Expectation and Experience:
Interpreting the New World, 1492-1700
(HIST 312 / 612)
Wednesdays,
Instructor:
Professor April G. Shelford
Battelle Tompkins 125
Office phone: (202) 885-2613 [Not a good way to reach me!]
e-mail: shelfor@american.edu [Way
to go!]
Office hours: Tuesday,
Course description
How do people cope with the utterly new?” We will attempt to answer this question by
studying the European encounter with the
History majors may use this course to fulfill a major requirement. This course also furthers the History Department’s goals for the major, though all students will benefit:
Historical literacy: by acquiring a firm factual and chronological basis for the period through class lectures and readings.
Critical thinking: by analyzing primary and secondary sources in written assignments and class discussion.
Research skills: by analyzing secondary sources in historiographic terms.
Communication skills: by meeting high standards of clear, precise, concise, and grammatical presentation of ideas in writing assignments, discussion, and class presentations.
This course welcomes graduate students and may be used to develop a field in early modern European history. Graduate students must attend three additional sessions (schedule to be determined) and complete additional reading and writing assignments.
Assigned
readings
The following texts are required reading and are available for purchase in the university bookstore. You may also find copies in the Reserves Room of the AU library. Only rarely will you be assigned the full text, so sharing copies is certainly possible if you and a friend plan ahead.
The
Travels of Sir John Mandeville (Penguin Classics)
The Travels of Marco Polo (Penguin Classics)
Hernan Cortes, Letters
from Mexico (tr. and ed. by Anthony
Pagden; Yale University Press, 1986)
Jean de Léry, History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil (University of California Press, 1992)
Walter
Ralegh, The Discoverie of the Large, Rich, and Bewtiful
Empyre of Guiana (University of Oklahoma, 1998)
Anthony Grafton, New Worlds, Ancient Texts (Harvard University Press, 1995)
Roger Schlesinger, In the Wake of Columbus: The Impact of the New World on Europe, 1492-1650 (Harlan Davidson, 1996)
Other readings are available as indicated on the class schedule. You should also review carefully “Guide to Writing Errors” and “Citations Guidelines,” which I have posted on Blackboard under Course Documents. Take special note of penalties!
Schedule of Readings and Lectures
Plan
a trip to the Library of Congress now!
The Library of Congress currently has an
exhibit, “The Cultures and History of the Americas,” featuring many items of
interest in a course like this. It is
open at least until September 24.
The gallery hours are Monday – Saturday, 10 –
5.
Enjoy it all, but concentrate particularly on
items before 1700.
Take notes!
Be prepared to discuss in class on October 12.
ER: = E-Reserve, available through Blackboard
RB: = Book in Reserves Room of AU library
XR: = Xerox in Reserves Room of AU library
JSTOR: Available
through AU library databases
Some weeks inevitably have a heavier reading
load than others.
Look ahead!
Plan ahead!
If you are pressed for time, concentrate your
efforts on the primary sources and skim the secondary.
Please do not write in or otherwise
deface any library books or reserves xeroxes. Such marks are distracting and inconsiderate
to other readers.
In addition, many academic books are published in such small quantities that they cannot be
replaced. So, if you xerox, do so very
carefully – and why not share xeroxes to reduce expense and wear and tear on the
books?
31 August: Introduction
7 September: The Legacies of Antiquity, I
Readings: RB: Herodotus, The Histories, Book 1 through section 5,
Book 2: Sections 1-19, 35-91; Book 4: Sections 1-77; Grafton, Introduction and “A Bound World: The
Scholar’s Cosmos”
14 September: The Legacies of Antiquity, II
Readings: Pliny, Natural History,
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137,
Books 2.0-2.9, 3.0-3.1, 7.0-7.2;
RB: Edward Said, Orientalism, 31-73
Presentation:
__________________________ ER: Friedman, “Cultural Conflicts in Medieval World Maps”
__________________________ ER: Momigliano,
“The Place of Herodotus in the History of Historiography”
21 September: The Medieval Legacy, I
Readings: The Travels of Marco Polo, 33-73, 113-162;
RB:
Miguel
Angel Ladero Quesada, “Spain, circa 1492,” Implicit
Understandings.
