Drug history syllabus: Cocaine, the Drug Trade, the War on Drugs, and U.S.-Latin American Relations
Prof. Myrna Santiago, Cocaine, the Drug Trade, the War on Drugs, and U.S.-Latin American Relations (syllabus)
St. Mary’s College of California Prof. Myrna Santiago
Fall 2009 311
Galileo x 4606
MWF 9:10 -10:10 [email protected]
Office hours: MWF: 10:30 to 11:30 and by appointment
History 154:
Cocaine, the Drug Trade, the War on Drugs,
and U.S.-Latin American Relations
Description.
For the last thirty years, one of the dominant themes in the relations
between Latin America and the United States has been the drug trade,
specifically the trafficking in cocaine.
The policy of successive US administrations has been to wage a “war on
drugs” to the exclusion of alternatives.
The question then becomes, what has such a war accomplished? How has it affected relations between
the United States and Latin America?
What effects has the war had on production, transportation, and
consumption patterns? This course
will examine these questions by looking at the history of cocaine production
from the late nineteenth century until today, tracing the changes the humble
coca leaf underwent to become a powerful addictive substance. We will follow the trajectory of
cocaine production and transportation through the countries most affected over
the course of the late nineteenth and the whole of the twentieth century—Peru,
Bolivia, Colombia, and now Mexico—paying attention to the impact such illicit
trade has had on politics, economic development, and democracy.
Objectives.
The primary goal of this course is to have students develop an informed
and sophisticated analysis of the impact the drug trade has had on U.S.-Latin
American relations and within Latin American countries themselves, in addition
to gaining knowledge about the history of cocaine and a developing a more critical
view of media representations of drug matters in general.
As
usual, students will continue to sharpen their writing skills and their
critical reading and thinking.
Requirements.
Students are expected to be in class every day, prepared to answer
questions in the Socratic tradition as part of their participation. In addition, students will do mini
presentations for “drugs in the news or the news on drugs?” every day, as a way
to keep up with and be critical of media coverage of the topic (instructions
attached). There will also be a mandatory
reception tied to the photographic exhibit prepared for this course that will
be at the Library in November (see class schedule below). Participation is 15% of the grade.
There
will be three writing assignments.
The first one entails creating a primary source, to be shared with the
whole group online (instructions attached; 4-5 pages; 20% of the grade). The
second written assignment asks students to do synthesis and analysis, putting
together the readings from class, an additional scholarly article chosen from
outside sources, at least one of the primary sources created by the class, and
a film (instructions attached; 7-8 pages; 25% of the grade). The final writing assignment will be a
paper answering one of three questions in standard expository writing style,
with an argument based on the evidence (see attached instructions; 5-6 pages;
25% of the grade).
In
order to do the second paper, and to sharpen those critical thinking skills,
students will have to watch at least one film of the several that will be shown
outside of class hours. The
schedule of classes has included a number of films, but there may be more,
depending on student interest.
Please note that the films will be open for the whole community, so
bring your friends!
The
final assignment will be a group presentation during our scheduled exam
time. Each group will answer the
question, “what is to be done?” and give the answer in a PowerPoint
presentation (see instructions attached; 15%), in addition to turning in an
outline, a list of sources, and the thesis for the presentation.
Class
Etiquette.
Education is a
formal, serious, and professional undertaking. Thus, class demeanor should be up to par: no tardiness, no early departures, no
food (drinks are fine), no cell phones, no pajamas, no checking e-mail or other
personal internet sites. If you
are caught using your computer for non-class activities, your participation
grade will be severely adversely
affected. Remember that agreement
on ideas is by no means expected; but respect for each other’s opinions is
required.
Note.
There is no extra credit.
Paper due dates are not flexible.
Make sure you are intimately familiar with what plagiarism is. If you plagiarize, even
unintentionally, you will not only fail the course (nor just the paper), but
also face disciplinary action.
Check your student handbook for definitions and information about
plagiarism at St. Mary’s.
Required
Readings:
Paul
Gootenberg, Andean Cocaine: The
Making of a Global Drug
Gabriel
García Márquez, News of a Kidnapping
Roberto
Escobar, The Accountant
Coletta
A. Youngers and Eileen Rosin, Drugs and Democracy in Latin America
Jeffrey
A. Miron, Drug War Crimes
Articles
from e-reserve
Highly
Recommended:
Mary
Lynn Rampolla, A Pocker Guide to Writing in History, Fifth Edition
(Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2007)
Schedule of Classes
Mon Aug 31 Introduction
www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04172009/watch.html
Wed Sept 2 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Coca and the first wave of cocaine, to 1890
Discuss
in class: Gootenberg,
Introduction, ch 1
Learning
objective: understanding the
historiography
Fri Sept 4 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Peruvian crude, 1885-1910
Discuss: Gootenberg, ch 2
Leaning
objective: understanding what a
commodity is
Mon Sept 7 Thank the labor movement and their (dying) unions for the day off!
Wed Sept 9 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Cocaine goes global, 1890s-1930s
Gootenberg,
ch 3
Learning
objective: understanding what a
commodity circuit is
Fri Sept 11 The
first wave of cocaine flattens, post 1910
Gootenberg,
ch 4
Mon Sept 14 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
First wave of anti-drug policies, 1910-1945
Gootenbeg,
ch 5
Learning
objective: understanding the logic
of prohibition
Evening showing of “Cocaine Fiends” (1936)
Wed Sept 16 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
The first wave of narcotraficantes, 1945-1965
Gootenberg, ch 6
Learning
objective: understanding the
business of cocaine production
Fri Sept 18 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
The cocaine tsunami forming, 1970s
Gootenberg,
ch 7
Learning
objective: understanding context
and structure
Mon Sept 21 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Why Colombia?
Discuss
from e-reserve: Francisco E.
Thoumi, “Why the Illegal
Psychoactive
Drugs Industry Grew in Colombia,” Journal of Interamerican
Studies
and World Affairs, Vol. 34,
No. 3, Special Issue: Drug
Trafficking
Research
Update (Autumn 1992) at http://www.jstor.org/stable/165924
Learning
objective: understanding the role
of the state in cocaine economics
Wed Sept 23 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
The Colombian connection and the rise of
Medellín
Discuss
from e-reserve: Mary Roldán,
“Cocaine and the ‘miracle’
of
modernity in Medellín” from Paul Gootenberg, ed., Cocaine: Global Histories; and,
Bruce Bagley, “The Colombian Connection:
The Impact of Drug Traffic on
Colombia,”
from Deborah Pacini and Christine Franquemont, eds., Coca and
Cocaine: Effects on People and Policy in Latin
America
Learning
objective: understanding the
effects of the cocaine trade in Colombia
Fri Sept 25 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Conservatism and Cocaine in the US
Discuss
from e-reserve: Belén Boville, The
Cocaine War in Context
Drugs
and Politics, ch. 5: “The Conservative Revolution”; and, Dominic
Streatfeild,
Cocaine: An Unauthorized
Biography, ch 10: “George,
Carlos, and
the
Cocaine Explosion
Learning
objective: understanding the
second war on drugs
Evening showing of “Blow” (2001)
Mon Sept 28 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
The Central American Connection, Part I
Discuss
from e-reserve: Alexander Cockburn
and Jeffrey St. Clair,
Whiteout,
“Webb’s Big Story,” and “The CIA, Drugs, and Central America”
Learning
objective: understanding the role
of the US press and contra politics
Wed Sept 30 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
The Central American Connection, Part II
Discuss
from e-reserve: Mark B. Rosenberg, “The Politics of Drug
Trafficking
in Honduras” Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs,
Vol.
30, No. 2/3, Special Issue:
Assessing the America’s War on Drugs (Summer-
Autumn,
1988) at http://www.jestor.org/stable/165984
Learning
objective: understanding the links
between cocaine and anti
“communism”
Evening showing of “Scar Face,” (1980)
Fri Oct 2 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Los Extraditables,
November 1990
Discuss: García Márquez, chs 1-2
Learning objective: analyzing a primary source
Mon Oct 5 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Kidnappings
Discuss: García Márquez, chs 3-4
Wed Oct 7 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Kidnappers
Discuss: García Márquez, chs 5-6
Learning
objective: understanding the
effects of the drug war in Colombia
Fri Oct 9 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Kidnappings and kidnappers
Discuss: García Márquez, chs 7-8
Evening
showing of “Maria, Llena de Gracia”
Mon Oct 12 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
los Extraditables
and the State
Discuss: García Márquez, chs 9-10
Learning
objective: understanding the war
on drugs in Colombia
Wed Oct 14 Paper
#1 due, hard copy and online
Who
won?
Discuss: García Márquez, ch. 11
Fri Oct 16 Money
Laundering, the 1980s
Discuss
from e-reserve: Anthony P.
Maingot, “Laundering the
Gains
of the Drug Trade: Miami and
Caribbean Tax Havens,” Journal of
Interamerican
Studies and World Affairs, Vol. 30, No. 2/3, Special Issue:
Assessing
the Americas’ War on Drugs (Summer-Autumn, 1988)
Learning
objective: understanding the role
of banking in the drug trade
Mon Oct 19 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Money Laundering, the 1990s
Discuss
from e-reserve: Ivelaw L.
Griffith, “The Money
Laundering
Dilemma in the Caribbean,” Cuaderno de Trabajo No 4,
Instituto
de Estudios del Caribe (September 1995)
Learning objective: understanding the effects of the drug
wars on the
international
banking system
Wed Oct 20 Guest
Speaker: José M. Martínez,
Assistant Special Agent in
Charge,
Criminal Investigations, Internal Revenue Service
speaking
about money laundering cases
Fri Oct 23 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Becoming narcos
Discuss: Russell Crandall, Driven by Drugs: US Policy Toward Colombia, pp.
25-39; Escobar, chs 1-2
Learning
objective: analyzing a primary
source
Mon Oct 26 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Developing the business
Discuss: Escobar, chs 3-5
Wed Oct 28 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Class, politics, and war
Discuss: Escobar, chs 6-8
Fri Oct 30 Paper
#2 due
Who won?
Discuss: Escobar, ch 9-10
Mon Nov 2 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
The Mexican Context
Discuss
from e-reserve: Peter Reuter and
David Ronfeldt, “Quest
for integrity: The Mexican-US Drug Issue in the 1980s,” Journal of
Interamerican
Studies and World Affairs, Vol.
34, No. 3, Special Issue: Drug
Trafficking
Research
Update (Autumn, 1992).
Learning objective: understanding context
Wed Nov 4 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Mexico
vs. Colombia
Discuss from e-reserve: Vanda Felbab-Brown,
“The Violent Drug
Market
in Mexico and Lessons from Colombia,” Foreign Policy at Brookings,
Policy Paper Number 12 (March 2009), get the pdf version at, www.brooking.edu/papers/2009/03_mexico_drug_market_felbabbrown.aspx
Learning
objective: understanding
comparative cases
Evening
showing of “Traffic”
Fri Nov 6 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Media and Culture Roundtable
Discuss
from e-reserve: Alma Guillermoprieto,
“Days of the Dead:
The
New Nacocultura,” The New Yorker (November 10, 2008); Phillip
Smith, “Book Review:
Narcocorridos: A Journey
into the Music of Drugs
Guns and Guerrillas,” December 20, 2001, www.alternet.org/story/12125;
Gabriel Arana, “There’s No Drug Crime Wave
at the Border, Just a Lot of
Media Hype,” The Nation, May 29,
2009, www.alternet.org/story/140350;
Silja J.A. Talvi, “Mexico’s Drug War
Bloodbath: Guns from the U.S. are
Destabilizing the Country,” March 18, 2009,
Learning
objective: being media critics
Mon Nov 9 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
War and its Impact
Discuss: Youngers and Rosin, ch 1
Leaning
objective: understanding the
results of foreign policy
Wed Nov 11 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Military Matters
Discuss: Youngers and Rosin, ch 2
Fri Nov 13 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Drugs and Democracy in Colombia
Discuss: Youngers and Rosin, ch 4
Learning
objective: understanding the
effects of war
Mon Nov 16 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Drugs and Democracy in Peru
Discuss: Youngers and Rosin, ch 6
Learning
objective: understanding the
effects of war
Wed Nov 18 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Drugs and Democracy in Mexico
Discuss: Youngers and Rosin, ch 8
Learning
objective: understanding the
effects of war
Evening Event: Reception with Bob Gumpert, Library Photo Exhibit
Fri Nov 20 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Drugs and Democracy in the Caribbean
Discuss: Youngers and Rosin, ch 9
Learning
objective: understanding the
effects of war
Mon Nov 23 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Solutions?
Discuss
from e-reserve: Ted Galen
Carpenter, “Troubled
Neighbor: Mexico’s Drug Violence Poses a Threat
to the United States,” Policy
Analysis
(February 2, 2009), at www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa631.pdf;
Statement
by the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, “Drugs
and
Democracy: Toward a Paradigm
Shift,” February 2009, from
http://drugsanddemocracy.org/files/2009/02/declaracao_ingles_site.pdf;
Ethan A. Nadelmann, “Reducing the Harms of Drug Prohibition in the Americas,” La
Jornada, November/December 2005.
Thanksgiving Break
Mon Nov 30 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
The Critique
Discuss: Miron, chs 2, 4, 5
Learning
objective: analyzing an argument
Wed Dec 2 Drugs
in the News or the News on Drugs?
Alternatives?
Discuss: Miron, ch 6; from e-reserve: Mark
Kleiman, “Drug
Abuse
Control Policy: Libertarian,
Authoritarian, Liberal, and Communi-
tarian
Perspectives,” The Responsive Community, Vol. 3, Issue 1 (Winter
1992-1993),
pp. 44-54 at http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/rcq/issues/3-1.pdf
Learning
objective: understanding
ideological positions
Fri Dec 4 Paper
#3 due
Discuss
from e-reserve: Ethan Madelmann,
“Thinking Seriously
About
Alternatives to Drug Prohibition,” Part 1 and Part 2, Daedalus, Vol.
121,
No.
3 (Summer 1992), at www.drugpolicy.org/library/thiking_seriously_p1.cfm
and
www.drugpolicy.org/library/thinking_seriously_p2.cfm;
Drug Policy
Alliance
Network, “Reducing Harm Treatment and Beyond,” “Maintenance
Therapies,”
“Sterile Syringe Access (Needle Exchange),” “Overdose,” “Safe
Injection
Rooms,” and “Treatment vs. Incarceration.”
Wed Dec 9 9 – 11 am
Presentations
History 154: Writing Assignments
Paper #1: Creating a Primary Source
This paper will be
a drug story, in a contemporary, good journalistic style of writing that will
catch the reader’s attention. It
will be 4-5 pages, double-spaced, 1-inch margins (20% of the grade). For this paper, you will interview a
person, who will remain anonymous, and answer the question: how have drugs affected this person’s
life?
The objective of
this paper is to understand how an individual has been touched by the
structural issues discussed in class, showing the personal side of the more
theoretical and academic matters analyzed in class.
You will turn in a
hard copy of the paper to the professor and upload it to the class site for
everyone else to read.
Instructions on how to upload your paper will be given in class.
