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HIST4090.001: Britain and Ireland in the Age of Revolution 1603-1832
S2017, W 6:30-9:20, WH 110. Prof. Marilyn Morris WH 265. , 940-565-4216. Email preferred. Office hours: W 4:15-6:15 and by appointment.
COURSE CONTENT:
We will cover the accession of the Scottish Stuarts to the English throne in 1603, the civil wars in the British Isles of the mid-seventeenth century, England’s development of a constitutional monarchy after 1688, the creation of Great Britain in 1707 and the United Kingdom in 1801, and the Reform Act of 1832. The period saw a widening of the political arena; expansion of manufacturing, consumption, and trade; escalating commercial rivalries with continental Europe; and a succession of wars that, ironically, both laid the foundation for Britain’s imperial ambitions and precipitated the loss of the American colonies. These developments also inspired reform campaigns that challenged traditional hierarchical relations and the authority of the Church of England.
OBJECTIVES:
Along with the history of this period, students will learn about the techniques of historical research and writing based on analysis of primary sources.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:
Lacey Baldwin Smith, This Realm of England 1399-1688 (Heath) [8th edn.].
William Willcox & Walter Arnstein, The Age of Aristocracy 1688-1830 (Heath) [8th edn.]. Referred to as W&A in class schedule reading assignments below.
CONDITIONS:
By enrolling in this course, you agree to the following. You will read and follow the directions set down in the syllabus. The syllabus, however, is not a contract; I reserve the right to revise it as the need arises. You must stay informed about such changes and any further instructions that I give in class. You will have the weekly reading assignments completed and be prepared to discuss the study questions in class. Academic dishonesty and other behaviors that undermine the learning process will have consequences. Plagiarism (handing in as your own work material lifted wholesale from any book, the internet, or another student) will result in a failing grade and possible disciplinary action. I will silently deduct credits from your grade for excessive absences or discourteous behavior in class, including habitual lateness, leaving early, wandering in and out of the room while class is in session, conducting your own conversations during lectures and discussions, as well as ignoring the cardinal rule of civility: turning off your cell phone. I will entertain the possibility of an Incomplete only if you have completed at least ¾ of the coursework, attended class regularly, and have a sudden emergency. If you have any trouble with the course, you should talk to me sooner rather than later. I have no obligation to accommodate your work or vacation schedules with respect to class attendance, assignments, or exams. I will give makeup exams ONLY if you contact me before 6pm on the test day. Makeups may vary in form and content from the original.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
My own observations and numerous studies suggest that students who take notes with pen and paper in class get higher grades. Remember, you will be writing by hand on exams, which students who rarely pick up a pen find difficult. You might want to type up your class notes and incorporate relevant material from the textbooks if you fear finding your handwritten notes too chaotic by exam time. I provide a study guide before the exams, but if you pay attention and take notes on the larger themes I emphasize in class, you probably will be able to anticipate the essay questions and identifications, and be better prepared. I do permit electronic devices as long as they are used for class purposes only and do not create a distraction for the user and/or those sitting nearby.
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Acceptable Student Behavior:
Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Dean of Students to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at www.deanofstudents.unt.edu
Special Accommodation Request Procedure:
Any student with special circumstances covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act should register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA), Suite 322, University Union Building, and also inform the instructor of the class. Reasonable adjustments will be made to accommodate the special needs of students with disabilities where such adjustments are necessary to provide equality of educational access. Students who have registered with the ODA should make an appointment to discuss their disabilities accommodation requests with the instructor. Students with special circumstances covered by the ADA may also consult with the History Department's ADA Liaison.
GRADING:
midterm exam = 20%, final exam = 30%, participation (including attendance and oral report on your research project) = 20%, research project and paper = 30%
THE RESEARCH PROJECT AND PAPER:
Will be based on:
The Epistolary Correspondence of Sir Richard Steele, 2 vols. (London: John Nichol and Son, 1809). Free from Google Books; access also via UNT Library catalog.
The Works of the Right Honourable Lady Mary Wortley Montagu: Including Her Correspondence, Poems, and Essays, 5 vols. (Richard Phillips, 1803). Vols. 1-3 available free through Google Books—that’s all you need.
You will be required to write an analytical paper based on the correspondence of either or both Sir Richard Steele and Lady Wortley Montagu using these editions only. Both of these editions also contain poems, plays, and memoirs—you’re certainly welcome to read them to gain further insight, but your analysis should focus on the letters. I do not expect you to read these five volumes from cover to cover in the way that you would read your textbooks. Rather, you should begin by skimming through them and making note of passages that you find intriguing as you develop a paper topic. As you zero in on a subject that you wish to pursue, you can do keyword searches to find other relevant letters. You should start perusing these collections early so you have sufficient time to form a thesis and gather evidence in its support.
You should form your thesis around the question of what these personal letters tell you about a particular aspect of British life of this era. Sir Richard and Lady Mary each criticized society and politics in periodical essays and discussed their ideas and the controversies they generated in their letters. The letters also reveal a lot about their marriages and other aspects of their personal lives. I hope that each of you will be able to find a subject of interest, be it gender relations, the personal side of politics, eighteenth-century social networking, the role of the burgeoning periodical press, attitudes toward non-Western peoples, relations with servants, or some other topic you find personally compelling or beneficial to your understanding of the textbook narrative.