Presentation:
__________________________ ER: Excerpt, John Larner, Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World
28 September: The Medieval Legacy, II
Readings: The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, 43-45, 63-76, 99-131, 165-184;
Group 1: ER: Ronald Wittgower, “Marvels of the East”
Group 2: XR: Anthony Pagden, “The Image
of the Barbarian,” The Fall of Natural
Man
Presentation:
__________________________ JSTOR: Benjamin Braude, “The Sons of Noah and
the Construction of Ethnic and Geographical Identities in the Medieval and
Early Modern Periods,” The William and
Mary Quarterly 3rd Series, 54:1 (1997)
5 October: First Impressions
Readings:
ER: John Cummins, The Voyage of Christopher Columbus;
RB: Pablo E. Perez-Mallaina, Spain’s Men of the Sea, 223-245;
Grafton, “Navigators and Conquerors”
Presentation:
__________________________ JSTOR: Pauline Moffitt Watts, “Prophecy and Discovery: On the Spiritual Origins of Christopher Columbus’s ‘Enterprise of the Indies,’” American Historical Review 90:1 (Supplement,1985)
__________________________ RB James Romm, “New World and ‘noves orbes’:
Seneca in the Renaissance Debate over Ancient Knowledge of the Americas,” Classical Tradition in the Americas
12 October: Conquistadors, Merchants, and
Sailors – This session will include discussion of LOC exhibit!
Readings:
RB: Hernan Cortes, Letters from Mexico, skim
xi-liii; read Second Letter;
Schlesinger,
Chapter 2
Presentation:
__________________________ JSTOR: Inga Clendinnen, “‘Fierce and
Unnatural Cruelty’: Cortes and the Conquest of Mexico, Representations 33 (Winter 1991)
__________________________ ER: Excerpts, Irving Albert Leonard, Books of the Brave
__________________________ JSTOR: Elliott Horowitz, “The New World and the Changing Face of Europe,” Sixteenth Century Journal 28:4 (1997)
19 October: The Debate over Natural Slavery
Readings:“Course Documents,” Blackboard: Documents from the Las Casas / Sepulveda Debate; RB: Bartolomé de Las Casas, In Defense of the Indians, 221-243;
Schlesinger,
Chapter 3.
Presentation:
__________________________ JSTOR: Sabine MacCormack, “Ubi Ecclesia?,” Speculum 69:1 (1994)
__________________________ ER: John Patrick
Donnelly, “Antonio Possevino’s Plan for World Evangelization”
___________________________ER: Patricia Seed, “‘Are these not also men?’”: The Indians Humanity and Capacity for Civilization,” Journal of Latin American Studies 25:3 (1993)
26 October: Mythical (?) Peoples in the New World
Readings: Jean de Léry, History
of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil, skim intro, read 3-14, 33-50, 56-68, 112-151, 158-171; JSTOR:
John McGrath, “Polemic and History in French Brazil,” Sixteenth Century Journal 27:2 (1996).
Presentation:
