Honors 150: European Past Lives
A Scholarly and Creative Inquiry Seminar
Spring 2013
Professor David Smith
E-mail: dfsmith@pugetsound.edu
Office hours: Mon. 1-2 & Fri. 3-4 (and
other times by appmt. in Wyatt 153)
Professor Katherine Smith
E-mail: kasmith2@pugetsound.edu
Office hours: Tues. 11-1 & Fri. 1-2 (and
other times by appmt. in Wyatt 142)
Course Description: Honors 150 fulfills the University's Seminar in Scholarly and Creative
Inquiry core requirement for students in the Honors Program. The course uses a series of
autobiographical narratives composed between the fourth and twentieth centuries as points of
entry into specific moments in the European past: the last years of the Roman Empire, the age
of the Crusades, the Italian Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Victorian era, and the First
World War. Rather than focusing on autobiography as a genre, students use these primary
sources in conjunction with supplementary secondary source materials to reconstruct the
cultural and political setting of each writer's life. In the first part of the semester, students
practice the historian’s craft of close, contextualized analysis of evidence. In the second part of
the semester, students carry out a substantial independent research project on an historical
topic related to the course.
Course Goals: As a Seminar in Scholarly and Creative Inquiry, this course will help students
develop the skills needed to enter into academic conversations and carry out original research.
More specifically, all students in the course will learn to:
 critically evaluate a variety of primary and secondary sources, both orally
(through class discussion and in-class presentations) and in writing;
 construct and defend original arguments based on close readings of sources;
 frame a significant research question, and carry out independent research,
utilizing the full range of academic resources available at Puget Sound;
 and produce a substantial scholarly paper based on original research.
Required Texts: The books below are available for purchase at the bookstore. Additional
readings marked ‘M’ in the schedule of classes may be found on the course Moodle page.
 Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference (Puget Sound Writing Handbook), 7th
edn. (Bedford/St Martin’s, 2012) ISBN: 978-1-4576-1204-6 (if you don’t already own it)
 Augustine, The Confessions, trans. Henry Chadwick (Oxford World’s Classics, 2009) ISBN:
978-0199537822
 Guibert of Nogent, Monodies and On the Relics of Saints: The Autobiography and a Manifesto
of a French Monk from the Time of the Crusades, ed. and trans. Joseph McAlhany and Jay
Rubenstein (Penguin Classics, 2011) ISBN: 978-0143106302
 Benvenuto Cellini, My Life, ed. and trans. Julia Conaway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella
(Oxford University Press, 2009) ISBN: 978-0199555311
 Jean Jacques Rousseau, Confessions, ed. and trans. J.M. Cohen (Penguin Classics, 1963) ISBN:
978-0140440331
 Edmund Gosse, Father and Son, ed. Michael Newton (Oxford University Press, 2009) ISBN:
978-0199539116

Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study of the Years 1900-1925
(Penguin 20th Century Classics, 1994) ISBN: 978-0143039235
Format: Our class will be divided into two sections, and one professor will be assigned to
evaluate the work of the students in each section. For most classes throughout the semester
you will meet together with your section peers, though there will be some lecture classes when
both sections will meet together. Although lectures will serve to introduce our six major texts,
the majority of class time will be dedicated to discussion. You should always bring the assigned
books with you to class, and we may occasionally ask you to print out and bring with you readings
from Moodle.
A Note on Methodology:
Although our six main texts span several centuries, we will approach them with
common questions in mind, so that we can make meaningful comparisons between different
time periods and put these authors into dialogue with one another. Some of the most
important questions that will guide our discussions are:
 What cultural and textual influences have shaped the author’s presentation of
his/her life story?
 Does the author believe there is a larger moral, religious, or philosophical
framework for how the world works? If so, what is it?
 How does the author understand human nature? Is s/he pessimistic or
optimistic about the human condition?
 How can we use this text as an historical document? That is, what light does it
shed on the author’s society (e.g., its political structures, socioeconomic
hierarchies, belief systems, gender roles and family structures)?
