"
Dec 4	The Commonwealth Reading: The Statute of Westminster and Rwanda Joins the Commonwealth [BBC] [NYT]
Week 16 Dec 7	Activity: decolonization
Dec 9	wrap up
Dec 17, 12:30 K-F119	Test 2 [study guide]