__________________________ RB: Kathleen M. March and Kristina M.
Passman, “The Amazon Myth and Latin America,” The Classical Tradition and the Americas
__________________________ JSTOR: Janet Whatley, “Food and the Limits of
Civility: The Testimony of Jean de Léry,” Sixteenth-Century
Journal 15:4 (1984)
2 November: The Missionary Experience in
the New World
Readings: “Course
Documents,” Blackboard: Excerpts
from The Jesuit Relations
: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America; RB: Fernando Cervantes, “The Devil and
the Amerindian,” The Devil in the New
World
Presentation:
__________________________ JSTOR Allan Greer, “Colonial Saints: Gender, Race, and Hagiography in New France,” William and Mary Quarterly 3rd Series, 57:2 (2000)
__________________________ RB: José Rabasa, “Of Massacre and Representation: Painting Hatred and Ceremonies of Possession in Protestant Anti-Spanish Pamphleteering,” Writing Violence on the Northern Frontier
__________________________ Louise M. Burkhart, “‘Here is Another Marvel’: Marian Miracle Narratives in a Nahuatl Manuscript, http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/rbm/kislak/index/burkhart.html
9 November: Writing & Re-writing
Histories
Readings:
ER: Garcilaso de la Vega, Royal Commentaries of the Yncas;
Sabine MacCormack, “The Incas and Rome,” http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/rbm/kislak/index/maccormack.html
Presentation:
__________________________ JSTOR E.C. Graf,
“From Scipio to Nero to the Self: The Exemplary Politics of Stoicism in
Garcilaso de la Vega’s Elegies,” PMLA
116:5 (2001)
16 November: An Elizabethan World Historian
in the New World
Readings: Walter Ralegh, The Discoverie of the Large, Rich, and Bewtiful Empyre of Guiana [N.B.: The introduction to the text is somewhat
difficult, particularly early on.
However, it is quite excellent and makes a
powerful argument. Skim a bit,
especially the concluding sections.]
Grafton,
“All Coherence Gone”
Presentation:
__________________________ RB: Nabil Matar, “The Renaissance Triangle,” Turks, Moors and Britons in the Age of
Discovery
__________________________ RB: David Armitage, “The New World and British
Historical Thought,” America in European
Consciousness
30 November: Translating / Transporting Court
and Festival Culture
Readings:
Everyone:
ER: Montaigne, “On Coaches,” The
Complete Essays [ER]
Group 1:
RB: John Dryden, The Indian
Emperour
Group 2:
ER: Excerpts from Europa
Triumphans
Presentations:
__________________________ JSTOR: Michael Wintroub, “Civilizing the Savage and Making a King: The Royal Entry Festival of Henri II (Rouen, 1550), The Sixteenth Century Journal 29:2 (1998): 465-94.
__________________________ ER: Benjamin
Keen, “The Aztecs in Late Renaissance Thought” and “The Baroque Vision of the
Aztecs,” The Aztec Image in Western
Thought
7 December: The New World on the Eve of
Enlightenment / Concluding Discussion
Readings: ER: Baron de LaHontan, “A Conference or
Dialogue between the Author and Adario, a noted man among the savages”; Grafton, “A New
World of Learning”
Course Requirements & Assignments
Education is not something that is done to you; it is something you do for yourself. Nowhere is this more true than in a seminar, whose success is utterly dependent on the preparedness of the participants and their willingness to engage each other in searching and challenging (but civil!) discussion. That said, I understand that the pressure of other commitments will sometimes make it difficult for you to complete all the reading every week. If you are pressed for time, please make reading the primary source material your first priority, even if you only have time to skim it. If, in your opinion, other obligations have prevented you from preparing adequately to participate in class discussion, come to class, but take a grace session.
“Grace” Sessions: You have a maximum of three “grace” weeks (graduate students have four, but may only use one for additional graduate sessions). Notify me at the beginning of class of your situation. I do not require or expect any explanation – that is your business. I will not expect your participation, and I will not penalize you. You cannot take a grace session, though, the weeks you are assigned an essay or a class presentation. Remember, too, that you are not required to take your grace weeks – they are an option. If you are absent, I will count that as a grace session. I reserve the right to suspend this policy if I perceive that it is being abused.
Attendance policy: If
you are absent four or more times, you will automatically fail this
course. There will be no exceptions to
this policy.