You will email me a progress report any time BEFORE 3/19 setting out a provisionary thesis and what specific letters you have found so far in its support so I will have time to give you feedback before class that week when will discuss the papers and address remaining questions. We will not meet on 3/29 (I will be at a conference) so you can devote that week to writing your first draft. On 4/5 each of you will briefly report on the topic you have been researching and seek advice if needed. On 4/12 you will hand in your paper, having first printed it out, proofread it, and made any corrections before printing a final draft to hand in. You will be graded on form as well as substance, so
****FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY****
The paper should be four pages, single-spaced (yes, I know this runs counter to what you are used to) in Times New Roman 12-point font (this font), printed on both sides, and stapled, not paper clipped. NO cover sheet. Have standard margins (as I have used in this syllabus) so I have room to write comments. Have the TITLE of your paper and your NAME on the next line at the top, centered or flush left. The body of your paper should be FLUSH LEFT, not full justification. I require uniformity of format to aid objectivity and to head off students who think they can fool me by using large or small fonts to write too much or too little (this has happened more than once). Bear in mind that grant and job applicants who ignore instructions have their applications deep sixed.
Your first paragraph should set out your thesis and how you intend to support it. Every subsequent paragraph should begin with a strong topic sentence that sets out each point that builds a case in your thesis’s defense. Support your points with evidence from the letters. Do not simply string quotations together, or cut and paste block quotations from the letters and leave the reader to interpret them. Quote sparingly and effectively. When you refer to passages in the text, have the volume and page number in parenthesis at the end of the sentence unless you already made reference to the date of the letter. Build an argument in the same way an attorney would build a case in a court of law. History writing involves setting out an interpretation supported by evidence.
Use active verbs. Avoid passive voice, especially when it obscures agency. Think about how the classic “Mistakes were made” raises the question “By whom?” Avoid excessive use of “there are/were,” “it is/was” and the like—they drag rhetorically and take up too much space. Get into the habit of composing in active constructions. Consider the difference between these two sentences in conciseness and clarity:
“There were many people who thought that there were others who believed differently.” AND “Many people though that others believed differently.”
You want your sentences to be clear and direct, but do try to vary your sentence structure. When you construct complex sentences, make sure the clauses come in the proper order. For example, in this simple sentence, do no embarrass yourself by writing “They had tissue samples from several patients frozen in a large container” when you meant “They had frozen in a large container tissue samples from several patients.”
Write formally but not pretentiously. Metaphors often obscure rather than illuminate. Make sure that you know the meaning of every word you use. Strive to use the best word possible. If you find yourself struggling to find a better option for an inadequate word, look up the word in the dictionary, rather than using a thesaurus, for better precision. Using a thesaurus can be beneficial, but if you come up with a flashy word that sounds good, make sure you look it up first to make sure you really know what it means. Avoid contractions, clichés, and vagaries such as “interesting,” “in-depth,” “etc.,” “the fact that,” “in my opinion” and other space wasters. For good advice on grammar and usage, consult: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/5/ Follow the rules but do not feel intimidated by them. Everyone can write well with practice, which means editing and rewriting. My own work usually goes through at least four drafts before submission to a publisher. Be meticulous. Take pride in your work.
CLASS SCHEDULE:
WEEK1—(1/18): Introduction: Church, State, Economics, and Society.
If you miss class on the first day or want more detail on subjects covered by the lecture, consult Smith pp. 32-42 on the feudal social hierarchy, pp. 73-86 on the impact of commerce, pp. 186-91 on the rise of the gentry, pp. 42-47 on the late medieval church and Lollardy, pp. 122-27 on Henry VIII’s break with the Pope, ch. 7 on the Reformation, pp. 157-58 on the purification of the church, pp. 160-67 on “Bloody” Mary, pp. 170-72 on the Elizabethan settlement, pp. 175-79 and pp. 216-17 on Mary Queen of Scots and pp. 219-25 on Puritanism.
I want you to appreciate feudalism’s persistence in the traditional social hierarchy and the political and economic changes that assisted the centralization of monarchy and allowed the rise of the gentry. Religious conflict will be a feature of the entire period under study. Make sure that you understand the origins of the Anglican Church, the Puritan movement, and anti-Catholicism.
WEEK 2—(1/25): James VI and I.
Read Smith, chap. 11.
Questions for thought and discussion (and later testing!): What is the purpose of an established church? Why does a rival faith pose a threat? How did Presbyterians and mainstream Anglicans differ? What problems did James VI of Scotland face when he became James I of England? Did he overcome them? If so, how? If not, why not? What function did colonies serve?
WEEK 3—(2/1): Charles I.
Read Smith, chap. 12.
Why didn’t James I face the same sort of rebellion that dethroned his unfortunate son? What role did “the favorite” play in monarchical rule? What do you think was more important to political stability—the ideology of monarchy or the personality of the monarch? What was England’s policy in Ireland? How and why did religion continue to be the source of political and social discord in the realm?