Paper #2: Synthesis and Analysis
This paper will be
an analysis and synthesis of the different kinds of texts used in class,
focused on a topic of your choice.
This will be 7-8 pages, plus footnotes on page 9, and a bibliography on
page 10, double-spaced, 1-inch margins (25% of the grade). In this paper you will include as your
sources the readings done for class, one of the films you watched, one of the
primary sources (stories) your classmates have produced and uploaded, and one
scholarly source from a reputable academic journal not read in class. A good search engine for this purpose
is JSTOR, but there are others.
The purpose of this
paper is to demonstrate that you can do analysis and synthesis, that is,
gathering a broad variety of materials and making sense of them in a cohesive
and convincing argument.
The paper follows a
standard expository writing style:
a thesis based on the evidence. Please highlight
your thesis statement for this paper.
For this paper the notations will be footnotes (“end notes” in computer
jargon) at the end of the document.
The rubric for grading papers is attached.
Paper #3: Argumentation
The last writing
assignment will be 5-6 pages, with footnotes at the bottom of the page, and a
bibliography on page 7, double-spaced, 1-inch margins (25% of the grade). In this paper you will answer one of
the following questions:
1)
What
did the drug trade do to diplomatic relations between the United States and
Latin America over the course of the 20th century?
2)
What
was the effect of the policy of “war” on drugs in Latin American societies in
the twentieth century?
3)
How did
the drug trade affect the development of democracy in the Latin American
countries through the twentieth century?
The style for this
paper is a standard argument, with a clear thesis based on the evidence. Please highlight your thesis in this paper.
Group presentations on policy proposals
For this
assignment, your group will answer the question, “what is to be done?”
You may select any
angle to answer that question, keeping in mind that you want to be
convincing. You may choose to
target a specific constituency (the local school board to implement your plan
for effective drug education, for example; or the President of Mexico,
Colombia, or the United States; or the Governor of California). Discuss your topic with the
professor ahead of time for suggestions and direction.
Your group will
develop a PowerPoint presentation (CaTs will teach you how to do one if you
don’t already know) for the whole class.
The PowerPoint will contain no
text, only images. The text your
group produces will be turned in to the professor and must contain the
following (at least): the names of
the presentation group, the outline or text used for the presentation, and the
sources consulted and used for the presentation.
The size of the
groups and the number of minutes allotted to each presentation will be
determined according to the final class size, sometime around week three of
classes. This presentation will
count for 20% of your grade.
The presentations
will take place on the day scheduled for our final exam, with prizes and cheers
to the most convincing group!
Participation Assignment: Drugs in the News or the News on Drugs?
Choose an item in
the press in the days prior to your scheduled presentation date. You may use a mainstream source
(a major newspaper or television source) or a more obscure source. Bring a copy of your article or the URL
for the video clip to class and prepare a one-page paper (single space) that
includes the following, in separate paragraphs:
- a summary of the article (what are the
main points?)
- your analysis of the tone of the
article (whose side is it on? How does it talk about the issue and/or
people? )
- your analysis of what is missing from
the article (is its focus too narrow? who or what is being ignored?)
- your evaluation about the sources the
writer used, the reliability of the sources the writer used, and your
explanation of why you concluded that the article was reliable or not, and
what criteria you used to judge its reliability.
Present the article
to the class, covering briefly all the points above. Be prepared to answer questions about your article.
The objectives of
this exercise is to sharpen your skills in close readings, to practice
identifying and summarizing the important points in a text, to pay close
attention to sources for media pieces, to think of what is left out of a media
story, and to become a media critic.
The questions I ask
in this exercise are: do you know
how to write a summary? Did you read the article closely to identify the main
points? Did you think about what
you read? How do you judge what is
reliable or not?
Posted by David Fahey on November 8, 2009 at 07:21 AM in Cocaine, Drugs (general), Latin America, Syllabi, United States | Permalink
Syllabus for a history of drugs course
For the syllabus of the Cornell University course offered by Professor Mary Roldan, "Drugs: Peoples, Policies, Politics," see here.
Posted by David Fahey on October 22, 2007 at 05:14 PM in Drugs (general), Syllabi | Permalink
Anthropological perspectives on coffee and chocolate
For the syllabus of a 2003 anthropology course at Emory University about coffee and chocolate, see here.
Posted by David Fahey on December 9, 2006 at 10:09 AM in Chocolate, Coffee, Syllabi | Permalink
Coffee syllabus
For the draft syllabus of the University of Washington course by Charles F. Jackels, Coffee: Science, History and Economics, winter 2007 term, see here.
Posted by David Fahey on December 9, 2006 at 10:05 AM in Coffee, Syllabi | Permalink
History of Coffee (Syllabus)
Course on history of coffee for first-year students at Miami University (Oxford, Ohio).
Details of the syllabus follow.
History F112 History of Coffee. Spring 2006. Professors Robert Thurston and Sandra Woy-Hazleton
Prof. Thurston’s office: 273 Upham. Phone: 9-5136. E-mail: [email protected]
Office hours: M 1-2, W 1:30-3:30 and by appointment
Prof. Hazleton’s office: 102 Boyd Hall Phone: 9-5845. E-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: MTW 10-12 and by appointment
Books and readings:
to purchase:
Pendergrast, Mark. Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World
Schivelbusch, Wolfgang. Tastes of Paradise: A Social History of Spices, Stimulants, and Intoxicants
electronic reserve (password coffee) and other electronically accessible readings
Course requirements:
Attendance and participation, 15% of course grade. Participation includes writing five questions on each week’s reading. The questions are to be sent to Prof. Hazleton no later than Wed. evening for the given week.
You will be dropped for 3 unexcused absences.
Project on taste 10%
Project on the present and future of coffee by region, 15% (see separate sheet)
Four essays (including final essay), 15% each
Topics:
Part A. Coffee as an agent of change.
Weeks 1-2. What is coffee?
1. Who has come to like it and why. How it is sold.
Reading: David Liss, The Coffee Trader, 3-21, available through Blackboard; Pendergrast 1-20; Schivelbusch xiii-end of ch. 1.
2. The mythology, symbolism, and dietary importance of coffee.
Reading: John Burnett, “Coffee in the British diet, 1650-1990,” from Kaffee im Spiegel europaeischen Trinksitten, 35-52, on reserve; Charles II, “A Proclamation,” both on reserve.
Project on taste, part 1: What is taste? Design a survey instrument intended to measure level of taste, à la Pierre Bourdieu, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste (relevant pages available through the Blackboard course site). You may work in groups. Due at the start of class Friday Jan 20.
Weeks 3-4. Coffee houses and coffee culture.
3. Early Middle Eastern and English coffee houses.
Reading: Nelly Hanna, “Coffee and Coffee Merchants in Cairo, 1580-1630,” from Le Commerce du Café avant l’ère des plantations coloniales; Steve Pincus, “‘Coffee Politicians does Create’,” Journal of Modern History 67, no. 4 (1995), JSTOR. The Spectator xxx, available at: http://holmes.lib.muohio.edu/search/tSpectator/tspectator/1%2C107%2C170%2CB/frameset&FF=tspectator%3BM=@&11%2C%2C27
Project on taste, part 2: administer your survey on taste to five people. Summarize your results. Due at the start of class Jan. 27.
4. Coffee and Revolution
Reading: Schivelbusch ch. 2 and 3; Jean Leclant, “Coffee and Cafes in Paris,” from Food and Drink in History, v. 5.
***** Essay on coffee and politics due at the beginning of class February 10
Part B. The Brew and its setting
5. Style and design in European coffee houses.
Reading: Schivelbusch ch. 3-7; Ulla Heise, Coffee and Coffee-houses, 173-97, on reserve.
