HIST 357- Victorian Britain in the Long Nineteenth Century

HIST 357- Victorian Britain in the Long Nineteenth Century

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HIST 357- Victorian Britain in the “Long” Nineteenth Century

Fall 2012

This upper division course on Victorian Britain provides an in-depth study of Britain during its height of cultural, political, and economic dominance, often referred to as the “long” nineteenth century. Throughout the semester we will examine how Britain became both “modern” and “liberal,” being the world’s pre-eminent industrial and imperial power. It was during this period, however, that Britons also dealt with the social realities of urban, industrial, and imperial life- disease, crime, poverty, alcoholism, and political unrest. What it meant to be “British” during the long nineteenth century will be a central theme of the course. Studying Victorian Britain has a good deal to teach us even today, as it was in Britain during the long nineteenth century where many of the most pressing discussions about the modern global world were heatedly debated. Through an analysis of primary and secondary sources, we will see firsthand the urban world of Charles Dickens, the scientific-world of Charles Darwin, the political world of Joseph Chamberlain, and the literary world of Oscar Wilde.

Professor: Jacob Steere-Williams, Ph.D. Office: 310 Maybank Hall Office Hours: Wednesdays 2:00-4:00 pm, or by appointment Telephone: (843) 953-3043 Email: Twitter: @steerewilliams

Required Books:

Boyd, K., and McWilliam, R., The Victorian Studies Reader (Routledge, 2007).

Matthew, Colin (ed.), Short Oxford History of the British Isles: The Nineteenth Century (Cambridge University Press, 2000).

Burton, Antoinette, Politics and Empire in Victorian Britain: A Reader (Palgrave Macmillan, 2001).

Wilde, Oscar, The Importance of Being Earnest- any edition will do

*Additional Readings will be posted on our Course Website on OAKS (It is your responsibility to either print off these readings or read them from a computer).

Course Requirements

Two Essays (4-6 pages) which you will write outside of class. (20% each, 40% total)

Punch Project and Presentation (20%)

Take-Home Final Examination (20%)

In-Class Participation and Attendance (20%)

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**The Participation grade includes your (one-time) leading class discussion, attendance, active contribution to general discussion, all group work, and timeliness of essays.

**Essays that are emailed to the instructor will not be accepted. Hard copies only.

**Students with special learning needs should inform me at the beginning of the course so that reasonable accommodations may be made

Web Resources – Because of the vast popularity of the period under discussion in this course, voluminous amounts of material exist on the web concerning Victorian Britain. Some internet sources are quite good, however, all must be treated with a skeptical eye. In light of this, you may find useful material in the following sites, but remember, these are for background and reference material, and are not to be relied on in this course.

The Victorian Web:

Utilitarianism/Benthamism:

Poor Law and Workhouses:

Nineteenth-century City Resources: Ireland and Irish History:

Charles Booth Online:

H-Albion Daily:

In-Class Courtesy:

Technology is a fundamental aspect of modern culture- it is also essential to university life and has an important role to play in the college classroom. In this sense, I fully encourage you to use laptops, ipads, etc. to enhance your experience in HIST 357. However, please don’t abuse such privileges. It is extremely disrespectful not only to me, but to your fellow classmates to check your email, facebook accounts, twitter, etc during class. If I see you doing this I will certainly confront you- how discreetly depends upon what number of offense and it’s severity. This really is common sense, so just remember to be respectful.

Academic Honesty:

Academic dishonesty consists of any form of plagiarism or misrepresentation. Plagiarism is widely defined as intellectual theft of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to, representing someone else’s ideas or words as your own and failing to appropriately cite your sources. You must not plagiarize yourself by submitting work you have done for another course, in whole or in part. I have a zero tolerance policy on plagiarism. Depending on the severity, you will certainly fail an assignment and could fail this course if you plagiarize. If you have questions regarding plagiarism in general or concerns about your work and whether it is appropriate, you should see me in person BEFORE YOU SUBMIT AN ASSIGNMENT.

Plagiarism—using someone else’s words, ideas, or other intellectual work without properly giving them credit—will result in a failing grade on the assignment and/or class and a mandatory meeting with me. Please familiarize yourself with the definition of plagiarism and ways to avoid doing it unintentionally. The definition below can also be found on the Writing Lab’s website.

http://csl.cofc.edu/labs/writing-lab/index.php

MLA Handbook
(Gibaldi, Joseph, and Walter S. Achtert. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 3rd ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1988. 21-25.)The MLA Handbook defines plagiarism as the use of another person's ideas or expressions in your writing without giving proper credit to the source. The word comes from the Latin word plagiarius ("kidnapper"), and Alexander Lindey defines it as "the false assumption of authorship: the wrongful act of taking the product of another person's mind, and presenting it as one's own" (Plagiarism and Originality [New York: Harper, 1952] 2). "In short, to plagiarize is to give the impression that you have written or thought something that you have in fact borrowed from someone else." This can include paraphrasing, copying someone else's writing word for word, or using ideas that aren't your own without proper citation. Plagiarism is often unintentional, and bad research habits can form early in elementary school. Unfortunately, these bad habits can continue throughout high school and college and may result in severe consequences, from failure in a course to expulsion. To avoid these consequences, always cite your sources if you are unsure if you are plagiarizing (Gibaldi 21-25).

