Director of The Center for Civil War Research

http://www.civilwarcenter.olemiss.edu/

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Professor Neff
Office hours: W 2:00-4:00; Th 9:00-11:00 & by appointment
Bishop 322
915-3969
jneff@olemiss.edu

Fall 2009

History 333:  The Era of the Civil War                                                                                     

This course explores the causes and consequences of the American Civil War, the most significant crisis in American history.  The sweeping social, political, economic, and cultural changes unleashed by the armed conflict altered the very definition of American nationality.  We will consider the origins and evolution of the sectionalism which divided the country, the political and racial tensions which fueled the division, the compromises that failed to avoid war, and the recourse to battle.  As we look to the war itself, we will try to understand it in whole and in parts – the large trends as well as the experience of individual soldiers, on both battle lines and home fronts.  In the aftermath of war, all Americans – northern and southern, black and white – worked to live in the redefined nation, but encountered enormous difficulty as they tried to fulfill the promises inherent in Northern victory.    
                                                                 
Requirements:  Students are required to attend class meetings, to read assigned texts carefully and thoughtfully, to participate in class discussions, and to complete diligently the written requirements of the course. Throughout, the course is designed to sharpen the analytical and critical thinking skills of all students, through the analysis and evaluation of readings and lectures, and the students= expression of ideas and interpretations in class, written assignments and examinations. The following texts are required reading:

Donald, Baker and Holt, The Civil War and Reconstruction
William E. Gienapp, ed., The Civil War and Reconstruction: A Documentary Collection

Grading: There will be several grading opportunities for students to demonstrate their mastery of the course materials.  These will include two mid-term examinations (each worth 15% of the final grade), a final examination (25%), and two essay assignments (worth 10% and 25% respectively).  The final ten percent will be determined through quizzes, attendance and class participation.  Papers are due in class and late papers will not be accepted. Students must take the final in order to pass the class.  Any student, in the opinion of the instructor, found to be guilty of academic dishonesty or plagiarism will fail the course.

Schedule of Class Meetings and Reading Assignments

Week I:            Introduction: The Problem of Historical Causation
A25-27            Readings:          Donald, Ch. 1 and 2    

Week II:           Northern and Southern Responses to American Slavery
S1-3                Readings:          Gienapp, 3-25; Donald, Ch. 3

Week III:         The Road to War: From David Wilmot to John Brown      
S8-10              Readings:          Gienapp, 27-55; Donald, Ch. 4 and 5

Week IV:         Secession and the Improvised War
S15-17                        Readings:          Gienapp, 57-88; Donald, Ch. 6, 7 and 8
First Paper Due, Thursday, 17 September

Week V:          1862: AMy eyes have never seen such sights@       
S22-24                        Readings:          Gienapp, 89-104 and 235-248; Donald, Ch. 13 and 14
Midterm Exam, Tuesday, 22 September

Week VI:         Social Revolution in the Midst of War
S29-O1           Readings:          Gienapp,115- 127, 165-168, 219-234; Donald, Ch. 15 and 16

Week VII:        1863: The Critical Year
O6-8                Readings:        Gienapp, pp.140-163; Donald, Ch. 12 and 20

Week VIII:       Societies at War
O13-15            Readings:          Gienapp, 129-140 and 170-218; Donald, Ch. 21 and 22

Week IX:         1864: The Crucible of American Nationalism         
O20-22            Readings:          Gienapp, pp. 249-291; Donald, Ch. 23

Week X:          The End of War and the Beginnings of the Peace
O27-29            Readings:          Gienapp, pp. 293-314; Donald, Ch. 24 and 25
Midterm Exam, Tuesday, 27 October

Week XI:         Struggling with New Definitions of American Nationality
N3-5                Readings:          Gienapp, pp. 377-391; Donald, Ch. 26 and 27

Week XII:        Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction
N10-12            Readings:          Gienapp, pp. 317-365; Donald, Ch. 28 and 29            

Week XIII:       The Second American Revolution      
N17-20            Readings:          Gienapp, pp. 367-375; Donald, Ch. 30 and 31
Second Paper Due, 20 November

Week XIV:      23-27 November         FALL BREAK

Week XV:        Defeating the Revolution
D1-3                Readings:          Gienapp, pp. 393-417; Donald, Ch. 32, 33 and 34

FINAL EXAM  B  Monday, 7 December  B 4:00 p.m.

HIS 701: The Civil War in History and Memory
A Research Seminar in United States History through Reconstruction

This seminar focuses on the use and analysis of memory as applied to historical topics and questions.  We will explore the theoretical underpinnings of memory as a methodology, and work toward an understanding of its applicability to a number of interpretative approaches and topical emphases.  Students are urged to think about research topics concerning the persistence of the Civil War in American society after 1865, but other topics may be appropriate.  

The goals of the course are to develop an understanding and appreciation for new methodologies, to apply that methodology to a topic of interest, to conduct a sustained research project, and to produce a substantial written work.  The research paper will be written in the form of an article, written under the guidelines of an existing journal=s style guidelines, approximately thirty pages in length, exhibiting original interpretations and seeking to make a contribution to the historiography.  Papers resulting from this course will be presented at a graduate student conference at the culmination of the course.

Schedule of Class Meetings, Individual Meetings, Readings, Assignments and Due Dates

Week One: Theory (25 August)
Maurice Halbwachs, On Collective Memory
Pierre Nora, ABetween History and Memory: Les Lieux de Mémoire,@ Representations 26 (Spring 1989): 7-25.

Week Two: Context (1 September)
Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities
Kerwin Lee Klein, AOn the Emergence of Memory in Historical Discourse,@ Representations 69 (Winter 2000), 127-150.

Week Three: Analysis (8 September) B Topic Description due
David Blight, Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory
Rosemarie Garland-Thompson, AThe FDR Memorial: Who Speaks from the Wheelchair?,@ The Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 January 2001, B11-B12.

Week Four: Application (15 September)
Alice Fahs and Joan Waugh, The Memory of the Civil War in American Culture
AJohn Brown@ and AMemorial Day@ handouts

Week Five: (Friday, 25 September) B Secondary source bibliography due

Week Seven: (Friday, 9 October) B Primary source bibliography due

Weeks 7-8: Individual Meetings B at least one scheduled meeting

Weeks 9-10: Individual Meetings B at least one scheduled meeting

Week Twelve: (Friday, 13 November) B Rough draft due

Week Thirteen: (17 November) B Seminar Conference and Peer Review Discussion

Week Fourteen: (Friday, 4 December) B Final Draft Due (3 copies)

Week Fifteen: (8:00 Thursday, 10 December) B Conference Presentations