Dr. Kimberly Schutte
Atlantic History
Early Modern Monarchy
Course Description:
Early Modern Europe was a land of kings; nearly every political entity was ruled by some sort of crowned head. But as with so many other things during this period, what it meant to be “God’s anointed” was challenged and changed radically over time and place. This period was also different from what had come before because of the relatively large number of women who wielded power. Through a combination of primary and secondary readings this course will explore the varied and changing face of monarchy in Early Modern Europe. The focus will be on Western Europe, though some attention will be paid to the East. This course will examine the phenomenon of monarchy between the Renaissance and the French Revolution using a variety of lenses including politics, gender, culture, and society.
The course will be conducted through a combination of lecture and discussion. Students will read a variety of texts and come to class prepared to contribute based on those texts. We will also look at a wide range of images to come to a fuller understanding of what it meant to rule during this dynamic era.
Readings:
The required readings will be drawn from both scholarly journals as well as monographs. The reading assignments will be given as the semester progresses and will be accessible either through library data bases (such as J-Store) or on ANGEL. In some cases, the professor may provide copies of the assigned material.
Course Requirements:
Digital Project – 60% of your course grade will be based on the on-going completion of the digital project. Each student will choose a monarch and produce the project based on that individual.
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For each theme of the course you need to write a minimum of 3-5 pages (double-spaced) relating your monarch to that theme.
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Must cite at least 2 of the assigned articles for that theme
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Must find at least 3 additional secondary sources (can use the same secondary source in more than one thematic essay).
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Must have a thesis and a developed argument
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Each essay is to be submitted to the professor for approval before you can move on to the next, due dates are given below. The final project will NOT be accepted if all of the previous essays have not been submitted.
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The project must have images
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Within the project you must make use of at least 2 primary sources
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At least one additional 3-5 page essay on a topic chosen by you that is particularly apropos to your monarch.
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The overall project must use correct Chicago Style and have a Works Cited Page
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For graduate students it must also include an historiographical essay.
The final project will be submitted digitally. It is up to each student to determine which digital program that he/she wishes to use (it can be as simple as a Word document with images embedded or you can use iBook, iMovie or any other program), either PC or Mac.
Participation – 20% of the course grade is based on your consistent and thoughtful participation in course discussions. It is imperative that you come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings. Thus, it is essential to attend regularly and to keep up with the readings.
Article Citations and Theses: 5% of your course grade will reflect your ability to correctly cite a journal article and identify the thesis. For each assigned article you are to bring to class (typed) the citation for that article in the Chicago Manual of Style bibliography form and a short (1-2 sentence) thesis statement. These are due at the beginning of the class at which the article is to be discussed.
Book Review – 15% of your course grade will be based on the review of a scholarly monograph. The book must be approved by the instructor and must relate in some way to your digital project.
Course Schedule
Please note that this schedule is tentative and is subject to change. If the due dates for assignments change, students will be notified in a timely manner.
Weeks One and Two: Theories of Kingship
Feb. 5 – Must have monarch chosen
Weeks Three and Four: Politics
Feb. 12 – Theories of Kingship Essay due
Weeks Five and Six: Gender
Feb. 26 – Politics Essay due
Weeks Seven and Eight: Religion
March 12 – Gender Essay due
Weeks Nine and Ten: Image
April 2 – Religion Essay due
Weeks Eleven and Twelve: Queenship
April 16 – Image Essay due
Weeks Thirteen and Fourteen: Rebellion and Regicide
April 30 – Queenship Essay due
May 9 – Book Review Due
May 14 – Digital Project Due
This class takes as its focus one of the most vibrant areas of research in the field of early modern history: the Atlantic World. In the period between the first decades of the fifteenth and the close of the nineteenth centuries, the Atlantic Ocean served as a nexus for the peoples and cultures in the four continents (South America, Africa, North America, and Europe) surrounding it. Through a process of exchange facilitated by trade and emigration these disparate peoples and cultures were fundamentally changed, becoming more similar. Over the course of the semester we will examine (among other topics) the impact that these exchanges had on the indigenous and colonizing societies; the larger impact of exploration on labour, religion, society, and politics; the changes wrought by the exchange of goods (such as the impact of sugar and coffee) and ideas; and the rise of revolutionary ideologies throughout the region in the closing decades of the eighteenth century, as well as the equally revolutionary movement to end the international slave trade in the opening years of the nineteenth century.