6. Coffee and the working people
Reading: Pendergrast, Uncommon Grounds, 45-76, on reserve; NPR “The Coffee Break,” http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/coffeebreak/
7. Coffee and social images: ads through the centuries
Reading: Pendergrast 291-316; “Planet Starbucks,” Business Week Sept. 9, 2002; Ukers, All About Coffee, both on reserve; see Colombian coffee ads at http://www.juanvaldez.com/menu/advertising/campaign.html. And look at the ads in Pendergrast following pages 138, 266, and 394.
8. Speciality coffee.
Reading: Pendergrast 317-66; Reed Herring, “Marketing Single-Origin Coffees,” on reserve
***** Essay on coffee as a business due at the start of class Mar. 10
Part C. Coffee as a commodity; the crop and its politics
9. Coffee as a crop; where it grows, its role in local agriculture and economics.
Reading: Pendergrast 21-44; J. C. Cambranes, Coffee and Peasants in Guatemala, 117-239, on reserve
10. Coffee and early globalization
Reading: Pendergrast, 143-54, Warren Dean, “Coffee Dispossesses the Forest,” from With Broadax and Firebrand: The Destruction of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, 178-90, on reserve
11. Coffee and politics in Latin America, mid-19th c. to the present
Reading: Jeffrey Paige, “Revolution and the Coffee Elite,” from Coffee and Power: Revolution and the Rise of Democracy in Central America, 13-52; Lowell Gudmundson, “Peasant, Farmer, etc.” in William Roseberry, ed., Coffee, Society, and Power in Latin America; both on reserve.
***** Essay on coffee and politics in Latin America due at the beginning of class April 7
12. Mechanization and the forces of change.
Reading: Richard Tucker, Insatiable Appetite, 179-226, on reserve; Ivette Perfecto et al., “Shade Coffee: A Disappearing Refuge for Biodiversity,” BioScience 46, no. 8 (September 1996), reserve.
14. “Sustainable” crops, the politics and symbolism of coffee.
Reading: Schivelbusch ch. 8 and to afterword to p. 228; Jennifer Hull, “Can Coffee Drinkers Save the Rain Forest?, Atlantic Monthly, August 1999, on reserve; Brian C. Howard, “Grounds for Change, The Tempest Brewing in Your Morning Cup,” E/The Environmental Magazine, Nov.-Dec. 2005, on line at http://www.emagazine.com/?issue=123&toc.
15. Student presentations on the present and future of coffee in various regions
Reading: Charis Gresser and Sophia Tickell, Mugged: Poverty in Your Coffee Cup, available at www.maketradefair.com/assets/english/mugged.pdf
***** Final essay due no later than 5:30 PM Wed. May 3
The basis for grading:
A: Superior performance in every respect. Given to those who come to class faithfully, do all the assignments on time, and participate in class in a highly effective way. Papers and exam essays are clearly argued, cogent, and based on specific evidence. Written work does not parrot the instructor’s views or anyone else’s, but presents a tightly knit argument (i.e., a point of view, a statement of ideas, produced by the student). Papers and essays must have introductions which state what the topic is, what the major issues to be discussed are, and why those issues are important. Essays must have paragraphs which flow smoothly and logically from and to one another throughout the work. Likewise, the analysis is structured so that each point flows from the previous one. There must be a conclusion summarizing the argument and restating its importance. Work at the A level is always on the point and demonstrates a mastery of the topics discussed. There is no fluff or fill, no random general statements on the order of, “It is important to understand the past.” The writing must not be marred by excessive errors, especially grammatical ones that obscure meaning.
B: Good performance in both written and oral work. All assigned work is completed accurately and well; it demonstrates knowledge and understanding of principles despite occasional errors. Exams and papers answer the questions but the analysis is somewhat lacking in depth. Writing is clear and generally shows logical organization, but stops short of answering the question sufficiently or integrating all essential material. Evidence used to support answers may not be particularly effectively presented or may contain some serious factual errors.
C: Adequate but not strong. There may be frequent factual errors in the work, lack of clear organization, serious problems in writing which make the intended meaning unclear, useless material off the point, or rambling generalities. Essays may not directly answer the question posed, have a weak thesis, or simply present undigested facts.
D: Lousy. It’s almost hard to get a D in many history courses, but it has been done. D work is riddled with problems in each of the respects discussed above. Essays and other work are barely acceptable. There are major gaps in understanding and knowledge of fundamental material. Few facts, little evidence, and little coherence characterize the effort. Writing skills prevent understanding of the argument.
F: Something, more likely several things, have gone basically wrong. School may be interfering with your social life. Perhaps there is a terrible personal crisis going on. If you are getting a D or an F at any point in the course, speak to the professor right away.
Please see the Student Handbook on plagiarism: www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/handbook/academic_regulations/acadregspv.cfm
Posted by David Fahey on January 24, 2006 at 07:19 PM in Syllabi | Permalink
Drunks & Teetotalers: Alcohol in American History (Syllabus)
Clifford Clark teaches a course at Carleton College with this title and description:
Drunks and Teetotalers: Alcohol in American History
From its earliest days as a nation, the use and abuse of alcohol in the
U.S. has been hotly debated. This course will examine historians’
attempts to understand alcohol’s powerful impact on American politics,
society, and social reform. Using original source materials from the
times, this course will focus on colonial rebellions, the temperance
movement, immigration and the rise of saloons and saloon politics, the
debate over prohibition, and the contemporary reforms of Alcoholics
Anonymous and MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers).
Posted by David Fahey on February 19, 2005 at 12:13 AM in Syllabi | Permalink | Comments (0)
American Cultural History of Alcohol and Drugs (Syllabus)
Dr. Mark C. Smith's syllabus for his course, History 350: American Cultural History of Alcohol and Drugs, at the University of Texas at Austin.
I teach an undergraduate seminar here at the University of Texas which is partially a social history of alcohol. Specifically, it is a cultural history of alcohol and other drugs in the United States. As its goal is primarily to view American culture through time as reflected in Americans' behavior toward drugs, it is both more and less than what I would see as a social history. The following is a syllabus somewhat modified.
American Studies 370/ History 350 L: American Cultural History of Alcohol and Drugs
Dr. Mark Smith
E-mail: [email protected]
Course Description: Most scholars of alcohol and drug use have
concentrated upon its physiological aspects. It is clear that addiction
and craving have a physical and perhaps even a genetic basis. Yet, as many anthropologists and sociologists have pointed out, cultures directly affect the types of drugs used, how they are used, and for what purposes. In addition, one can examine a culture's drug use and attitude toward it and often discover a great deal about that society's functioning and values. One can also note the changes over time within a culture. Thus, drug use is not only a cultural product but also a very useful social and historical descriptor. In this course, we will study both how American culture affected the use of drugs and attitudes toward them and how these serve as keys to the changing American intellectual, social, and political landscape.
The study of drug use and attitudes toward it is particularly appropriate to the United States because of its pluralism. Its settlement was roughly contemporaneous with the first widespread European use and abuse of distilled spirits, and different racial, ethnic, and religious groups brought their different drug habits and attitudes with them. As each group insisted upon its own traditional approach, the issue became one
of power, control, and eventually politics. Racial, ethnic, and class
prejudices enter directly into almost every one of the discussed issues.
The following is a list of some of the topics to be considered: an overview of the cultural approach to drug use; alcohol use in colonial America; proliferation of alcohol abuse in Jacksonian America; the Prohibition movement from its beginning in the 1800s; the role of women in the Prohibition movement; the criminalization of opiates, marihuana, and
psychedelic drugs; Alcoholics Anonymous and other treatment modes for
alcohol and drug addiction; medical responses to addiction; and the present issue of legalization. Among the sources will be anthropological studies, journalism, public policy, self-help, oral history, documentary films, autobiography, medical studies, and even history. Although the course's primary focus will be on drug use, it will always be concerned with what the issue tells us about American society of the time.
