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Syllabus Cities in the Atlantic World The syllabus for this course is available in various formats: MSWord | HTML (see below) | pdf These files will contain the syllabus as written on the first day of class. You should be aware that the syllabus may be modified during the semester. These modifications will be posted on the announcements page and will also be announced clearly in class. Some class materials are not included in the syllabus, including important assignment instructions and handouts. They are located on the course info page and can be downloaded there. |
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Spring Semester 2005 Course Description: This course examines urban areas in the Atlantic World, an ocean ringed with four continents that was united from the period of 1450 to 1850 through migration (voluntary and involuntary), trade, empire building, military conquest and colonization. As empires expanded, disease and epidemics spread, trading networks grew, and the migration of peoples from one side of the Atlantic to the other (and back again) became commonplace. This course explores the cities that became prominent through this period, considering the unique problems and opportunities that cities experienced during this time, including economic growth, warfare, slavery, trade, crime, poverty, and much more. Course Format: The course will be conducted primarily through lectures and discussions. Typically, I will lecture on one day of the week, and we will discuss readings at the other class meeting each week. In a seminar, discussion is a major course component, and will only work if students come prepared to speak and participate. Students are expected to attend all class meetings and to complete all course readings on time. Course Requirements: Students must complete ALL course requirements to receive a passing grade. Students caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive a failing grade in the class and may be prosecuted through the university disciplinary system. Students are expected to understand the concept of plagiarism. Grade Components: The course grade has four components: each week, discussion will be graded (40%); you will be asked to prepare questions for discussion twice during the semester, to begin our seminar, and to distribute them via email to your classmates in advance (10%); you will write a paper comparing two of the areas discussed in different chapters of Epstein, no longer than 10 pages (10%); you will have a final project to complete about the urban area(s) of your choice, typically a research paper of 20-25 pages, although I am willing to discuss alternative project options if you would like to propose one (40%). The final project grade will incorporate not only your written paper but also an oral presentation during weeks 11, 12, and 13. Graded Discussion: You will need to amass a set number of points to receive full credit (all 40%) for discussion during the term. I use the following grading rubric for discussion: 0 = was not present; 1 = present but said virtually nothing; 2 = contributed comments to the discussion that may or may not reveal a working knowledge of the material being discussed; 3 = offered comments that were directly related to the readings, and on multiple occasions; 4 = offered multiple, well-considered comments that were readings-related, and showed careful thought, even to the point of redirecting the course of conversation—virtually leading the discussion at times. There will be 14 course meetings where we will have scheduled graded discussions, and you will need to amass 49 points to receive the full 40% of the course grade allocated to discussion. 42 points will be the equivalent of a B+, 36 points will be a B-, and 14 points or less will be considered an F. Distributed Questions: Our class discussions will typically occur on Mondays. If you are supposed to provide questions for discussion, these should be distributed by the Wednesday prior to the Monday that you are responsible for, giving me and your classmates 5 full days to consider the questions and prepare for discussion. You should prepare a minimum of 10 questions for each session you are responsible for, although more questions will always be welcome. I will offer suggestions about how to prepare questions for our discussions. Short Paper on Epstein: We will discuss Epstein chapters 1 and 2 in the fourth week of term. For a short writing exercise, you will write a compare and contrast paper on two comparable periods and countries from the Epstein book (not using chapters 1 or 2). The paper will be 10 pages in target length and will demonstrate good annotation skills (footnotes or endnotes, plus bibliography). Research Paper/Project: The research paper will have a target length of 20 pages, and will require you to use primary sources to complete (e.g., newspapers, speeches, letters, journals, maps, artwork, diagrams). Directions for completing the research paper will be distributed in class and posted on the course website. You will be expected to provide annotation in the form of footnotes or endnotes, and a bibliography, in addition to complying with the rules regarding plagiarism. No papers submitted for other courses may be submitted for credit in this class. You will be required to submit a topic, thesis statement, and working bibliography for this project by March 2, but I strongly encourage you to start on the final project well before this date. Students will make a presentation about their research projects during weeks 11, 12, and 13. The final paper is due on the last day of class, April 20. Special Note: Students with disabilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act should follow these directions: 1) provide documentation of your disability to the Student Disability Resource Center (108 Student Services Building, 644-9566); 2) bring a statement from the SDR to the instructor during the first week of class, indicating the accommodations you will require to complete the course. Course Texts: The following books are available for purchase at the FSU Book Store, Bill’s Bookstore, and through Amazon.com: Required texts: Recommended text: In addition, articles will be read from on-line databases like JSTOR (noted in the reading schedule below) and some readings will only available from the reserve desk. Lecture and Reading ScheduleWEEK ONE: January 5 WEEK TWO: January 10, 12 First Graded Discussion, Monday January 10 EUROPEWEEK THREE: January 19 (no class on Monday January 17) WEEK FOUR: January 24, 26 Second Graded Discussion, Monday January 24 AFRICA WEEK FIVE: January 31, February 2 Third Graded Discussion, Monday January 31 WEEK SIX: February 7, 9 Fourth Graded Discussion, Monday February 7 CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA, THE CARIBBEAN WEEK SEVEN: February 14, 16 Fifth Graded Discussion, Monday February 14 WEEK EIGHT: February 21, 23 Sixth Graded Discussion, Monday February 21 Note: You should be preparing the topic, thesis statement, and working bibliography (10 sources minimum at this point) for your final research project. These items are due next week on March 2. WEEK NINE: February 28, March 2 Seventh Graded Discussion, Monday February 28 SPRING BREAK: March 7-11 WEEK TEN: March 14, 16 Eighth Graded Discussion, Monday March 14 Note: This week and next week have deliberately lighter reading loads to insure that you make good progress on your research project. NORTH AMERICA WEEK ELEVEN: March 21, 23 Ninth Graded Discussion, Monday March 21 WEEK TWELVE: March 28, 30 Tenth Graded Discussion, Monday March 28 WEEK THIRTEEN: April 4 ,6 Eleventh Graded Discussion, Monday April 4 WEEK FOURTEEN: April 11, 13 Twelfth and Thirteenth Discussions, Monday and Wednesday April 11 and 13 WEEK FIFTEEN: April 18, 20 ELECTRONIC RESERVE (JSTOR): David Goldfield, “The Urban South: A Regional Framework” American Historical Review 86 (1981): 1009-1034 Fourteenth Discussion, Monday April 18 Final Project due at class, April 20 Sally Hadden Courses | Study Aids | Research | Bio All Contents © Sally Hadden
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