Summary of grading:
Undergraduate: 40% = 2 essays at 20% each
25% = DRAs
10% = Class presentation of secondary source
25% = Final Essay
Graduate: 40% = 2 essays at 20% each
3 additional sessions with additional readings
20% = DRAs
10% = Class presentation of secondary source
10% = Group or individual presentation to class based on
one of the above
20% = Final essay
Description of
assignments:
Essays: You must submit two essays of three-four pages (750-1000 words) as assigned by me the first week of class. Your essay should focus on the week’s primary sources, though you may bring in the week’s secondary reading.
Your essay should be a thoughtful reflection on the week’s readings that will help spark class discussion. You are not required to do any additional research. You may discuss any aspect of the text assigned, but try to limit yourself to consideration of one or two aspects that you found particularly striking. Do not write a summary. Everyone will have read the text, so you should think about raising an issue or question that you think your classmates will want to discuss further. If you are having trouble getting started, you might ask yourself questions like the following:
“Why did Professor Shelford assign this text?”
“What have I learned from this text that I didn’t know before?”
“How does this text relate to the course’s theme(s)?”
“How did the author(s) think differently from / similarly to the way we do?”
“Why did the author(s) write the text? For whom?”
“Does what I read here confirm or challenge the interpretations I have read in secondary sources?”
“Does what I read here challenge my preconceptions?”
Make sure that your essay has an evocative (perhaps provocative?) title, which is also another good way of focusing your thoughts.
As the semester goes on, I expect that you will make connections, comparisons, and contrasts with previous readings. Please keep in mind: Some (much?) of the reading in the course will deeply offend our modern (postmodern?) sensibilities. Many of the people we will read about acted rather badly by our lights (to put it mildly). Still, try to transcend the natural impulse to make moral judgments, however justified; try instead to understand the mentalities of the people we are investigating. Do not delude yourself that we, living in the twenty-first century, have somehow cornered the market on truth. Hence, papers that simply express moral outrage will not get you far.
I do not expect your essays to be formal academic papers, but I do expect that:
You will avoid broad generalizations.
Your paper will have a guiding theme or a question.
Your paper will have an introduction, exposition, and conclusion.
You will present your thoughts in an organized fashion.
You will indicate specific passages in the text to substantiate your points (in-text citation will suffice; see “Citations Guidelines”).
You will avoid sloppy writing by avoiding the errors discussed in “Guide to Writing Errors.”
You will adhere to the citation formats of “Citations Guidelines.
You will append the following pledge at the end of all written work except DRAs: “I pledge that this is my own work and that I have not misrepresented anyone else’s work as my own.” Papers and exams without pledges will not be accepted.
Failure to meet any of these standards will
result in lower grades.
Under no circumstances will you be permitted to submit an essay after the
source has been discussed in class.
You must submit your paper to
Digital Dropbox on Blackboard by
Class Presentation: Readings for in-class presentations comprise a number of articles from secondary sources intended to enrich our discussions by injecting diverse scholarly interpretations. Class reports extend the amount of material that we can cover, but they are also an important exercise in analysis and critical thinking. Several introduce important trends in the historiography of the period. Making class presentations ideally helps you to develop the skill of making effective oral presentations, which will be invaluable to you, whatever profession you pursue in the future.
I will assign the article you will present, and I will make sure that it is available to you in Reserves or elsewhere. In your report, please make sure that you address the following questions, though not necessarily in this order:
How is the source relevant to the course? To the readings that week?
How would you briefly summarize the subject of the reading and its major points?
Why did the author write it? For example, does s/he strongly agree or disagree with previous work in the field? Is s/he seeking to offer a more nuanced or a different view of an already familiar phenomenon? Is s/he offering a synthesis of older material, or does the work expand current knowledge of the subject? In other words, what is the author’s historiographic objective? (If the author is not a historian, identify his / her point of view.)
What kind of sources does the author use (that is, primary and secondary)? How does s/he use them as evidence in support of an argument? Are you persuaded?
What point(s) did you find particularly striking?
How does this reading connect with previous readings?