Required Texts:
Course Packet--Available at Paradigm Notes West 24th Street
W.J. Rorabugh The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition
David Musto The American Disease: Origins of Narcotic Control
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book)
Claude Brown Manchild in the Promised Land
Jay Stevens Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Experience
William Adler Land of Opportunity: One Family's Quest for the American
Dream in the Age of Crack
Jim Carroll The Basketball Diaries
Class Format: This is a seminar course. My idea of hell is listening to
anyone (especially myself) for over fifteen minutes. Therefore, this class
will absolutely be conducted on a seminar basis. This requires regular
attendance, up-to-date reading, and informed discussion. Class
participation will count 20% of your grade, and you will receive a grade
for that at the end of the course. I do take attendance. Anyone who
misses six or more of the classes will receive an automatic F for the
entire course.
Course Requirements: In addition to class participation, your final grade will consist of two reading quizzes worth 15% each and scheduled for October 9th and either December 4th or 11th (class will make a choice
early in the semester), a book report worth 10% due on October 2nd, and an approximately 20 page paper due on November 27th and worth 40% of your final grade. The quizzes will consist of matching and identification
questions and will be directed primarily toward the reading with some
lecture content included.
Writing Assignments: This is a writing component class and half your grade will derive from your papers. The first assignment will be an
approximately 5 page report on a book dealing with your tentative paper
topic. You may approach the book in whatever way you feel most
comfortable, but the major goals are for you to begin serious work on your topic and to get a feel for my expectations for your writing.
As for your major paper, you should choose a topic dealing with some aspect of alcohol and drug use in the United States. This may be something touched upon in class or of your own devising. I have received
excellent papers in the past on such topics as Inhalant Abuse in
Contemporary America, Female Opiate Addicts in Late 19th Century America, and Depiction of Drug Users on the TV show "COPS." Ideally, the topic should be of personal interest to you and allow you to use cultural and historical insights from the course.
Course Calendar
Aug 28 Introduction
Sep 2 Cultures and the Use of Drugs
Benedict, Madsen, Heath, and Carstairs, and Giles
4 History and the Use of Drugs
Brennan and Giles
9 Alcohol in Early America
W.J. Rorabaugh The Alcoholic Republic, chapters 1-4
11 Alcohol and Jacksonian America
Rorabaugh, chapters 5-6
16 The Temperance Movement
Rorabaugh, chapter 7; Coggshall, Dow, and Crane,
18 Opiates and Their Uses
David Musto, American Disease, preface and chapters 1-3;
Bok, Riis, and Bayer ad
HAND IN PAPER TOPIC
23 The Concept of Addiction and Its Treatment
Musto, chapters 4-5
25 Demonization of the Addict
Musto, chapters 6-7; Addicts Who Survived
30 Women and the Prohibition Movement
Levine and Lewis
BOOK REPORT DUE
Oct 2 Prohibition during the 1920s
In-class film "Demon Rum"
7 FIRST QUIZ
Rorabaugh; Musto, chapters 1-6; Packet to Lewis
9 Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous, foreword-chapter 4; AA schedule
14 The Twelve Steps and the Personal Perspective
Alcoholics Anonymous, chapters 5-11 and Personal Stories
"Dr. Bob" and five or six others; "New Ways," "Clean
and Sober," and "Half Steps vs. 12 Steps"
ONE PAGE SUMMARY OF WORK IN PROGRESS
21 Development of the Medical Model
In-class film "Addiction"
23 Alcohol and Drug Addiction as Disease?
DSM III-R definition, Goodwin, "Researchers Cannot,"
Goleman, Peele, Fingarette, and Vaillant
Oct 28 Heroin and Black America--The Great Migration
Claude Brown Manchild in the Promised Land, chapters 1-9
30 Drugs and Race
Brown, chapters 10-end
Nov 4 Marihuana and Its Criminalization
Musto, chapter 9; Anslinger, Ad, Cartoon
6 Beats, the 1950s, and the Emergence of the Counterculture
Lindesmith,; Jay Stevens, Storming Heaven, preface and Book 1
11 From Science to Religion
Stevens, Book 2
TOPIC OUTLINE DUE
13 From Religion to Culture
Stevens, Book 3
18 Crack and Black America
William Adler, Land of Opportunity and "Deep East Texas"
SENTENCE OUTLINE DUE
20 God Damn the Pusher or Entrepeneurial Spirits?
guest lecture Bill Adler
25 NO CLASS
26 PAPERS DUE
Dec 2 Youth Culture and the Rise of Heroin Chic
Jim Carroll, Basketball Diaries, "Sunday in the Park,"
"Cartels Another Chance," "Rockers, Models and
New Allure," and "Music Industry's Secret"
4 SECOND QUIZ
Alcoholics Anonymous, Brown, Stevens, Adler, Carroll, and
Packet AA Schedule-end
CULTURAL HISTORY OF DRUGS PACKET TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Ruth Benedict "Psychological Types in the American Southwest,"
Proceedings (1930)
2. William and Claudia Madsen "The Cultural Structure of Mexican Drinking
Behavior" Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol (1969)
3. Dwight Heath "Drinking Patterns of the Bolivian Camba" Quarterly Journal
(1958)
4. George Carstairs "Bhang and Alcohol: Cultural Factors in the Choice of
Intoxicants" Marihuana Papers (1966)
5. Thomas Brennan "Social Drinking in Old Regime Paris" in Drinking:
Behavior and Beliefs (1991)
6. Geoffrey Giles "Student Drinking and the Third Reich: Academic Tradition
and the Nazi Revolution" Drinking: Behavior and Beliefs (1991)
7. William Coggshall "Little Peleg, the Drunkard's Son," American
Temperance Magazine (1854)
8. Neal Dow "The Story of a Neighborhood" ibid.
9. J.T. Crane "A True Story" ibid.
10. Edward Bok "The Patent Medicine Cure" Ladies Home Journal (1904)
11. Jacob Riis "Chinatown" How the Other Half Lives (1890)
12. Bayer advertisement / Syringes ad (early 1900s)
13. David Courtwright, et. al. Addicts Who Survived (1989)
14. Harry Gene Levine "Temperance and Women in 19th Century U.S.," Research
Advances In Alcohol and Drug Problems (1980)
15. Sinclair Lewis "Babbitt Has A Party" Babbitt (1922)
16. Austin Alcoholics Anonymous Schedule
17. "New Ways to Treat Alcoholism" NYTimes (December 1990)
18. "Clean and Sober--and Agnostic" Newsweek (1991)
19. "Half Steps vs. 12 Steps" Newsweek (1995)
20. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III-R "Substance
Dependence and Abuse" (1987)
21. Donald Goodwin "Studies of Familial Alcoholism" Longitudinal Studies (1983)
22. "Researchers Cannot Confirm A Genetic Link to Alcoholism" NYTimes
(December 1990)
23. Daniel Goleman "Brain Images of Addiction in Action Show Its Neural Basis"
(August, 1996)
24. Stanton Peele "Brain Images Tell Nothing About Addiction" (August, 1996)
25. Herbert Fingarette "Alcoholism: The Mythical Disease" (1988)
26. George Vaillant "The Doctor's Dilemma" (1983)
27. Harry Anslinger "Marihuana: Assassin of Youth" American Magazine (1937)
28. Alfred Lindesmith "The Marihuana Problem: Myth or Reality?" The
Marihuana Papers (1966)
29. Federal Bureau of Narcotics Ad (1940s)
30. Furry Freak Brothers (1960s)
31. Joan Didion "Slouching Toward Bethlehem" (1967)
32. William Finnegan "Deep East Texas" New Yorker (August, 1994)
33. "Sunday in the Park" Mother Jones (1990)
34. "The Cartels Would Like a Second Chance" Rolling Stone (1994)
35. "Rockers, Models, and the New Allure of Heroin," Newsweek (August 1996)
36. Michael Cochran "Music Industry Confronts Its Dirty Little Secret"
Austin-American Statesman
Mark C. Smith
Associate Professor American Studies and History
University of Texas at Austin
Posted by David Fahey on February 1, 2005 at 03:42 PM in Syllabi | Permalink | Comments (0)
Alcohol in History (Syllabus)
Dr. Geoffrey J. Giles' syllabus for his undergraduate course, IDH 2931: Alcohol in History, at the University of Florida.
