University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Curriculum Proposal Form #3
New Course
Effective Term:
2111 (Spring 2011)
Subject Area - Course Number: History 376
Cross-listing:
(See Note #1 below)
Course Title: (Limited to 65 characters)
Rise and Fall of the French Overseas Empire
25-Character Abbreviation:
French Overseas Empire
Sponsor(s):
Jennifer Thibodeaux
Department(s):
History
College(s):
Letters and Sciences
Consultation took place:
NA
Yes (list departments and attach consultation sheet)
Departments:
Programs Affected:
Is paperwork complete for those programs? (Use "Form 2" for Catalog & Academic Report updates)
NA
Yes
Prerequisites:
will be at future meeting
sophomore standing or consent of the instructor
Grade Basis:
Conventional Letter
S/NC or Pass/Fail
Course will be offered:
Part of Load
On Campus
Above Load
Off Campus - Location
College:
Letters and Sciences
Instructor:
Emma Kuby
Dept/Area(s): History
Note: If the course is dual-listed, instructor must be a member of Grad Faculty.
Check if the Course is to Meet Any of the Following:
Technological Literacy Requirement
Diversity
Writing Requirement
General Education Option: Select one:
Note: For the Gen Ed option, the proposal should address how this course relates to specific core courses, meets the goals of General Education in
providing breadth, and incorporates scholarship in the appropriate field relating to women and gender.
Credit/Contact Hours: (per semester)
Total lab hours:
Number of credits:
3
Total contact hours:
Total lecture hours:
48
Can course be taken more than once for credit? (Repeatability)
No
Yes
If "Yes", answer the following questions:
No of times in major:
No of times in degree:
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No of credits in major:
No of credits in degree:
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48
Proposal Information: (Procedures for form #3)
Course justification:
This course builds the existing offerings in Modern European history currently offered by the History
Department. With the addition of a new European historian, specializing in European intellectual history, it
is necessary to build courses in her field of study in order to provide a wider array of European history
courses. As a course focused on the French overseas empire, this course helps to satisfy the university’s
mission of global education and diversity.
Relationship to program assessment objectives:
This course will expand the History Major course offerings in Global/Comparative, which is
required of most history majors. It will also expand the course offerings in Modern European, which are
virtually non-existent outside of Modern Britain and Modern Russia course offerings.
Budgetary impact:
There is no budgetary impact. This course will be taught as part of load.
Course description: (50 word limit)
This survey course introduces students to major themes in the history of French imperialism and colonialism, from
first encounters with “New World” inhabitants during the age of exploration to the bloodstained process of
decolonization in the second half of the twentieth century.
If dual listed, list graduate level requirements for the following:
1. Content (e.g., What are additional presentation/project requirements?)
2. Intensity (e.g., How are the processes and standards of evaluation different for graduates and
undergraduates? )
3. Self-Directed (e.g., How are research expectations differ for graduates and undergraduates?)
Course objectives and tentative course syllabus:
During this course, students will be expected to:
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Understand the meaning and significance of the historical phenomena of imperialism, colonialism,
decolonization, and postcolonialism.
Identify the various world regions whose histories were shaped by the French imperial project, and compare
their differing experiences.
Explain the reasons France was able to build empires in two periods of its history, and recognize the
historical factors that led to the collapse of those empires.
Discuss the forms of violence and coercion that were involved in colonialism and decolonization.
Analyze historical evidence in the form of primary source documents.
Critically read secondary sources on French empire, recognizing the authors’ major arguments and the types
of evidence they employ.
Construct a written historical arguments with appropriate use of sources.
Course Objectives and tentative course syllabus with mandatory information (paste syllabus below):
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HISTORY 376:
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE FRENCH OVERSEAS EMPIRE
Prof. Emma Kuby
White Hall, Room 218
Office Hours: MWF 1-3 pm
Course Description
This survey course introduces students to major themes in the history of French imperialism and colonialism, from
first encounters with “New World” inhabitants during the age of exploration to the bloodstained process of
decolonization in the second half of the twentieth century. As we trace the story of the French overseas empire and
its collapse, we will examine a number of distinct colonial societies, from French Canada to Haiti to Indochina,
Madagascar, sub-Saharan Africa, and Algeria. Throughout, our focus will remain on the many complex forms of
interaction between French explorers/colonizers and indigenous/colonized peoples. We will look for answers to
questions such as:
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For what reasons did the French pursue empire at different moments in their history, and why did their
empires take such different forms from the British, Dutch, or Portuguese cases?
What role did violence play in the establishment and maintenance of the colonies?
How did the French reconcile Enlightenment values and the revolutionary creed of the “Rights of Man”
with the endorsement of conquest and slavery?