Required Text:
Karen Ordahl, The Atlantic in World History. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Course Requirements
Content Exams: There will be four (4) content examinations designed to test mastery of the factual material presented in the lectures and text material.
Midterm and Final Essays: These essays, written in response to questions posed by the professor, will be based on lecture material, assigned readings, and student research on theme(s) important to the material covered in the course. The essay is to be 5-7 pages long and utilize Chicago Manual of Style format for citations. Please note that late papers will not be accepted.
Exchange Essays: Each student will write two short (3 page) essays focusing on a person (or group of persons), idea, or commodity that was part of the Atlantic Exchange. Full specifications for this essay will be posted on ANGEL.
Participation: It is required that students will do the assigned readings in a timely manner and come to class prepared to actively participate. Participation in class discussion is graded and certain class periods will be devoted (at least in part) to a required discussion over an assigned topic.
Class Schedule
Please note that this schedule is tentative and is subject to change. If the due dates for assignments change, students will be notified in a timely manner.
Week 1 – What is Atlantic History?
Week 2 – Exploration and Initial Contact
Week 3 – Exploration and Initial Contact
Week 4 – European Atlantic Worlds
Week 5 – European Atlantic Worlds
Week 6 – African and Amerindian Atlantic Worlds
Week 7 – Race and Atlantic Slavery
Week 8 – Atlantic Conflicts
Week 9 – Atlantic Identities
Week 10 – Atlantic Identities
Week 11 – Atlantic Exchanges
Week 12 – Atlantic Exchanges
Week 13 – Atlantic Revolutions
Week 14 – Catch up day and Thanksgiving
Week 15 – Atlantic Revolutions
Pirates of the Caribbean:
Murder, Theft, and Adventure on the High Seas
from the Ancient World to the Present
Pirates have long occupied a powerful place in the popular imagination but what is the reality that lies behind Captain Hook, Long John Silver, and Captain Jack Sparrow? This class takes as it topic piracy from the ancient world to the present day. We will examine the activities of and reactions to pirates with particular focus on the period from c. 1550 to c. 1750. As this course is research intensive the ultimate aim is the production of a paper based on original research. In order to facilitate this endeavor, lectures and readings will be used to introduce students to the basic history of piracy and the current state of historical scholarship on piracy.
Readings:
The required readings will be both primary and secondary in nature and will be drawn from scholarly journals as well as monographs and online sources. The reading assignments will be given as the semester progresses and will be accessible either through library data bases (such as J-Stor) or on ANGEL. In some cases, the professor may provide copies of the assigned material.
Required Readings:
Peter T. Leeson, The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates, 2011.
Course Requirements:
Participation – 15% of the course grade is based on your consistent and thoughtful participation in course discussions. It is imperative that you come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings. Thus, it is essential to attend regularly and to keep up with the readings. Simple attendance will not equate to a good participation grade. In a 400/500 level history seminar active (i.e. verbal) participation is essential. Quizzes over readings or in-class writings over readings may also be used as part of the Participation grade. Participation will be graded after each class meeting. There are no excused absences (exceptions will be made for students who are absent on college-sponsored activities or due to religious obligations) and if you are absent you will receive a grade of 0 for that day’s participation.
Midterm and Final Examination – Each worth 10% of the final grade. These exams will be essay in nature and will cover lecture material and readings
Research Paper – 50% of your course grade will be based on the research paper. This paper will be written on a topic chosen in collaboration with the instructor. The paper will be completed in stages, and each stage must be successfully completed before the student can progress to the next stage (see course schedule below). The paper will be based on both primary and secondary sources and will argue a clear thesis and will use Chicago Style citations (full specifications for the paper will be posted on ANGEL and will be discussed in class). For undergraduates this paper should be between 15 and 20 (20-25 pages for graduate students).
Presentation of Research – 10% of the final grade will be given for the production and explanation of a poster based on the research done for the course. The poster session will be set up so that each person presents their research to only one class-mate at a time (you do not have to stand in front of the entire class and make the presentation). Full requirements will be posted on ANGEL.
Synthetic Discussion – 5% of the final grade will be comprised of the final synthetic discussion. This discussion will encompass material from the entire semester, both lecture and readings, as well as make reference to the student’s research. The professor will make the base discussion questions available ahead of time. Students will be graded on the depth and thoughtfulness of their participation in this discussion.
Attendance: Attendance is vital to success in this class. There are no excused absences in this course (exceptions will be made for students participating in college-sponsored activities and for the observation of religious holidays). If you are not present, a grade of 0 will be given for the participation grade for that class. On a student’s 2nd absence from class that student’s grade will be lowered by one grade increment (i.e. if the student earns a B on the course assignments but has been absent 2 times that grade will be lowered to a B-). For each additional absence after 2 the student’s grade will be lowered an additional grade increment (i.e. if a student has been absent 4 times and has earned a B on the course assignments that grade will be lowered to a C).
Course Schedule:
It is possible that this schedule will change – if that happens the professor will provide ample notice
Week I: Introduction: What is a Pirate?
Week II: Piracy in the Ancient World
Week III: Medieval Piracy
Week IV: Pirates and Privateers in the Renaissance
Week V: Pirates and Privateers in the Renaissance
Week VI: The Golden Age of Piracy
Week VII: The Golden Age of Piracy
Week VIII: Discussion of Invisible Hook
Week IX: Piracy Since the 18th Century
Week X: Piracy in the Modern World
Week XI: Archaeology of Piracy
Week XII: Pirates in Popular Culture
Week XIII: Poster Session
Week XIV: Synthetic Discussion
Finals Week: Final Exam
“Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived”: a bloated Henry VIII soaked in the blood of his wives is the popular image of the early modern era in England. This course will examine the political, cultural, and religious world of Tudor/Stuart Britain (1485-1714) and show that there was much more to this pivotal period than just the marital problems of one monarch. Through an intensive set of readings students will come to a fuller understanding of the complexities of England during this tumultuous period.
Text:
Robert Bucholz. Early Modern England, 1485-1714: A Narrative History [available as an e-book through Drake]. Cited in Reading List as EME
Course Requirements
Content Exams: There will be four (4) content examinations designed to test mastery of the factual material presented in the lectures and text material.
Midterm and Final Essays: These essays, written in response to questions posed by the professor, will be based on lecture material, assigned readings, and student research on theme(s) important to the material covered in the course. The essay is to be 5-7 pages long and utilize Chicago Manual of Style format for citations.
Biographical Essay: Each student will write 2 biographical essays: one before midterm on a Tudor figure and the other after midterm on a Stuart figure. These short essays (minimum of 3 pages) will focus on a particular aspect of a person’s life and will utilize both primary and secondary sources. Specific requirements will be posted on ANGEL.
Participation: It is required that students will do the assigned readings in a timely manner and come to class prepared to actively participate. Participation in class discussion is graded and certain class periods will be devoted (at least in part) to a required discussion over an assigned topic.
Course Topics (note these do not necessarily correlate to weeks)
I. Introduction: The Yorkists and the Wars of the Roses
II. “By the Grace of God”: the rise of the Tudors
III. Centers of Power
IV. Henry VIII
V. Religion
VI. The “Little Tudors”
VII. The Elizabethan “Monarchical Republic”
VIII. The Social World
IX. The Advent of the Stuarts
X. England Becomes a Colonial Power
XI. The System Fails: Charles I and Civil War
XII. The Commonwealth
XIII. The Restoration
XIV. James II and the Glorious Revolution
XV. Refashioning the State
Pirates of the Caribbean
Sample Syllabi
Below are the syllabi (administrative trivia has been edited out) for just a few of the courses that I have taught:
