Spring 2009
HIST 4388-001
The French Atlantic: 1500-1848
University Hall, Room 16 [updated 1/8/09]
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10:00 am to 10:50 am
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Instructor: John Garrigus, Ph.D. E-mail: garrigus@uta.edu |
Office location: University Hall, Room 325 Office phone: (817) 272-0685 |
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Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 to 12; please make an appointment if this time is not good for you. |
Web page: http://www3.uta.edu/faculty/garrigus/ Class Blog: http://garrigus4388.wordpress.com |
Description of Course Content:
By following the history of French colonization and trade in Canada, the Caribbean, and West Africa, this class aims to provide students with new perspectives on the history of our hemisphere, and on U.S. history itself. At the heart of our subject is the encounter between Europeans and Native Americans and between Europeans and Africans. WE will focus on a handful of critical questions. How was France’s New World Empire different from that of Britain and Spain? Was there a distinct French approach to relations with Native Americans and Africans? How did France “lose” its American territories? How could French Caribbean slavery be both the most profitable system of its kind and provide the only example of a successful revolution against slavery? How did the presence of a French Atlantic Empire shape the history of France and the emerging United States? Because the geography and the history of the French Atlantic cannot be separated, this class will use GoogleEarth to explore the places and spaces we are reading about.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will be able to use Google Earth to describe and illustrate important events in French Atlantic history (assessed in 4 KML projects)
2. Students will be able to write coherently and originally about French Atlantic history and culture (assessed in 7 book quizzes and one exam)
3. Students will be able to interpret historical documents, books, and films (assessed in class discussions and in 7 book quizzes and one exam)
Requirements: This course is designed so that you can succeed whether or not you have never studied the history of France, the French Atlantic, or Latin America before.
Required Textbooks and Other Course Materials:
- Laurent Dubois, Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution (Belknap Press, 2004).
- Allan Greer, The People of New France (University of Toronto Press, 1997).
- Allan Greer, The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000).
- Robert W. Harms, The Diligent: A Voyage through the Worlds of the Slave Trade (New York: Basic Books, 2003).
- Richard Price, The Convict and the Colonel: A Story of Colonialism and Resistance in the in the Caribbean (Duke University Press, 2006).
Electronic Communication Policies:
1. I require that you submit all assignments to me as electronic links to your Mavspace account. Go to http://mavspace.uta.edu to log in. There will be a brief screencast describing the process on the class blog.
2. I expect you to subscribe to, or to regularly visit, our class blog for announcements and material that complements class lectures.
3. I will post all grades to our WebCT page.
Descriptions of major assignments and examinations with due dates:
1. Seven book quizzes: for each of our books you will receive a study guide, with 4 to 6 discussion questions and a list of important terms. Eighttimes during the semester [see schedule] we’ll have a 30 minute quiz on the book, consisting of 4 multiple choice questions on the terms and 1 of the discussion questions. You may drop the lowest quiz score.
2. Final exam: our final exam will be ‘take-home’ style. I’ll give you a list of questions at the beginning of the term and all my lectures will be geared to helping you answer these questions. Then before the test is due, I’ll tell you which of the pre-announced questions you will be writing on. You‘ll turn in the test electronically, as a word-processing file.
3. 4 Google Earth assignments: In this class we’ll be using the free program Google Earth to explore the French Atlantic and to increase our understanding of the books we are reading. We’ll be doing 4 Google Earth assignments. For these, you will turn in an electronic “kml” file that you will make using Google Earth. You’ll have tutorial handouts and be able to see “how to” videos on the class blog.
4. Class participation: I base this on 2 elements: your regular attendance and your oral participation in class, especially on our scheduled quiz/discussion days.
Point Value of Assignments: Grading Policy
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300 |
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B = 800 to 899 points |
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50 |
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C= 700 to 799 points |
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80 |
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D = 600 to 699 points |
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100 |
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F = less than 600 |
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120 |
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250 |
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Attendance Policy: I take attendance every day and especially on Fridays, our discussion days. It is part of your class participation grade.
Academic Integrity/Plagiarism: University of Texas Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Series 50101, Section 2.2: “Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.”
It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University.
My personal plagiarism policy: As electronic tools make it easier to exchange ideas and information, intellectual honesty becomes more critical than ever. For this reason, if I find you have committed plagiarism on one of our take-home tests, I will assign you a grade of F for the semester. I realize that this is not necessarily fair! Many of you may not clearly understand the difference between plagiarism and research. Some professors don’t check carefully for plagiarism. But I do! So please avoid even the appearance of dishonesty. Ask me for clarification if you have any questions after reading the rest of this paragraph. Plagiarism occurs when you present someone else’s words or ideas as your own. You are plagiarizing when you copy paragraphs, sentences, and phrases from someone else’s writing, the Internet, encyclopedias, and other works. Paraphrasing (copying a sentence and changing a few key words) is also plagiarism. Avoid plagiarism by always explaining ideas in your own language. If you must reproduce someone else’s words, use quotation marks and give that writer credit in a footnote or endnote.
Student Support Services Available: The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.
Drop Policy: The instructor will not, and cannot, drop students for excessive absences. You are responsible for dropping this course before the cut-off date.
Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 92-112 – The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.
As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide “reasonable accommodations” to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty of their need for accommodation and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels. Information regarding specific diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability. Also, you may visit the Office for Students with Disabilities in room 102 of University Hall or call them at (817) 272-3364.
Grade Grievance Policy: See the university policy in the UTA catalog.
