Senior Seminar:
Nineteenth-Century British Gender History Course Description: This course will explore in depth the major issues and themes in nineteenth-century British gender history. From the high politics of the political sphere to the private lives of individuals within families, understandings of gender and gender difference structured the distribution of power and influence throughout late Georgian and Victorian society. Ideas held in such areas as religion, science, and the nature of political legitimacy had a profound impact on how Britons understood the ‘natural’ rights and responsibilities of men and women. Through the exploration of those basic assumptions, and the processes by which some of them altered in the course of our period, it is possible to gain profound insights into the workings of nineteenth-century British society, and into the nature of how systems of gender difference structure systems of social power.
Course Objectives: This course has three main objectives. The first is to familiarize students with the major themes in nineteenth-century British gender history, as described above. The second is to guide students through the production of an original research paper based on primary sources. Course readings have been designed to point students in the direction of promising topics of study, and class discussions and exercises will guide students through the process of producing a high-quality work of original research. The third objective, building on the second, is to introduce students to some of the requirements, topics, and methods associated with the advanced study of history. To this end, the format of class meetings, the level of reading required, and the degree of attention to issues of historiography have all been set to provide students with a sense of what is involved in the study of history at the graduate level.
Required Books for All Students:
Leonore
Davidoff and Catherine Hall, Family Fortunes: Men and
Women
of the English Middle Class, 1780-1850 (Univ. of Chicago Press, 1991) John Tosh, Manliness and Masculinities
in Nineteenth-Century
on Gender, Family and Empire (Addison-Wesley Longman,
2004) Michael Mason, The Making of Victorian Sexuality (Oxford University
Press, 1995) Philippa
Levine, Victorian Feminism, 1850-1900 (University of
Florida Press, 1989) David Cannadine, ed., What is History Now? (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004) William Kelleher
Storey, Writing History: A Guide for Students
( Online Reserves: In addition
to the above required books, a selection of Online
Readings are available on the Strozier Library website in the eRes system. Grading Criteria and
Percentages: Attendance and Discussion Participation – 30% Meeting the Preliminary Paper
Deadlines – 10% Research Paper – 50% Presentation and Peer Critique – 10% 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: All students are required to attend and participate in each class meeting, and come prepared to raise specific questions about the readings for that week. Quizzes may be given on that week’s readings at the discretion of the professor. Meeting the Preliminary Paper
Deadlines: In order to ensure that steady progress is made on
research papers throughout the semester, deadlines have been set for
the selection of a topic, the completion of a bibliography, the
creation of a paper outline and one-page abstract, as well as for the
handing in of the final paper. These deadlines, given below, must be
met to ensure the highest possible grade in the class. Research Paper: The paper should be based on original research in primary sources done for this class, focusing on some aspect of nineteenth-century British gender history. It should be between fifteen and twenty-four pages in length, excluding bibliography. The paper will be evaluated on the accuracy and originality of the argument, the structural coherence and overall unity of paper, and the accuracy of the mechanical execution of the paper. Presentation and Peer Critique: Each student will be required to present a critique of another student’s work at the end of the semester. The critique will consist of a five to ten minute presentation, accompanied by typed comments. Criticism should be constructive, and include both positive comments and suggestions for improvement. Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act should follow these steps: 1) Provide
documentation of your disability to the 2) Bring a statement from the - - - Week by Week Schedule for the Class - - - Week
One: Introductory Meeting Monday, August 28 – Assignment: Begin to think about your research paper topic. Skim the syllabus readings, especially the bibliographies, for themes and possible ideas. Topics will need to be set by the fifth week of class Rights?” pp. 126-147 – available on Strozier Online Reserves – Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, chapters 1 and 2, pp. 19-50 – available on Strozier Online Reserves – Hannah Moore, The Fortune Teller (1807)
- More is available as an “electronic book”
(only a pamphlet, very short)
available through the main Strozier catalogue, your
assignment
is to access and read this as an e-book – Week
Two: Labor Day, No Classes Monday, September 4 – Assignment: Continue your exploration of primary sources in Strozier, and catch up on reading in Davidoff and Hall Week
Three: Family Fortunes and Library Resources Monday, September 11 – Due in Class: One- to two-page written report on primary sources in Strozier. Pick a primary source collection off of the “Research Resources” handout, and investigate its contents. Summarize those contents in your report, and also discuss what sort of research paper you might be able to write based on that material.
Week
Four: The Nature of the Early Monday, September 18 –
Lecture and Discussion on the Nature of the Early focusing on system of political representation and the legal system. Angus McLauren, Sexual Blackmail - Chapter 2, pp. 30-62 - Both available on Strozier Online Reserves - Jennifer Davis, ‘A Poor Man’s System of Justice: the London Police Courts in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century’ The Historical Journal, 27 (1984), pp. 309-335 - available on JSTOR - Week
Five: Mechanics of Writing Your Paper and Gender and Empire Monday, September 25 – Due in Class: One-paragraph description of your intended research topic Susie Steinbach, Women in England, chapter 7, “Imperialism,” pp. 187-222 Catherine Hall, White,
Male, and Middle Class, chapter 10, pp. 255-295 - Both available on Strozier Online Reserves - Week
Six: Gender and Business, Religion and Politics Monday, October 2 – pp. 203-251 – available on Strozier Online Reserves – Davidoff and Hall, Family Fortunes, chapters 4 through 6, and 9 through the conclusion
Week
Seven: Masculinity in Gender History Monday, October 9 – Due in Class: Annotated
Bibliography Due (with primary and secondary sources) Week
Eight: Discussion of Mason’s Victorian Sexuality Monday, October 16 – Week
Nine: Issues in the Nineteenth-Century History of Sexuality Monday, October 23 – Due in Class: Paper
Outlines, including a one-page abstract with thesis statement in bold
Modern History of Sexuality, pp. 41-63 Harry Oosterhuis,
Stepchildren of Nature: Krafft-Ebing,
Psychiatry, and the Making of Sexual Identity, pp. 25-72 Michael Mason, The Making of Victorian Sexuality, chapter 5 Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality: an Introduction, vol. I, pp. 3-49 Week
Ten: Individual Meetings to Discuss Paper Progress Monday, October 30 – (set schedule of presents for the 14th and 15th week, based on progress thus far) meeting time: ______________________________ Week
Eleven: The Growth of the First Feminist Movement Monday, November 6 – Discussion and Lecture: Themes in the British Feminist Movement Week
Twelve: Exploring Historiography Monday, November 13 – Week
Thirteen: Gender History and the Profession of History Monday, November 20 – DUE IN CLASS: Final Papers from
half of the class
- available on Strozier Online Reserves -
Joan Scott, 'Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis,' American
Historical Review, 91 5(1986): 1053-1075 Joan Scott, 'History in Crisis: The Others'
Side of the Story' American Historical
Review, 94 (June 1989):680-692 - both
Scott articles available on JSTOR - Week
Fourteen: Paper Presentations and Discussion Monday, November 27 – DUE IN CLASS: Final Papers and
Peer Critiques from half of the class Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________
and discussed at this week’s meeting Week
Fifteen: Paper Presentations and Discussion Monday, December 4 – DUE IN CLASS: Peer
Critiques from half the class Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________ Paper: ____________________________ and discussed at this week’s meeting |