Assignments and Evaluation
Class Participation. Students are expected to attend class regularly and keep up with
assigned readings. The majority of our class time will be dedicated to discussion. All students
are expected to participate in these conversations, which will emphasize critical analysis of
assigned texts. Asking questions, sharing thoughts on a text, responding to peers’ comments,
and introducing new issues are all excellent ways to join the conversation in class. Occasional
quizzes on assigned readings may be given at the instructors’ discretion, and will be factored
into the participation grade.
In-class Presentation. All students will give an in-class presentation on a historical
topic related to one of our six main texts. This assignment offers students a chance to present
an argument more fully and formally than is possible during class discussions. Students will
sign up for a presentation date during the first week of class. It will be necessary to carry out a
small amount of research to prepare for the presentation, which should be between five and
ten minutes long, and to create and hand out one additional piece of material (handout,
image, map, etc.) for the rest of the class to consider. Detailed guidelines for the presentation
assignment will be handed out on the first day of class.
Short Essays. These two short essays (4-5 typed, double-spaced pages each) are due in
the first half of the semester and will focus on the first three major texts. The assignments give
students practice developing and defending a thesis, and help them master the art of formal
analytical writing. Particular attention will be paid to the development of an argument, the use
of evidence derived from primary sources, and consideration of historical context (normally
supplied by secondary sources), as well as to organizational strategies and appropriate use of
citations. Before each essay is due, we will have a full-class writing workshop, during which we
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will discuss writing strategies and students will help peers clarify their arguments, organize
their ideas more effectively, and deepen their analysis of evidence.
Short-Essay Quizzes. These three quizzes, all scheduled for the second half of the
semester, are designed to gauge students’ understanding of the final three major texts, as well
as provide practice formulating and supporting written arguments within a set time frame.
For each quiz, students will have twenty minutes to write a short analytical essay in response
to a set prompt about the text under consideration.
Research Project. For the final project, students will carry out independent research
on a historical topic related to one of the six major texts and/or time periods covered in the
course. Topics will be chosen in consultation with the instructors at the midpoint of the
semester. The project consists of two major assignments: a prospectus and annotated
bibliography (consisting of at least three primary sources and five secondary sources); and a
final paper (of ~10 typed, double-spaced pages) with a bibliography due during finals week.
This final project will teach students to formulate a significant research question, locate
primary and secondary sources using the paper and electronic collections of Collins Library,
produce an annotated bibliography, and plan a substantial research paper that will showcase
the analytical writing skills they have developed over the course of their freshman year. We
will have a full-class writing workshop dedicated to the prospectus and annotated bibliography
assignment in the twelfth week of class.
Here is a breakdown of the value of all major assignments:
Grading:
15%
5%
30%
15%
10%
25%
Class participation
In-class presentation
Short formal essays (15% each)
Short-essay quizzes (5% each)
Research prospectus & annotated bibliography
Final research paper
Grading Scale: Written assignments, exams and class participation will all be graded on a scale
from A to F. Below are the numerical equivalents of each grade:
A:
93-96
A-:
90-92
B+:
87-89
B:
83-86
B-:
80-82
C+:
77-79
C:
73-76
C-:
70-72
D+:
67-69
D:
63-66
D-:
60-62
F:
below 60
Other Resources:
While the instructors are happy to discuss readings and assignments and offer research
guidance throughout the semester, students are strongly encouraged to make use of two additional
resources this semester: Collins Library and the Center for Writing, Learning, and Teaching. We
will have a library workshop with our History liason librarian, Peggy Burge, but you should feel free
to make an individual appointment to meet with her to discuss your research for your presentation
or final project. Peggy may be reached by email (pburge@pugetsound.edu) or phone (ext. 3512).
The Center (located in Howarth 109) is not for bad writers; it is a resource for anyone who
wants to improve their writing, is trying to master a new writing form or learning to write in a new
discipline, or who just needs help getting started on an assignment. We have two writing liaisons
assigned to Honors 150 this semester: Ian Wright (Honors 150A) and Ari Scott-Zechlin (Honors
150B). Ian and Ari will visit our classes on multiple occasions, but and students are also
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encouraged to make individual appointments with them by emailing writing@pugetsound.edu or
calling ext. 3404.
