Colonial Worlds
HIST 380A
Scarboro
Office: Hafey-Marian Hall 312
E-mail: cristoferscarboro@kings.edu
Phone: 208-5900 ext. 5637 (o)
735-4762 (h)
Class Schedule: M/W/F 11:00 (H-M 603)
Office Hours: M/W 9:00-11:00 & 1:00-2:00
Sharepoint: https://sharepoint.kings.edu/sites/HIST 380/default.aspx
I. Description:
Colonialism and its resistance is the subject of this course. We will investigate the processes (political, military, economic, cultural and ideological) that enabled the western powers to hold sway over much of the world in the modern era and the manner in which colonized people resisted, transformed and found solaces in this domination. Special attention will be paid to the British and French colonial projects of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Among the objectives for this class are that the student become familiar with and be able to analyze the mechanics of colonialism as a modern and modernizing ideology within its political, economic and cultural contexts. Students will engage with colonialism from a wide range of genres, historiographic traditions and methodologies in order to gage colonialism’s historical roots, impact and transformations. Central to the course is the principle that in taking the class the student will become familiar with historical methodology and thinking. He or she should be able to locate, evaluate and interpret historical sources and place them in context. The course’s paper will ask the student to critically engage and evaluate primary and secondary sources and present analyses of them in clear and persuasive writing. These everyday tools of the historian will serve the student well in any field he or she chooses to enter.
B. General Learning Outcomes for the Student:
In addition to the more content-related objectives described above, this course has some general liberal-learning goals of developing academic skills. It is expected that successful completion of this course will help you improve your ability to: manage information, which involves sorting data, ranking data for significance, synthesizing facts, concepts and principles; to understand and use organizing principles or key concepts against which miscellaneous data can be evaluated; to frame questions so as to more clearly clarify a problem topic or issue; to compare and contrast the relative merits of opposing arguments and interpretations, moving between the main points of each position; to organize your thoughts and communicate them clearly and concisely in written form; to obtain practice in selecting and presenting information and arguments within a restricted environment, especially the limitations of time in exams
Malek Alloula, Colonial Harem, University of Minnesota Press, 1986
Hergé, Tintin in the Congo, Egmont Children’s, 2005
Rudyard Kipling, Kim, Penguin Classics, 1987
Jamaica Kincaid, A Small Place, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1st ed. 2000
Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea, Penguin Modern Classics, 2000
B. Course Films
Jean-Jacques Annaud, Black and White in Color, 1976
David Lean, Lawrence of Arabia, 1962
Ousmane Sembene, Mandabi, 1968
Pontecorvo, Battle of Algiers, 1966
F. Written Assignments:
This class has two required written assignments: a research paper and a film or book review.
On the first day of class you will chose two other people with whom you will be working closely together both in preparing for your paper and in preparing and presenting your final group project. Your first paper topic will be closely coordinated with the other two members of your group as part of a larger theme that will link all three of your papers and the larger group project. As a group you will meet with me either Sept. 8th or 9th to chose your topics and lay the foundation for the rest of the semester’s group work. Your individual papers will all contribute to the final project so you should be sure to closely collaborate with your peers.
You will turn in four copies of your paper (one for me and each of your group mates) on Nov. 5th. The draft should be at least 8 pages. The final draft is due Nov. 19th.
Your second writing assignment is a film or book review. You review which should be 2-3 pages is to interpret a film on a colonial theme. You are to place the film or book in historical context, analyze and interpret its message and meaning. This review will be due in class at any time before Dec. 5th.
G. Final Group Presentation
You will chose your final group project in your first meeting with me on 8th or 9th and will be working on it in some fashion the entire semester. Your papers will all deal with some aspect of the project and give you the foundation for the final in class presentation to be held the last meetings of the class. Your project will be allotted for 20-25 minutes with a question and answer session to follow. You project should be multi-media and can include power-point images, music and video clips. Like your paper your final Project will take place in several steps:
1) On Nov. 12 or 13th the group will meet with me to plan the final preparations work for the group project.
2) On Nov. 21st the group will present a written plan prospectus for the final project including detailed outlines of the topics covered and responsibilities designated to each group member.
3) Your final group presentation will be between Nov. 24th and Dec. 5th. After the presentation you will be required to turn in a letter grade for each of your group-mates’ work on the project. This grade will factor into the final grade of each member for his/her work on the project.
H. Exams:
This class will also require a midterm examination (held in class on Oct. 8th) and a final examination to be held during finals week. These will consist of both essay and short answer material and will further ask you to interpret texts as we have been doing in class.
G. Leading Class Discussion and Participation
As well as providing you with the methodological and analytical tools for engaging in historical thinking, this class will ask you to actively take part in a larger conversation of historical issues within the class. I expect this class to allow us to delve deeply into the historical topics of each week’s readings. To that end you need to make sure that you arrive to class on time ready to discuss the weekly readings, having carefully read and thought over the material. You must take an active role in the class discussions. Thus a portion of your grade will depend on your in-class performance and presence.
In a class of this nature it goes without saying that a classroom environment in which everyone feels comfortable is essential. You should treat your fellow classmates with respect, listen carefully to their comments and respond to them in a polite manner.
H. Grading:
It is your responsibility to understand why you have achieved a certain grade, and what steps you can take to maintain or improve your grade. You should consult with the instructor during office hours or by appointment before and after exams and written assignments.
For your protection, in case of errors in record keeping, you should keep copies of all exams and assignments until you have received official notice of your final grade.