If you were an aspiring historian, what would you have learned about conducting historical research and writing history from this article? Remember: A model may be good, meaning that you would seek to imitate it, or poor, meaning that it engages in practices you would want to avoid.
Please note: Not all questions are relevant to all articles!
Presenting the article point by point as the author has
written it is generally a poor strategy and, in my experience, nearly always
results in reports that exceed the time limit.
Neither should you present a mere summary. Apt quotation can be effective, but a report that is little more than a series of quotations
strung together will not work well. Your
report must show that you have digested the material intellectually and that
you have mastered it sufficiently to be able to present it in your own
words. Remember: You are the only person
who will have read the article. If your
classmates are to benefit from your knowledge, you must remember that we cannot
absorb information in as much detail by listening as by reading. It is always a good strategy to isolate the
major points you want to make, then move through them
methodically. You are free to provide
the class with a BRIEF outline of your presentation, though that is not
required. Your report should be 10-20
minutes long. If you are not finished at
20 minutes, I will ask you to stop and will penalize you.
Discussion Readiness Asssessments (DRAs): For every class, if you are not writing an essay or making a presentation, you must come prepared with either a paragraph-long discussion point or a few discussion questions on the readings assigned for that session. These must be turned in to me at the end of class. You will not receive a letter grade, but a ü- (poor), ü(satisfactory), ü+ (very good). For those classes during which we will be discussing a gallery assignment, your discussion starter must focus on that assignment. Do not obsess over this or spend too much time on it. The sole purpose is to indicate that you have done the reading and are prepared to participate in class discussion. On the other hand, if I sense that you are consistently dashing off just anything in the five minutes before class and not being thoughtful, I will penalize you. Please concentrate on developing discussion questions or points. If you have factual questions, look up the answers!
Summary
essay: Due in digital dropbox no later than
Additional reading sessions for graduate students (approximately 2 hours each): There will be three additional sessions devoted to additional secondary readings (schedule, location, and readings to be announced). You will probably write one of your essays on the readings for one session as assigned. As the readings will be secondary sources, the questions provided in the description of the in-class presentation might be a better guide to preparation.
Graduate group or
individual presentation to class: An individual or a small group will
present a summary of one of our additional sessions to the class. We will work out the details once the
semester gets going.
Grading Policies & Student Consultations
I empathize with the great anxiety that students feel about grades. The pressures of undergraduate education and the need to acquire an important credential make it inevitable that you will focus on grades. Please remember: If you do poorly on one assignment, that does not mean you will do badly in the course. There is always room for improvement, and I always take improvement into consideration when assessing a final grade. I do not, however, give high grades on the basis of effort alone. While I value effort, never expect to receive an A on that basis alone.
That said, this is a challenging course (as all university courses should be). Many of you will be confronting some or all of this material for the first time, and all of us have different, if equally valuable intellectual gifts. Be realistic in your expectations of yourself. Never expect a big return for a small investment. If your best effort results in a “B,” that is no cause for embarrassment. Believe it or not, people, a B is a good grade! If you have chosen to make a mediocre effort, consider whatever grade you receive your just reward.
These are the general criteria for evaluating your work:
--
A student who earns an A excels in all respects. S/he submits written assignments that are
superior in their conceptualization and presentation (that is, free of writing
flaws, well-organized, persuasive, original); is
consistently well prepared for class and makes thoughtful contributions to
discussion; demonstrates exceptional initiative.
--
A student who earns a B+ to
an A- consistently submits very good
work. S/he is generally in command of
the material, actively contributes to discussion, and his / her writing has no
serious deficiencies.
--
A student who earns a B consistently
submits good work, but generally has some problems with written work and
contributes less to class. This student
generally takes the initiative to find ways of improving his / her work.
--
A student who earns a B- to C
submits satisfactory work – that is, the work meets the minimum
requirements for assignments, but no more.