We have a course here on the books at the University of Florida, though other priorities have kept me from teaching it in the last few years. Below is the syllabus, though this would need to be updated. I will probably offer it again in the Spring Semester 2000.
Fall Semester 1993
Professor Geoffrey J. Giles
IDH 2931 Section 7210
ALCOHOL IN HISTORY
Alcohol is the western world's most widely-used drug. The goal of this
seminar is to explore the role it has played historically in politics,
society and the economy. The course will have a broad, comparative scope that will seek to establish common historical patterns in a number of countries. In early sessions, students will be introduced to the relatively new field of the "social history of alcohol", and will be given some instruction more broadly in the rudiments of critical historical methods. Throughout the course there will be in-depth discussions of the assigned readings, and each student will eventually discuss his/her research with the class.
Assignments
Grading will be based on the following:
Four 600-word reaction papers to specified books (30% of final grade); an
essay examination (30%); a 5,000-word, major research paper, using as far as possible primary sources (e.g. parliamentary debates on prohibition, temperance pamphlets) as well as scholarly, secondary literature (40%) [DUE 30 NOVEMBER]. Please note that a make-up examination is ONLY ever granted by PRIOR agreement with me BEFORE the exam takes place, in cases of documented medical or other emergency. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory. Please keep in mind the university guidelines on academic dishonesty, especially plagiarism, so that you do not unintentionally commit a breach of conduct in your writing.
Readings
Susanna Barrows & Robin Room (Eds.), Drinking: Behavior and Belief in Modern History.
Jack S.Blocker, American Temperance Movements. Cycles of Reform.
Joseph R. Gusfield, The Culture of Public Problems: Drinking Driving and the Symbolic Order
W.J. Rorabaugh, The Alcoholic Republic.
Boris M. Segal, Russian Drinking. Use and Abuse of Alcohol in
Pre-Revolutionary Russia.
Harry Gene Levine, "The Discovery of Addiction. Changing Conceptions of Habitual Drunkenness in America," Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 39, 1, 1978, pp. 143-174
Recommended reading:
Mass-Observation, The Pub and the People. A Worktown Study.
Geoffrey J. Giles, "Temperance before the temperance movements," History of Education, 20,4, 1991, pp. 295-305
Course Outline
Aug 24 Introduction - the social history of alcohol
26 Alcohol - what is it? / History - how do you do it?
31 Using historical sources
Sept 2 Writing book reviews / Russian temperance posters
7 Ancient and medieval drinking customs
9 Alcoholism - do we know what it is?
14 The English alehouse from 1200 to the present
16 Research into SHA
21 Temperance before the temperance movements
23 The alcoholic republic (Rorabaugh) [BOOK REPORT DUE]
28 Temperance in 19th-century children's literature
30 The construction of a problem (Gusfield) [BOOK REPORT]
Oct 5 The invention of addiction? (discussion of Levine)
7 Research into SHA
12 Problems with public statistics on private drinking
14 American temperance movements (Blocker) [BOOK REPORT]
19 The many worlds of drink (Barrows/Room Pt. 1)
21 ESSAY EXAMINATION
26 Hamburg's taverns and the historian
28 Politics, ideology and power (Barrows/Room Pt. 2)
Nov 2 Drink and Russia (Segal) [BOOK REPORT]
4 Inebriate, expert and state (Barrows/Room Pt. 3)
9 Perspectives on drinking and social history (B/R Pt.4)
11 NO CLASS - VETERANS' DAY
16 Research reports and discussion
18 Research reports and discussion
23 Research reports and discussion
25 NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING DAY
30 Adulteration of drink [RESEARCH PAPER DUE]
Dec 2 Research into SHA
7 Drunkenness, class and the law
9 Concluding discussion: will alcohol ever be fully accepted? What are the best strategies for moderation?
Professor Geoffrey J. Giles
Undergraduate Coordinator
Department of History, PO Box 117320
University of Florida
Gainesville FL 32611-7320
Posted by David Fahey on February 1, 2005 at 03:40 PM in Syllabi | Permalink | Comments (0)
Alcohol in History (Syllabus)
Dr. Norman R. Bennett's syllabus for his course, Alcohol in History.
In case it is useful, here is a syllabus for a course I formerly taught before going emeritus: Alcohol in History Hi 290 Semester 1, 1997-8
Prof. Norman R. Bennett
Texts: M. Marshall, Beliefs, Behaviors and Alcoholic
Beverages
M. McDonald, Gender, Drink & Drugs
T. Unwin, Wine and the Vine
M. Lender & J. Martin, Drinking in America
Course Packet Readings
S. Barrows & R. Room, Drinking: Behavior &
Belief in Modern History
Alcoholism
J.-C. Sournia, A History of Alcoholism
R.G. Schlaadt, Alcohol Use & Abuse
J. Crush & C. Ambler, Liquor & Labour in Southern
Africa
D. Christian, 'Living Water': Vodka & Russian Society
on the Eve of Emancipation
N. Bennett, "The Golden Age of Port Wine"
Most of the above are at the Reserve Desk, Mugar.
Requirements: You must select, by Sept. 16th, from among the
following options your choice for fulfilling the course
requirements.
1. A midterm [25%] and a final [50%] examination, and the
paper on the course films [25%].
2. A research paper on an approved topic [25%], the
final examination [50%], and the paper on the
course films [25%].
3. A research paper on an approved topic [25%], a midterm
[20%] and a final examination [35%], and the paper on
the course films [20%].
The Film Paper. The films are an integral part of the
semester's work. You are required to prepare an analytical
paper [5 to 10 pages in length] evaluating the messages
presented in the films. You are expected to think about
the content of all of the course films, deciding the
specific message of each. Then formulate your
conclusions about the worth of the films for the
understanding of alcohol in history. Your reasoning must
be accompanied by specific comparisons between the content
of the films, course readings, and lectures.
Film Paper Grading. To receive an A grade, the student
should accomplish the following: [1] select at least three
general analytical themes as the basis of the discussion;
[2] mention in positive or negative analysis at least 75%
of the films shown this term; [3] include specific
references from the texts and lectures in the comments on
the films; there should be significant references from at
least 3 of the readings.
Due date: The paper is due before noon on Dec. 16th.
You are required to sign a form acknowledging the receipt
of your paper. Papers not signed in will be treated as
late papers and will be penalized for each day past the
deadline.
Research Paper. The following conditions must be met if you
wish to present a research paper:
1. You must select a thesis for discussion in the paper. A
thesis, according to Webster, is "a proposition to be
defended in argument." Here is an example: the French
effort to limit alcohol consumption failed because of the
failure of the reformers to understand the role of drink in
French culture. The presentation of your thesis entails
an evaluation of the arguments in its favor, or the
contrary.
2, A research paper proposal must be submitted by Sept.
30th. The proposal must include [1] the specific thesis of the
paper, [2] a clear statement of the proposed
development of your argument, [3] your proposed
bibliography. If you do not follow these steps your paper
will not be accepted.
