Prof. Charles Upchurch
EUH 4520, Bellamy Hall, room 0030
M W F – 1:25 to 2:15 PM
http://mailer.fsu.edu/~cupchurc

Office: 460 Bellamy
Office phone: 644-5297
Office Hrs: Mon. & Wed. 3 to 4 PM
email: cupchurc@mailer.fsu.edu

England: 1714 to 1870

Course Description: In exploring the Hanoverian and early Victorian periods of English history, this course focuses on the conventions that have shaped the recording of that history as well as on ‘the facts of the past.’ The lecture component of the class will provide a continuous narrative though English history between 1714 and 1870, covering the major political, economic, and social events within that period. The readings will in some ways complement this narrative, and in other ways complicate it. Conventional markers of historical transition may be called into question depending on whether politics, gender, or class is placed in the center of analysis. By the same token political history has quite different concerns from social history, or from narratives that draw heavily on economics. The readings for this course have been selected to expose students to a range of styles for writing history, and through a careful close reading of these works students will develop a critical eye for how meanings are shaped by the ways in which histories are written (or recorded). In this way we will not only be gaining a familiarity with the events of English history, but also a better understanding of how and why historical narratives are constructed the way they are. 

Course Requirements: Students are required to take two in-class examinations and complete three written précis of between four and six pages (described below). Students are also required to attend and participate in class discussions. Percentages for each of these areas as a total of the student’s final grade are given below. Grades are based on the student’s ability to master the material presented in the assigned readings and classroom lectures. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will be reported to the administration. For the rules governing academic honesty, see the section titled “Academic Honor Code” in the Student Handbook or online at: http://www.fsu.edu/~union/honor.htm.

Required Books:       
Linda Colley, Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837 (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1992)
John Brewer, The Sinews of Power: War, Money, and the English State, 1688-1783 (Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1988)
Anna Clark, The Struggle for the Breeches: Gender and the Making of the British Working Class (Berkeley, University of California Press, 1995)
James Vernon, ed., Re-reading the Constitution: New Narratives in the Political History of England’s Long Nineteenth Century (New York, Cambridge University Press, 1996)
Walter E. Houghton, The Victorian Frame of Mind, 1830-1870 (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1985) 

Reserve Readings: A small number of reserve readings are also available at Strozier Library and on the library's online reserve system. Online reserves will be central to some class discussions. Use the first weeks of class to ensure that you can access the online reserve system before we begin using this material. 

Supplemental Readings: For students less familiar with British history in this period and wanting additional reference material, the following books have been placed on reserve at Strozier Library.
Asa Briggs, The Age of Improvement: 1783-1867 (New York, Longman, 2000)
William B. Willcox, The Age of Aristocracy: 1688-1830 (Lexington, MA, D. C. Heath and Co., 1976)

Grading:
Attendance and Discussion Participation: 10%
Précis: 40%
Mid-term exam: 25%
Final Exam: 25%

Grade Scale:
A  = 100-93                 B  = 86-83                   C  = 76-73                   D  = 66-63      
A- = 92-90                  B- = 82-80                  C- = 72-70                  D- = 62-60
B+ = 89-87                  C+ = 79-77                 D+ = 69-67                 F   = 59 and under

Attendance and Discussion Participation: Attendance will be taken on discussion and film days, and student participation levels will be recorded at each discussion. Students should come to class prepared to contribute their questions and observations to sustain the discussion, and to volunteer their ideas if called on. Attendance may on occasion be taken at other class meetings.

Précis: Three précis will be written during the semester for the required readings. These papers should each be between four and six pages in length, and address the criteria listed below. They should indicate not only that students have read and understood the assigned work, but that they are beginning to think critically about its contents, and how it relates to the field of English history as a whole. The due date for each paper will be on the day that that work is being discussed in class (see class schedule below). Work turned in late will be marked down one letter grade for each week that passes after the deadline.

1) Historical problem (or problems) addressed in the work                  
2) Author’s thesis
3) Genera of history (political, social, cultural, gender)
4) Sources (major primary or secondary sources used)
5) Short general summary of the work
6) Strengths of the work
7) Weaknesses of the work
8) Significant findings of this work

Mid-term and Final Exam: The mid-term and final exam will be based on IDs and a choice of essay question. IDs will be drawn from the Key Terms given with each lecture, and should be identified according to the standard “who/what, when, where, why significant” formula. Essay questions will require students to relate broad themes across several lectures or readings. Medical or other similar emergencies are the only valid excuse for requesting the postponement of an exam.

Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 Title II must follow these steps:
1) Provide documentation of your disability to the Student Disability Resource Center (08 Kellum Hall, tel. 644-9566).
2) Provide the instructor within the first week of class a statement from the Student Disability Resource Center indicating that you have registered with them. The statement should indicate the special accommodations that you require.

 

Week One 

     Wednesday, January 7 – Introductory Meeting

     Friday, January 9 – English Social Structure in the 18th Century

Readings: Brewer, Introduction and Part I

 

Week Two 

     Monday, January 12 – English Political Structure in the 18th Century 

     Wednesday, January 14 – From the Glorious Revolution to the Hanoverian Succession

     Friday, January 16 – New Social Spaces in the Eighteenth Century

Readings: Colley, Introduction and chapters 1-3

 

Week Three 

     Monday, January 19 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day – No Class Meeting

     Wednesday, January 21 – The Hanoverians and Walpole

     Friday, January 23 – Discussion: Brewer and Colley – all chapters assigned through week three 

Readings: Brewer, Parts II and III 

 

Week Four 

     Monday, January 26 – Origins of Collective Responsibility

     Wednesday, January 28 – Reason and Religious Enthusiasm

     Friday, January 30 – Rivalry between Britain & France

Readings: Colley, chapters 4-6

 

Week Five 

     Monday, February 2 – The Scottish Enlightenment and Scottish Identity  

     Wednesday, February 4 – Conditions in Ireland in the 18th Century

     Friday, February 6 – British Involvement in India to 1784

Readings: Brewer, Parts IV, V, and Conclusion

 

Week Six 

     Monday, February 9 – English Radicalism and the American Revolution

     Wednesday, February 11 – The Industrial Revolution

     Friday, February 13 – Discussion: Colley and Brewer

            First Paper Due – Comparative Analysis of Brewer and Colley 

Readings: Colley, chapters 7, 8 and Conclusion

 

Week Seven 

     Monday, February 16 – The French Revolution: Part I – Military

     Wednesday, February 18 – The French Revolution: Part II – Domestic 

     Friday, February 20 – Documentary: George III: Mad or Maligned?

Readings: Clark, Introduction and Part I: Women and Men in Plebeian Culture

            And Edmund Burke online selection (both readings for Monday, February 23 discussion)

 

Week Eight

     Monday, February 23 – Discussion: Industrial Revolution and French Revolution

     Wednesday, February 25 – Discussion: What Constitutes Good Analysis?

     Friday, February 27 – Mid-term Exam

 

Week Nine 

     Monday, March 1 – Women’s Roles in Society

     Wednesday, March 3 – Evolution of Respectable Masculinity

     Friday, March 5 –  Discussion of first half of Anna Clark
Readings: Clark, Part II: The Search For Solutions

 

Week Ten: Spring Break – No Classes

 

Week Eleven 

     Monday, March 15 – Reaction and Radicalism: 1815-1827

     Wednesday, March 17 – Evolution of Law Enforcement and Policing

     Friday, March 19 – Discussion: Struggle for the Breeches – Second Paper Due -

Readings: Clark, Part III: Domesticity and the Making of the Working Class, 1820-1850

 

Week Twelve 

     Monday, March 22 – The Great Reform Act of 1832 and After 

     Wednesday, March 24 – Empire and the End of the Slave Trade

     Friday, March 26 – Discussion: First Chapters of James Vernon 

Readings: Vernon, chapters 1-5

 

Week Thirteen 

     Monday, March 29 – Towards a Working-Class Politics

     Wednesday, March 31 – Documentary: Simon Schama, A History of Britain

     Friday, April 2 – Robert Peel and the Rise of Free Trade 

Readings: Houghton, chapter 1 and Part I, Emotional Attitudes

 

Week Fourteen 

     Monday, April 5 – Ireland in the Nineteenth Century 

     Wednesday, April 7 – Geology, Darwin, and Middle Class Belief

     Friday, April 9 – Progress and Prosperity in Victorian Britain

Readings: Houghton, Part II, Intellectual Attitudes

            and selections from Henry Mayhew (have read for Friday’s class)

 

Week Fifteen

     Monday, April 12 – Britain’s Foreign Policy: 1815 to 1870 

     Wednesday, April 14 – The British Indian Empire 

     Friday, April 16 – Discussion: Victorian Frame of Mind – Third Paper Due

Readings: Houghton, Part III, Moral Attitudes

 

Week Sixteen 

     Monday, April 19 – Mid-Victorian Politics: 1846-65 

     Wednesday, April 21 – Ending in 1870    

     Friday, April 23 – Discussion: Second half of Vernon

Readings: Vernon, chapters 6-9
 


Final Exam: Tuesday, April 27 - 5:30 to 7:30 PM Exam will be given in regular class meeting room



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