HISTORY 401/501: SEMINAR

EXPLORATION AND EMPIRE

University of Idaho

Spring 2006

Tuesdays @ 3:30 p.m. – 6:00p.m.

Administration 208

Dr. Adam M. Sowards

Office: Administration 315

Phone: 885-7704

E-Mail: asowards@uidaho.edu

Web: http://www.class.uidaho.edu/asowards/

Office Hours: Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., and by appointment (Immediately before and after class is usually also a good time to have some questions answered.)

Note to Students: It is my pleasure to do what I can to help you meet your goals in this class. If you find yourself having trouble, please send me e-mail, use my office hours, or set up an appointment to see me.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

            Seminars (History 401) are special courses. You can find them offered at most colleges and universities. They are generally designed for senior history majors or graduate students and are meant to practice all the skills necessary to be a professional historian. Even if you are not planning to be a professional historian, though, the course is valuable in furnishing an opportunity to apply all the skills you have learned as a history student. Those enrolled in seminars can expect two things. First, they can anticipate a generous amount of critical reading and thinking. Second, they can count on writing an extended research paper that conforms to professional standards. Because of the nature of seminars, students will work more independently and harder than they will in most other courses.

            Another aspect of seminars is the subject matter. Professors generally design seminars around a closely defined theme. They attempt to choose a theme that is narrow enough that students can share some focus among their various independent research projects, but one that is broad enough to allow students to choose something that truly interests them. Our course theme focuses on exploration and empire.

            For our research purposes, exploration will be broadly construed. It can occur at virtually any time in history, from fifteenth-century Eurasian explorers to twentieth-century explorers of space or the deep ocean. A project can focus on various aspects of exploration from history of science to building an imperial state to cross-cultural relationships to exploiting seemingly new people and resources. The “empire” in the course title signifies a desire on my part to move beyond a simply chronicle of adventurous Europeans “discovering” new places or descriptions of races to high mountains, deep ocean trenches, or icy polar regions. For most of exploration’s history, explorers were serving a larger purpose, usually definable loosely as imperial. They might be serving science or the state (or both) or some other agenda. In Exploration and Empire, then, we will focus our lens broadly in time and themes to examine the interactions of those who explore and the motives and results of their efforts.

REQUIRED BOOKS

The following list constitutes the required books for this course. They are available for purchase at the University of Idaho Bookstore. It is possible, even likely, that you could find some of the books cheaper through online booksellers or local merchants.

Note on Book Selection: This list does not constitute, by the stretch of anyone’s imagination, a comprehensive look at exploration history. Such a list, after all, would be far more voluminous. I wish to acknowledge two of the books’ collective shortcomings. They are Eurocentric and heavily focused on the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This has an advantage in giving us some focused readings about similar events, places, and peoples. This has a disadvantage in leaving much out.

When selecting these books, I primarily sought diversity in scholarly approaches. Accordingly, you will read histories of exploration that examine environmental history, history of science, literary criticism, and geography. While we read and discuss these books in the first six weeks, we will pay close attention to how these disciplinary lenses help illuminate the process of exploration. You may choose to emulate one or more of these styles or to develop another one on your own.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Participation (25%): For this class to work well, students need to come to class prepared. To encourage this, you will be graded on your willing participation, your preparedness, and your presence. This grade will be calculated by contributions to discussions, by attendance, by in-class assignments, and by my general observations. Since this class meets only once a week and will also have some weeks when we will not be meeting, it is all the more important that you attend on scheduled class days.

Book Reviews (4 * 5% = 20%): You will write a short book review in the special format I provide for each monograph we read. I will only count the top four grades. (I suppose that means that one of the reviews is optional; however, active participation in discussion of each book is still required.) Please bring two copies of your paper to each class meeting.

Final Project (55%): The final project will consist of several pieces:

Proposal (ungraded): You will turn in a proposal with a preliminary bibliography.

Primary Source Analysis (7.5%): You will write a short analysis of a primary source, or an excerpt of one, that follows a format I provide. This will force you to critically examine a source and get some early feedback on your analysis.

Conference Paper (i.e., Shortened Rough Draft ) (12.5%): In preparation of our mini-conference, each student will turn in a shortened version of their paper that will serve as a rough draft. The papers should include the thesis and main ideas of your longer work, but will be only about half the length. This will allow me and your classmates to comment on the substantive ideas and to identify any characteristic writing problems.

Presentation (5%): We will have a two-day mini-conference in which each student will present her or his research in the format of a panel discussion as are common at history conferences. Each presentation will last about twenty minutes. More details will be forthcoming.

Final Paper (35%): Your final paper will be a significant piece of scholarship chiefly based on primary source research and appropriate historiographical discussions. For students in 401, the papers will be approximately fifteen to eighteen pages, while students in 501 should write at least twenty pages and be based on more sources. All students should model their papers on a journal article. Graduate students should seriously consider this paper as an advanced draft suitable for submission to a scholarly journal.

Note to Graduate Students: Besides extended requirements for your final paper, all of your work will be held to a higher standard, including a stronger command of academic writing and historiography.

READING AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE

Please note that this is an approximation of what we will be doing and changes may be necessary. If so, they will be announced to the class. Also, the reading assignments are to be complete before you come to class on the day they are assigned.

March 13-17: Spring Recess: No Classes

POLICIES

Late Work Policy: Your grade drops one full grade for each day your work is late. You must be in class the day it is due to turn in work. If you do not come to class, your work will be counted as one day late unless you have made prior arrangements. With legitimate, documented excuses or for absences arranged ahead of time, exceptions can be made.

Grade Challenges: I am willing to entertain grade challenges provided they are submitted in writing and that you wait 48 hours after the assignment is returned before you hand in your objection. You will then need to set up an appointment with me to discuss the assignment and grade. Also, you must initiate this process within one week of the time the assignment was returned to the class. After re-evaluating a grade and meeting with you to discuss the assignment and evaluation, I may change it.

Plagiarism: To plagiarize is to present someone else’s work as your own. To present someone else’s work as your own means to use someone else’s information, ideas, or writing without explicitly acknowledging with quotation marks and/or citations that the ideas and/or writing are not your own. You may be plagiarizing even if you are not directly quoting. Plagiarism is a serious offense and I will give zero points to the first assignment in which a student plagiarizes. If a student plagiarizes again, I will fail that student in the course and report the student to the Dean of Students. If you have ANY questions or confusions about plagiarism, please let me know before you turn in your work. It is essential to be using others’ ideas and information; however, you just must provide credit where credit is due. You may find additional information about Academic Honesty (and dishonesty) as part of the Student Code of Conduct.

Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a documented disability. Please notify me during the first week of class of an accommodation(s) needed for the course. Late notification may mean that requested accommodations might not be available. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Support Services located in the Idaho Commons Building, Rm. 333, 885-7200, or dss@uidaho.edu.

EXPECTATIONS

Students will:

The instructor will: