Professor
Hugh Dubrulle
Class Time: MWF 1:00PM-1:50PM
Classroom: McIntyre 103
Office: Wyatt 138
Office Hours: MW 2:00PM-4:00PM and by appointment
E-mail: hdubrulle@ups.edu
Telephone: (253) 879-3518
website: www.ups.edu/faculty/hdubrulle/home.htm
He made
her first-born race to be so rude,
And suffered her to lie so oft subdued. . . .
The Romans first with Julius Caesar came,
Including all the nations of that name,
Gauls, Greeks, and Lombards; and by computation,
Auxiliaries or slaves of every nation.
With Hengist, Saxons; Danes with Sueno came,
In search of plunder, not in search of fame.
Scots, Picts, and Irish from th' Hibernian shore:
And conqu'ring William brought the Normans o're. . . .
From this amphibious ill-born mob began
That vain ill-natured thing, an Englishman.
The customs, surnames, languages, and manners,
Of all these nations are the explainers:
Whose relics are so lasting and so strong,
They ha' left a shibboleth upon our tongue;
By which with easy search you may distinguish
Your Roman-Saxon-Danish-Norman English.
Daniel Defoe, The True-Born Englishman, 1700
One commonplace among historians asserts, "Nations are always in the making, but never made." The consensus necessary to constitute a well-regulated nation or any other community requires almost incessant negotiation between different groups. Changing circumstances constantly complicate this process, not only making consensus elusive, but rendering it merely temporary when once achieved. In this course, we will study the people and forces that contributed to the constant "making" of England in the 800 years between the reign of King Alfred and the Glorious Revolution. We will also see how powerful groups and institutions—the monarchy, the church, the aristocracy, and the commons—struggled to reach a lasting accommodation during these years. At the same time, we will look at the various events and movements that complicated this quest for stability.
Clayton Roberts and David Roberts, A History of England, Prehistory to 1714, vol. 1 (textbook)
Beowulf
David Howarth, 1066: The Year of the Conquest
William Langland, Piers Plowman
Keith Wrightson, English Society 1580-1680
G. E. Aylmer, Rebellion or Revolution? England from Civil War to Restoration
Coursepack
You will have to complete a number of assignments requiring you to think, write, and speak in a variety of contexts.
Your discussion grade consists
of three parts.Discussion and Attendance (20%):
1. Attendance (5%): Your attendance grade will depend on how frequently you attend class. Furthermore, if you are a student, your job consists of learning. I expect you to come to class prepared to learn.
- Come to class having completed the readings assigned for that day (including the textbook readings).
- If we are scheduled to discuss a book or an excerpt out of the coursepack, bring the reading to class so that you can refer to it.
- Bring the textbook to class.
Also, please arrive on time if not a little early. If you must leave class early, let me know in advance.
2. Class Participation (10%): I will base your class participation grade on the frequency and quality of your contribution to classroom discussion. Positive contributions consist not merely of answering the professor's questions. They also include:
Remember, if you are not attending class, you are not participating.
3. Leading Class Discussion (5%): I have set aside 9 particular topics—each on a specific day—in which groups consisting of three students will lead classroom discussion. I will circulate a sign-up sheet in class: first come, first served. Your grade on this assignment will depend not only on my evaluation of your presentation, but on the opinion of your fellow students. After each presentation, I will ask your peers to provide a short written assessment of your performance, which I will forward to you with my own comments. I will provide more information about this assignment on the website. Here are your options:
- Friday, September 14: Anglo-Saxon Society
- Monday, September 24: Manorialism
- Wednesday, October 3: The Rise of the Medieval Town
- Friday, October 12: The Emergence of Parliament
- Wednesday, October 17: The Black Death
- Friday, October 19: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381
- Monday, October 29: Good Kings and Bad
- Friday, November 16: What and Who Were the Puritans?
- Monday, November 19: The Stuarts and Parliament
Over the course of the semester, you will take 12 quizzes on the readings. These quizzes will take place without warning and cover the readings assigned for that day (including readings from the textbook). I will draw all the quiz questions from the "food for thought."
When calculating your quiz score at the end of the semester, I will add up the total number of quiz points you obtained and divide them as if you had taken only 10 quizzes. That way, if you bomb or miss two quizzes, you can still obtain a good quiz grade. On the other hand, if you do very well on all the quizzes, you might be able to get extra credit. If you miss a quiz, you will not have an opportunity to make it up.
Over the course of the semester, I will provide more information concerning the following assignments.