How did beliefs about race, gender and sex, and “the primitive” shape the French understanding of empire?
of colonial subjects? of themselves?
What kinds of resistance – armed and symbolic – did colonized peoples pose to the French imperial
project?
Why did the French empire eventually come to an end?
By exploring these problems together, we will try to shed light on what the French empire meant at different points
in history to the many millions of people involved in it, and thereby to understand better why memories of
colonialism still cast such powerful shadows in contemporary France and the former colonies.
Objectives
After completing this class, you should be able to:







Understand the meaning and significance of the historical phenomena of imperialism, colonialism,
decolonization, and postcolonialism.
Identify the various world regions whose histories were shaped by the French imperial project, and compare
their differing experiences.
Explain the reasons France was able to build empires in two periods of its history, and recognize the
historical factors that led to the collapse of those empires.
Discuss the forms of violence and coercion that were involved in colonialism and decolonization.
Analyze historical evidence in the form of primary source documents.
Critically read secondary sources on French empire, recognizing the authors’ major arguments and the types
of evidence they employ.
Construct your own written historical arguments with appropriate use of sources.
In this course, the following numerical averages will apply to all courses averages:
A 93 or above
C+ 76-79
D- 60-62
A- 90-92
C 73-75
F 59 and under
B+ 86-89
C- 70-72
B 83-85
D+ 66-69
B- 80-82
D 63-65
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Requirements
This course has no prerequisites, and does not assume you are already familiar with any of the regions (including
Europe) under discussion. It does, however, demand careful reading of primary and secondary materials,
participation in weekly discussion, and thoughtful, clear writing. The requirements are as follows:
Map Quiz: 5%
Paper 1 (3p.): 15%
Paper 2 (5p.): 20%
Midterm: 20%
Take-home Final: 25%
Participation: 15%
I encourage all of you to come meet with me during my office hours (listed at the top of this syllabus). You can drop
by to discuss a specific assignment, to share thoughts, ideas, or concerns about the class, or just to say hello.
Please take note! Extensions will not be granted for late work except in exceptional circumstances.
Readings
Many readings will be available online at our course website in .pdf form. You will also need to purchase the
following books, either from the college bookstore or acquire them from Textbook Rental.
Textbook Rental:
Robert Aldrich, Greater France: A History of French Overseas Expansion (1996)
Bookstore:
Paul Gauguin, Noa, Noa: The Tahitian Journal (1919)
Eric Jennings, Vichy in the Tropics: Pétain’s National Revolution in Madagascar, Guadeloupe and
Indochina (2004)
Benjamin Stora, Algeria, 1830-2000: A Short History (2001)
For your convenience, these books have also been put on reserve in the library. You can borrow any of them for 2
hours at a time, provided the item is not already in the hands of one of your fellow students. To request a reserve
book, consult the circulation desk.
There will also be two film screenings outside of class hours. If you cannot attend, you are still responsible for
viewing the films: both will be placed on reserve at the library.
Course Schedule
Unit I: The First Age of Empire
Week 1: Introduction
Robert Aldrich, Greater France, p.10-24
Julio Godoy, “How Beautiful Was My Colony”
Week 2: Encounters
Michel de Montaigne, “Of Cannibals” (1580)
Jean de Lery, excerpt from “History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil” (1578)
Patricia Seed, Ceremonies of Possession in Europe’s Conquest of the New World,
1492-1640, p.41-68
**MAP QUIZ**
Week 3: Colonial Structures and Relationships
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William Cohen, “The Establishment of Slave Societies”
Peter Moogk, La Nouvelle France: The Making of French Canada, chs. 2 and 3
Week 4: The Impact of the Enlightenment and the Revolution on French Empire
Toussaint L’Ouverture, excerpts from The Haitian Revolution (writings &
speeches, 1793-1802)
Robin Blackburn, “Haiti, Slavery, and the Age of Democratic Revolutions”
Stuart Harten, “Rediscovering Ancient Egypt: Bonaparte’s Expedition and the
Colonial Ideology of the French Revolution”
Unit II: The “Golden Age” of Empire and the Civilizing Mission
Week 5: Nineteenth-Century Conquest: French Violence, Indigenous Resistance
Aldrich, Greater France, p.24-88
Benjamin Brower, A Desert Named Peace: Violence and Empire in the Algerian
Sahara, 1844-1902, ch.2
** PAPER #1 DUE**
Week 6: Why An Empire?
