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Introduction:
This course offers the student an opportunity to explore and share the many and varied historical interpretations of the development of the city of Richmond, Virginia from the pre-colonial period to the present. Other objectives will be to introduce the student to the historical literature about Richmond and the urban South, and to provide opportunities to read and respond to that literature in a careful and critical manner. Finally, this class will "build" a site on the World Wide Web to share its discoveries about Richmond with the world.
Course approach and readings:
Discussions, lectures, readings, written exercises, and examinations are all important components in meeting the course objectives. Specific topics, activities, and readings are indicated below in Course Organization and Schedule. Discussions and lectures are especially important, as these will form the major part of the classroom experience.
The readings for this course will come from the following required text and accompanying books. Students will have to obtain their own copies of three articles, listed below, and available in the stacks at Cabell Library.
Primary Text:
Marie Tyler-McGraw, At The Falls: Richmond, Virginia and its People (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994).
Readings:
Readings to Accompany History 391: Richmond Through Three Centuries, is available for a nominal fee from the History Department, Stagg House, 912 West Franklin Street.
Additional Articles not included in the readings book:
- John T. O'Brien, "Factory, Church, and Community: Blacks in AntebellumRichmond" Journal of Southern History 44-4 (November 1978): 509-536.
- Patricia A. Schechter, "Free and Slave Labor in the Old South: The Tredegar Ironworkers' Strike of 1847" Labor History 35 (Spring 1994): 165-86.
- Elsa Barkley Brown, "Womanist Consciousness: Maggie Lena Walker and the Independent Order of Saint Luke" Signs 14-3 (Spring 1989): 610-33.
These three articles are not included in your "readings book" because the publishers of these journals require a substantial copyright permission payment in order to photocopy them for student and classroom use. The Virginia Historical Society has been very generous in allowing us to use their articles without any additional fees other than the photocopying fees charged by the copying company.
Your Grade:
Your grade in this course is primarily based upon how well you demonstrate an understanding of the topics presented. You will be asked to show this understanding by writing essays and papers that exhibit both a thorough knowledge of the subject matter and evidence of your own critical analysis. There are several opportunities for you to do this, as listed below. The total possible points for this class equal 100, and letter grades will be assigned as indicated.
- 10 points: Article review journal.
For each class in which an article is assigned, you will prepare a 250-300 word (1 page) typed journal entry describing your reactions to each assigned article. These will be turned-in at the beginning of each class. These journal entries may not be "made-up," and may not be handed-in "late."
- 15 points: Mid-Semester Exam.
This will be an essay examination requiring 90 minutes. You will have a choice of one of two essay questions. Possible essay question areas will be given out in advance (generally a list of 6 possibilities), from which I shall pick two sets of two questions, and you will write two brilliant essays. Bluebooks are required.
- 15 points: Book Review.
1000-1250 word (4-5 page) review of a book of your choice from the reading list. See "Book and Museum Review Guidelines" for details.
- 15 points: Museum Review.
1000-1250 word (4-5 page) comparative review of two museums presenting interpretations of the city's past. See "Book and Museum Review Guidelines" for details.
- 25 points: Research Paper and presentation (20 points for paper -- 5 points for presentation).
You will write a ten to twelve page paper on a topic of your choice related to Richmond's history (1865-1985). This topic should be something in which you have an interest and be relevant to the content of the course. Students will share the results of their research to the class in a 10-minute oral presentation during the last two class sessions.
- 20 points: Final Examination.
This examination will be similar in nature to the mid-term, but a bit longer and requiring more analysis. Bluebooks are required.
Letter Grades will be assigned as follows:
89.5-100 points "A"
79.5-89.499 points "B"
69.5-79.499 points "C"
59.5-69.499 points "D"
59.499 and below "F"
Academic Integrity:
Students are responsible for being aware of the terms, procedures, and penalties provided by Virginia Commonwealth University's "Academic Integrity Policy." All work in this course is to be your own, and therefore must be pledged.