Extensions: I will grant NO extensions on or after the due date. I will provide an extension only if:
Late Papers: Late papers will suffer a penalty of 10% for each day they are late. Thus, a B- paper turned in a day late will become a C- paper. The meter runs on weekends just as on weekdays. If a paper is due on a Friday, it will be one day late on Saturday (10% off), two days late on Sunday (20% off), and three days late on Monday (30% off). The meter also keeps running during holidays and breaks. It is your responsibility to get the paper to me in such a manner that I can verify you completed it by a certain time.
Two Days of Grace: Over the course of the semester, I will provide you with two days worth of grace on late papers. You can spend both days on one paper (turning it in two days late with no penalty) or one day on two different papers (with no penalty on either one).
Completing Papers and Obtaining a Passing Grade: You must obtain a passing grade on ALL papers to pass the class. In other words, if you turn in a C paper (75%) three days late (30% penalty) and obtain an F (45%), you will fail the paper and fail the course.
Both examinations in this
class will consist exclusively of essay questions.
Although the professor figures prominently in the failure or success of his students, the students themselves bear much responsibility for their own education. I will hold up my end of the bargain to the best of my ability, but you need to meet me half way. What follows is a series of suggestions about how you can make the most of the opportunities this class offers.
Attendance: It is impossible to learn anything or obtain a more than mediocre grade unless one attends class. The following assertion may sound trite, but it remains true: those who come to class enjoy a huge advantage over those who do not.
Attitude: If you come prepared to work hard and learn something, you will enjoy yourself and have a enjoyable experience. On the other hand, if you are determined to dislike this course or cruise through with a minimum of effort, you will suffer through a long and miserable semester.
Attentiveness: Pay attention to the syllabus, to the website, and to what I say. By doing so, you will spare yourself (and me) a great deal of trouble later on.
Reading: No matter how smart you are, you must read to learn. If you do not read, you will not encounter ideas and perspectives that differ from your own. Your mind will remain insular and undeveloped, and you will have succeeded in defeating the purpose of the liberal arts education for which you have paid so much.
Thinking: It is absolutely imperative that you think while you read and write. Glancing at a page in a book is not reading. At the same time, merely typing a series of words is not writing. Only the thinking that takes place during these activities gives them any meaning or value. Always think before doing. If anything, a liberal arts education ought to teach you to think.
Care: Anybody can conceive of a great idea. Very few possess the patience, diligence, and will to make it a reality. You can only learn these qualities through practice. The more care you show for your work, the more you will achieve.
Initiative: Take some initiative in your own education. If you encounter an obstacle, find a way to surmount it rather than an excuse to succumb to it. One of Aesop's fables concludes with the moral, "God helps those who help themselves," which is just another way of saying that people who help themselves will meet with more success than those who complain, whine, cry, or simply give up.
Consultation: If you have ANY questions about the class that the website or syllabus do not answer, please consult me. Send me an e-mail, come to my office hours, or set up an appointment with me. One of the advantages associated with attending a small, private, liberal arts college is that you have easy access to the faculty. Take advantage of that access to ask the professor for help.
And Finally. . . : Look at this class as an opportunity to impress me with your application and thought. Seize that opportunity. If you do not, somebody else invariably will. In this context, merely "adequate" performances will not make much of an impression and will lead to mediocre grades.
I will do my best to follow this schedule rigorously. However, since Dubrulle Jr. is due at the end of October, I may have to make some last-second changes, including the possible cancellation of a few classes or activities.
Monday, August 27
Wednesday, August 29
Friday, August 31
WEEK 2
Monday, September 3: Labor Day Holiday (no class)
Wednesday, September 5
Friday, September 7
WEEK 3
Monday, September 10: Essay 1 Due
Wednesday, September 12
Friday, September 14
WEEK 4
Monday, September 17
Wednesday, September 19
Friday, September 21
WEEK 5
Monday, September 24: Essay 2 Due
Wednesday, September 26
Friday, September 28
WEEK 6
Monday, October 1
Wednesday, October 3
Friday, October 5
WEEK 7
Monday, October 8
Wednesday, October 10: Midterm
Friday, October 12
WEEK 8
Monday, October 15: Fall Break (no class)
Wednesday, October 17
Friday, October 19
WEEK 9
Monday, October 22
Wednesday, October 24
Friday, October 26
WEEK 10
Monday, October 29
Wednesday, October 31
Friday, November 2: Essay 3 Due
WEEK 11
Monday, November 5
Wednesday, November 7
Friday, November 9
WEEK 12
Monday, November 12
Wednesday, November 14
Friday, November 16
WEEK 13
Monday, November 19
Wednesday, November 21: Thanksgiving Break (no class)
Friday, November 23: Thanksgiving Break (no class)
WEEK 14
Monday, November 26
Wednesday, November 28
Friday, November 30
WEEK 15
Monday, December 3
Wednesday, December 5: Essay 4 Due
FINAL EXAMINATION: Thursday, December 13, 8:00AM-10:00AM