|
Tuesday,
January 22
|
Housekeeping Details and Introduction
|
|
Thursday,
January 24
|
Reading: After the Fact, Intro “Strange Case of Silas Deane”
|
 |
|
|
|
TEXT AS EVIDENCE 1: Knowledge & Comprehension
We begin by reading a classic detective story and examining the kind of evidence most common to historians: text. We continue by asking ourselves several questions. How do detectives work? What kind of thinking do they engage in? What kinds of evidence do they use? How do they determine the validity of that evidence? We turn next to asking those same questions of historians. The goal in this section of the course is to write a solid narrative of a historical event—in this case the story of a crime that occurred on a late summer afternoon on the Chesapeake in 1681.
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday,
January 29
|
Reading: A Study in Scarlet
|
|
ASSIGNMENT #1: Arthur Conan Doyle makes several references to historical events in his first novella. Select one of the historical events, persons, or places and, using the library or the web, find out a bit more about your selection.
DISCUSSION: Why does most of the story take place in Utah? How does Sherlock Holmes solve his problems? What does he use?.
|
|
Thursday,
January 31
|
Reading: After the Fact, Ch. 1 “Serving Time in Virginia”
“Indentured Servant’s Confession, 1623”
“Indentured Servitude in the Chesapeake, 1640”
“Sex in the Chesapeake, 1681”
|
|
|
Tuesday,
February 5
|
Discussion: Strategies for “Sex in the Chesapeake, 1681” Essay
|
|
DISCUSSION: What is the substance of each person’s testimony? Can you infer anything about the disposition of the case from testimony? |
|
Thursday,
February 7
|
1st DRAFT DUE: ASSIGNMENT #1
Discussion: Peer Review
|
|
|
Tuesday,
February 12
|
Discussion: Strategies for "Sex in the Chesapeake, 1681" Essay
Discussion: Revision
|
|
Tuesday,
February 14,
|
2nd & FINAL DRAFT DUE: ASSIGNMENT # 1
|
|
|
|
|
|
IMAGE AS EVIDENCE 2: Knowledge & Comprehension
In this part of the course, we begin with a detective novel set on the Navaho reservation in the American Southwest. Hillerman’s novels are notable for their portrayal of Native American culture and the landscape of the American Southwest. In the process, we will grapple with a different kind of evidence—images—and make a start on understanding the historical variables of race, class, gender, and ethnicity. The goal in this section of the course is gain some mastery of comparison by looking at two landscape images.
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday
February 19
|
Reading: The People of Darkness
|
|
DISCUSSION: Jim Chee is a different kind of detective. How does Chee solve the crime? What does he use to solve crimes? How might a historian think like Chee?
|
|
Thursday,
February 21
|
Reading: After the Fact, Ch. 8 "Mirror with a Memory"
Dead Certainties, "The Many Deaths of General Wolfe"
Viewing: “Thomas Moran Exhibition” (optional)
“Crossing the Frontier Exhibition” (optional)
“The Death of General Wolfe,” Benjamin West
“Towers Falls,” Thomas Moran & William H. Jackson
|
|
ASSIGNMENT #3: Complete the image analysis worksheet. One way to begin thinking about a thesis for a comparison is drawing up a list of categories for comparison—the basis for your discussion of similarities and differences. Put together a list of categories on which the painting and photograph can be compared and comment on the reasons for your choices.
|
|
|
Tuesday,
February 26
|
Strategies for “Tower Falls, 1872”
|
|
ASSIGNMENT #4: Before class, write a draft of first paragraph and bring it to the discussion. Be sure that you have a reasonable introduction and thesis sentence.
|
|
Tuesday,
February 28
|
1st DRAFT DUE: ASSIGNMENT #2
Discussion: Peer Review
|
|
|
Thursday,
March 5
|
Discussion: Strategies for “Tower Falls, 1872”
Discussion: Revision
|
|
Tuesday,
March 7
|
2nd & FINAL DRAFT DUE: ASSIGNMENT #2
|
|
|
Tuesday,
March 12
|
SPRING BREAK-NO CLASS
|
|
Thursday,
March 14
|
SPRING BREAK-NO CLASS
|
|
|
|
|
TEXT AS EVIDENCE 2: Application & Analysis
In this section of the course, we start off by looking at a particular kind of textual document—court transcripts. As we look at them carefully, we will consider three items: first, the kind of evidence available from court records; second, questions of race, class, ethnicity, and gender; and the ways in which historians have used court cases to write historical narrative and carry out historical analysis. The goal is to apply the techniques gleaned from reading the monographs to an analysis of the issues at stake State v. Rehberg.
