History 522: Europe and the World in the Age of the French Revolution (1750-1815)

Draft syllabus (expect considerable changes before Jan. 2007)

Professor Jeremy D. Popkin

Course Description: The period of the French Revolution was a decisive stage in the emergence of modern society, politics, culture and economic forms, both in Europe and in the world as a whole. It was a period marked by movements for freedom, such as the American and French Revolutions and the romantic movement in art and literature, but also the spread of slavery. The beginnings of the industrial revolution in Europe promised new prosperity for some, but brought poverty both for many Europeans and for populations in distant regions such as India. This course will study the major events of European history in this period, with special attention to the impact of such European developments such as the “consumer revolution” and the French Revolution on the non-European world.

Learning Outcomes: Students completing this course will be able to (1) explain the significance of the ideas of the Enlightenment and evaluate their role in debates about political reform and slavery; (2) explain the origins and course of the French Revolution; (3) analyze the impact of world commerce on life in Europe and the non-European world in this period; (4) explain Napoleon’s impact on the European world; (5) compare and contrast societies and major institutions at the beginning and end of the period 1750-1815.

Course Requirements: (1) regular attendance and active participation in class

(2) completion of required readings

(3) written assignments (based primarily on assigned readings)

(4) participation in class project

(5) two in-class midterms and a 2-hour final. Exams will consist primarily of essay questions, with some shorter identification and map questions.

Grading: Class participation, 20%; written assignments, 30%; midterms 12.5% each; final 25%.

History Graduate Students: Students in the History graduate program will have some additional readings and will meet as a group with the professor about once every three weeks. Graduate students will do a historiographical essay on a topic selected in agreement with the professor.

Required Readings: Goethe, Sorrows of Young Werther

Equiano, Interesting History

Popkin, Short History of the French Revolution

Markham, Napoleon

Course packet (available on Internet through UK library). The course packet contains the majority of required readings for this course. Many of these readings will be primary sources from the period.

Schedule of Topics

Aug. 25: Introduction to the Course: The World of Captain Cook

Aug. 27: An Overview of World Civilizations in the 18^th Century

Aug. 30: European Society in the mid-18^th century

Sept. 1: The European State System and the Seven Years’ War

Course Policies

1. Late Work and Make‑Up Exams: Late papers are not accepted and make‑up exams are not administered unless students requesting them can produce documented evidence of illness, accident or other cause beyond their control accounting for absence. Students who will miss an exam or assignment because of a scheduled university activity must make arrangements to make up the work before the scheduled due date.

2. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined in the UK Student Handbook. Students submitting work which is not their own will receive an 'E' for that assignment and will not be allowed to make it up. Plagiarism includes not only the copying of material from printed sources but also copying from sources on the Internet; it also applies to any work submitted under a student’s name that is not in fact his or her own writing and for which a source is not acknowledged. UK History faculty routinely use advanced Internet search engines to check dubious papers. In other words: do your own work! You’ll learn more, and you’ll avoid painful grade penalties or worse.

3. Modern Technology: Recording devices are not permitted during lectures and discussions, except for students who have a valid physical reason for needing them (e.g., inability to take written notes). Students wearing earphones during class will be invited to go be bored somewhere else. Beepers, cellular phones and other devices which may cause a distraction must be turned off during class.

4. Note on textbook: The textbook assigned for this course is one that I have written myself. I assign it because it best suits the way I teach the course. Since you are required to buy the book for this course, however, I would be guilty of a conflict of interest if I made a profit off your purchase of the book. I will therefore refund to each student remaining in the course after the final day for textbook returns and showing me that they have purchased a new copy of the book, an amount equal to my royalties (approx. $2.00). Alternatively, students may designate their royalty refund as a donation to the UK Library, to be made in the name of the class. Please understand that I do not receive any royalties from the sale of used copies of the textbook.

Term Project

Each student in History 522 will undertake a term project, which can be either an individual or collaborative effort. Your project may be aimed either at increasing your knowledge of a particular aspect of European history from 1750 to 1815 (research project), at sharing some aspect of what you have learned with a particular audience (interpretive project) or at expressing some lesson about the period in artistic form (creative project). Last year, students in my classes undertook such projects as the creation of a mixed-media presentation, planning and delivery of a lecture for a high-school social-studies class, and creation of an educational videotape.

Once you have settled on your term project, we will draw up a contract which will specify a schedule for carrying out the project and the criteria by which it is to be evaluated.

Research projects for History 522 may be on any significant aspect of the period's history. A research project should involve some use of primary sources from the period. Research projects may be either individual or collaborative, and normally result in the writing of a paper of at least 10 pp (typed, double-spaced) (a collaborative paper would normally be somewhat longer).

Possibilities for interpretive or creative projects for this course include:

--presentation of a scene from a revolutionary-era play

--preparation of a background talk for a film dealing with the era, such as "Danton"

--historical re-enactment of a Napoleonic battle, perhaps with miniatures

--preparation of a poster-board exhibit

--creation of a comic-art text dealing with an event of the period

I welcome other suggestions--use your creativity! Be sure to discuss your project with me before proceeding, though.

From: Jeremy D. Popkin, Dept. of History

Proposal for major course change: History 522

The History Department is proposing to revive a course that was dropped from the catalogue in 2002, and to modify it as part of the Department’s effort to introduce a world-history perspective into appropriate sections of our curriculum. The course in question, History 522, formerly titled “French and European Revolutions, 1760-1815,” would be retitled “Europe and the World in the Age of Revolution, 1760-1815,” to indicate this shift in emphasis. Although the history of Europe during the age of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic period will remain a central theme of the course, lectures and readings will put these subjects in the context of events in the entire world. New topics to be covered in the course will include the second Age of Exploration, the Atlantic slave trade, the campaign for abolition and the historic slave insurrection in Saint-Domingue during the French Revolution, the beginnings of European colonialism in the Islamic world, the impact of the Industrial Revolution in the non-European world, the settling of Australia and the independence movements in Latin America.

History 522 was dropped from the catalogue because it had not been taught since 1993, largely because the professor responsible for it had been either on leave or serving as department chair between 1994 and 2001. The subject matter it covers remains significant, however, and should attract not only history majors but students planning to go into middle- and high-school social studies teaching, who need background in history from a world perspective, and students in a wide range of other undergraduate programs. The old History 522 drew 27 students in 1989 and 36 students in 1993 (the last two times it was offered).

Jeremy D. Popkin, who was primarily responsible for the old version of History 522 from 1978 to 1993, will be the professor expected to teach the course most often. Professor Philip Harling has also reviewed the new course proposal and might teach it occasionally.