WOH 4264 Empires and Imperialism (Honors) Wednesdays Per 4-6 (10:40-1:40) Keene-Flint 117 |
Professor Harland-Jacobs (harlandj@ufl.edu; 273-3382) Office hours: Mon 11:00-12:00, Wed 2:00-3:00, and by appt Keene-Flint 25 |
Course description Pick up any contemporary newspaper, turn on a cable news show, or pull up a political blog, and you will most likely find people deploying the terms "empire" or "imperialism." American political discourse is abuzz with heated debates about the existence of a contemporary American Empire. European countries wrestle with the impact of migration from formerly colonized countries. Imperialism figures centrally into any discussion of globalization, nationalism, and international relations. It behooves us as informed and engaged citizens to grasp the historical and contemporary significance of imperialism and to study the particular empires that have shaped the modern world. This course offers an introduction to the empires and imperialism from the classical period through the age of decolonization. Rather than attempting to survey every development in every empire, it focuses on three key themes: 1) contact, exchange, and interconnection; 2) power, resistance, and critique; 3) ideologies. We will define key terms like "empire" and "colony", examine various kinds and forms of empires, and consider imperial power in its multiple guises, with particular attention to the Spanish, Ottoman, British, and American empires. Finally, the course asks students to think about the legacies of European imperialism in the contemporary world and to take a position in the debate over whether the United States has been and is currently an imperial power.
Students are expected to attend class, which meets once a week for three periods. Late work will not be accepted without penalty. 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 an absence and to schedule make-up assignments. Please keep electronic distractions to a minimum. While you may feel perfectly comfortable multi-tasking in lectures, it is disturbing to the instructor and to those around you. If your behavior proves distracting, you will be asked to leave. 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. Effective class participation is therefore essential. Students can expect a respectful atmosphere in which to express their opinions. 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. Please review the University’s honesty policy at http://www.dso.ufl.edu. 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.
Course materials (books are available at Gator Textbooks, 3501 SW 2nd Ave., Suite D 374-4500)
Assignments and grading [grade scale] Short assignments (timeline, discussion questions, short papers, reading quizzes (if necessary), etc.) [30%] Participation [25%]
Project (4 groups)
[20%]
Final essay [25%] Examples of scholary secondary sources include: Amy Kaplan and Donald Pease, Cultures of United States Imperialism (1994) Walter Lafeber, The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion, 1860-1989 (1998) Thomas Heitala, Manifest Design: American Exceptionalim and Empire (2003) Andrew Bacevich (ed), The Imperial Tense (2003) Charles Maier, Among Empires: American Ascendancy and its Predecessors (2006) William A Williams, Empire as a Way of Life... (2006) Walter Nugent, Habits of Empire: A History of American Expansionism (2009) + various works on the United States in the Philippines, including Julian Go (ed), The American Colonial State in the Philippines (2003), and the Caribbean For definitions of imperialism, empire... see Notes section of this website. |
Schedule
| Topic/ reading | Assignment (due in class each Weds.) | |
| Aug 25 | Course introduction Rudyard Kipling, "The White Man's Burden" Tony Blair's Speech to Congress, 17 July 2003 |
In-class assignment. |
| Sept 1 | Defining our terms / The big picture Osterhammel, Ch 2 "'Colonialism' and 'Colonial History'" [ARES] Burbank and Cooper, Empires in World History, Preface and Ch 1 Pagden, Peoples and Empires, entire |
NOTE: All books except Samson are now available at Gator Texts!! Pagden and Burbank/Cooper are also on reserve at Library West. Write a 2-page paper in response to the question: What is an empire? Based on your reading of Pagden, create a 1-2-page (single-spaced) chronology of empires in world history. In a paragraph at the end, explain which empire intrigues you the most and why. |
