DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
HIST 118: THE VICTORIAN EMPIRE
FALL 2014—COURSE SYLLABUS
PROFESSOR: Aeleah Soine
MEETING TIME:
OFFICE HOURS:
EMAIL: ahs3@stmarys-ca.edu
OFFICE: Galileo 311
CLASSROOM:
COURSE DESCRIPTION—
This course will take students on a geographic, historical, and thematic “tour” of the British Empire
during the long reign of Queen Victoria (r. 1837-1901). We will explore the intertwined nature of
imperial and national identities in “the empire on which the sun never set,” including political
contestations over citizenship, race, and belonging; industrialization and class conflicts; changing
gender roles and sexual mores; military and diplomatic conflicts; medical and scientific knowledge;
and the flourishing of popular literature and culture in such places as India, China, Australia, Ireland,
North America, and Africa. Readings and assignments will draw upon literature, images, films, and
both scholarly and primary texts from and about the Victorian Era in order to explore theoretical and
historical questions about the purpose, motivations, and impact of such imperial ties on Victorian
subjects—in Britain and around the world.
COURSE OBJECTIVES—
 Analyze primary and scholarly sources to reflect a broad range of comparative global
perspectives in their historical and historiographic contexts.
 Recognize the influence of Victorian intellectual, political, and artistic movements on
modern global history and contemporary politics and culture.
 Think critically about the dynamics of nineteenth-century, Euro-centered global imperialism
from why it was pursued to how it was sustained, what were the long-term effects, who
benefited, and by whom were the costs paid.
BOOKS—
o Antoinette Burton, Politics and Empire in Victorian Britain: A Reader (Palgrave MacMillan,
2001).
o Jules Verne, Around the World in 80 Days (Oxford, 2008).
o Nigel Dalziel, The Penguin Historical Atlas of the British Empire (Penguin, 2006).
o Catherine Hall and Sonya Rose, ed. At Home with the Empire: Metropolitan Culture and the
Imperial World (Cambridge, 2007).
o Jonathan Schneer, London 1900: The Imperial Metropolis (Yale, 1999).
o One of the following:
 Fiona MacDonald, You wouldn't want to be a Suffragist! (Franklin Watts, 2008)
 Fiona MacDonald, You wouldn't want to be a Victorian Servant! (Children's Press, 2006)
 John Malam, You wouldn't want to be a 19th century Coal Miner in England! (Children's Press, 2006)
 John Malam, You wouldn't want to be a Victorian Mill Worker! (Children's Press, 2006)
 John Malam, You wouldn't want to be a Victorian School Child! (Hodder's Children's Press, 2002)
*Disabilities Services. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability
Services Coordinator at (925) 631-4164 to confidentially discuss accommodation guidelines and
available services. For individuals with qualifying disabilities, SDS will extend reasonable and
appropriate accommodations that take into account the context of the course and its essential
HIST 118, p. 1
DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
elements. Additional information may be found at: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/academics/academicadvising-and-achievement/student-disability-services.html
EXPECTATIONS FOR ACTIVITIES AND PARTICIPATION—(40% of course grade): includes class
attendance, evidence of preparation before class, frequency and quality of contributions to class
discussion, contributions to small group activities, and overall engagement with materials,
activities, and people. Qualitative evaluation will be measured using the following three criteria:
 Preparation. Read all assigned texts carefully and bring them with to class. Note
words/sentences/sections or ideas/concepts/events that are you find unclear, difficult to
understand, or that you suspect there may be more meaning to than what you can glean.
 Engagement. Class attendance is more than just showing up. Students are expected to
actively participate in lectures, discussions, and activities by asking questions when
something is not clear, promoting critical thinking and discussion by drawing upon
course materials, lectures, and contributions from classmates. Individual contributions
and responsibility for the quality of group activities will be considered through instructor
observation as well as self- and peer-evaluations. Electronic devices are allowed for
accessing course materials only, misused electronics and other sources of distraction are
not allowed and may result in loss of participation points or being asked to leave.
