Readings for October 25th

Hello all!

If you can believe it, we're up to World War I & II this week. The readings for this week aren't too bad in terms of length. Please look at the British Army's Form A 2042 (p.285), then read Wilfred Owen (p.287), Adolf Hitler (p.307), and Hanna Lévy-Hass (p.312). Also, PLEASE REVIEW THE READINGS FOR LAST WEEK about Japan, as we'll be going over them too. After this week, we'll be caught up with the syllabus.

Remember, map quiz on Friday in lecture - the study guide is up online. I'll be handing back last Friday's quizzes in section.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) What part of the World War I experience is Wilfred Owen writing about? From the poem, what can you tell about the soldiers' experiences during World War I?

2) For Adolf Hitler, what was the connection between race and the state? What did Hitler think about Russia? What were his plans, based on this reading?

3) Hanna Lévy-Hass describes conditions in the concentration camps - what was life like in the camps in general?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 10/24 if you chose to do it

This one is based on your OWN knowledge. In order to know how much background I need to give you on the World Wars, I need to know what you already understand. So, pick ONE of the following six topics, and tell me (in 6-8 sentences) what you already know about the subject. If you know anything about the wartime experience in places other than Europe, the US, and Japan, please include that.

1) The causes of World War I
2) The actual events of World War I
3) The changes in the world political system after World War I
4) The causes of World War II
5) The events of World War II
6) The Holocaust & concentration camps

See everyone in lecture & section!

-Kirsten

Readings for October 18th

Hello everyone!

First, here's a quick chart of family trees for characters for The River Between and which ridge they were from:

As all of you know, since we chose to review for the midterm, we're running a little behind on the primary sources. This week, in addition to finishing The River Between, you have two primary sources to read about Japan. They are Honda Toshiaki (p. 198) and Yamagata Aritomo (p. 304).

I'm going to post the discussion questions here, but chances are that we'll spend most of the class on Africa - we'll go over the novel and the Kenyatta and Morel sources. This is especially likely since most of the lecture material on Japan will come on Friday, after this week's session, and I'd like you to have context before we go over the readings.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR READINGS:

1) According to Toshiaki, what does Japan stand to gain through colonization and expansion? What does the process look like? What are the obstacles to expansion? How do Toshiaki's suggestions compare to Europe's early colonial experiences?

2) Why does Yamagata think the world is becoming racialized - what evidence does he provide? What does Japan need to do in the face of the "white" threat?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 10/17, if you chose to do this one

In The River Between, there are several key themes that carry throughout the novel. Pick ONE of the following questions and answer it in the comments, using SPECIFIC EXAMPLES from the book to support your answer.

1) There are virtually no European characters in the book, yet the threats and damage caused by their presence is very apparent. Who is responsible for the conflict and change in the novel? How does the presence of the Christian ministry make pre-existing tensions worse?

2) Why is circumcision so controversial? What larger conflict does it represent? Which argument do you find more convincing - should female circumcision be banned or not?

3) What is the main disagreement between the Kiama and Joshua's church? Is it just religious, or is it something different? What do "traditional" and "Christian" mean in this case?

4) Education is prominent in the book. What are the arguments for and against establishing the tribe's own schools on the ridges? Do the schools succeed? How much of the arguments are actually about education?

See y'all on Thursday.

-Kirsten

Readings for October 11th

So, the midterm is over. That's good, right?

Before I get into this week's primary sources, I want to remind you that you should be reading the first half of The River Between this week. Professor McDow has put a study guide up on Carmen, so you should take a look at that before class. You'll have a chance to ask questions at the beginning of section.

This week, we'll be discussing both LAST WEEK'S and THIS WEEK'S primary sources, which I actually think go together rather well. We'll try to get an idea of what the ideological transformations in the nineteenth century meant for the process of colonization.

The new readings for this week are Cecil Rhodes (p. 227), Edmund Morel (p. 232), and Jomo Kenyatta (p. 735 in the WTWA textbook).

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) After reading Rhodes, what image do you get of British nationalism? What is it based in? Why does Rhodes think it is so important for the British Empire to expand?

2) According to Morel, why is economic domination in Africa so dangerous? Why doesn't European capitalism work in Africa?

3) Why, specifically, does Kenyatta think the European presence in Africa is damaging? How does he describe the Africans? What do you think of this description?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm, Wednesday 10/10, if you choose this week's activity

I'm using the same activity as last week: Pick a quote (1-2 sentences) from any of the readings. YOU MAY CHOOSE ANY READING FROM THIS WEEK OR LAST WEEK (make sure to specify which one you are using). Give us the quote, tell us what you found interesting, surprising, confusing, etc about it, and then tell us one question that it raised for you. Please put your response in the comments section, and remember it only needs to be about 5-6 sentences total.

See you all on Thursday,
Kirsten

Readings for October 4th

Hello, all.