So far as this course is concerned, please be advised that cheating on examinations or quizzes, plagiarism in papers, or submission of work prepared by others under the pretense that it is your own will be regarded by the instructor as violations of this policy, and will be treated as such.
Attendance Policy and Expectations:
Attendance is each student's own responsibility. It would, however, be unreasonable to expect that you will do well in this course without regularly attending class. First, examination questions will be based a combination of the required reading and material presented in lectures -- which is not detailed in the text or the readings. If you are not present in class, you will definitely be at a disadvantage during examinations. Second, missed examinations will be made-up during the final week of the semester -- at a time and place of my choosing. Failure to take make-ups at the assigned time and place will result in your receiving a "zero" grade for that portion of the course work, and no excuses will be accepted for missing a make-up test. Please note that make-up examinations and quizzes are generally more difficult than those given during the regularly scheduled times.
The final examination must be taken at the assigned date and time (see Final Exam Schedule in the Semester Course Listing), unless a valid and demonstrable cause is shown for the absence (such as a physician's written excuse for a major illness).
Late Paper Policy:
There is a 24-hour grace period with no penalty.
One (1) letter grade penalty will be assessed for each additional 24-hour period. Late assignments must be submitted personally, either to me, or to the departmental secretary located in Stagg House. In the latter case, the date and time of the submission will be noted by the departmental secretary, and grades will be adjusted accordingly.
Let me state clearly now that if you give your papers to friends, fellow students, family members, or anyone else to turn-in for you, I will not be responsible for these papers. You must either deliver them directly to me, or have the History Department secretary note the date and time they were received -- and the secretary will place the paper in my box. Papers placed in my box without such notation from the departmental secretary will be considered as received when I get them in hand (which may be several days later). Papers, journal entries and book reviews may not be submitted via e-mail or FAX.
Learning Disabilities:
If you need special consideration in this course because of a physical handicap or some form of a learning disability, please inform the instructor as soon as possible.
Course Outline & Lecture Schedule
Class 1: History, Historians, and Richmond
Course introduction; Virginia's Algonquians.
Class 2: Foreign Invasions: The Spanish and the English
Assignment: Tyler-McGraw, Chapter 1; J. Frederick Fausz, "An Abundance of Blood Shed on Both Sides: England's First Indian War, 1609-1614" VMHB 98-1.
Class 3: The Design and Building of a City
Assignment: Tyler-McGraw, Chapter 2, 3, and 4; John T. O'Brien, "Factory, Church, and Community: Blacks in Antebellum Richmond" JSH 44-4.
Class 4: The Fabric of Society in Antebellum Richmond
Assignment: Tyler-McGraw, Chapter 5; Schechter, Patricia A. "Free and Slave Labor in the Old South: the Tredegar Ironworkers' Strike of 1847" Labor History 35-1.
Class 5: Secession and Civil War
Assignment: Tyler-McGraw, Chapter 6; Richmond City Council, "The Ordinance Concerning Negroes" The Daily Dispatch [Richmond, Va.] 23 March 1853. Michael B. Chesson, "Harlots or Heroines? A New Look at the Richmond Bread Riots" VMHB 92-2.
Class 6: Mid Semester Examination (90 minutes).
The second half of class will be used to discuss course project research.
Class 7: Reconstruction: The return of the Bourbon Aristocracy -- Book Reviews Due
Assignment: Tyler-McGraw, Chapter 7; Paul D. Escott, "The Uses of Gallantry, Virginians and the Origins of J. E. B. Stuart's Historical Image" VMHB 103-1; Louis Moore, "The Elusive Center: Virginia Politics and the General Assembly, 1869-1871" VMHB 103-2.