**As a College of Charleston Student you are bound to the HONOR CODE, which forbids lying, cheating, attempted cheating, stealing, attempted stealing and plagiarism.

For information on the CofC Honor System, see:

http://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/honor-system/index.php

Course Schedule and Assigned Readings (subject to change)

Week 1 Introductions + The Multiple Meanings of “Victorian”

(1) Wednesday 22 AugustCourse Introduction: No Assigned Readings

(2) Friday 24 AugustRethinking the Victorians

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Introduction, p.1-47
  2. Mathew, Introduction, p.1-22
  3. Thomas Babington Maculay, “Parliamentary Reform” in Burton, p.7-11
  4. Henry Mayhew, 1851: or, The Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Cursty Sandboys, in Burton, 85-89.

Week 2 Early Victorian Liberalism: Political Economy and Utilitarianism

(3) Monday 27 AugustPolitical Parties

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Part 6 (Parry, Jones, Clark), p. 165-206

2.Mathew, p. 85-134

(4) Wednesday 29 AugustThe Utilitariansm and Victorian Political Economy

Readings:

  1. Anon., “The Ministry and the New Parliament,” (1848) in Burton, p. 34-38.
  2. William Lovett and John Collins, “Chartism: (1840) in Burton, p. 55-58.
  3. Benjamin Disraeli, “Conservative and Liberal Principles (1872) in Burton, p. 131-134.
  4. William Gladstone, “England’s Mission (1878), in Burton, p. 135-138.
  5. Benjamin Disraeli, “Third Reading of the Reform Bill (1867), in Burton, p.119-121.

(5) Friday31 AugustReading Bentham* Discussion Leaders

Readings:

  1. Jeremy Bentham, excerpts OAKS
  2. J.S. Mill, “Utilitarianism,” in Guy, The Victorian Age, 39-55. OAKS

Week 3: The Pains of the Industrial City:

(6) Monday 3 Sept. The Industrial City 1

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Part 4 (Readings 7 and 8, Joyce and Poovey), p.127-148.
  2. Mathew, p.33-34, 41-50, 62-65, 70-78.

(7) Wednesday 5 Sept.The Industrial City II

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Part 5 (Gunn), p.149-164.
  2. Matthew, p. 255-274.
  3. London Times, “Chinese Emigration” (1866), in Burton, p.74-75.
  4. Robert Thomson on the Chinese in Australia (1888), in Burton, p. 75-77.

(8) Friday 7 Sept.Readings Engles and Carlyle* Discussion Leaders

Readings:

  1. F. Engels, “The Great Towns,” from The Condition of the Working Class in England, OAKS
  2. Thomas Carlyle, “The Condition of England,” OAKS
  3. T.C. Foster, “Letters on the Condition of the People of Ireland,” (1847), in Burton, p.28-31.

*ESSAY 1 ASSIGNED

Week 4: Poverty as the Victorian Social Category

(9) Monday 10 Sept.The Liberal Triumph of the New Poor Law of 1834

Readings:

1. Boyd/McWilliam, Reading 22 (Ross), p. 324-338.

2. Matthew, p.41-78 (skim again, assigned last week)

(10) Wednesday 12 Sept.Life in the Workhouse: Film: Dickens’ Oliver Twist (1838)

Readings:

  1. Robert Blincoe, Diary, OAKS
  2. “Children’s Employment Commission (1842) in Burton, p. 58-62.

(11) Friday 14 Sept.Reading Chadwick* Discussion Leaders

Readings:

  1. Edwin Chadwick, Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain, excerpts, OAKS
  2. Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor (1861) in Burton, p. 228-231.
  3. Sidney and Beatrice Webb, English Poor Law History (1929), in Burton, p.21-25.
  4. Harriet Martineau, Poor Laws and Paupers Illustrated (1833), in Burton, p.25-28.

Week 5: Ireland: The Union Question and the Famine, 1800-1850

(12) Monday 17 Sept.Irish Union?