 Respect. Students should be open to and respectful of other students’ views. Discussions
should be kept relevant to the course material and issues at hand; they should NOT
include personally directed comments or attacks, use of negative stereotypes, or broad
generalizations about groups of people. Inappropriate use of language, including but not
limited to cursing, name-calling, racial/ethnic/sexual/ religious prejudice, and offensive
use of slang or body language will not be tolerated! Students who disrupt the safe space
of the classroom will receive a one-on-one warning, loss of participation points, and
dismissal from class for repeat incidents. Please see me privately if you feel
inappropriately targeted in this class or by its members.
EXPECTATIONS FOR EXAMS AND WRITING—(60% of course grade): including two quizzes (or
more if necessary), one comprehensive final exam, and three assigned papers with opportunities
for rewriting and expanding previous written work in order to practice writing as a process:
 Quality. Papers should demonstrate an original, focused, and thesis-driven engagement
with the questions, themes, and texts specified by the assignment.
 Format. Assignments are expected to meet all specifications upon submission, including
but not limited to a uniquely descriptive title, 1 inch margins, 12pt standard Times New
Roman font, standard double-spacing without extra spaces between paragraphs, and a
header of no more than 4 single spaced lines. Failure to meet length requirements or use
of formatting techniques to lengthen or shorten papers, inappropriate use of quotations,
and/or not addressing all objectives of a question will result in significant grading
penalties. Websites such as Wikipedia, online study guides, personal webpages, and
commercial sites advertising products are almost never appropriate! When in doubt, ask.
 Integrity. All written and oral assignments are expected to be the sole product of the
person(s) whose name is attached with complete and accurate attribution of credit for any
references to the ideas, quotations, or contributions of others. Academic dishonesty
(including but not limited to plagiarism, turning in someone else’s work, and lack of
proper citation) is a violation of the Saint Mary’s College Academic Honor Code and will
be referred to the Academic Honor Council. For more information on plagiarism or
academic dishonesty, see the Academic Policies section of the Student Handbook.
HIST 118, p. 2
DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
GRADING—
A
940-1000 points
B+
870- 899 points
C+
770- 799 points
D+
670- 699 points
AB
C
D
900-939 points
830-869 points
730-769 points
630-669 points
BCDF
800-829 points
700-729 points
600-629 points
0- 599 points
Potential Sources of Points—
150+ points--Class Attendance and Participation
 Attendance (up to 3 pts/day): As adults, you are responsible for managing your individual
priorities. Being present and actively engaged in the class is a fundamental requirement
for successful completion of this course. Students receive up to 3 points per class meeting
(1 pt for physical presence, 2 pts for coming on-time and prepared).
 Participation is a major component of the class requirements. It represents your overall
level of engagement in the course, in-class activities, and the quality as well as quantity
of discussion contributions and respectfully attentive behavior. Students receive points in
the range of 0-3 for active engagement and participation on any given day, with 1= not
negatively impacting class dynamic, to 2=satisfactory participation, and 3=rarely given
extraordinary participation or contribution to class.
 A remaining 25 points will be awarded holistically on the basis of the students overall
participation and contribution to learning environment over the course of the semester.
100 points—Quizzes (up to 50 points each)
 Scheduled quizzes intended to check comprehension of basic concepts, geography, and
chronology discussed in readings and in class. Unannounced quizzes may be given
throughout the course of the semester if it appears to the professor that students are not
completing the assigned reading or are not coming to class prepared and engaged.
500 points—Papers (see separate handouts for more detailed information on each assignment)
*must complete at least one in each category, due according to contract dates
 Film or Book Review (up to 50 points each, limit one of each)
 Museum Exhibit Review (up to 150 points—physical, 50 points—online)
 Primary Document Interpretations (up to 20 points each, limit one per class meeting up to
10 total—no half credit option)
 Scholarly Debate Review (up to 100 points)
100 points--Everyday Life Group Presentation and Individual Paper
200 points--Take-Home Final Exam
SEMESTER SCHEDULE
Readings from the booklist are listed with the author’s last name in bold. All other readings will
be posted to the Moodle site at least one week in advance.
WEEK 1 (): INTRODUCTIONS, THE GEORGIANS, AND THE VICTORIAN SUCCESSION
Tu
Dalziel, pp. 8-9, 38-41. “Significance of the British Empire,” Part II: “The Late Georgian
Empire, 1763-1837.”
Selected documents from Georgian Era (in-class)
*In-class: The Young Victoria (film, Part 1)—handout worksheets
HIST 118, p. 3
DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
Th
[M] Readings from Victorian Web (online: http://victorianweb.org/vn/index.html)
 George P. Landow, “Victorian and Victorianism”
 David Cody, “Queen Victoria”
[M] Lytton Strachey, excerpt from Ch. IV: “Marriage,” in Queen Victoria (1921).
*In-class: Young Victoria (film, Part 2)
WEEK 2 (): ENGLAND AND EMPIRE
Tu
Hall and Rose, pp. 1-25, 30b-31. Ch. 1: “Introduction: Being at Home with the Empire.”
[M] Bernard Porter, The Absent-Minded Imperialists: What the British Really Thought
about Empire, pp. 1-24.
Th
Daziel, pp. 42-43, 50-51, 84-91. Pt. III: “Trade and Enterprise” and “On the Move;” Pt.
IV: “Imperial Themes,” “World Wide Web,” and “The Ties that Bind.”
Verne, Around the World in 80 Days, pp. 1-43.
*PERSONAL ASSIGNMENT SHEET DUE!
WEEK 3 (): TOURING THE EMPIRE (EAST)
Tu
Daziel, pp. 58-59, 78-79. Pt. II: “Indian Riches: The East India Company’s Conquests,”
and Pt. III: “The Raj: The Heyday of British India.”
Verne, Around the World in 80 Days, pp. 43-80.
[M] Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies, pp. 141-146, 160-165.
Primary Documents:
 Burton, pp. 18-20. Thomas Macaulay, “Minute on Education in India” (1835).
 [M] Mountstuart Elphinstone, “Indian Customs and Manners,” (1840).
Th
Daziel, pp. 70-71. “Eastern Promise: Imperial Trade and the Far East.”
Verne, Around the World in 80 Days, pp. 81-121.
[M] Amitav Ghosh, River of Smoke, pp. 169-175, 466-470, 476-486, 494-504.
Primary Document:
 [M] Commissioner Lin: Letter to Queen Victoria (1839)
WEEK 4 (): TOURING THE EMPIRE (WEST)
Tu
Daziel, “British West Indies: Exploitation and Emancipation,” pp. 56-57.
Hall and Rose, pp. 191-208a. Cora Kaplan, “Imagining Empire, History, Fantasy, and
Literature.”
[M] Amelia Opie, The Black Man’s Lament; or, How to Make Sugar (1826)
Primary Sources: Burton, pp. 31-34, 45-54.
o Mary Prince, from The History of Mary Prince (1831)
o W.A. Archibald, “The Sugar Question” (1847)
Th
Daziel, “The White Dominions: Canada and Australasia,” pp. 82-83.
Verne, Around the World in 80 Days, pp. 122-259.
*QUIZ 1!
WEEK 5 (): IMAGINING AND EXPERIENCING THE EMPIRE
HIST 118, p. 4
DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
Tu
Dalziel, Part III: “The Victorian Empire, 1837-1901,” pp. 60-69.
Hall and Rose, pp. 32-41a, 43c-45, 52b, and 212-229.
 Catherine Hall, Ch. 2: “At Home with History: Macaulay and the History of
England.”
 Antoinette Burton, “New Narratives of Imperial Politics in the Nineteenth
Century.”
SCHOLARLY PAPER DUE!
Th
Hall and Rose, pp. 101-121. Jane Rendall, “The Condition of Women, Women’s
Writing and the Empire in Nineteenth-century Britain.”
[M] Anna Clark, “In the Victorian Twilight,” Desire: A History of European Sexuality,
123-141.
Primary Documents:
o [M] Caroline Norton, Letter to the Queen on Lord Chancellor Cranworth’s
Marriage and Divorce Bill (1855).
o Burton, pp. 153-156. Pandita Ramabai, from The High-Caste Hindu Woman
(1888).
WEEK 6 (): EXHIBITING THE EMPIRE
Tu
Daziel, “Exhibiting the Empire: Imperial Exhibitions to 1953,” pp. 96-97.
[M] Kylie Message and Ewan Johnston, Ch. 2: “The World within the City: The Great
Exhibition, Race, Class, and Social Reform,” in Britain, the Empire, and the World at the
Great Exhibition of 1851, ed. Jeffrey A. Auerbach and Peter H. Hoffenberg, pp. 27-47.
Primary Document: Burton, pp. 85-89.
