University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Department of History
Rebellion and Revolution in England, 1066-1688
(HISTRY 351)
Professor James Jaffe Fall 2003
General Information:
Office: 214 Baker Hall
Telephone: x1103, x5153
E-mail: jaffej at uww dot edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 10-11 AM
Thursday 10-11 AM
Or, by appointment.
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Goals: The purpose of this course is to survey the most significant developments in English social, political, and economic history between the Norman Conquest and the Glorious Revolution. These centuries are particularly important because they witnessed the origins of much of what constitutes the Anglo-American heritage, including the rise of parliamentary forms of government, the birth of the common law, the evolution of contractual theories of the state and society, and the formation of radical republican and communitarian ideologies. It is also a period of intrinsic interest because it included events and personalities such as William the Conqueror, Magna Carta, the War of the Roses, Henry VIII, the Spanish Armada, and Oliver Cromwell.
A class website is under construction at http://facstaff.uww.edu/jaffej/rebellion/index.htm.
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Texts: The following textbooks will be used this semester and are available through Textbook Rental. Along with assigned readings in them, students are expected to use them independently to acquire background knowledge for the materials discussed in class.
• Eamon Duffy, The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England, 1400-1580 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992)
• C. Warren Hollister, The Making of England, 55 B.C. to 1399, 7th ed.(D.C. Heath & Co., 1996).
Additional Readings: In addition, all students should purchase the following books at the campus bookstore. They also will be required for the course:
Georges Duby, William Marshal: The Flower of Chivalry (Pantheon, 1982)
John Locke, Second Treatise of Government (Hackett ed., 1980)
Thomas More, Utopia (Penguin ed., 1961)
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Assignments: All students must prepare the following assignments for the weeks indicated below and be prepared for class discussions and/or quizzes every Thursday.
WEEK ONE (September 2-4) ......................Introduction
WEEK TWO (September 9-11) .....................Hollister, pp. 94-104; 107-126.
WEEK THREE (September 16-18) ................Duby, William Marshal, all.
First Essay Due (Tentative Date: September 18).
WEEK FOUR (September 23-5) ...................Geoffrey Chaucer, ‘The Miller’s Tale’ from The Canterbury Tales (Copy on reserve in Library or available on-line at
http://www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/english/People/Winstead.2/513/MTMOD.HTM
and other sites. Be wary, however, of the difference between original, updated, and translated versions.)
WEEK FIVE (Sept. 30 - Oct. 2) .................. Chapter Eight: “The Black Death and its aftermath, c. 1348-c. 1520” in Christopher Dyer, Making a Living in the Middle Ages: The People of Britain, 850-1520. (On electronic reserve.)
WEEK SIX (October 7-9) ............................ Duffy, Stripping of the Altars, Chapter 8; Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Chapter 2. Read Chapter 8 in Thomas and/or Chapter 10 in Duffy, if interested (both chapters from Thomas are on reserve); “The Case of Margaret Harkett, 1585” available in .pdf form on class website.
WEEK SEVEN (October 14-16) ................. More, Utopia, all.
Second Essay Due (Tentative Date: October 16).
WEEK EIGHT (October 21-23) ................ Keith Wrightson, "Two Concepts of Order: Justices, Constables, and Jurymen in Seventeenth-Century England," in John Brewer and John Styles, eds., An Ungovernable People: The English and Their Law in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1980), pp. 21-46. On electronic reserve.
WEEK NINE (October 28-30) .................. Christopher Haigh, Elizabeth I: Chapter 1, “The Queen and the Throne” and Chapter 8, “The Queen and the People”. On electronic reserve.
WEEK TEN (November 4-6) .................. Probate Assignment: Due November 6.
WEEK ELEVEN (November 11-13) ........ Selections from J.P. Kenyon, The Stuart Constitution. On electronic reserve.
WEEK TWELVE (November 18-20) ........ Locke, Second Treatise, chs. I-VIII.
WEEK THIRTEEN (November 25-27) ...... Thanksgiving Recess.
WEEK FOURTEEN (December 2-4) .......... Locke, Second Treatise, chs. IX-end.
WEEK FIFTEEN (December 9-11) ............. Final Exam (Tentative Date: December 11.)
WEEK SIXTEEN (December 16-18) ........... Review of exams and final class meeting. See exam schedule for time and date.
Course Outline: The following course outline is intended to give you an idea of the topics I intend to cover during the semester. It is, however, subject to alteration or reorganization.
Week One...................................... Introduction to British Society and Political Institutions.
Week Two......................................The Norman Conquest and the Domesday Book
Week Three....................................The Angevin Empire: Chivalry, Church and Conquest
Weeks Four and Five.......................King John and Magna Carta
Week Six.........................................The Rebellious Community: Baronial Rebellions of the 13th Century in England and Scotland
Week Seven.....................................Crises of the Fourteenth Century: The Black Death and the Peasants’ Revolt
Weeks Eight and Nine........................The War of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors
Weeks Ten and Eleven...................... Henry VIII, the Marriage Question and the English Reformation
Week Twelve.....................................The Virgin Queen: Elizabethan society and politics
Week Thirteen...................................The Stuarts and the Crisis of the English Constitution
Week Fourteen..................................The English Civil War
Week Fifteen.....................................The Interregnum: Radical Ideologies and Politics
Week Sixteen....................................The Glorious Revolution.
Requirements:
• All students are required to attend class and will be subject to several short quizzes on the reading material over the course of the semester. Preparation of the reading assignment is especially important since approximately 10 per cent of your final grade is based upon class participation, comprehension of the reading material, and acuity of observation of the reading material. Regular attendance, of course, is a prerequisite of class participation.
• All students must satisfactorily complete four (4) assignments. The first two papers, both 5-7 pages, will be on topics assigned in class and related to the reading material. The third assignment will be a 1-2 paged essay analyzing a particular historical document to be made available during the semester. A final essay examination will be taken in class covering the principal themes, event, and personalities of the semester’s work. The first two papers are worth approximately 25 per cent of your grade, the document essay is worth 15 per cent, and the final exam is worth 25 per cent. 10 per cent of your grade will be based on class participation, attendance, etc. (see above). Writing requirements and expectations for all work done in this class will be discussed or distributed beforehand.
• Additional or revised assignments may be assigned at the discretion of the instructor.
• There are no make-ups for quizzes. All papers will be due in class on the date assigned. Papers will not be accepted via the internet, in emails, or as email attachments. Unexcused late papers or other assignments will be reduced by one full grade for each class period missed. Valid excuses include a written doctor’s excuse. Other excuses are not accepted except upon the discretion of the instructor.
• All work submitted must be that of the individual student. All other work, unless properly annotated or referenced, constitutes plagiarism and will be referred to the proper university officials for appropriate action.
• The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is dedicated to a safe, supportive and non-discriminatory learning environment. It is the responsibility of all undergraduate and graduate students to familiarize themselves with University policies regarding Special Accommodations, Academic Misconduct, Religious Beliefs Accommodation, Discrimination and Absence for University Sponsored Events. For details please refer to the Undergraduate and Graduate Timetables; the “Rights and Responsibilities” section of the Undergraduate Bulletin; the Academic Requirements and Policies and the Facilities and Services sections of the Graduate Bulletin; and the “Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures (UWS Chapter 14); and the “Student Nonacademic Disciplinary Procedures” (UWS Chapter 17).