Class 8: Jim Crow and the Holy City
Assignment: Tyler-McGraw, Chapter 8; Bailey, Fred A. "Free Speech and the Lost Cause in the Old Dominion" VMHB 103-2; Elsa Barkley Brown, "Womanist Consciousness: Maggie Lena Walker and the Independent Order of Saint Luke," Signs 14-3.
Class 9: Disfranchisement, Prohibition, and Suffrage -- Museum Reviews Due
Assignment: Tyler-McGraw, Chapter 9; Leatherman, Carolyn H. "Richmond considers a free public library: Andrew Carnegie's offer of 1901" VMHB 96-2; Wythe Holt, Jr., "The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902: A Reform Movement Which Lacked Substance" VMHB 76-1.
Class 10: Eugenics, Depression, and the Seeds of Decline
Assignment for next week: Articles by Walter A. Plecker: "Virginia's Attempt to Adjust the Color Problem" and excerpts from W. A. Plecker, The New Race and Family Series: "Introduction"; Shall America Remain White?"; "Shall America Head for Race Suicide or for Race Improvement"; "Virginia 'Indians'"; "Discussion by Other Doctors"; and a letter [5 August 1930] concerning "Melungeons."
Class 11: No Class Meeting (Instructor at Southern Historical Association Annual Meeting).
Students are to work independently on their course projects. You may, if you wish, meet in the classroom.
Class 12: The Decline of Richmond -- Is Rebirth Possible?
Assignment: Tyler-McGraw, Chapter 11-12; Robert A. Pratt, "A Promise Unfulfilled: School Desegregation in Richmond, Virginia, 1956-1986" VMHB 102-4; Moeser, John M. and Christopher Silver. "Race, Social Stratification, and Politics: The Case of Atlanta, Memphis, and Richmond" VMHB 102-4.
Class 13: Student Research Presentations
Research Papers Due at beginning of class.
Class 14: Student Research Presentations
Class 15: Final Examination
Additionally, students will need to bring revised copies of their book and museum reviews and research papers to class in MS-DOS or HTML format on a 3.5 inch disk.
Paper guidelines:
Papers to be turned in should follow form and style rules in Kate Turabian, A Guide for Writers of Theses and Dissertations, 3rd edition (Chicago: 1976), or any later edition. They need to be at least 8 and not more than 10 pages in length, exclusive of notes and bibliography. Please use end notes (not parenthetical insert notes) rather than footnotes.
HTML authoring:
As your paper will form part of a World Wide Web site, it will be necessary to follow guidelines carefully when converting from your word processing program to HTML -- if you do not have a program that automatically does it for you.
The easiest way to do this is as follows:
1. Set font to courier 12 point (or 10 characters per inch [cpi]).
2. Set margins to 1 inch: top, bottom, left, and right.
3. Save file format as ASCII (DOS) Text - (filename.htm) on your floppy disk.
4. Using the HTML Guidelines, you will then "mark-up" your text file, using line-breaks, paragraph-breaks, bold and italicized font, etc. See"Converting your text file" for further details.
Final notes:
Please see me if you have any questions about, or problems with, the course. It is always better to do so sooner than later. In addition to scheduled office hours, appointments may be made.
"Richmond: Through Three Centuries" is a very challenging course. It requires you to engage the presented material in a number of ways. First, you will need to devote time to reading and analyzing the historical literature about Richmond's history. Second, you will learn how the history of the city has been, and currently is, presented to the public. Third, you will research a topic related to the city's history, construct an academic paper describing your research and conclusions, and present your findings to the class. Finally, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your learning through essay examinations and classroom discussions. This sounds like a lot of work -- and it is. I guarantee you, though, that if you complete this class, you will come out of this experience with a new appreciation for the city, and an understanding of the struggles of its people. Research has shown that the greatest learning occurs when students are most challenged, and are allowed to be creative in their fulfillment of that challenge.
Syllabus copyright (c) 1998 by Michael E. Bell, All Rights Reserved. Permission to copy and use under "fair use" in education is granted, provided citation is given.
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