NOTA BENE--THIS IS THE FALL 2003 VERSION OF HIST 4053
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Professor Chester
Hellems 225
Office Hours: Tue/Thu 3:45-5:00 and by appointment
chester[at]colorado.edu (preferred) or (303) 492-0310
<www.colorado.edu/history/chester/BritishEmpire.htm>
This course explores the formation, development, and decolonization of the British Empire. It examines forms of empire in the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, with a focus on India, the empire’s “jewel in the crown.” Themes include the “man on the spot,” formal and informal imperialism, collaboration and resistance, fictional representations of empire, decolonization, legacies of colonialism, and the roles of gender, race, and class. No prior knowledge of the subject is required, but sophomore standing is a prerequisite.
Lectures are organized in a roughly chronological fashion, with weekly themes designed to encompass the necessary geographical range while introducing major theories of imperialism. Lecture topics are indicated below. The course also provides an introduction to basic historical methodology. Course requirements include a midterm exam, final exam, and 8-10 page research paper, with a paper proposal and primary source exercise to be submitted during the semester. Weekly reading responses will also be required.
required reading (books available at CU bookstore, articles on course webpage)
Alfred Crosby, Ecological Imperialism (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993)
E.M. Forster, A Passage to India (New York: Knopf, 1991)
John Gallagher and Ronald Robinson, “The Imperialism of Free Trade,” Economic History Review 2nd series, 6:1 (1953) 1-15
M. K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Boston: Beacon Press, 1993)
Daniel Headrick, The Tools of Empire (New York: Oxford University Press, 1981)
Edward Said, Orientalism (New York: Vintage Books, 1994)
Tony Smith, “A Comparative Study of French and British Decolonization,” Comparative Studies in Society and History 20:1 (Jan 1978) 70-102
assignments
Each week, beginning on Monday, September 8, you must submit by email a 2-3 paragraph reaction to that week’s reading. This response should demonstrate your understanding of and engagement with the reading. You may skip this assignment without penalty three times during the semester. I will grade responses on a check/check-plus/check-minus basis.
paper proposal (1-2 pages)—Due Tuesday, September 23
Identify a topic in imperial history that you will address in your final paper. Specify the question or questions you will attempt to answer. Include a preliminary bibliography of relevant secondary accounts.
primary source exercise (2 pages)—Due Tuesday, September 30
Identify at least one primary source you will use in writing your final paper. These sources may be textual, visual (e.g. a map), or even aural (e.g. a national anthem). Provide a full citation and brief description, as well as a preliminary discussion of your source’s relevance to the question(s) outlined in your paper proposal.
The midterm will include a map section, identification questions, and one essay selected from several choices.
Paper draft option—Due Tuesday, November 18
Final paper (8-10 pages)—Due Thursday, December 11
This is a research paper and your argument must be based on primary sources. The paper must also include a discussion of relevant secondary accounts. Take note: papers that do not meet these fundamental requirements and lack prior approval from me may be penalized two letter grades (e.g. from an A to a C). If you have questions about this requirement, ask me.
final exam— Monday, December 15, 4:30-7:00pm
The format of the final will be similar to that of the midterm exam.
Be warned: If attendance and/or attention flags, I may conduct in-class quizzes or add other assignments. In this case, I will announce the changes in advance, adjust the grading percentages accordingly, and announce the new percentages in class.
Religious/Athletic obligations and class conflicts
If you have a conflict with exams, assignments, or class/recitation meetings because of religious obligations or athletic competition, please let me know at least two weeks in advance. We will work together to arrange appropriate accommodations.
CU Disability Services
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services as soon as possible so that your needs can be addressed. You can reach Disability Services at (303) 492-8671, at Willard 322, or through their website <www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices>; they determine accommodations based on documented disabilities.
grading
Grades will be determined on the basis of reading responses (10%); paper proposal (5%); primary source exercise (5%); midterm exam (25%); final paper (25%); and final exam (30%). If you need an extension, discuss it with me in advance. I do not accept late work or offer makeup exams except under extraordinary circumstances (e.g. a medical emergency or death in the family).
plagiarism
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. As a violation of the CU Honor Code and the university’s policy on Academic Integrity, it is punishable by dismissal from the university. I will refer incidents of plagiarism to the Honor Code Council. We will discuss proper citation in class, but you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the meanings of plagiarism; “Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement,” published by Dartmouth College, is an excellent resource, available online at <www.dartmouth.edu/~sources>.