3. You will discuss the proposal with me during a scheduled
appointment. One or more subsequent meetings will be
scheduled to discuss the progress of your work. Final
papers are due before noon on Dec. 16th. Late
submissions will be penalized for each day past the 30th..
4. Paper length: 15 to 20 pages.
Midterm Examination: There is no make-up examination
for the midterm exam. If you miss the exam its percentage
will be added to that of the final examination.
Final Examination: The final examination will be
given only on the date set by CAS [Dec. 19; 12:30 PM]
A make-up will be offered only in Sept. 1997. There will
be no exceptions. If this complicates your life too much,
you should select another course.
Office Hours: History Department
226 Bay State Rd., room 306
Tues.- Thurs., 9-10:30 A.M. & by appointment
----------------------------------------------------------------
Tentative Lecture Schedule
Sept. 2 Introduction to Alcohol in History and the
Course Requirements
Readings: Barrows & Room, Drinking, 1-20
Recommended: Barrows & Room, Drinking, 376-419
Sept. 4 & 9 Understanding Alcohol & Alcoholism
Readings: Alcoholism, 17-51
Sournia, History of Alcoholism, 43-50
Schlaadt, Alcohol Use & Abuse, 20-40
Sept. 11 Alcohol Use in World Societies: Differences &
Similarities
Readings: Marshall, Beliefs, 1-35, 451-457
McDonald, Gender, 1-25
Recommended: Marshall, Beliefs [articles in all
sections]
Sept. 16 Alcohol & Gender
Readings: McDonald, Gender, 33-51, 99-121,
191-207
Recommended: McDonald, Gender [other articles
on gender]
Sept. 18,
23, 25, 30,
Oct. 2 Alcohol: Drinking, Preparation, & Commerce
from the Ancient World to the 16th Century
Readings: Unwin, Wine & the Vine, 1-204
Oct. 7 Introducing Alcohol to New Societies: I.
The Americas
Readings: Marshall, Beliefs, 110-158
Recommended: Marshall, Beliefs, 158-190
Oct. 9 II. Pacific Islands
Readings: Marshall, Beliefs, 192-267
Oct. 16 Examination
Oct. 21 Alcohol & Popular Culture: Case Studies.
I. 18th Century France
Readings: Barrows & Room, Drinking, 61-86
Oct. 23 II. 19th & 20th Century Industrial
Societies
Readings: Barrows & Room, Drinking, 87-108,
132-142
Oct. 28 Exploitation: Case Studies. I. Russia, 17th
Century to 1863
Readings: Barrows & Room, Drinking, 243-258
D. Christian, 'Living Water': Vodka &
Russian Society on the Eve of
Emancipation, 21-47
Oct. 30 II. South Africa, 19th & 20th Centuries
Readings: Crush & Ambler, Liquor & Labor, 1-35
Recommended: Barrows & Room, Drinking, 165-178
Marshall, Beliefs, section 6
Nov. 4, 6,
11, 13, 18
Individual Alcoholic Beverages: Social
and Economic Studies: Wine and Beer, 17th
Century to the Present (France, Portugal,
United States, United Kingdom)
Readings: Unwin, Wine & the Wine, 205-363
Bennett, "The Golden Age of Port Wine"
Lender & Martin, Drinking in America,
1-132
Nov. 20, 25,
Dec. 2, 4,
9, 11 The War against Alcohol: Temperance &
Prohibition (Great Britain, South Africa,
France, United States)
Readings: Crush & Ambler, Liquor & Labor, 139-
156, 162-181
Barrows & Room, Drinking, 112-125,
184-235, 265-285, 337-371
Unwin, Wine & the Wine, 205-363
Lender & Martin, Drinking in America,
133-204
Posted by David Fahey on February 1, 2005 at 03:36 PM in Syllabi | Permalink | Comments (0)
Drink in History (Syllabus)
Dr. Jeffrey Pilcher's syllabus for his undergraduate course, Drink in History, at The Citadel.
B. Ann Tlusty, Bacchus and Civic Order (Charlottesville, Va., 2001).
Wolfgang Shivelbusch, Tastes of Paradise (New York, 1993).
Catherine Murdoch, Domesticating Drink (Baltimore, 1998).
Tony Collins and Wray Vamplew, Mud, Sweat, and Beers (Oxford, 2002).
Additional required readings can be found online. From The Citadel homepage, click Library then go to Reserves/Course Materials. First look up the instructor, then search down for the course heading and appropriate reading.
Assignments
Grade Scale. A = 400 - 360; B = 359 - 320; C = 319 - 280; D = 279 - 260; F = 259 - 0.
All missed assignments must be made up within two weeks after the due date. Failure to do so will result in a grade of “0” for that assignment.
Take-Home Examinations, worth 100 points each, will consist of double-spaced, type-written essays of at least three pages in length. The question will be handed out a week before the due date. You are encouraged to consult with the writing center for questions of style and clarity, but the content must be entirely your own work. Collaborating on take-home exams, or otherwise use the words or ideas of others (including materials from the world wide web) without giving proper credit, will be considered as plagiarism. Students must sign their essays, and that signature is understood to mean the work is that of the student presented in accordance with academic canons. Exams are due at the beginning of class on the assigned day and will have ten points deducted for each weekday late.
Classroom participation and reading quizzes will count for 40 points. It is impossible to participate properly, offering informed comments, without reading the assignments before class. Coming to class unprepared or failing to participate shows disrespect to your fellow student leaders. Those who sleep in class, disrupt the class, read non-class materials, dispute grades, or create a hostile environment for others will be asked to leave and marked absent.
Student Leadership Assignment. Students will pair up to lead the class discussion over two of the assigned readings. The discussion should begin with a quiz of three or four short answer factual questions to summarize the reading. Your goal is to find questions that will be easy to answer for those who have done the reading and difficult for those who have not.
In addition, you will prepare a series of about ten discussion questions analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s thesis, evidence, and historical reasoning. In contrast to the quiz, the point here is not to find a “right” answer to one question and then immediately proceed to the next. Instead, try to encourage different perspectives from students. Class discussions should run at least fifteen minutes, although there is nothing wrong with taking the entire period to consider a topic fully.
Each leadership team is encouraged to meet with the instructor before the presentation. Be sure to divide up the workload so you each ask discussion questions and participate fully in the exchange. The discussions will be worth 30 points each for a total of 60 points.
Schedule Assignments & Readings
Monday, August 30 McGovern, “Archaeological Hunt”
Wednesday, September 1 Martin, “Women and Alcohol”
Monday, September 6 Tlusty, 1-47
Wednesday, September 8 Tlusty, 48-79
Monday, September 13 Tlusty, 80-114
Wednesday, September 15 Tlusty, 115-57
Monday, September 20 Tlusty 158-212
Wednesday, September 22 Taylor, “Drinking”
Friday, September 24 Schivelbusch, xiii-14
Monday, September 27 Schivelbusch, 15-94
Wednesday, September 29 Leclant, “Coffee and Cafés”
Monday, October 4 Thompson, “Councils of State”
Wednesday, October 6 Schivelbusch, 96-146
Friday, October 8 First Take Home Exam Due
Monday, October 11 Schivelbusch, 147-203
Wednesday, October 13 Guy, “Rituals of Pleasure”
Monday, October 18 Herlihy, “Battling Booze”
Wednesday, October 20 Schivelbusch, 204-28
Monday, October 25 Murdoch, 3-41
Wednesday, October 27 Murdoch, 42-87
Monday, November 1 Murdoch, 88-113
Friday, November 5 Second Take Home Exam Due
Monday, November 8 Murdoch, 114-58
Wednesday, November 10 Murdoch, 159-79
Monday, November 15 Collins and Vamplew, 1-38
Wednesday, November 17 Collins and Vamplew, 39-68
Monday, November 22 Thanksgiving Vacation
Wednesday, December 1 Collins and Vamplew, 69-90
Friday, December 3 Collins and Vamplew, 91-125
Monday, December 6 Orozco, “Gabriel Espíndola Martínez”
Thursday, December 9 Final Take Home Exam Due
History 495 Take Home Examination One: Due October 8, 2004
Question: Wolfgang Schivelbusch associated coffee with the rise of capitalism among the Protestant bourgeoisie, as opposed to the chocolate consumed by a Catholic aristocracy. Does the experience of London and Paris support such a religious interpretation of social and economic change?