Readings:

  1. Mathew, 12-22, 142-162, 243-244.
  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Reading 14 (Hilton), p. 233-251.

(13) Wednesday 19 Sept.In-Class Film- Potato Famine

(14) Friday 21 Sept.Reading O’Connell and other things Irish

Readings:

  1. T.C. Foster, “Letters on the Condition of the People of Ireland, (1847), in Burton, p.28-31
  1. Daniel O’Connell, Speech at Mullinger (1843) in Burton, p. 62-63.
  1. Daniel O’Connell, Speech at the Bar, (1829), in Burton, 3-7.
  1. Proclamation of an Irish Republic (1867), in Burton, p.125-126
  1. The United Irishman and Sinn Fein (1905), in Burton, p.328-330.
  1. Charles Stewart Parnell, Speech at Wicklow (1885), in Burton, p.184-185.
  1. Isaac Butt, Parliamentary Speech (1874), in Burton, 179-184.

Week 6: Consumerism and the Rising Middle Class

(15) Monday 24 Sept.Victorian Material Culture

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Part 3 (Rappaport, Breward), p. 97-126.
  1. Matthew, p.7-8, 30-32, 56-62

(16) Wednesday 26 Sept.The Cult of Domesticity

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Reading 20 (Davidoff, Hall), and 21 (Tosh), p.305-324.
  1. Richard Twopenny on Servants in Australia (1883), in Burton, p.68-70.

(17) Friday 28 Sept.NO CLASS- Online Discussion Questions on OAKS

Readings:

1.Matthew, Chapter 4, p.163-194

Week 7: Alcohol and Abstinence: Victorian Food and Drink

(18) Monday 1 Oct.A City full of Gin:

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Reading 27 (Bailey), p. 380-394
  1. Isabella Beerton, The Book of Household Management (1861), in Burton, p. 65-68.

(19) Wednesday 3 Oct.Tea: The Drink of All

Readings:

1. Brian Harrison, Drink and the Victorians OAKS

(20) Friday 5 Oct.Reading Ritchie and the Goblin Market *Discussion Leaders

Readings:

  1. Goblin Market, OAKS
  1. J. Ewing Ritchie, Days and Nights in London (1880), in Burton, p.223-225.
  1. W.A. Archibald, “The Sugar Question” (1847), in Burton p.31-34.
  2. Edward Fry, “China, England, and Opium,” (1876), in Burton, p. 220-223.

**ESSAY 1 DUE IN CLASS- HARD COPIES ONLY

Week 8: Enter Cholera: Epidemic Disease and Public Health

(21) Monday 8 Oct.Cholera and Conflict

Readings:

  1. Anthony Wohl, Endangered Lives: Public Health in Victorian Britain OAKS
  1. Chris Hamlin, Cholera: the Biography OAKS
  1. John Snow, On the Mode and Communication of Cholera (1854), OAKS

(22) Wednesday 10 Oct.Public Health Reform in the 1850s and 1870s

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Reading 24 (Nead), p. 347-359.

(23) Friday 12 Oct.Reading John Simon *Discussion Leaders

Readings:

  1. John Simon, Privy Council Reports OAKS
  1. East India Contagious Diseases Acts (1868), in Burton, p.126-131.
  1. John Gibbs, from Our Medical Liberties (1854), in Burton, p.178-179.

**ESSAY 2 ASSIGNED

Week 9: The Underbelly of Victorian Life: Criminals, Prostitutes, and Madness

(24) Monday 15 Oct.Victorian Sexuality

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Readings 23 (Mason), 24 (Nead), 25 (Walkowitz), and 26 (Showalter), p. 339-380.
  1. Matthew, p. 163-167, 190-195.

(25) Wednesday 17 Oct.Victorian Madness

Readings:

  1. Michel Foucault, “The Body of the Condemned,” from Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, 3-31 OAKS
  1. Randall McGowen, “Civilizing Punishment: The End of the Public Execution in England,” Journal of British Studies, 33, July 1994, 257-282. OAKS
  1. Joan Lane, “Asylums and Prisons,” in A Social History of Medicine: Health, Healing and Disease in England 1750-1950, 96-119. OAKS

(26) Friday 19 Oct.Film: TBA

Week 10: Charles Darwin, Evolutionary Theory, and Victorian Science

(27) Monday 22 Oct.The Great Debate on the Age of the Earth-

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Part 10 (Desmond, Secord, Beer, Winter), p. 253-304
  1. Matthew, p. 51-56, 189-190.

