History 61
The Production of History
Spring 2007
Professor Burke
People make history, but they also talk, imagine, and fight over the past. This course examines how history and memory circulate through public life in modern societies, how and why the past matters to individuals, groups and institutions. Among the topics we will examine are controversies over museums and memorials, the relationship between scholarly historians and their publics, historical fiction and stories of time travel, collecting and memorabilia, debates over textbooks and school curricula, and practices of amateur history and re-enactment.
Students will complete several short written and oral assignments throughout the semester, and one longer writing assignment at the end of the semester. A substantial amount of our reading involves online materials. The class is focused around discussion, so attendance, responsible preparation with readings and other materials, and participation are an important part of the final grade.
Books for purchase:
Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Silencing the Past
Tony Horowitz, Confederates in the Attic
Art Spiegelman, Maus
Kyle Ward, History in the Making
Antje Krog, Country of My Skull
Tuesday January 23
Introduction
General Reflections on Memory, History and Archives
Thursday January 25
Rolph Trouillot, Silencing the Past, all
Tuesday January 30
David Lowenthal, The Past is a Foreign Country, pp. 3-34
Carolyn Hamilton, Terrific Majesty, pp. 187-205
The Things We Forgot to Remember
Thursday February 1
Joanne Rappaport, The Politics of Memory, Chapter Seven
Gyanendra Pandey, “In Defense of the Fragmentâ€, Representations, 37: 1992.
Tuesday February 6
Raphael Samuel, Theatres of Memory, pp. 3-27
Martin Duberman, “’Writhing Bedfellows’ in Antebellum South Carolina: Historical Interpretation and the Politics of Evidenceâ€, Hidden From History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past
Thursday February 8
Amitav Ghosh, In an Antique Land, pp.13-60
Timothy Garton Ash, The File, pp. 5-40
David Macaulay, Motel of the Mysteries
Historical Expertise Outside the Academy
Tuesday February 13
Johannes Fabian, Remembering the Present, pp. 24-50
Manthia Diawara, “Song of the Griot,†Transition, 74: 1997.
David William Cohen, “La Fontaine and Wamimbi: The Anthropology of ‘Time-Present’ as the Substructure of Historical Orationâ€, in Bender and Wellbery, eds., Chronotypes. Pp. 22-46 (focus on side-by-side comparison of La Fontaine and Wamimbi’s texts)
Thursday February 15
“The Nasty Girl†(film)
The “real” Nasty Girl
William Rubenstein, “Academic vs. Amateur Historyâ€
Leon Day
Ron Rosenbaum, Travels With Dr. Death, chapter on Kennedy conspiracy theorists
Vermont History Expo
The Yellow Rose of Texas story
Archive reflection due
Tuesday February 20
Samuel Asbury, “The Amateur Historianâ€
David Gaza, “Myth, Blood and Inkâ€
Bill Groneman, Defense of a Legend, short selection
The Texas Revolution and the Narrative of Jose Enrique de la Pena
Thursday February 22
Randy Roberts, A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory, Chapter Seven and Eight
“Davy Crockett†(Disney version)
First formal paper due
Tuesday February 27
Tony Horowitz, Confederates in the Attic
Thursday March 1st
Re-enactor.net
La Wren’s Nest
Merrick’s Privateers
Underground Railroad Re-enactments
Association for Living History
Living History UK forums
Tuesday March 6th
Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites
RootsWeb
Thursday March 8th
NO CLASS
SPRING BREAK
Tuesday March 20th
Memorialization: Collective, Personal, Institutional
Alessandro Portelli, The Death of Luigi Trastulli, selection
Claudia Koonz, “Between Memory and Oblivion: Concentration Camps in German Memoryâ€, in John Gillis, ed., Commemorations
Art Spiegelman, Maus
United States Holocaust Museum
“Shoahâ€
Thursday March 22nd
Norman Tyler, Historic Preservation: An Introduction, selection
Preserve America
Charles Fisher, “Promoting the Preservation of Historic Buildings”, APT Bulletin, 1998.
Mitchell Schwarzer, “Myths of Permanence”, Journal of Architectural Education, 1994.
Museum design due
Tuesday March 27th
Kirk Savage, “The Politics of Memory: Black Emancipation and the Civil War Monumentâ€, in John Gillis, ed., Commemorations
Sitting Bull Monument Foundation
Crazy Horse Memorial
Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield: “The Story of the Indian Memorialâ€
Custer Battlefield Historical Museum Forums
Live Chat Transcript: “Custer’s Last Standâ€, with Paul Hutton
Petition for Confederate Historical Monument
Confederate Heritage Month
Daughters of the Confederacy
Debating the Confederate Flag
Markeroni: Historical Markers and Historic Landmarks
Wisconsin Historical Markers
Thursday March 29th
District Six Museum
Eric Gable and Richard Handler, The New History in an Old Museum: Creating the Past at Colonial Williamsburg, pp. 50-101
Enid Schildkrout, “Ambiguous Messages and Ironic Twists: Into the Heart of Africa and The Other Museumâ€, Museum Anthropology, 15:2
Paul Lane, “Breaking the Mould? Exhibiting Khoisan in Southern African Museumsâ€, Anthropology Today, 5: October 1996.
