History 411, Honors 291 and 491: American Slavery in an International Context
Fall 2002
University of Southern Colorado
TTh: 12:30-2PM, Psych. 213
Professor Jonathan Rees
Office: 124 Psychology
Office Phone: 549-2541
Office Hours: MW 11AM-12, TTh 2-3:30PM
E-Mail: E-Mail: Jonathan [dot] Rees [at] colostate-pueblo [dot] edu
All the work in this course is comparative. We will be thinking and writing about the differences within slavery and differences between slavery and other systems of servitude. These comparisons will be both temporal, geographic and between cultures. Are main focus, however, will be on American slavery even though we will look at similar systems in other countries. I do this primarily because American slavery is the system I know best. After you have completed and I have read your research for this course, perhaps that will no longer be the case.
When examining slavery, we will look at it from a wide range of perspectives. Slavery, after all, is a social, cultural and economic system. The importance of various attributes of slavery will differ between countries and over time. We will make both kinds of comparisons.
This course is listed in the course catalog as History 491, Honors 291 and Honors 491. It does not matter what number you are signed up under. They are all the same course. This course is designed to be both reading and writing intensive. This is necessary in order to exercise the critical thinking skills that are necessary for sophisticated college-level work. I don't want to hear complaints about the workload, because you all knew you were signing up for an honors course before you arrived in class.
I encourage students with questions or concerns about any aspect of this course to either visit me during office hours, make an appointment or contact me by E-Mail. Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability should speak to me during the first two weeks of class.
The taping of class lectures and discussions is not permitted unless you have my explicit permission.
In order to facilitate communication between me and you (for example, last minute class agenda changes) and communication between students, having an e-mail address is a course requirement. If this is a problem for any reason, please see me immediately.
Please turn off your portable phones before class begins.
Required Reading
Berlin, Ira. Many Thousands Gone.
Bush, M.L. Servitude in Modern Times.
Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano (Bedford Edition).
Northrup, David. The Atlantic Slave Trade, Second Edition.
Klein, Herbert. Slavery in the Americas.
Kolchin, Peter. American Slavery.
Grading and Attendance Policies
Although I will do some lecturing in class, much of our time will be spent discussing assigned readings. Consequently it is important that you come to class regularly and do the assigned reading BEFORE the class period. I reserve the right to call on students who do not volunteer so that everybody has a chance to participate in discussions. The quality of your contributions is as important as their frequency.
I will take attendance every class period. It is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet. If you do not sign it, you are not there. You will be allowed four unexcused absences during the course of the semester. If you miss another class period for any reason after that you will fail the class participation section of this course regardless of performance when you attend and I may drop you from the course. If you will be missing more than two classes in a row, please inform me in advance of your absence.
The breakdown of your final grade will be as follows:
- Paper on Berlin, Many Thousands Gone – 20%
- Temporal Comparison Paper – 25%
- International Comparison Research Paper – 30%
- Reading Check Questions – 10%
- Class Participation – 15%
Your first paper will be a geographic comparison based on the work in Ira Berlin's Many Thousands Gone. It should be 8 to 10 pages long. For more information on the assignment, click here.
Your second paper will be a literature and internet review of changes in how one aspect of American slavery changed over time. It should be 10-12 pages long. For more information on this assignment, click here.
Your final paper will be a research paper comparing multiple aspects of American slavery to another system of servitude outside the United States. It should be 12 to 15 pages long. For more on this assignment, click here.
Questions on the Equiano and Klein books will be available on the web site at least one week before the novel in question is due to be discussed in class. The answers to these questions are due to me by e-mail at the beginning of the class period when the novel is discussed. Answers will be graded on a 0-5 scale. 0 is bad. 5 is good. A letter grade will be assigned at the end of the semester based on your performance on both assignments. USC's e-mail system is incredibly unreliable. Therefore, bring a paper copy of your answers to the class discussion in case I have not received them by that time. No late questions will be accepted. After all, what's the use once the discussion is over?
For questions on the Equiano book, click here.
For questions on the Klein book, click here.
Major paper grades will be measured on an A-F scale with pluses and minuses (although I will have to round off when determining your final grade for bureaucratic reasons). I will do my best to explain the criteria by which each assignment is graded before you undertake them.