(28) Wednesday 24 Oct.Film- Creation (2009)

(29) Friday 26 Oct Reading Darwin

Readings:

  1. Charles Darwin, “The Struggle for Existence,” from The Origin of Species; extracts taken from Gordon S. Haight (ed.) The Portable Victorian Reader, 519-529.OAKS
  1. Samuel Wilberforce, review of Darwin’s Origin of Species, in R.J. Helmstadter and P.T. Phillips (eds.) Religion in Victorian Society, 384-393, OAKS
  1. Thomas Henry Huxley, “Darwin’s Virtues,” (1860) in W.L. Arnstein, ed. The Past Speaks: Sources and Problems in British History II, 218-221.

OAKS

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Week 11: Victorian Religion

(30) Monday 29 Oct.How Religious was Victorian Britain?

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Part 9 (Hilton, Brown), p.233-252
  1. Matthew, p. 195-228
  1. B.W. Young, “Christianity, Secularisation and Political Economy,” in D. Jeremy (ed.) Religion, Business and Wealth in Modern Britain, 35-54, OAKS

(31) Wednesday 31 Oct.Victorian Religion Discussion

Readings:

  1. Sir Richard Temple, “Religious Missions in the East” (1881) in Burton, p. 217-220.
  1. Irene H. Barnes, Behind the Great Wall (1897), in Burton, p. 225-228.

(32) Friday 2 Nov.Reading Charles Kinsley’s Muscular Christianity

Readings:

  1. Charles Kingsley, TBA
  1. David Livingstone, Missionary Correspondence, 1841-42, in Burton, p.169-178.

Week 12: The British Empire (I): Imperialism and India

(33) Monday 5 Nov.The Indian Rebellion (Mutiny)

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Part 14 (Hall), p.411-431

(34) Wednesday 7 Nov.Readings from India: Start Punch Project

Readings:

  1. Karl Marx on the Events of 1857, in Burton, p. 102-107.
  1. Syed Ameer Ali, “A Cry from the Indian Mahommedans,” (1882), in Burton, p. 185-189.
  1. The Indian National Congress: Resolutions (1882), in Burton, p. 189-190
  1. Dadhabai Naroji, Speech at the second Indian National Congress, Calcutta,(1886), in Burton, p. 190-194.
  1. A Bengal Magistrate, “The Home Rule Movement in India and Ireland (1890), in Burton, p. 194-200.

(35) Friday 9 Nov.Punch Project Work in Class

No Readings

**ESSAY 2 DUE IN CLASS-HARD COPIES ONLY

Week 13: The British Empire (II): Imperialism and Africa

(36) Monday 12 Nov.Africa and the Boer War

Readings:

  1. Matthew, Chapter 3, p.135-162.

(37) Wednesday 14 Nov.Boer War Film

Readings:

  1. Burton, Part C (The Boer War and the New Century), p. 285-330.

(38) Friday 16 Nov.Readings Rhodes and Others from Africa

Readings:

  1. Cecil Rhodes, South African Speeches (1884), in Burton, p. 275- 278.
  2. Henry Stanley, Through the Dark Continent (1879), in Burton, p.232- 235.
  1. Joseph Salter, “Central Africans” (1895), in Burton, p. 249-253.
  1. Sir Richard Temple, “Principles of British Policy in Egypt,” (1882), in Burton, p. 204-208.
  1. Annie Besant, “Egypt,” (1882), in Burton, 208-210.

Week 14: Student Presentations- Short Week

(39) Monday 19 Nov.Student Presentation of Punch Projects

(40) Wednesday 21 Nov.NO CLASS- Thanksgiving Holiday

(41) Friday 23 Nov.NO CLASS- Thanksgiving Holiday

Week 15 Labour, New Liberalism and Welfare 1890-1914

(42) Monday 26 Nov.David Lloyd George’s New Liberalism

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Reading 2 (Wiener), p. 69-83.
  1. Winston Churchill, “Liberalism and Socialism,” in W.L. Arnstein, ed. The Past Speaks: Sources and Problems in British History II, 301-304. OAKS
  1. David Lloyd George, “The New Liberalism,” in W.L. Arnstein, ed. The Past Speaks: Sources and Problems in British History II, 304-305 OAKS
  1. Begin Reading Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

**TAKE HOME FINAL EXAM ASSIGNED-

(43) Wednesday 28 Nov.Reading Wilde: Critiquing Victorian Society

Readings:

  1. Finish Reading Oscar Wilde

(44) Friday 30 Nov.Film: Importance of Being Earnest

Readings:

  1. Boyd/McWilliam, Reading 1 (Price), p. 51-67.

Week 16 Last Class and Final Exam DUE

(45) Monday 3 Dec.Conclusions- What is Victorian?

**Take Home Final Exam Due on FINAL EXAM DAY to my Office- 310 Maybank

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