Professor
Hugh Dubrulle
Class Time: MWF 1:00PM-1:50PM
Classroom: Wyatt 313
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
"Learn if you can the why and the wherefore."—Lord Chesterfield
Over the last three hundred
years, a variety of individuals, institutions, and forces have worked toward
consolidating the diverse welter of people on the British Isles into a truly
united nation. At the same time, however, a great array of groups have either
opposed these efforts or contested the vision that inspired them. In this course,
we will assess the nature of the attempt to forge a British nation and understand
the difficulties it has encountered. At the same time, we will see how various
events and developments shaped this project. By the end of the semester, we
can reach some informed conclusions about a Britain divided by race, class,
gender, ethnicity, and religion—and its never-ending struggle to become
a nation.
Walter Willcox and Walter Arnstein, The Age of Aristocracy, 1688-1830 (first textbook)
Walter Arnstein, Britain Yesterday and Today, 1830 to the Present (second textbook)
Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield
Walter Bagehot, The English Constitution
George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier
Coursepack
Over the course of the semester, you will have to view at least two of these movies and write a 300-word essay on each.
The Madness of King George (1994) (Monday, February 18, 7PM, Wyatt 101)
Angels and Insects (1996) (Monday, March 25, 7PM, Wyatt 101)
How Green Was My Valley (1941) (Wednesday, April 3, 7PM, Wyatt 101)
Hope and Glory (1987) (Monday, April 22, 7PM, Wyatt 101)
My Beautiful Laundrette (1986) (Monday, May 6, 7PM, Wyatt 101)
To fulfill its mission,
a university must demand honesty from all its members. If you wish to understand
more fully what honesty requires of you both inside and outside the classroom,
please consult the "Academic Honesty" section of The Logger.
Any violation of the rules set out in this section constitutes a grave matter.
If I detect such a violation on your part, I reserve the right to inflict any
punishment I deem necessary—from a zero on a particular assignment to an
F for the class.
This grade depends on your class participation and your leadership of class discussion.
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:
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.
Remember, if you are not attending class, you are not participating.
Leading Class Discussion (5%): I have set aside twelve particular topics—each on a specific day—in which groups consisting of two students will lead classroom discussion. I will circulate a sign-up sheet in class. Sign up as soon as possible for the topic of your choice. If you have not volunteered for a discussion by the end of class on Monday, January 28, I will assign you one at random.
Although circumstances will vary according to the topic, I expect you to relate the sources to the themes of the course. As you plan the discussion, feel free to employ some creativity.
For this assignment, not only will you be responsible for leading discussion, but you will also be required to produce a Food for Thought homework assignment for your peers in the class. Furthermore, 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:
- Monday, February 11: Prince Charles Stuart, The Paris Declaration (1745)
- Friday, February 15: John Wesley, "A Plain Account of the People Called Methodists" (1748) and "The Character of a Methodist" (1742)
- Wednesday, February 20: Henry Grattan, Speech Moving a Declaration of Irish Right (1780)
- Monday, March 25: Benjamin Disraeli, "Conservative and Liberal Principles" (1872)
- Wednesday, March 27: Thomas Sweet Escott, England: Her People, Polity, and Pursuits (1880)
- Friday, March 29: William Gladstone, Speech Moving the First Government of Ireland Bill (Home Rule Bill) (1886)
- Friday, April 5: Joseph Chamberlain, Speech in Glasgow Inaugurating the Imperial Preference Campaign (1903)
- Wednesday, April 8: Emmeline Pankhurst, Portman Rooms Speech (1908)
- Friday, April 12: Excerpts from Robert Graves, Good-bye to All That (1929)
- Wednesday, April 24: Mahatma Gandhi, Hind Swaraj (1909)
- Friday, April 26: Enoch Powell, "Rivers of Blood" Speech (1968)
- Monday, May 6: Margaret Thatcher, Speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool (1975)
For almost every class
meeting, I will assign you a series of questions that will help you understand
the readings. You must provide short written responses to these questions that
appear in the "Food for Thought" section of the website. These written
responses are due in class on the day we discuss the readings to which they
pertain—no exceptions. If you are not in class, you will not get credit
for the assignment that day.
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:
Turning in Papers: I will not accept papers submitted to me via e-mail. You must give the paper to me in person on the day it is due—before I leave campus.
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.
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%) two days late (20% penalty), you will get an F (55%) for 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. 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 show the care necessary to realize that idea elegantly. You can only learn these qualities through practice, patience, and diligence. 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.
WEEK 1
Wednesday, January 23
Friday, January 25
WEEK 2
Monday, January 28
Wednesday, January 30
Friday, February 1
WEEK 3
Monday, February 4
Wednesday, February
6
Friday, February 8
WEEK 4
Monday, February 11
Wednesday, February
13
Friday, February 15
WEEK 5
Monday, February 18
Wednesday, February
20
Friday, February 22
WEEK 6
Monday, February 25
Wednesday, February
27
Friday, March 1
WEEK 7
Monday, March 4
Wednesday, March 6
Friday, March 8
WEEK 8
Monday, March 11
Wednesday, March 13
Friday, March 15: MIDTERM EXAMINATION
SPRING RECESS (March 18-March 22)
WEEK 9
Monday, March 25
Wednesday, March 27
Friday, March 29
WEEK 10
Monday, April 1
Wednesday, April 3
Friday, April 5
WEEK 11
Monday, April 8
Wednesday, April 10
Friday, April 12
WEEK 12
Monday, April 15
Wednesday, April 17
Friday, April 19
WEEK 13
Monday, April 22
Wednesday, April 24
Friday, April 26
WEEK 14
Monday, April 29
Wednesday, May 1
Friday, May 3
WEEK 15
Monday, May 6
Wednesday, May 8
FINAL EXAMINATION: Friday, May 17, 12:00PM-2:00PM