Aldrich, Greater France, p.89-162
Alice Conklin, A Mission to Civilize, chs. 3 and 4
Week 7: Understandings of Race in the French Empire
Dana Hale, excerpt from Races on Display: French Representations of Colonized
People, 1886-1940
Week 8: Gender and Sex in the Colonies: Representing the Colonized Woman
Paul Gauguin, Noa, Noa: The Tahitian Journal (1919): read to p.34
Jennifer Yee, “Recycling the ‘Colonial Harem’? Women in Postcards from
French Indochina”
Week 9: “The Primitive” : French Representations, Colonial Reappropriations
Paul Gauguin, Noa, Noa: The Tahitian Journal (1919): read to end (p.65)
Aimé Césaire, “Notebook of a Return to the Native Land” (1939)
** MIDTERM EXAM**
Unit III: The Era of Decolonization
Week 10: World Wars I and II and the Growth of Nationalist Movements
A.S. Kenya-Forstner, “The War, Imperialism, and Decolonization”
Eric Jennings, Vichy in the Tropics: Pétain’s National Revolution in Madagascar,
Guadeloupe and Indochina (selections by country assignment)
**Film Screening: “Indigènes”**
Week 11: The Indochinese War and the Shock of Dien Bien Phu
Aldrich, Greater France, p.266-306
William J. Duiker, “Ho Chi Minh and the Strategy of People’s War”
Week 12: The Algerian War I: “Algérie française” or “Algérie algérienne”?
Stora, Algeria, 1830-2000, p.1-116
** Film Screening: “The Battle of Algiers”**
Week 13: The Algerian War II: Voices of the (De)Colonized
Frantz Fanon, “Algeria Unveiled”
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Mouloud Feraoun, Journal, 1955-1962, p.271-316
** PAPER #2 DUE**
Week 14: Postcoloniality: Echoes, Ghosts, and Legacies
Joan W. Scott, The Politics of the Veil, chs. 1 and 2
University Policies
I respect and uphold University policies and regulations pertaining to the observation of religious holidays;
assistance available to the physically handicapped, visually and/or hearing impaired student; plagiarism; sexual
harassment; and racial or ethnic discrimination. All students are advised to become familiar with the respective
University regulations and are encouraged to bring any questions or concerns to my attention.
Students with Disabilities
In compliance with University policy and equal access laws, I am available to discuss appropriate academic
accommodations that may be required for students with disabilities. Requests for academic accommodations are to
be made during the first three weeks of the semester, except in unusual circumstances, so that arrangements can be
made. I encourage you to register with Student Disability services to verify your eligibility for appropriate
accommodations. Please come see me if you have questions about disabilities – creating appropriate
accommodations is important to you, and to me.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to follow the University’s policies regarding plagiarism and academic honesty, and to cite all
contributory sources fully and specifically. Cutting and pasting from online sources is a particularly common and
egregious form of plagiarism and is never acceptable. When in doubt, ask! In this course, the normal penalty for a
violation of the code is an “F” for the term.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is dedicated to a safe, supportive and non-discriminatory learning
environment. It is the responsibility of all undergraduate and graduate students to familiarize themselves with
University policies regarding Special Accommodations, Academic Misconduct, Religious Beliefs Accommodation,
Discrimination and Absence for University Sponsored Events (for details please refer to the Schedule of Classes; the
“Rights and Responsibilities” section of the Undergraduate Catalog; the Academic Requirements and Policies and
the Facilities and Services sections of the Graduate Catalog; and the “Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures
(UWS Chapter 14); and the “Student Nonacademic Disciplinary Procedures" (UWS Chapter 17).
Bibliography: (Key or essential references only. Normally the bibliography should be no more than one or two
pages in length.)
Aldrich, Robert. Greater France: A History of French Overseas Expansion. New York: St. Martin’s, 1996.
Conklin, Alice. A Mission to Civilize: The Republican Idea of Empire in France and West Africa, 1895-1930.
Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1997.
Cooper, Frederick and Ann Laura Stoler, eds. Tensions of Empire: Colonial Cultures in a Bourgeois World.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.
Dubois, Laurent. Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press, 2004.
Hanretta, Sean. Islam and Social Change in French West Africa: History of an Emancipatory Community.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Jennings, Eric. Vichy in the Tropics: Pétain’s National Revolution in Madagascar, Guadeloupe and Indochina.
Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2004.
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Logevall, Frederick and Mark Atwood Lawrence, eds. The First Vietnam War: Colonial Conflict and Cold War
Crisis. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2007.
Moogk, Peter. La Nouvelle France: The Making of French Canada. A Cultural History. East Lansing: Michigan
State University Press, 2000.
Shepard, Todd. The Invention of Decolonization: The Algerian War and the Remaking of France. Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 2006.
Stora, Benjamin. Algeria, 1830-2000: A Short History. Transl. Jane-Marie Todd. Ithaca: Cornell University Press,
2001.
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