Your final grade will be based on the following percentages
|
100-95 |
A |
|
94-92 |
A- |
|
91-85 |
B+ |
|
88-85 |
B |
|
84-83 |
B- |
|
82-80 |
C+ |
|
79-77 |
C |
|
78-75 |
C- |
|
74-70 |
D |
|
69< |
F |
Your grade distribution for class assignments is as follows:
|
First Midterm |
15% |
|
Second Midterm |
15% |
|
Final Exam |
25% |
|
Paper |
20% |
|
Microthemes |
15% |
|
Class Participation |
10% |
I. Academic Integrity:
The Department of History adheres to guidelines on academic integrity outlined in the Student Conduct Code in the Student Handbook:
http://www.kings.edu/student_handbook/studentregulations_rights/conductcode.htm
Cheating and plagiarism will be penalized in accord with the penalties and procedures indicated in that source. All students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the definition of these infractions of academic honesty.
J. Absences:
I will regularly take attendance in this class. Absences due to college activities, emergency or extended illness may be excused by the appropriate college official. You should consult with the professor about making up missed work in advance or as soon as possible after your return. Other absences are unexcused and will lower the class participation portion of your grade. After any absence, you are responsible for requesting hand-outs and already returned assignments from me or borrowing notes from other students. If you miss an exam, contact me as possible. You may take a missed exam only at the discretion of the instructor.
K. Dissabilities:
King’s College and I will make every effort to accommodate students with a bona-fide disability that impacts on their ability to learn the course material. Please meet with me privately so that appropriate arrangements can be made to help in the learning process.
IV. Course Schedule
No Class
Monday, August 25th
I. Colonialism: Framing the Modern
Colonialism and Modernity
Wednesday, August 27th
Pre-Industrial Colonialism: Spain in the New World
Friday, August 29th
Colonialism and “Terra Nullius”
Wednesday, September 3rd
*Reading: “White Plague,” Ferguson, 45-92
Pre-Industrial Colonialism: the Rise of John Company
Friday, September 5th
No Class: Group Meetings in my office for Paper and Group Assignments
Monday, September 8th
Prelude to the Post Colonial, Part I: Haiti and Revolution
Wednesday, September 10th
Prelude to the Post Colonial, Part II: Sepoy Rebellion / War for Independence (?)
Friday, September 12th
Christianity and Colonialism
Monday, September 15th
**Reading: **Reading: “The Mission,” Ferguson, 93-136
“Knowing the Oriental”
Wednesday, September 17th
**Reading: Said, Orientalism,
*Discussant(s):
Colonial Representations: Kim
Friday, September 19th
**Reading: Kipling, Kim
*Discussant(s):
Europe in Empire / Empire in Europe
Monday, September 22nd
**Reading: “Heaven’s Breed,” Ferguson, 137-185
**Sharepoint: Representing Empire
Colonialism and the 19th Century European Middle Class
Wednesday, September 24th
“Capturing the Oriental”
Friday, September 26th
**Reading: Malek Alloula, Colonial Harem
*Discussant(s):
Scramble for Africa
Monday, September 29th
**Reading: “Maximum Force,” Ferguson, 185-245
Tintin
Wednesday, October 1st
**Reading: Hergé, Titin in the Congo
*Discussant(s):
Idylls of Nature: South Sea Paradises
Friday, October 3rd
**Sharepoint: Gauguin
“Kill the Indian: Save the Man”
Monday, October 6th
Midterm Examination
Wednesday, October 8th
II. The Post Colonial Moment
The Challenge of Nationalism
Monday, October 13th
**Reading: “Empire for Sale,” Ferguson, 245-302
Marcus Garvey and Early Pan-Africanism
Wednesday, October 15th
Gandhi and Satyagraha
Friday, October 17th
Colonialism and the Post War Middle East
Monday, October 20th
The “Third World” Project
Wednesday, October 22nd
Colonialism and the Cold War, Part I: Latin America
Friday, October 24th
Colonialism and the Cold War, Part II: Vietnam
Monday, October 27th
Black Man’s Burden, Part I: Mandabi
Wednesday, October 29th
**Film: Sembene, Mandabi
*Discussant(s):
Black Man’s Burden, Part II: Africa and the Nation-State
Friday, October 31st
Remembering Colonialism, Part I: Wide Sargasso Sea
Monday, November 3rd
**Reading: Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea
*Discussant(s):
Remembering Colonialism, Part II: Lawrence of Arabia
Wednesday, November 5th
**Film: Lean, Lawrence of Arabia
*Discussant(s):
***Copies of Rough Draft Due in Class***
Remembering Colonialism, Part III: White, Black in Color
Friday, November 7th
**Film: Annaud, Black and White in Color
*Discussant(s):
Post-Colonialism and Violence
Monday, November 10th
**Reading: Kincaid, A Small Place
*Discussant(s):
“Colo-mentality”
Wednesday, November 12th
**Music: Fela Kuti
*Discussant(s):
Battle of Algiers
Friday, November 14th
**Film: Pontecorvo, Battle of Algiers
*Discussant(s):
Iranian Revolution
Monday, November 17th
September 11th and the (Post) Colonial World (?)
Wednesday, November 19th
***Final Paper Due in Class***
No Class Meetings in Preparation for Group Projects
Friday, November 21st
***Plan Prospectus for Group Project Due in Class***
Group Presentations
Monday, November 24th
Group Presentations
Monday, December 1st
Group Presentations
Wednesday, December 3rd
Group Presentations
Friday, December 5th