Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne

Department of History

HIST T325-02 Syllabus, Fall 2007

Course Title

The Rise and Fall of the British Empire

Meeting Time & Location

Tues & Thurs, 9.00 – 10.15 am, Kettler Hall 245.

Lecturer Contact Details[1]

Dr Carl P. Watts

CM 203, Tel.: 260-481-6694, E-mail: wattsc@ipfw.edu

Office Hours: Tues & Thurs, 10.30 – 11.30 am & 2.00 – 2.45 pm

Aims

This course has three broad aims. First, it aims to develop among students a more sophisticated understanding of the nature of history as a discipline. Second, it aims to develop transferable academic skills that students should find valuable in other learning environments. Third, it aims to examine the causes and consequences of the rise and fall of the British Empire. In considering the relevance of the history of the British Empire this course will assess the extent to which the United States may currently be considered an imperial power and what lessons, if any, the United States can learn from the British imperial experience.

Objectives (Learning Outcomes)

Students will be able to demonstrate in writing, appropriate to a 300-level course:

· Awareness of the nature of the discipline of history, including concepts such as historiography, causation, continuity and change.

· Knowledge and understanding of historical developments relating to the rise and fall of the British Empire.

· Intermediate ability to interrogate primary and secondary historical sources.

· Competence in composition, including appropriate structure, use of objective language and relevant terminology, and systematic referencing using footnotes.

Teaching Methodology

Instruction will be implemented through:

· WebCT, which will contain most of the relevant materials for this course. You must therefore be able to use WebCT and willing to access it regularly.

· Lecture, structured around the reading assignments based on the course text. Lectures will also incorporate visual resources (Powerpoint, DVD and Video) as appropriate.

· Class discussion of additional reading exercises and assignments.

· Peer review of assignment drafts.

· Written and oral feedback on assignments.

· Individual instruction during office hours, as requested or required.

Assessment[2]

· Two assignments of equal weighting (2 x 30%), which will take the form of three questions based on extracts from primary and/or secondary sources. Answers to each assignment should be about 2,500 words in total. You will be given specific oral and written instructions for completing these assignments. A third (optional) assignment will be offered to students whose performance on the first two assignments is unsatisfactory.

· Two documents exams of equal weighting (2 x 10%), which will take the form of several short-answer questions based on extracts from primary and/or secondary sources. You will be given more specific guidance regarding the content and structure of these exams nearer the time that you are due to sit them.

· A 1,500 word book review of the course text (20%), which must incorporate material from academic reviews of the book. You will write the review towards the end of the course, by which time you will be familiar with the book, and you will be given specific oral and written instructions for completing the assignment.

Resources

The required reading for this course is Niall Ferguson, Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power (New York: Basic Books, 2004). ISBN: 0-465-02329-0 [Purchase from Follett’s Bookstore or online at www.abebooks.com] You will also have the opportunity to watch all six parts of the television series that accompanied the book, which were originally shown on British television in January-February 2003.

You will receive:

A reading exercise for each chapter of the book. The questions in these reading exercises will form the basis of class lectures and discussions.

Supplemental materials, such as extracts from primary and secondary sources, which will be supplied as photocopies or posted on WebCT. These will be used for class discussions and assignments.

Written guidance for each assignment, including the required reading additional to the course text. Items will be placed on E-Reserve and/or Course Reserve and these additional materials must be used for the assignments.

Structure

Week 1 Beginning 20 August

Themes: (i) Course administration; (ii) Ferguson’s theses.

Reading: ‘Introduction’ in Ferguson.

Weeks 2 - 4 Beginning 27 August, 3 & 10 September

Theme: The Origins of the Empire.

Reading: Ferguson, Chapter 1 ‘Why Britain?’

Ferguson writes: ‘The first chapter emphasizes that the British Empire began as a primarily economic phenomenon, its growth powered by commerce and consumerism ... But this was from the outset globalization with gunboats, for the British were not the first empire-builders, but the pirates who scavenged from the earlier empires of Portugal, Spain, Holland and France.’ (pp. xxiii-xxiv)

First assignment will be discussed and submission date set during this period.

Weeks 5 & 6 Beginning 17 & 24 September

Theme: British Migration and Colonization

Reading: Ferguson, Chapter 2 ‘White Plague’

Ferguson writes: ‘British colonization was a vast movement of peoples … Some quit the British Isles in pursuit of political liberty, some in pursuit of profit. Others had no choice: they went as slaves or as convicted criminals. The central theme of this chapter, therefore, is the tension between British theories of liberty and the practice of imperial government, and how that tension came to be resolved.’ (p. xxiv)

Weeks 7 & 8 Beginning 1 & 8 October [No class Tuesday 9 October]

Theme: Cultural Conflict in the Empire

Reading: Ferguson, Chapter 3 ‘The Mission’

Ferguson writes: ‘Chapter Three emphasizes the voluntary, non-governmental character of empire-building, focusing in particular on the increasingly important role played by evangelical religious sects and missionary societies in the expansion of British influence … it was precisely the belief that indigenous cultures could be Anglicized which provoked the most violent nineteenth-century revolt against British rule.’ (p. xxiv)

Second assignment will be discussed and submission date set during this period.

