History 345

Prof. Fitzgerald

Fall, 2002

Phone: 3162 (or dept. at 3167) I'm on campus every day each week, so I should be easy enough to reach.

E-Mail: fitz (I check my e-mail just about every weekday, and often on weekends too. I try to check the night before major assignments from home. Also, if you want to reach the whole class, just send it to "history-345")

Office: Holland 532 (My office is a bit tricky to find, but try going through the old History Department office past the xerox machine back to the windows, my office is the first door on the right in the window corridor. Or ask somebody).

Office Hours: Office Hours: M 2-3, Tu 12-1, Th 12-1, and by appointment. (Also, I generally can talk to interested students after class, as I have nothing scheduled then.)

Class Rationale: The subject matter is a series of interlocking issues growing out of the intersection of slavery, emancipation, and gender. Among the crucial issues addressed will be: the relationship between racism and sexual subordination, the impact of slavery on white and black families, and the relationship of women toward abolitionism.

All of these topics tie closely into contemporary political issues, and that's fine. One goal is to use these issues to look at how historians do history, especially the process of how historical study evolves.

Class Format: We'll basically spend the first half of the class reading and discussing all our textbooks, and then take our "final" a bit after halfway through the semester. By that point, you should have zeroed in on a paper topic and have located appropriate primary materials to write it with. The class meets only occasionally for some weeks after the exam, but the instructor will arrange individual meetings with students on their papers. We'll then come together for oral presentations toward the end of the semester.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:

C. Vann Woodward, The Private Mary Chesnut

Deborah Grey White, Aren’t I A Woman

Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, Within the Plantation Household

Katherine Sklar, Women's Rights Emerges within the Antislavery Movement

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND READING:

Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Note: I'm assuming that just about everyone who would take this class has read this book at some point, so that assigning it would be a waste of time. But if you haven't, please go read it--it will help you a lot in the course to have read the most famous autobiography by a slave woman.

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READING SCHEDULE

Sept. 5 Introduction

Sept. 10, 12 The Slaveholding Woman's World

(Chesnut, 1-86, 154-217)

Sept. 17, 19 The Slaveholders' World Comes Apart

(Chesnut, 220-263, and also discuss Jacobs book)

Sept. 24, 26 Slave Women and their Lives

(White, all)

Oct. 1 Slave Women Speak

(WPA narrative assignment, to be announced)

Oct. 3 Lecture

Oct. 8, 10 White Women and Slavery

(Read first half of Fox-Genovese)

Oct. 15, 17 White Women and Slavery

(Read second half of Fox-Genovese)

Oct. 22 FALL BREAK

Oct. 24 Abolitionism and Feminism

(Start Sklar)

Oct. 29 Women's Suffrage and Racism

(Finish Sklar)

Oct. 31 "FINAL" EXAM

Nov. 5 BRIEF CLASS MEETING--EXAMS BACK

Nov. 7, 12 Individual Meetings on Paper Topic during Class Period

Nov. 14 BRIEF CLASS MEETING--Progress Report

Nov. 19 Individual Meetings on Paper Topic during Class Period

Nov. 21 Class Meets--Progress Report

Nov. 26 Oral Presentations on Papers

Nov. 28 THANKSGIVING BREAK

Dec. 3, 5 Oral Presentations on Papers

Dec. 10 Oral Presentations on Papers (as needed)

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COURSE WORK

The written assignments for the course will consist of one short paper of four or so pages in length, a paper prospectus, the term paper, and the "final" held when we finish the course readings.

Grades: The course work will be roughly graded as follows:

Short Paper 10%

Class Participation 25%

"Final" 25%

Book Report 10%

Term Paper 30%

CLASS PARTICIPATION

While it is possible for an utterly shy student to get a good grade in this class, intelligent participation in class discussion is generally expected and will very much help your grade. Besides, it makes the class more pleasant.

You will be expected to do the readings when due, especially on days when a class discussion is scheduled. (If you are one of those people who can't speak up in class, or are terrified when called upon--as I tend to do--you'll have to take it upon yourself to demonstrate command of the material periodically to me, by e-mail or occasionally meeting with me to discuss the material.)

Each day, some student will be assigned the task of e-mailing the class (at history-396) a synopsis and response to the day's reading.

One last thing: I pride myself on not grading people down for disagreeing with me. Go ahead and speak your mind, I won't be offended. Besides, the subject matter is so thoroughly politicized that it doesn't make much sense to pretend to professorial objectivity. Also, feel free to ask questions via e-mail, or even to communicate with the class that way through "history-345" Speak your mind, but be polite about it.

Final note: Feel free to consult other history professors who know something about this material, especially as you zero in on a term paper topic.