Just a reminder that I have the following review sessions scheduled - MAKE SURE YOU COME WITH SPECIFIC QUESTIONS!

Tuesday, October 2nd, 10am-12pm, Dulles 250
Tuesday, October 2nd, 3pm-5pm, Dulles 020
Wednesday, October 3rd, 9am-11am, Dulles 250

Since it's now October, we're on a new cycle of blog posts, so all of you are required to complete one activity in the next four weeks. If I suggested to you that more frequent posts would compensate for absences or infrequent in-class participation, you might want to consider doing more.

This week's readings are all about social change in the 19th century. You have three primary sources for this week: George Valentia (p. 186), Testimony for the Factory Act (p. 190), and Temple Wage (p. 225). The Temple Wage is a chart that we'll discuss, so please make sure to bring your book to section.

We'll also be reviewing a bit for the midterm. Remember, it's on Friday.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) According to Valentia, how do the Brits keep control over the population in India? What does British society in India look like?

2) In Testimony for the Factory Act, what are the main arguments for limiting the workday? What are the arguments against it?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 10/3 if you chose to complete this week's activity

Pick a quote (1-2 sentences) from either of the readings. Give us the quote, tell us what you found interesting, surprising, confusing, etc about it, and then tell us one question that it raised for you. Please put your response in the comments section, and remember it only needs to be about 5-6 sentences total.

Good luck with your studying!

Readings for September 27th

Onto the Enlightenment & mercantilism!

Your readings this week are Adam Smith (p.165), Declaration of the Rights of Man (p. 170), and Olaudah Equiano (p.182). These readings are a little bit denser than the past two weeks, so read carefully, and make sure to ask me any questions you might have.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) Adam Smith starts out by describing a feudalist society. What were the characteristics of feudalism? What does he think changed the system? What were the characteristics of the new system?

2) In the Declaration of the Rights of Man, where does the government get its powers from? What type of rights does it say man has? What limits do those rights have?

3) According to Olaudah Equiano, why should the British take up the cause of abolition? How will it benefit Britain and Africa economically? How about morally?

ACTIVITY - if you have not done one so far, you MUST do this one by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 9/26

Pick one of the three questions above and answer all three parts. Then, tell me one question you have about one thing that was unclear to you after doing the reading.

See you all on Thursday!

Reading for September 20th

Thanks for bearing with me last week when I wasn't feeling well. You guys have been participating well consistently, and I really appreciate that.

This is a really light week for readings for you guys - you have LITERALLY only four pages of primary sources, so it shouldn't be hard to prep for section. The readings are Captain William Dampier (p. 141) and Jahangir (p. 158). We'll also discuss your papers & my general feedback.

Also, I've had to revise paper pick-up times for Wednesday because I have a meeting with a professor. You can pick up your paper from me in my office, Dulles 009, between 8am and 9:55am or between 1pm and 2:45pm, or you can just wait until section on Thursday.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) According to Damphier, what was slavery like for slaves in Achin? What was the relationship like between master and slave? How does it compare to Atlantic slavery?

2) Jahangir and his father were Islamic rulers of the Mughal Empire. How did they view the place of other religions in the empire? What made religious practices acceptable or unacceptable?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 9/19 if you chose to complete this week's activity

This week's readings describe religion and slavery in East Asia & India, while the past two weeks' readings discussed the same things in the Americas. How did the practice of religion or slavery (pick one) differ between the two regions? Make specific references to the readings. Then, give me a one sentence explanation of why YOU think the practices developed differently.

See you all on Thursday!

Readings for September 13th

Last week, everyone did a really fantastic job with the posts in the comments - keep it up this week! If you did last week's activi, you don't have to do any more until October; however, any extra posts will help your participation grade, so if you're quiet in class this is your chance to boost that grade.

For this week, you also had three readings from the course reader: Nzinga Mbemba, Richard Ligon, and Thomas Phillips.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) What is Mbemba asking for in the letter he is writing to the King of Portugal? How do you think Mbemba sees the Europeans?

2) How does Ligon describe the practice of slavery in the Americas? In your opinion, does he consider slavery moral, immoral, or something different?

3) Phillips describes the process of acquiring slaves in Africa. How were slaves found? Who was involved in the Atlantic slave trade in Africa?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, September 12th (if you choose this week's activity)

Think about what you know about the institution of slavery in the Americas and the Atlantic slave trade. Hopefully, reading these primary source will help give you a more global view of slavery & its impact. Pick something from the readings that you found surprising, or that challenged something you knew about slavery or the slave trade. State which reading it was from, what it was that was new to you, and how it creates a more complicated picture of the slave trade or slavery.

NOTE: if you've noticed, I've used two separate terms - slavery and the slave trade. Why do you think I make distinction between the two? We'll talk about this more in class.