 Henry Mayhew, 1851: The Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Cursty Sandboys.
*Great Exhibition Online
Th
NO CLASS! “The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant Garde, 1860-1900,” Legion of
Honor Museum Exhibit in San Francisco.
WEEK 7 (): VICTORIAN CULTURE
Tu
Hall and Rose, pp. 251-274. James Epstein, “Taking Class Notes on Empire.”
Burton, pp. 55-58. William Lovett and John Collins, “Chartism: A New Organization of
the People” (1840).
*Group A Presentation (Coal Miners)
Th
[M] Elizabeth Buettner, Empire Families: Britons and Late Imperial India, pp. 25-71.
[M] Anna Davin, Growing Up Poor: Home, School, and Street in London, pp. 199-217.
*Group D Presentation (Child Mill Workers)
WEEK 8 (): DISPLAYS AND DISTURBANCES
Tu
Hall and Rose, pp. 166-190. Joanna de Groot, “Metropolitan Desires and Colonial
Connections: Reflections on Consumption and Empire.”
Primary Sources: Burton, pp. 65-68, 257-259.
 Isabella Beeton, from The Book of Household Management (1861)
 R.A. Steel and G. Gardner, The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook (1888).
*Group C Presentation (Servants)
HIST 118, p. 5
DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
Th
Daziel, “Searching for Souls: Protestant Missions to 1914,” pp. 102-103.
Hall and Rose, pp. 143-165. Susan Thorne, “Religion and Empire at Home.”
Primary Document:
 [M] Obituary of Charles Robert Darwin, The Times (21 and 24 April 1882).
WEEK 9 (): SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS
WEEK 10 (): MID-CENTURY IMPERIAL CONFLICTS
Tu
Daziel, pp. 80-81, 104-105. “The Great Game: Russia and British India,” and “Colonial
Wars: The Army and Imperial Defence.”
Burton, pp. 98-102. Richard Cobden, from Russia and the Eastern Question (1854).
[M] Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Charge of the Light Brigade” (1854).
[M] Frances Duberly, Ch. 4: “Balaclava, October-November 1854,” Mrs. Duberly’s War:
Journal and Letters from the Crimea, ed. Christine Kelly, pp. 75-112.
Primary Sources: Burton, pp. 89-98.
 Harriet Martineau on Florence Nightingale (1910)
 Mary Seacole, from The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands
(1858).
Th
[M] Proclamations of Rebellion by Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, Feroze Shah, and Bahadur
Shah, reprinted in Freedom Struggle in Uttar Pradesh, ed. S.A.A Rizvi.
[M] Charles Creighton Hazewell, “The Indian Revolt,” The Atlantic Monthly Vol. 1, No.
2 (December 1857): 217-222.
[M] Mary A. Procida, “Re-writing the ‘Mutiny’,” Married to the Empire: Gender,
Politics, and Imperialism in India, 1883-1947, pp. 111-135.
Burton, pp. 102-104. Karl Marx on the events of 1857.
WEEK 11 (): NEW FRONTIERS AND ANXIETIES
Tu
[M] Joseph McLaughlin, Ch. 2: “Holmes and the Range: Frontiers Old and New in A
Study in Scarlet,” Writing the Urban Jungle: Reading Empire in London from Doyle to
Eliot, pp. 27-52.
[M] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, excerpt from A Study in Scarlet or Sign of Four
Th
Daziel, pp. 72-73, 76-77. “The Scramble for Africa,” “Egypt and the Route to the East”
Primary Sources: Burton, pp. 232-235, 204-211.
 Henry Stanley, from Through the Dark Continent (1879)
 Sir Richard Temple, “Principles of British Policy in Egypt” (1882)
 Annie Besant, “Egypt” (1882)
*QUIZ 2!
WEEK 12 (): DANGER AND DISEASES
Tu
Hall and Rose, pp. 53-73a, 75d-76. Laura Tabili, Ch. 3: “A Homogeneous Society?
Britain’s Internal ‘Others,’ 1800-Present.”
Schneer, “The Nexus of Empire,” pp. 37-63.
[M] Judith Walkowitz, excerpt from City of Dreadful Delights (1992), pp. TBA.