| Sept 8 | The Empire of Alexander Briant, Alexander the Great and His Empire, entire |
Submit two discussion questions by 8:00 am Sept 8 via email to Prof H-J [what makes a good discussion question?]. Bring to class the title of a feature film that is about or set in an empire (for extra credit you can watch it and write a 2-page paper exploring representations of empire and imperialism in the film) |
| Sept 15 | Empires and world history We will start class today in Library West, in the classroom by the Circulation Desk on the second floor. Burbank and Cooper, Empires in World History, Chs 2-5 |
Write a 2-3 page paper in which you discuss the Burbank and Cooper chapters in light of the following themes drawn from Briant: You may look at one theme in light of several empires (Roman, Christian, Muslim, Chinese, Mongol, Ottoman, Spanish) or several themes in one empire. |
| Sept 22 | Spanish Empire review Pagden, Chs 4, 5, 6 Schwartz, Victors and Vanquished |
Document analysis: in a 2-3 page paper, answer one (or two) of the questions on pp. 247-48 (Note: Spanish Empire group is exempted from this assignment.) |
| Sept 29 | Project: Spanish Empire Primary sources [pdf] Secondary source: John H. Elliott, "Self-Perception and Decline in Early Seventeenth-Century Spain," Past & Present, No. 74 (Feb., 1977), pp. 41-61 |
Please bring one discussion question based on the primary sources and the Elliott article to class. These will be collected at the end of class. |
| Oct 6 | Ottoman Empire review Burbank and Cooper, Ch 5 Quataert, The Ottoman Empire NPR: |
Write a 2-3 page reaction paper assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Quataert's book OR Write a 2-3 page paper in which you explore the issue of how the Ottoman Empire managed religious diversity and compare its approach to one other empire we've studied. (Note: the Ottoman Empire group is exempted from this assignment.) |
| Oct 13 | Project: Ottoman Empire Chron ppt Primary sources: Chapter: |
Please bring one discussion question based on the primary sources and the Beck chapter to class. These will be collected at the end of class. |
| Oct 20 | film tba | |
| Oct 27 | Burbank and Cooper, Empires in World History, Chs 6-11 |
Write a 2-3 page paper in which you compare a maritime and a land-based in terms of one or more of the five themes Burbank and Cooper lay out on pp.11-17. |
| Nov 3 | British Empire Samson, Race and Empire |
Submit two discussion questions by 8:00 am Nov 3 via email to Prof H-J [what makes a good discussion question?]. (Note: the British Empire group is exempted from this assignment, but may submit questions for extra credit.) |
| Nov 10 | Project: British Empire Primary sources: selections from Samson, The British Empire [pdf] Article: |
Please bring one discussion question based on the primary sources and the Crozier chapter to class. These will be collected at the end of class. |
Nov 17 |
American Empire review Burbank and Cooper, Ch 9 Immerman, Empire for Liberty |
Write a 2-3 page reaction paper in which you summarize Immerman's argument and approach and assess the work's strengths and weaknesses. (Note: the American Empire group is exempted from this assignment, but may submit a paper for extra credit.) Don't forget to ask a friend or family member whether they think the United States has (and/or had) an empire. DUE by Nov. 22: make additions/ improvements/ corrections to the table we started in class on Oct 27 [pdf]. You may submit handwritten notes on the hard copy or notes via email. |
| Nov 24 | tba | |
| Dec 1 | Project: American Empire [powerpoint] Reading: cartoons [pdf] Proctor sermon (1898) [pdf] "The German Colonies," New York Times (Oct 13, 1918) [handed out in class Nov 10] Christopher Lasch, "The Anti-Imperialists, the Philippines, and the Inequality of Man," Journal of Southern History (Aug 58) [pdf] Victor Davis Hanson, "A Funny Sort of Empire: Are Americans really so imperial?" National Review Online, 27 Nov 2002 |
Please bring one discussion question based on the readings to class. These will be collected at the end of class. |
| Dec 8 | Wrap up Burbank and Cooper, Empires in World History, Chs skim 12, read 13 & 14 LUNCH IS ON THE HONORS PROGRAM!! BRING YOUR OWN DRINK!! |
In a paragraph (or more), tell me what you've gotten out of this book. |
| Dec 15 | Final papers due by 4:00. |