Generally, the student has more serious writing
problems and contributes minimally to class discussion. Nor does the student take much initiative in
solving his / her problems.
--
A student who earns a C- or D is barely getting by
submitting generally unsatisfactory work.
S/he has little grasp of course content, has
serious writing problems, makes no contribution to class, and shows little
interest in improvement.
--
A student who earns an F submits unsatisfactory work in all
respects, often does not submit assignments at all, is frequently absent, and
shows no interest in either the course or improving his / her performance.
You will note the emphasis on initiative in these grading guidelines. If you want to discuss any aspect of the course, need guidance on your papers or suggestions for improving your work, or have any additional comments or questions, come to my office hours or make an appointment. At the end of the day, initiative may matter a great deal if your grade is borderline.
I will always try to make clear why you received the grade you did on any given assignment. If you remain unsure or unconvinced, I encourage you to meet with me, but only at least 24 hours after you have received the grade, and only if you have reviewed all comments carefully. It is a very bad idea to send an e-mail note to an instructor immediately after receiving a grade. You are likely to say something embarrassing and strike an inappropriate tone. I am reasonably thick skinned and can handle it, but such behavior can get you into serious trouble in other contexts. Develop good habits now.
Penalties for late work: As you know the deadlines for your projects from day one, there is very little excuse for lateness. If you do submit late work, you will be penalized at least a ½ letter grade, though I may choose to penalize you more or refuse to accept it. I very occasionally grant extensions, but do not count on it.
Classroom Decorum
I realize that this is an evening class that meets quite late. That is one of the reasons why I always schedule a diversity of activities that will will (I hope) help keep us all awake! Please do your utmost, however, to arrive in an alert state and ready to contribute. I will try to build in a brief break for every session.
Please remember that you are not the only person in this class and that our classroom is not your living room. Arrive on time, because late arrivals always disrupt the rest of the class and irritate me. Never leave and return in order to get a soft drink or a snack. You may bring a beverage, but you must appropriately dispose of all garbage. No eating. Make sure that you will not have to leave and return in order to go to the bathroom. If you have to go, do so discreetly. Do not chat with your neighbor or exchange notes (this is very high school). Turn off your cell phone. If you consistently violate any of these basic rules of courtesy, I may ask you to leave the class.
Cheating and Plagiarism
Standards of academic conduct are set forth in the University’s Academic Integrity Code. By registering, you have acknowledged your awareness of the Academic Integrity Code, and you are obliged to become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as defined by the Code. Violations of the Academic Integrity Code will not be treated lightly, and disciplinary actions will be taken should such violations occur. Please see me if you have any questions about the academic violations described in the Code in general or as they relate to particular requirements for this course. Take note: I will seek to have you penalized to the maximum extent for any violation of the Academic Integrity Code.
Please note:
I reserve
the right to make changes in any and all requirements
of this course in response to changing circumstances or perceived need.
Graduate Sessions / Exp2 / Fall 2005 / Shelford
Session I:
Anthony Pagden, Intro, Chapters 1 &2, Lords of all the World [RX]
Andrew Fitzmaurice, Introduction and Chapter 1, Humanism and America: An Intellectual
History of English Colonization, 1500-1625 [RB]
Session II:
Walter Mignolo, The Darker Side of the Renaissance, Chapters 2, 5 [RB]
Benjamin Schmidt, Preface, Chapters 1 &2, Innocence Abroad: The Dutch Imagination and
the New World, 1570-1670 [RB]
Session III: For this session, I would like to invite you
to my home for dinner and a final class.
Later in the semester, please let me know if you have any strong food
aversions or allergies, etc.
Gauvin Alexander Bailey, Art on the Jesuit Missions in Asia and Latin America, Introduction, Chapters 1 & 6, Conclusion [RB]
Serge Gruzinski, Painting the Conquest, Introduction, Chapter 4, Conclusion [RB]
Stephen Greenblatt, “The Go-Between,” Marvelous Possessions [RB]