When determining class participation, I will be interested in the quality of your statements rather than the frequency with which you talk. If your comments demonstrate that you have not done the reading, you are better off not speaking at all. However, failure to talk at all during the class will make an above average grade on class participation impossible.
It is assumed that students will make every effort to attend each class period, arrive on time and stay for the entire class. An attendance sheet will be passed around at the beginning of each class. If you arrive late to class, make sure your name is on the attendance sheet before you leave. Otherwise, you will be counted as absent.
You will be permitted three unexcused absences during the course of the semester (to account for the random mishaps, mistakes and burdens of everyday life). After that, you will fail the class participation section of this course. All excuses must be presented to me within one week of the absence in question. If you have five unexcused absences, I will either make your final grade an F regardless of other performance or drop you from the course. If you will be missing more than two classes in a row, please inform me in advance of your absence.
Tests may not be scheduled early. You must arrange work schedules and travel plans in order to take tests on the scheduled dates. Make-up exams will only be given to students who have compelling reasons, such as severe illness or university-sponsored activities. No excuses will be accepted more than 24 hours after the scheduled test time.
Any form of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for the entire course. This includes plagiarism, the taking of words and/or ideas of another and passing them off as your own. If another person's work is quoted directly in a formal paper, this must be indicated with quotation marks and a citation. Paraphrased or borrowed ideas must be identified in the footnotes of the text.
Daily Topics and Reading Assignments
Note: I have placed reading material on the syllabus for the day it is likely to be discussed in class. You will want to have all of it read by that time.
August 27: Introduction/What is Slavery?
August 29: Bases for Comparison.
- Bush, Chapters 1 and 2.
September 3: The Slave Trade, Part I.
- Northrup, pp. 80-89, 103-24.
September 5: The Slave Trade, Part II.
- Northrup, pp. 52-63. 134-40.
September 10: Equiano Discussion
- Equiano.
- "Olaudah Equiano, or, Gustavas Vassa, the African": http://www.brycchancarey.com/equiano/ (consult only)
Equiano Answers Due.
September 12: The Origins of American Slavery/Slavery in the Colonial Era.
- Bush, pp. 105-16.
- Kolchin, Chapters 1 and 2.
- Northup, pp. 2-7.
Intersystem Comparison Research Topic Due
September 17: Berlin Discussion, Part 1.
- Berlin, Prologue and Part I.
September 19: Berlin Discussion, Part 2.
- Berlin, Parts II and III.
September 24: Library Day
September 26: Draft Paper Review
Berlin Draft Paper Due. (Bring two copies of your draft paper to class).
October 1: The Historiography of American Slavery
October 3: Slavery as an Economic System.
- Kolchin, Chapter 6.
Berlin Paper Due.
October 8: Slavery as a Social System
- Kolchin, Chapter 4.
October 10: Kolchin Discussion, Part 1.
- Kolchin, Chapter 5.
October 15: Kolchin Discussion, Part 2.
October 17: Draft Paper Discussion
American Slavery Literature and Internet Review Drafts Due. (Bring two copies of your draft paper to class).
October 22: Indentured Servitude and Debt Bondage.
- Bush, Chapters 4, 5 and 7.
October 24: Transportation/Convict Labor.
- Bush, Chapter 6.
October 29: Caribbean Slavery
- Bush, pp. 69-105.
Northrup, pp. 14-23.
American Slavery Literature and Internet Review Papers Due
October 31: Guest Speaker: Steven Epstein, University of Colorado - Boulder.
November 5: Klein Discussion.
- Klein.
Klein Answers Due.
November 7: Latin American Slavery.
November 12: Serfdom.
- Bush, Chapter 3 and 9.
November 14: Bush Discussion
- Bush, pp. 6-18.
November 19: Draft Research Paper Review
Draft Research Papers Due.
November 21: Film
December 3: Abolition and Emancipation.
- Bush, Chapters 11, 12 and Conclusion.
- Kolchin, Chapter 7.
December 5:
Research Papers Due
Papers will be returned at your final exam period, December 12th at 10:30 AM.