Weeks 9 & 10 Beginning 15 & 22 October

Theme: Governing the Empire

Reading: Ferguson, Chapter 4 ‘Heaven’s Breed’

Ferguson writes: ‘Chapter Four asks how it was possible for such a tiny bureaucracy to govern so huge an empire, and explores the symbiotic but ultimately unsustainable collaboration between British rulers and indigenous elites, both traditional and new.’ (p. xxiv)

First documents exam will be discussed and exam date set during this period.

Weeks 11 & 12 Beginning 29 October & 5 November

Theme: Imperial Zenith

Reading: Ferguson, Chapter 5 ‘Maxim Force’

Ferguson writes: ‘Chapter Five deals primarily with the role of military force in the period of the Scramble for Africa, exploring the interaction between financial globalization and the armaments race among the European powers.’ (p. xxiv)

Weeks 13 & 14 Beginning 12 & 19 November [No class Thursday 22 November]

Theme: Imperial Nadir

Reading: Ferguson, Chapter 6 ‘Empire for Sale’

Ferguson writes: ‘Chapter Six considers the role of the Empire in the twentieth century, when it found itself challenged not so much by nationalist insurgency – it could deal with that – but by rival, and far more ruthless, empires.’ (p. xxiv)

Weeks 15 & 16 Beginning 26 November & 3 December

Themes: (i) The Balance Sheet; and (ii) The Lessons of Global Power

Reading: Ferguson, ‘Conclusion’

Ferguson writes: ‘In truth, the imperial legacy has shaped the modern world so profoundly that we almost take it for granted.’ (p. 303) ‘The parallels between today’s empire and yesterday’s can never be exact, of course. But it is clear that today’s debate about American global power can only be enriched by a proper understanding of how the last great Anglophone empire functioned.’ (p. xiv)

Book review will be discussed and submission date set during this period, and second documents exam will also be discussed.

Week 17 Beginning 10 December

Second exam will take place on Tuesday 11 December at 8 am.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS

You are expected to take responsibility for your learning, which means you should engage the intellectual challenge offered by the course, invest sufficient time in your studies outside class, attend and participate actively in class, and be prepared to ask questions.

(a) Engage the intellectual challenges involved in this course.

This course obviously emphasizes written work. You will be required to write at least 6,500 words in your own time as well as taking two exams in class. You must be prepared to give the assignments your best effort and want to improve your writing skills.

The course is strongly historiographical, so you must be willing to read widely and incorporate the differing opinions of many historians in relation to each part of the course, especially in your written work.

(b) Invest six hours per week in private study.

You must complete the reading assignments before you come to class in order that you can follow the content of the lectures and participate in class discussions.

Prepare assignments gradually and do not leave them until the last possible moment. You will be given additional help if you need it, but you cannot expect a sympathetic response if you turn up just before an assignment is due.

You will obviously miss important material if you are not in class. If you do have a valid reason for being unable to attend class then please see me during office hours for a summary of what you missed.

Ensure that you take notes during class, which should build on the notes that you have already taken before class. You should produce a clear set of integrated word-processed notes for each section of the course, and organize them in a file specifically for this course.[3]

Participate in class discussions. The discussions, which are mandatory, provide you with an opportunity to exchange ideas and check your understanding of sources in conjunction with other students before discussing them with me.

(d) Ask questions if you do not understand (or want more information).

You should expect to have questions because the course covers about 400 years of British imperial history and almost every region of the globe. Expect to obtain a reasonable rather than a total understanding of the rise and fall of the British Empire. Remember that the course is only one semester long, which obviously limits what can be accomplished.

Questions will be welcomed at any time. The chances are that if you think something is not clear then other students will be thinking exactly the same thing, so you should never let anything slip by if you think it is a significant barrier to your learning.

If you feel hopelessly lost and need additional help then this will gladly be provided during office hours. Also, if you feel that you are not sufficiently challenged by the content of the classes, or think that what you have read is at variance with what has been taught, then you are welcome to discuss this during office hours.

Dr Carl P. Watts

August 2007

[1] Please note that I live in Mason, Michigan and will commute to Fort Wayne only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will be able to answer simple questions by e-mail, but if you require help or advice on more complex issues please see me during office hours.

[2] See document on ‘Course Assessment’, which provides further details on submission, grading criteria, mark allocations, grade boundaries, general advice on completing assignments, and important information regarding assessment policies.

[3] See document entitled ‘Advice on Effective Reading’.