Course Policies:
Attendance: Regular attendance is essential to your success in the course. The professors
reserve the right to withdraw any student from the class for excessive unexcused absences. The last day
to withdraw from the course with an automatic ‘W’ is March 4th; students withdrawn after this date will
normally receive a ‘WF.’
Academic Honesty: All students are expected to abide by the guidelines concerning academic
honesty outlined in the Logger (at http://www.pugetsound.edu/student-life/studentresources/student-handbook/academic-handbook/academic-integrity/). Violations of honesty in
research (i.e., inventing or falsifying sources or data) or writing (i.e., borrowing the arguments or words
of others without attribution), or the defacing or destruction of library materials will result in a grade of
‘0’ for the assignment in question and, at the instructor’s discretion, dismissal from the course.
In Case of Emergency: Please review university emergency preparedness and response
procedures posted at www.pugetsound.edu/emergency/. Familiarize yourself with hall exit doors
and the designated gathering area for your class and laboratory buildings. If building evacuation
becomes necessary (e.g., earthquake), meet your instructor at the designated gathering area so
she/he can account for your presence. Then wait for further instructions. Do not return to the
building or classroom until advised by a university emergency response representative. If
confronted by an act of violence, be prepared to make quick decisions to protect your safety. Flee
the area if you can safely do so. If this is not possible, shelter in place by securing classroom or lab
doors and windows, closing blinds, and turning off room lights. Stay low, away from doors and
windows, and as close to the interior hallway walls as possible. Wait for further instructions.
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
Week 1
Wed
23-Jan
Fri
25-Jan
Week 2
Week
Mon 2 28-Jan
Wed
Fri
30-Jan
1-Feb
Week 3
Mon
4-Feb
Introduction to the course
Sign up for in-class presentations
Intro: Augustine and His World
Reading: A Writer’s Reference, A1-a (pp.67-69)
Introduction to Confessions (pp.ix-xxv) and book 1.1-10 (pp.3-13)
(M) Chris Wickham, “Culture and Belief in the Christian Roman World,” in The
Inheritance of Rome (New York, 2009), 50-75.
Overview of using reference works to research presentations (Peggy Burge)
Augustine, Confessions, books 1.11-3.12 (pp.13-51)
(M) Gary Wills, “The Book’s Birth,” in Augustine’s ‘Confessions:’ A Biography
(Princeton, 2011), ch.1 (pp.1-16).
presentation topic: sexuality and chastity in the early Church
Augustine, Confessions, books 4.1-6.5 (pp.52-96)
presentation topic: Manicheanism
Augustine, Confessions, books 6.6-7.21 (pp.97-132)
presentation topic: early Christians and pagan learning
Augustine, Confessions, books 8-9 (pp.133-178)
(M) Gary Wills, “The Book’s Genre,” in in Augustine’s ‘Confessions:’ A Biography
(Princeton, 2011), ch.2 (pp.17-25).
presentation topic: women in Late Antique Christianity
4
Wed
6-Feb
(M) selections from Augustine’s The City of God Against the Pagans, in Readings in
Medieval History, Vol. 1: The Early Middle Ages, 4th edn., ed. Patrick Geary (Toronto,
2010), 46-57.
presentation topic: the sack of Rome by the Visigoths
Fri
8-Feb
Writing Workshop for the first essay
Reading: A Writer’s Handbook, C1-2 (pp.3-20) and CMS1a-4a (pp.498-511)
Assignment: Bring a rough draft of your introductory paragraph and at least one body
paragraph of your essay, along with a complete outline to class.
Week 4
Mon
11-Feb
Wed
13-Feb
Fri
15-Feb
Week 5
Mon
18-Feb
Intro: Guibert of Nogent and His World
Reading: Introduction to Monodies (pp. vi-xvi) and book 1.1-7 (pp.3-21)
(M) Jay Rubenstein, “Biography and Autobiography in the Middle Ages,” in Writing
Medieval History, ed. Nancy Partner (London, 2005), 53-69.