Tuesday April 3rd
Textbooks and Curricula
Kyle Ward, History in the Making
Tuesday April 5th
Joseph Moreau, Schoolbook Nation, pp. 52-136
Diane Ravitch, The Language Police, pp. 133-156
Tuesday April 10th
Kathleen Woods Malsalski, “Examining the Japanese Textbook Controversiesâ€
David Barton, “God: Missing in Action From American Historyâ€
Textbook selections (see folder called TEXTBOOK on Blackboard).
Textbook page due.
Thursday April 12th
Public Policy on History and Memory
“Long Day’s Journey Into Night†(film, excerpts)
Truth and Reconciliation Commission website
Antje Krog, Country of My Skull
Tuesday April 17th
David Horowitz, Uncivil Wars, pp. 7-9, pp. 70-83 (This will be on Blackboard on Monday.)
Elazar Barkan, “The Worst Is Yet to Come: Abu Ghraib and the Politics of Not Apologizing”, in Elazar Barkan, ed., Taking Wrongs Seriously: Apologies and Reconciliation. E-text edition in Tripod. (It’s Chapter 14, the last chapter in the text.)
N’Cobra website
Walter Williams, “The Legacy of Slavery Hustleâ€
“Brown University Applauded For Examination of Ties to Slaveryâ€, Diverse Online
The US Senate Apology for Lynching
North Carolina Legislature Apology for Slavery
Thursday April 19th
Historical Fiction
Each student will be assigned one of these books. You are responsible for making an entry on the class weblog describing the way that the novel makes use of history, about the mode and form of its representation of the past.
Larry McMurtry, Lonesome Dove
George McDonald, Flashman
Patrick O’Brian, The Wine-Dark Sea
Amy Fetzer, The Irish Princess
Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose
Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels
Eric Shanower, A Thousand Ships
Tracy Chevalier, Girl With Pearl Earring
James Clavell, Shogun
Neal Stephenson, Quicksilver
Elizabeth Lane, Apache Fire
Judith Lindberg, The Thrall’s Tale
Jack Cavanaugh, Quest For the Promised Land
Robert Graves, I, Claudius
Caleb Carr, The Alienist
Frank Miller, 300
Gillian Bradshaw, Beacon at Alexandria
Henryk Sienkievicz, With Fire and Sword
Kathryn Laskey, A Journey to the New World (Dear America series)
James Michener, Centennial
Kathleen Winsor, Forever Amber
Gary Jennings, Aztec
More as needed.
Tuesday April 24th
Hollywood Histories
Robert A. Rosenstone, History on Film Film on History, short selection
We will have a showing of a program of short selections from these films and TV series in preparation for this class session.
“Redsâ€, “Spartacusâ€, “Pattonâ€, “1776”, “Romeâ€, “Centennialâ€, “Deadwoodâ€, “Monty Python and the Holy Grailâ€, “O Brother Where Art Thou?â€, “Black Adderâ€, “Little House on the Prarieâ€, “Lawrence of Arabiaâ€, “Schindler’s Listâ€, “Black Robeâ€, “The Lion in Winterâ€, “Gone With the Wind”, “Gladiator”
One-paragraph abstract of final project due.
Thursday April 26th
Time Travel and Alternate History
The class will be divided into seven groups; each group will be assigned one of these books, and will need to post on the class weblog about it.
Diana Galbadon, Outlander
Connie Willis, Doomsday Book
Harry Turtedove, Guns of the South
Steven Barnes, Lion’s Blood
Robert Harris, Fatherland
Kim Stanley Robinson, The Years of Rice and Salt
Philip Roth, The Plot Against America
“Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure†(film)
Tuesday May 1st
Collectors and memorabilia
Racist Memorabilia collection at Ferris State University
Presidential Campaign Memorabilia at Duke University
Examine eBay under the following categories, and examine some of the items being sold:
Antiques–Antiquities–Egyptian
Antiques–Weathervanes, Lightning Rods
Antiques–Books, Manuscripts–Asian
Antiques–Science Instruments
Historical Memorabilia
Collectibles–Militaria–World War 2
Collectibles–Black Americana
Thursday May 3rd
Presentations and discussion of final projects.
Final project due May 14th, 5pm. No extensions.