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Fall 2006 This class takes advantage of the special resources at the University of Virginia to create a new kind of course. By the end of the semester, students will have collectively created a descriptive database of about 2,000 entries revealing episodes of Southern history between 1820 and 1900. Readings are built around books that detail life in Southern communities across the century. Lectures provide overview and integration, providing the context for the readings, discussion, and research. For their first written assignment, students will create ten entries for the Southern History Database (SHD) for an assigned place and period in the nineteenth century. Those entries will be gathered from research in sources in UVa's library and will be crafted to describe episodes in a clear and useful way. Students will also write two overviews of the class's collective work. Specific assignments are described in detail on the syllabus. Professor Edward L. Ayers Teaching Associates: Noel Harrison, William B. Jones, Rachel Shapiro, Kathryn Shively Grading:
Active participation in discussion is crucial, both in discussing reading and in sharing research. Students who wish to take this class pass/fail may do so. In order to receive a passing grade, the student must complete all assignments on time, come to all discussion sections, and participate actively in class. A student must receive a C+ to receive credit in the course. (Students who are responsible enough to perform all these tasks, by the way, end up doing well in the class and usually regret not taking it for a grade.) The books for the course are available at the University Bookstore:
Week One August 23: Introduction
Week Two August 28 and 30: Origins
Week Three September 4 and 6: Living with Slavery
Week Four September 11 and 13: Creating "The South"
Week Five September 18 and 20: Southern Society
Week Six September 25 and 27: The South at High Tide
Week Seven October 2 and 4: Drawing Boundaries
Week Eight October 11: War, I Reading Day on Monday
Week Nine October 16 and 18: War, II
Week Ten October 23 and 25: Reconstruction
Week Eleven October 30 and November 1: Post-Emancipation Society
Week Twelve November 6 and 8: From Reconstruction to Redemption
Week Thirteen November 13 and 15: A New South
Week Fourteen November 27 and 29: New South Culture
Week Fifteen December 4: Reflection
Final Exam |