HIST 118, p. 6
DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
Th
[M] Philippa Levine, Ch. 3: “Colonial Medicine and the Project of Modernity,” Prostitution,
Race, and Politics: Policing Venereal Disease in the British Empire, pp. 61-90.
Primary Sources: Burton, pp. 126-130, 164-168.
 East India Contagious Diseases Acts (1868)
 Elizabeth Andrew and Katharine Bushnell, The Queen’s Daughters in India (1899)
*SCHOLARLY PAPER DUE!
WEEK 13 (): CHALLENGING IMPERIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Tu
Daziel, “A Free Ireland: Ireland’s Long Road to Independence,” pp. 118-119.
Hall and Rose, pp. 77-100. Christine Kinealy, Ch.4: “At Home with the Empire: the
Example of Ireland.”
Schneer, “Part II: Alternative Imperial Londons”—Choose one of the following:
 “London’s Radical and Celtic Fringe,” pp. 162-183.
 “Dadabhai Naoroji and the Search for Respect,” pp. 184-202
 “Roots of the Pan-African Conference, pp. 203-226.
Th
Hall and Rose, pp. 230-250, 275-297.
 Clare Midgley, “Bringing the Empire Home: Women Activists in Imperial
Britain, 1790s-1930s.”
 Keith McClelland and Sonya Rose, “Citizenship and Empire, 1867-1928.”
Primary Document: Burton, pp. 156-160.
 Millicent Garrett Fawcett, “The Women’s Suffrage Bill,” (1889).
*Group B Presentation (Suffragists)
WEEK 14 (): VICTORIAN LEGACY AND EDWARDIAN CRISIS
Tu
Daziel, “South African Supremacy: The Anglo-Boer Wars,” pp. 74-75.
Schneer, “The Khaki Election of 1900,” pp. 229-263.
Primary Documents: Burton, pp. 285-310.
 A.T. Witgman, “The Boers and the Native Question” (1900)
 J.A. Hobson, from Imperialism: A Study (1902)
*Anglo-Boer War Museum Exhibit
Th
Daziel, Part V: “Climax and Decolonization, 1901-97” and “Imperial Defence I: The
First World War,” pp. 106-109, 112-113.
[M] David Powell, Edwardian Crisis: Britain, 1901-1914, pp. vii-ix, 1-9, 163-176.
[M] Primary Document:
 Robert Baden-Powell, excerpt from Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for
Instruction in Good Citizenship (1908), pp. 9-21c.
FINAL EXAM—
HIST 118, p. 7
DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
Student Information Sheet
HISTORY 116: Victorian Empire
Soine—Spring 2012
Name:
Hometown:
Academic Year:
Major(s):
How much and what kind of experience do you have with the following:

British history, literature, and/or culture?

Other history courses?

Foreign Languages, Studies, Travel?
What topics, readings, themes, and/or assignments do you find to be the most and least
interesting on the syllabus?
Are there any topics, persons, events, or themes that you would be interested in exploring more
in relationship to the topics and themes indicated on the syllabus?
How familiar and/or confident are you working with primary (historical) sources and/or maps?
Do you have any initial questions, concerns, or suggestions about the syllabus or the style of the
course?
HIST 118, p. 8
DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
_____________________’s Assignment Sheet
Week
1A
Date
2/7
1B
2/9
2A
2/14
2B
2/16
3A
2/21
3B
2/23
4A
2/28
4B
3/1
5A
3/6
5B
3/8
6A
3/13
6B
Primary Documents (List)
Other Assignments (List)
Scheduled
Exams
Quiz 1 (50)
Jamaica Scholarly Review (100)
Museum Field Trip (150 pt)
7A
3/20
7B
3/22
8A
3/27
8B
3/29
Coal Miners Presentation (150)
Child Mill Worker Presentation (150)
Domestic Servants Presentation (150)
9A
No Class!
9B
No Class!
10A
4/10
10B
4/12
11A
4/17
11B
4/19
12A
4/24
12B
4/26
13A
5/1
13B
5/3
14A
5/8
14B
5/10
Quiz 2 (50)
Indian Revolution/Mutiny Scholarly
Review (100)
Suffragists Presentation (150)
Boer War Exhibit Review (50)
HIST 118, p. 9
DRAFT SYLLABUS IN PROGRESS (updated 9/2013)
Final
Final Exam
(200)
HIST 118, p. 10