Instructions: Answer this question with a type-written essay of at least three pages in length. It will be worth 100 points and will be graded on the following scale:
Clear Thesis Statement (10 points). You must write a thesis statement summarizing your answer to the question. The rest of the paper must then support that thesis. Indicate your thesis by either italicizing or underlining it.
Answers Question (40 points). Whatever answer you give must be supported with evidence, so describe the contexts of coffee consumption in the two cities. Your evidence should be drawn from Tastes of Paradise and “Coffee and Cafés in Paris.” Check with the instructor before using any other sources. Remember that the use of unattributed sources constitutes plagiarism.
Historical Understanding (20 points). This paper will give you an opportunity to examine historical causation. How might coffee have contributed to the rise of new economic and social systems? What other factors might have contributed to such change?
Using primary quotes cited in the two essays will raise your grade significantly, but copying down secondary sources, the words of Schivelbusch or Leclant themselves, will not. Moreover, excessive use of secondary sources, stringing together one quote after the next by the two modern historians at the expense of your own ideas, will cause your grade to be lowered significantly.
Format (10 points). Justify the type on the left side only and use one-inch margins all around. Do not leave additional blank lines between paragraphs. Use 12-point typeface and pick a proportional font such as Times New Roman rather than Courier. Number the pages, staple them together, and do not fold them in any manner. Sign your essay to indicate that it is your work presented in accordance with academic standards.
Citations should be given in parenthetical form, i.e., “First, Gentry, Tradesmen, all are welcome hither,/and may without affront sit down together” (Schivelbusch, 52) or “conversation obligatorily accompanies coffee or tea, it is even their real reason for existing” (Leclant, 91). Single space and indent block quotes of 40 words or more. Your bibliography, which does not count toward the three-page minimum, should have the following format:
Leclant, Jean. “Coffee and Cafés in Paris, 1644-1693,” In Food and Drink in History, edited by Robert Forster and Orest Ranum, translated by Elborg Forster and Patricia M. Ranum. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979.
Schivelbusch, Wolfgang. Tastes of Paradise: A Social History of Spices, Stimulants, and Intoxicants, translated by David Jacobson. New York: Vintage Books, 1993.
History 495 Take Home Examination Two: Due November 5, 2004
Question: Did the eighteenth-century commercialization of alcohol undermine communal solidarity in the Americas? Compare and contrast the social significance of drink in colonial British North America and New Spain.
Instructions: Answer this question with a type-written, double-spaced essay of at least three pages. It will be worth 100 points and will be graded on the following scale:
Clear Thesis Statement (10 points). You must write a thesis statement summarizing your answer to the question. The rest of the paper must then support that thesis. Indicate your thesis by either italicizing or underlining it.
Answers Question (30 points). Whatever answer you give must be supported with evidence, so describe any changes in the way people drank in both societies. Your evidence should be drawn from “Councils of State,” “Drinking,” and your own lecture notes. Collaboration after the exam has been passed out will be considered cheating.
Historical Understanding (30 points). In this essay, you should demonstrate the basic historical skills of context, chronology, and change over time. Context is needed so that your readers understand the historical evidence -- specific examples and pithy primary source quotations -- you provide in support of your conclusion. Use ample ethnographic details describing the situations in which people drank, their favored beverages, and their behaviors while drinking.
Chronology is likewise essential to historical argumentation. At the most basic level, if you argue that one event caused another, make sure the cause preceded the effect. Whenever possible, give precise dates rather than vague statements about the past. Pay attention to change over time such as new forums for drinking and new types of alcohol.
Avoid excessive secondary sources. Stringing together one quote after the next by the two modern historians (as opposed to colonial documents cited in their texts) at the expense of your own ideas will cause your grade to be lowered.
Note: Please do not refer to Mexican Indians as “tribes.” Unlike North American Indians, they inhabited settled, agrarian communities. Use “village” or “community.”
Format (10 points). Justify the type on the left side only and use one-inch margins all around. Do not leave additional blank lines between paragraphs. Use 12-point typeface and pick a proportional font such as Times New Roman rather than Courier. Number the pages, staple them together, and do not fold them in any manner. Sign your essay to indicate that it is your work presented in accordance with academic standards.
Citations should be given in parenthetical form, i.e., “in the Mixtec Alta, a witness stated that ‘a wife should not drink while her husband is drunk.’” (Taylor, 62). Single space and indent block quotes of 40 words or more. Put lecture materials in your own words. Do not attempt to quote or cite the instructor. Your bibliography, which does not count toward the three-page minimum, should have the following format:
Taylor, William B. Drinking, Homicide, and Rebellion in Colonial Mexican Villages. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1979.
Thompson, Peter. Rum Punch and Revolution: Taverngoing and Public Life in Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999.
Grammar and organization (20 points). Your essay will be graded using the same abbreviations as the first exam.
History 495 Take Home Final Examination: Due December 9, 2004
Assignment: Write a short ethnographic study of a particular drinking culture in contemporary America. This essay should be at least three (but preferably more) type-written, double-spaced pages. It will be worth 100 points.
Research: To conduct your ethnographic research, you should spend at least two hours (but preferably more) in a location where people drink, either a coffee shop, bar, or social club of some kind. Do not drink alcohol while completing this assignment. Instead, observe the behavior of other people. Take notes on the social composition of the clientele. Record their age, class, and gender. Do they come in groups or individually? How do they interact with other customers and with employees? What do they drink (and eat)? What other activities take place within the establishment? What do they discuss? What can you learn about American society from observing these activities?
Write-up: The format for this paper should be the same as any academic paper. Write an introduction outlining the importance of your research. Provide a clear thesis statement describing what your ethnographic research has revealed about contemporary American society. Use the body of your paper to support this thesis. Write one or more paragraphs setting the scene, describing the location of the drinking establishment and the drinks that are served. Describe the occasion at which you make your observations. How does the clientele -- and their behavior -- change at different times (happy hour, closing time)?
Grading Scale
Clear Thesis Statement (10 points). Indicate your thesis by either italicizing or underlining it.
Ethnographic Observation (30 points). The essence of ethnographic work is to convey in words a living culture. Describe objectively who people are and how they behave. Consider also the physical environment and how people interact with it.
Analytical Skills (30 points). You should use the historical insights gained in the class to inform your analysis of contemporary drink. Pay particular attention to the dynamics of gender and class. Do people build a sense of solidarity through their drinking behaviors? Draw comparisons with past societies.
Format (10 points). Justify the type on the left side only and use one-inch margins all around. Do not leave additional blank lines between paragraphs. Use 12-point typeface and pick a proportional font such as Times New Roman rather than Courier. Number the pages, staple them together, and do not fold them in any manner. Sign your essay to indicate that it is your work presented in accordance with academic standards. Citations to class readings or other materials should follow the same format as previous essays. Be sure to include a bibliography of sources used (but not lecture notes).
Grammar and organization (20 points). Your essay will be graded using the same abbreviations as the first exam.
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