hist320f'7

HISTORY 320
Van Hall/Section 14/Fall 2008

I. OBJECTIVE: To acquaint each student with the fundamental political, economic and social
events of British history.

II. METHOD: The instructor has selected 26 topics and each will be the subject of a lecture.
Questions and comments are welcome during and after each lecture.

III. TEXTBOOK: The "United Kingdom, history of" entry in the 15th Edition of the
                               Encyclopedia Britannica, available online with a University system computer,
                               serves as the textbook. It is also available in print in vol. 29 (p. 21) in Medford
                               Library's Reference Section.

IV. OUTSIDE READING:   Each student must select and read two books (or one big book) in
                               addition to the Britannica text. The books must relate to subjects which fall
                               roughly within the period from the earliest times to 1603. They must also be
                               approved by the instructor. There will be additional reading assignments in the
                               form of class handouts and Britannica links.

V. BOOK REVIEWS:     Each student must a submit a review of each of the two "outside"
                               books selected. Each review must be three to five pages (c.800 - 1300
                               words) long, typewritten and double-spaced. Two copies of each review
                               must be made (one for the instructor and one to be retained by the student.)
                               For guidance about what to put in the review click: BookReview.

VI. EXAMS:         There will be two exams during the semester plus a final exam. All exams
                              consist primarily of essay questions but there are also some identification
                              questions and a map section.

VII.   GRADES:    Grades will be computed on the following basis:
                                   Each semester exam will count: 20% of the course grade
                                   Each book review will count:     10%
                                   The final exam will count:           40%

VIII. GRADE SCALE:                    90 - 100   A
                                                         87 - 89    B+
                                                         77 - 79    C+
                                                         70 - 76    C
                                                         67 - 69    D+
                                                         60 - 66    D
                                                              - 59    F
IX. MISSED EXAMS:     There is no penalty for missing one or both of the semester exams.
                             If you miss one semester exam, then the final exam will count as 60% of your
                             course grade. If you miss both exams, then the final exam will count 80%.
                                  THERE ARE NO MAKEUP EXAMS.

X. REQUIRED OUTCOMES: Successful completion of this course will require that the student is able to identify the major persons, trends and events of British history from early times to the end of the Tudors and possess sufficient understanding to discuss those things cogently both on paper and in conversation. More specifically, the student will have a workable understanding of the creation of a unified England, the evolution of Parliament, and the emergence of a distinctive culture.

21 August	Syllabus, Web Sites, Maps, Library Resources	Butser Ancient Farm
26 August	Roman Britain: Boudicca's Rebellion (Link includes R-B Maps)	Roman-Britain.org
28 August	Angles, Saxons, Jutes, et al.	Simon Keynes' Anglo-Saxon Index
2 September	Romans Out, Romans Back: The Lost Centuries, c.410 - 597.	Gildas
4 September	The "Heptarchy" and Anglo-Saxon Society	Electronic Intro.to Old English
9 September	Christianity, Coins, and Culture	Bede's History
11 September	The Danes, King Alfred the Great (c.790 - 899) and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
16 September	Unification and Aethelred the Unready, 899 - 1016
18 September	A Danish King, an English King: Canute and Edward the Confessor
23 September	1066 And All That: The Norman Conquest	Bayeux Tapestry
25 September	The Early Normans to 1154 FIRST BOOK REVIEW	MAPS
30 September	Henry II Plantagenet	Domesday Book
2 October	FIRST EXAM
7 October	Henry II and the Common Law	Feudal Terms
9-10 October	FALL BREAK
14 October	Good Guy, Bad Guy: Richard and John, 1189 - 1216.	Magna Carta
16 October	Henry III and the Beginnings of Parliament
21 October	Edward I, the Hammer of the Scots, 1272 - 1307	British History Online
23 October	Edward II and the Importance of Personality
28 October	War, Pillage and Plague: The Glorious Reign of Edward III
30 October	Unfriendly Cousins: Richard II and Henry IV	Chaucer (Harvard)
4 November	ELECTION DAY: NO CLASSES
6 November	The Wars of the Roses SECOND BOOK REVIEW DUE
11 November	SECOND EXAM
13 November	The Return of Stability: Edward IV and Henry VII (Tudor)
18 November	Young King Hal (Henry VIII), 1509 - 1529
20 November	The King's "Great Matter" and the Protestant Reformation
25 November	The Reigns of Opposites: Edward VI and Mary
26-28 November	THANKSGIVING
2 December	Queen Elizabeth and the Search for a Middle Way, 1558 - 1571
4 December	Queen Elizabeth as Protestant Champion, 1571 - 1603	Elizabethan Maps

FINAL EXAM: 1:00–3:30, Thursday 11 December
Last Day to Drop without a 'WF'---3 October

Office Hours:       MW 1:00–2:30, 5:00–5:20
             TTH 10:00–12:10
            FRI 12:00–1:30

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Last update, 5 September 2008.
You can reach me by email at: DVanHall@mailbox.sc.edu.
http://usclancaster.sc.edu/faculty/vanhall/hist320f'8A.htm