Classroom Behavior
In this class, we will all treat each other with respect. Civil discussion of differing viewpoints is an essential part of the study of imperial history. Appropriate classroom behavior includes arriving on time and remaining for the entire class; let me know before class if you will need to leave early. Do not eat, sleep, read the newspaper, email, instant/text message, play games, have private conversations, etc. during lectures or recitations. Turn cell phones off!
Drop/Add Deadlines
The deadline to add a course or to add your name to a course waitlist is Wednesday, September 3. The deadline to drop a course is Wednesday, September 10. For more information, see the registration handbook and schedule of courses.
course outline
Crosby pp. 1-7; Guidelines for “Referencing” and “Papers”
▪ welcome and introduction to the course
▪ “Gold, God, and Glory”: theories of empire
Crosby 132-170 and 195-216
▪ settlement colonies; germs and empire
▪ non-European perspectives; slavery
Week Three (Sep. 9, 11): Empire in Australia and New Zealand
Crosby 217-268
▪ the Maori wars
▪ social structures in Australia
Week Four (Sep. 16, 18): Trade and Empire in Asia
Crosby 294-308; Headrick 3-42, 129-141
▪ collaborator theory
▪ technology and empire
Paper proposal due in my box in the History Department (Hellems 204) by 4pm, Tuesday, Sep. 23
If you must obtain sources through Interlibrary Loan, order them now!
Headrick 58-79; 96-126; 192-203
▪ the “man on the spot”
▪ the invention of tradition; theories of imperialism
Primary source exercise due in my box in the History Dept. (Hellems 204) by 4pm, Tuesday, Sep. 30
Gallagher and Robinson, “The Imperialism of Free Trade”
▪ informal empire and imperial continuity
▪ FALL BREAK
Headrick 142-191
▪ imperialism and the Middle East
Said 1-49
▪ Midterm exam: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14
▪ British orientalism and Said’s critique (lecture outline)
Said 226-254; Forster 3-63
▪ Orientalism continued (lecture outline)
▪ female agency and symbolism; women’s “complicity and resistance” (lecture outline)
Forster 63-213
Reading Response: Analyze one or more examples of hierarchy in Passage to India.
▪ British domestic aristocracy and imperial hierarchies (class discussion)
▪ the census of India and British interpretations of Indian society (lecture outline)
Forster 213-362
Reading Response: Is Forster an Orientalist or not?
▪ Forster's life; debate (lecture outline)
▪ “The Empire Writes Back”: indigenous literary responses (lecture outline)
Gandhi Section I, Chapters III-XIII (pp. 9-40); Section II, Chapters VI-IX (pp. 89-102) and XVI-XIX (pp. 121-133); Section III, Chapters VII-X (pp. 179-189)
Reading Response:
As related in
his autobiography, Gandhi encountered numerous forms of prejudice in his early
life. Select one example and discuss Gandhi's reaction to it.
▪ stewardship vs.
self-rule (class cancelled)
▪ nationalist resistance (lecture outline)
Paper draft due in my box in the History Department (Hellems 204) by 4pm, Tuesday, Nov. 18 (optional)
Reading Response: Analyze the development of one of Gandhi’s strategies of non-violent resistance.
▪ non-cooperation in India (class discussion)
▪ the collapse of collaboration (lecture outline)
Gandhi Section V, Chapters XXIII-Farewell (pp. 392-454)
Reading Response: Analyze one of the following two aspects of Gandhi’s methodology: a) his relationship with British officials; or b) his use of language.
▪ the end of the British Raj (lecture outline)
▪ THANKSGIVING BREAK
Smith, “French and British Decolonization”
Reading Response: Which characteristic of British imperialism had the greatest effect on the nature of British decolonization?
▪ aftermath of partition in South Asia (lecture outline)
▪ comparative decolonization (lecture outline)
Week Sixteen (Dec. 9, 11):
Final paper due in my box in the History Department (Hellems 204), 4pm, Thursday, Dec. 11
Read the international section of the New York Times or Washington Post this week, considering the influence of British imperialism on current events. Both newspapers are available online at <www.nyt.com> and <www.washingtonpost.com>.
Reading Response: Discuss one legacy of imperialism (positive, negative, or mixed) and its continuing impact today. Keep in mind that that impact can be political, social, economic, or cultural.
▪ imperial legacies; imperialism today? (lecture outline)
▪ review session (FCQ administration)
FINAL EXAM MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 4:30-7:00pM