Honors 200: The Shaping of the Modern Mind
Bandits!
Fall Semester, 2013
Sem 019: TTh 9:30-10:45, HON 195
Dr. Alan Singer Office Hours:
Office: Honors House 138 Monday-Wednesday 1:30-3:00
Phone: 229-4658 Friday 10:00-12:00
Email:
Why are some thieves, murderers, extortionists, and other outlaws remembered and widely celebrated? In virtually all religious and ethical traditions, people are supposed to treat each other fairly and live peacefully, yet these transgressors are often considered heroes and have qualities that many people admire. This course examines this paradox. We will primarily focus on what historians, sociologists and folklorists call “social banditry” –a phenomenon which occurs when members of the public view outlaws as avengers, fighters of justice, and liberators. We will study some of the most popular examples of social banditry from the late Middle Ages through the twentieth century. Class discussions will consider the following questions: Are there ideal types of social and economic conditions that make banditry more favorable? If so, what are they? How does our historical memory of bandits change over time and context? What types of social banditry are notable today and what social conditions help produce them? This course is also designed to help you develop the necessary skills that will help you become a more active reader, listener, speaker, and a more effective writer.
Required Readings:
Be sure to purchase the exact editions as indicated by the ISBN number:
Marcus Rediker, Villains of all Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age (ISBN: 1861972989)
William A. Settle Jr., Jesse James Was His Name (ISBN: 9780803258600)
Chris Frazer, Bandit Nation: A History of Outlaws and Cultural Struggle in Mexico, 1810-1920
Articles:
I will post the following book excerpt and article on D2L. Be sure to print them out and bring them to class on the days we will be discussing them.
Chapters one and two from Eric Hobsbawm, Bandits
R.H. Hilton, “The Origins of Robin Hood”
Films:
We will be viewing and discussing the following films in class.
Bonnie and Clyde dir. Arthur Penn (1967)
The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford dir. Andrew Dominick (2007)
Course Requirements:
Your final grade will be based on the work you do in three areas. First, there will be three, five to seven page essays. In the first two of these assignments, you will be asked to write on important issues regarding the readingsand discussions. In the third, five to seven page essay, you will choose your own bandit and explain why she or he is “social” or “popular”. In the second type of assignment, you will write three, one to three page essays that answer specific questions regarding the readings, films or discussions. The questions will be designed to help you focus on the material as the semester progresses. I will announce these short essays during the course of the semester. I will be sure to give you a week to do each assignment. The third area of evaluation regards class participation. Since this course is in a seminar format, it is absolutely essential that there is positive discussion throughout the semester. To ensure this, you are required to take part. I will be grading the quality of your contribution to the discussion, not just quantity. This means that you should be adding commentary and new ideas. If you do not feel comfortable getting involved in this type of discussion, this course may not be for you. In the past, students who have written excellent papers but have not contributed to the discussion in a meaningful way have not been able to earn an A for a final grade.
*A note on “positive discussion”: Ideally, in a seminar, the students do most of the talking. My main job is to direct discussion in a manner so we stay on topic. Because the course is essentially a semester-long conversation, sometimes concerning controversial issues, we all have to make sure that we respect each other. We all come into the seminar room with a variety of life experiences and backgrounds, opinions, political and religious beliefs, etc. The seminar itself and consequentially, your grades will greatly suffer if courtesy and sensitivity towards your fellow classmates are not observed.
D2L:
We will be using D2L, the online course management program. Two or three days before each class, I will be posting questions and key terms which you should consider and be familiar with when you come to class. Reading these questions will be very helpful to you in preparing for discussion and achieving a high participation grade. I will also be posting announcements about any possible changes in our schedule and any other relevant news for the class. On occasion, I will also be posting links to relevant supplementary material that is available online. Let me know if you have any questions about logging into D2L.
Grade Breakdown:
Paper One: 20%
Paper Two: 20%
Paper Three: 25%
One-to-two page assignments: 15%
Participation (attendance, punctuality, positive discussion, etc.) 20%
Evaluation Scale:
You will receive a percentage grade for all of your assignments. I will be using a basic plus/minus scale:
A 93-100
A- 90-92
B+ 88-89
B 83-87
B- 80-82
C+ 78-79
C 73-77
C- 70-72
D 60-70
Email:
Students must check their UWM email often. Along with D2L, we will use email as a primary means of communication outside of class.
Policies:
Attendance:Missing class more than two times because of unexcused absences will result in losing 5 points from one’s final grade for each additional absence.
Tardiness: It is essential that you come to class on time. If possible, please let me know ahead of time if you know you will be late. After being late two times, each additional instance of tardiness will result in losing 3 points from one’s final grade for each additional time.
Late assignments: Unexcused late assignments will lose 5 points for every twenty-four hours they are late.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments:
The following schedule lists when the readings and the five to seven page writing assignments will be due. Please note that this is a preliminary schedule. I may have to move some dates back if we need more time to discuss a given topic. I will be sure to give you fair notice if any dates change.
Tues. Sept. 3 Course Introduction
Thurs. Sept. 5 Discussion of Reading History and Writing History Essays
Tues. Sept. 10 Social Banditry
Read: Eric Hobsbawm, Chapters One and Two from Bandits (posted on D2L)
Thurs. Sept. 12 The Archetype: Robin Hood
Read: R.H. Hilton, “The Origin of Robin Hood” (Posted on D2L)
Tues. Sept. 17 Pirates
Read: Marcus Rediker, Villains of All Nations, 1-37
Thurs. Sept. 19 Class Canceled
Tues. Sept. 24 Pirates
Read: Rediker, 38-126
Thurs. Sept. 26 Pirates
Read: Rediker, 127-176
Tues. Oct. 1 Jesse James
Read: Settle, 1-28
Thurs. Oct. 3 No Class- Individual Meetings on Thursday and Friday
Tues. Oct. 8 Jesse James
Read: Settle, 29-56
Thurs. Oct. 10 Jesse James
Read: Settle: 57-97
*First 5-7 page essay due
Tues. Oct. 15 Jesse James
Read: Settle: 98-128
Thurs. Oct. 17 Jesse James
Read: Settle, 129-159
Tues. Oct. 22 Jesse James
Read: Settle, 160-201
Thurs. Oct. 24 Jesse James
In class viewing and discussion: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Tues. Oct. 29 Jesse James
In class viewing and discussion: The Assassination of Jesse James
Thurs. Oct. 31 Jesse James
In class viewing and discussion: The Assassination of Jesse James
Tues. Nov. 5 No Class- Individual Meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday
Thurs. Nov. 7 Mexico, the “Bandit Nation”
Read: Chris Frazer, Bandit Nation: A History of Outlaws and Cultural Struggle in Mexico, 1-57
Tues. Nov. 12 Mexico
Read: Frazer, 58-96
*Second 5-7 page essay
Thurs. Nov. 14 Mexico
Read: Frazer, 97-130
Tues. Nov. 19 Mexico
Read: Frazer, 131-168
Thurs. Nov. 21 Mexico
Read: Frazer, 169-204
Tues. Nov. 26 Mexico
Read: Frazer, 205-201
*Discussions of final papers
Thurs. Nov. 28 No Class- Thanksgiving
Tues. Dec. 3 Discussions of final papers continued
Thurs. Dec. 5 Bonnie and Clyde
In class viewing and discussion of Bonnie and Clyde
Tues. Dec. 10 Bonnie and Clyde
In class viewing and discussion of Bonnie and Clyde
Thurs. Dec. 12 Final Discussion
Your final paper will be due at noon on Thursday, December 19.
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