Admission requirements
BSA norm and a pass for both first year Themacolleges
Description
The impact of the American Civil War extended well beyond the borders of the United States. Economically, the Northern naval blockade and the gradual collapse of the Southern plantation economy disrupted the emerging industrial economies of Europe which depended on American cotton. Politically and diplomatically, both the North and the South realized that the outcome of the war depended as much on the possibility of military intervention and/or legal recognition by major European powers. These same European powers, meanwhile, saw the Civil War as an opportunity to restore and entrench their empires in Latin America, which had largely collapsed in the wake of the Napoleonic wars. Demographically, the Civil War first dampened, but subsequently spurred renewed mass immigration as poor Europeans enlisted in the Union army or took advantage of the labor shortage caused by the war. The shared military experience, moreover, accelerated the integration of ethnic minorities, including Irish and German immigrants, who had moved to the USA shortly before the war.
Perhaps most importantly, the issue of slavery and abolition became entangled in a transatlantic ideological struggle between the progressive forces of liberalism, socialism, and democracy on the one hand, and conservative defenders of the Ancien Regime and aristocratic privilege on the other. Not only did progressives in Europe - from Garibaldi to Karl Marx - draw inspiration and hope from the Union’s efforts for their own causes, but the North’s public diplomacy campaign to shore up European support forced them to increasingly frame the conflict as a moral and ideological struggle for democracy and abolition. The Confederacy, meanwhile, appealed for support to the traditional conservative elites of Europe, but in an age of emerging mass politics and widespread opposition to slavery failed to garner the international support on which their success ultimately depended.
This class explores all of these international and transnational dimensions of the Civil War. Students will be introduced to theoretical and historiographical debates on these topics, as well as a number of digital and published sources that illustrate these processes. Research papers may focus on national or ethnic cases, but might also explore the role of particular individuals, either inside or outside the formal power structures, who helped shape the global context of the Civil War.
Course objectives
General learning objectives
N.B.: please do not alter the lists of General learning objectives and Learning objectives, pertaining to the specialisation.
1) carry out a common assignment
2) devise and conduct research of limited scope, including
a. searching, selecting and ordering relevant literature:
b. organising and using relatively large amounts of information:
c. an analysis of a scholarly debate:
d. placing the research within the context of a scholarly debate.3) reflect on the primary sources on which the scholarly literature is based;
4) write a problem solving essay and give an oral presentation after the format defined in the Syllabus Themacolleges, including
a. using a realistic schedule of work;
b. formulating a research question and subquestions;
c. formulating a well-argued conclusion;
d. giving and receiving feedback;
e. responding to instructions of the lecturer.5) participate in discussions during class.
Learning objectives, pertaining to the specialization
6) The student has knowledge of a specialisation, more specifically -in the specialisation General History : the place of European history from 1500 in a worldwide perspective; with a focus on the development and role of political institutions; - in the track American History: American exceptionalism; the US as a multicultural society and the consequences of that for historiography; the intellectual interaction between the US and Europe.
7) Knowledge and insight in the main concepts, the research methods and techniques of the specialisation, more specifically of
-in the specialisation General History: the study of primary sources and the context specificity of nationally defined histories;
-in the track American History: exceptionalism; analysis of historiographical and intellectual debates.
Learning objectives, pertaining to this specific seminar
The student:
8) acquires a rudimentary understanding of the main events and traditional historiographical interpretations of the American Civil War;
9) acquires a working knowledge of key developments and historiographical interpretations relating to the international dimensions of the American Civil War;
10) gains insight into the highly globalized character of the 19th century society in general;
11) is introduced to a variety of sources and digitally available source collections related to 19th century American history.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA History website
Mode of instruction
- Seminar (attendance required). This means that students have to attend every session of the course. If a student is not able to attend, he is required to notify the teacher beforehand. The teacher will determine if and how the missed session can be compensated by an additional assignment. If specific restrictions apply to a particular course, the teacher will notify the students at the beginning of the semester. If a student does not comply with the aforementioned requirements, he will be excluded from the seminar.
Course Load
Total course load 10 EC x 28 hours = 280 hours
Attending class: 26 hours.
Preparation for class (including presentations, excluding required reading): 24 hours.
Required reading (+/- 600 pp.): 80 hours.
Writing a paper (including literature study): 150 hours
Assessment method
Assessment
Written paper (ca. 6000 words, based on historiography, including footnotes and bibliography)
measured learning objectives: 2-4, 6-10Individual oral presentation
measured learning objectives: 3-4, 6-10Participation
measured learning objectives: 5-10Group presentation 1 (based on required reading)
measured learning objectives: 1, 3, 8, 9, 11Blackboard contributions (based on required reading)
measured learning objectives: 3, 5-10
Weighing
Written paper: 70%
Oral presentation: 15%
Participation, including group; presentation: 15%
Contributions to BlackBoard discussions: required (no grade)
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average with the additional requirement that the written paper must always be sufficient.
Deadlines
Written papers should be handed in within the given deadline.
Resit
The written paper can be revised, when marked insufficient. Revision should be carried out within the given deadline.
Exam review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
general communication between instructor and students;
(required) postings and responses to readings in the forum;
submitting final paper through Turnitin.
Reading list
Don H. Doyle, The Cause of All Nations, An International History of the Civil War (New York: Basic Books, 2015). (To be purchased in hardcopy (!) via Bol, Amazon, Bookdepository, etc.)
Additional literature is to be announced in class and/or on Blackboard
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable
Contact
Remarks
Please note that the use of electronic equipment, including laptops and Kindles will not be permitted during class except as needed for in-class assignments.