First Essay Due
Guibert of Nogent, Monodies, book 1.8-19 (pp.21-67)
(M) R.I. Moore, “Sex and the Social Order,” in The First European Revolution, c.9701215, chapt. 3 (read pp.65-88).
presentation topic: the Gregorian Reform
Guibert of Nogent, Monodies, books 1.17-26, 2.1-3 (pp.67-95)
(M) Moore, “Sex and the Social Order,” finish (pp.88-111).
presentation topic: Benedictine monasticism
Guibert of Nogent, Monodies, books 2.4-6, 3.1-7 (pp.95-105, 107-133)
presentation topic: medieval urban life and communes
Wed
20-Feb
Guibert of Nogent, Monodies, book 3.8-20 (pp.133-184)
presentation topic: miracles in the Middle Ages
Fri
22-Feb
Guibert of Nogent, Introduction to On Saints and their Relics, prologue and book 1 (pp.
xvi-xxii and 187-217)
presentation topic: the medieval cult of relics
Week 6
Mon
25-Feb
Wed
Fri
27-Feb
1-Mar
Week 7
Mon
4-Mar
Wed
6-Mar
Intro: Benvenuto Cellini and His World
Reading: Cellini, My Life, Introduction (pp.ix-xxii) & 1.1-1.21 (pp. 3-33)
(M) Jacob Burckhardt, “The Development of the Individual,” in The Civilization of the
Renaissance in Italy, Vol. 1, trans. S.G.C. Middlemore (New York: Harper & Row, 1958),
143-50.
Cellini, My Life, 1.24-27, 1.34-42, 1.47-66 (pp.36-44, 59-75, 84-113)
presentation topic: the sack of Rome in 1527
Cellini, My Life, 1.80-91, 1.94-111 (pp.134-56, 162-93)
(M) Peter Burke, “Patrons and Clients,” in The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society
in Italy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1972), 88-123.
presentation topic: the Medici and Florence
Cellini, My Life, 2.1-23, 2.36-40, 2.44-46 (pp.223-58, 274-80, 285-88)
(M) Margaret A. Gallucci, “Honor and Manliness,” in Benvenuto Cellini: Sexuality,
Masculinity, and Artistic Identity in Renaissance Italy (New York: Palgrave Macmillan,
2003), 109-142.
presentation topic: King Francis I of France
Cellini, My Life, 2.53-57, 2.61-64, 2.73-79, 87-95 (pp.296-302, 307-14, 323-33, 342-53)
presentation topic: Classical influences on Renaissance sculpture
5
Fri
8-Mar
Week 8
Mon
11-Mar
Wed
13-Mar
Fri
15-Mar
Writing Workshop for the second essay
Reading: A Writer’s Handbook, C1-2 (pp.3-20) and CMS1a-4a (pp.498-511) *review
Assignment: Bring a rough draft of your introductory paragraph and at least one body
paragraph of your essay, along with a compete outline to class.
Intro: Rousseau and His World
Rousseau, Confessions, Introduction (pp.9-14) and book 1 (pp.17-51)
Second Essay Due
Rousseau, Confessions, book 2 (pp. 52-89)
(M) Christopher Kelly, “Rousseau’s Confessions,” in The Cambridge Companion to
Rousseau, ed. P. Riley (Cambridge, 2001), 311-25.
presentation topic: biography in the 18th century
Rousseau, Confessions, book 3 (pp. 90-129)
Spring Break
Week 9
Mon
25-Mar
Wed
27-Mar
Fri
29-Mar
Week 10
Mon
1-Apr
Wed
3-Apr
Fri
5-Apr
Week 11
Mon
8-Apr
Rousseau, Confessions, book 4 (pp. 130-170)
Rousseau, Confessions, book 5 (pp. 171-214)
(M) Tim Blanning, The Romantic Revolution, Introduction and Chapter 1: “Crisis in the
Age of Reason” (New York, 2011), 5-57.
presentation topic: Reason and Romanticism
Rousseau, Confessions, book 6 (pp. 215-257)
First short-essay quiz
Individual meetings on research topics
Reading: A Writer’s Reference, R1a-R1b (pp. 331-34)
Library Session on Research Methods
Reading: A Writer’s Reference, R1c-R2b (pp. 334-352)
Assignment: Before today’s library session, locate and read a subject encyclopedia
article on your proposed topic.