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday,
March 19
|
Reading: Sold Down River
After the Fact, Ch. 10 “Saco & Vanzetti”
|
|
DISCUSSION: How would you describe the effect of race or ethnicity on the central figures in Sold Down River and the Saco and Vanzetti case?
|
|
Thursday,
March 21
|
Reading: Death of an Overseer
|
|
ASSIGNMENT #5: Using the Internet, find four images that you would use to illustrate either Death of an Overseer or Sold Down River. Import them into a word processing document, make four copies and bring them to class in preparation for discussion on the reasons for your choices. (You might have to resize the images to fit your document size.)
DISCUSSION: According to the author, how does race influence the proceedings in Death of an Overseer? How does the discussion of slavery in Death of an Overseer compare with its depiction in Sold Down River?
|
|
|
Tuesday,
March 26
|
Reading: Dead Certainties, “Death of a Harvard Man”
|
|
DISCUSSION: How does social class affect the investigation and legal proceedings in “Death of a Harvard Man?”
|
|
Thursday,
March 28
|
Reading: State v. Rehberg, 1885
|
|
DISCUSSION: What is the substance of each of the witness's testimony? How do social class and gender affect the proceedings in State v. Rehberg? If you were a nineteenth-century juror, how would you have voted and why? Remember that the standard in a criminal case is "reasonable doubt." Does the defense manage to present a reasonable doubt in the course of its argument? What do you think the verdict was in 1885? Why?
|
|
|
Tuesday,
April 2
|
Discussion: Strategies for State v. Rehberg, 1885
|
|
ASSIGNMENT #6: Before class, write a draft of first paragraph and bring it to the discussion. Be sure that you have a reasonable introduction and thesis sentence.
DISCUSSION: What is the substance of each of the witness's testimony? How do social class and gender affect the proceedings in State v. Rehberg? What specific evidence could you present to document your assertions?
|
|
Thursday,
April 4
|
1st DRAFT DUE: ASSIGNMENT #3
Discussion: Peer Review
|
|
|
Tuesday,
April 9
|
Discussion: Strategies for State v. Rehberg, 1885
Discussion: Revisions
|
|
Thursday,
April 11
|
2nd FINAL DRAFT DUE: ASSIGNMENT #3
|
|
|
|
|
MOVING IMAGE AS EVIDENCE: Synthesis & Evaluation
Mystery writer like Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler created the hard-boiled detectives of the 1940s and 1950s. These books popularized a particular kind of manhood, and films both during the period and after reflected this view of manliness. War movies, particularly, became a staple and the major conduit for ideas about manhood and war. Since many Americans obtain (and obtained) their "history" from movies, getting a handle on this medium is important. This part of the course seeks to introduce to moving images—in this case, films about the Viet Nam Era—as historical evidence, as representations of American culture, and as a means of understanding change over time. We also want to bring disparate pieces of evidence and ideas together and try our hands at historical evaluation.
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday,
April 16
|
Reading: After the Fact, Ch. 15 "Where Trouble Comes"
Viewing: Platoon
Discussion: Platoon & Halberstam
|
|
ASSIGNMENT #7: Find the New York Times op-ed piece that David Halberstam wrote about Platoon. Do you agree or disagree with his assessment?
|
|
Thursday,
April 18
|
Viewing: Films of Your Choosing
Discussion: The Films
|
|
ASSIGNMENT #8: View two films from the following list: The Deer Hunter, The Green Berets, Apocalypse Now, Good Morning Viet Nam, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, Coming Home, Rambo, or Born on the Fourth of July. Complete the film analysis worksheet. Again, one way to begin thinking about a thesis for a comparison is drawing up a list of categories for comparison—the basis for your discussion of similarities and differences.
|
|
|
Tuesday,
April 23
|
Reading: Periodical Literature
Discussion: The Periodical Literature
|
|
ASSIGNMENT #9: Using either the library or online resources (or both), find four articles that discuss the films that you chose. To prepare for class, photocopy or print the articles, read them, and bring them to class in preparation for discussion.
|
|
Thursday,
April 25
|
Discussion: Strategies for Viet Nam Films, 1970-1990
|
|
ASSIGNMENT #10: Before class, write a draft of first paragraph of your essay. Be sure that you have a reasonable introduction and thesis sentence. In addition, comment on one of your classmate's contributions.
|
|
|
Tuesday,
April 30
|
1st DRAFT DUE: ASSIGNMENT #4
Discussion: Peer Revie
|
|
Thursday,
May 2
|
Discussion: Strategies for “Viet Nam Films, 1970-1990”
Discussion: Revisions
|
|
|
Tuesday,
May 7
|
Reading Day
|
|
I will set aside time for all those who wish to meet with me to go over the drafts of their papers. We will schedule this during the last week of classes for those who are interested.
|
|
Thursday,
May 9
|
2nd FINAL DRAFT DUE: ASSIGNMENT #4
SELF-EVALUATION DUE
|
|
|
|