Intro: Edmund Gosse and His World
(M) Hugh McLeod, Religion and Society in England, Chapter Four: “Religious Crisis”
(New York, 1996), 169-220.
Gosse, Father and Son, Introduction and Chapters 1-3
presentation topic: The crisis of Victorian faith
Wed
10-Apr
Gosse, Father and Son, Chapters 4-7
(M) Frank Turner, “The Victorian Crisis of Faith and the Faith that was Lost,” in
Victorian Faith in Crisis: Essays in Continuity and Change in 19 th century Religious Belief,
ed. R. J. Helmstadter and B. Lightman (Stanford, CA; 1990), 20-26.
presentation topic: faith and the Victorian family
Fri
12-Apr
Gosse, Father and Son, Chapters 8-11
(M) John Tosh, A Man’s Place: Masculinity and the Middle-Class Home in Victorian
England (New Haven, 2007), 27-50.
presentation topic: Victorian family and values
Week 12
Mon
15-Apr
Gosse, Father and Son, Chapter 12 and Epilogue
(M) Tosh, A Man’s Place, 145-69.
presentation topic: Victorian sexuality
6
Wed
17-Apr
Gosse, Father and Son
(M) Jason Edwards, “Edmund Gosse and the Victorian Nude,” History Today, Vol 51,
Issue 11 (2001): 29-35.
Second short-essay quiz
Fri
19-Apr
Workshop: the Research Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography
Reading: A Writer’s Reference, review R1a-R1b (pp. 331-34) and read R3a (pp. 35859) and CMS4 (pp. 510-28)
Assignment: Bring in a draft of your prospectus and at least two annotated
bibliographic entries to work with in class.
Week 13
Mon
22-Apr
Intro: Vera Brittain and Her World
Introduction to Testament of Youth, Selection from Part 1.
Wed
24-Apr
Brittain, Testament of Youth, Selection from Part 1.
(JSTOR) Nicoletta F. Gullace, “White Feathers and Wounded Men: Female Patriotism
and the Memory of the Great War,” Journal of British Studies 36 (1997): 178-206.
presentation topic: The Physical Cost of World War 1
Fri
26-Apr
Brittain, Testament of Youth, Selection from Part 2
(M) Paul Ward, “’Women of Britain Say Go:’ Women’s Patriotism in the First World
War,” Twentieth Century British History 12 (2001): 23-45.
presentation topic: Women and World War in Britain
Week 14
Mon
29-Apr
Wed
1-May
Fri
3-May
Week 15
Mon
6-May
Wed
8-May
Research Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography due
Assignment: bring two copies of your prospectus and annotated bibliography with you
to class today.
Brittain, Testament of Youth, Selection from Part 2
(M) Janet Watson, Fighting Different Wars: Experience, Memory and the First World
War in Britain (Cambridge, 2004), Chapter 6: “Creating Disillusionment in Popular
Memory,” 247-61.
(M) Dan Todman, The Great War in Myth and Memory (London, 2005), Chapter 5:
“Poets,” 183-6.
presentation topic: Memory and autobiography in the early 20th century
Brittain, Testament of Youth, Selection from Part 3
(M) George Robb, British Culture and the First World War (New York, 2002), Chapter
8: “Remembering and Memorializing the War,” 220-24.
presentation topic: The War to End All Wars
Brittain, Testament of Youth, Selection from Part 3
(M)David A. Johnson and Nicole F. Gilbertson, “Commemorations of Imperial Sacrifice
at Home and Abroad: British Memorials of the Great War,” History Teacher 43 (2010):
585-94.
Third short-essay quiz
Conclusions
**Final research papers are due Wednesday, May 15th by 3pm**
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