Week 6 Reading Questions: Africa in the World

For Monday, October 1, 2012:

1. Follow the world news over the weekend, and be prepared to talk about what is going on.

2. Start strategically reading the book you have selected for your research and the upcoming book review project. (For some, this still means turning your research proposal in and selecting a book to begin your research and the book review process).

3. Read Charles Mann, "Family Values," in 1493, pp. 393-410, and provide comprehensive answers to the following questions (TURN IN in class):

What was the casta system, how was it supposed to function, and how did it work?
See also Maria Elena Martinez, "Social Order in Spanish New World", PBS online


For Day 2: Read Charles Mann, "Bad Beginnings," in 1493, pp. 369-382, and prepare comprehensive answers to the following questions for discussion (DO NOT TURN IN; just prepare for discussion and reading quiz):

What is the history of sugar? How does the history of sugar connect to the history of slavery and what were the results? 


For Day 3: Read Charles Mann, "Forest of Fugitives," in 1493, pp. 421-442, and prepare comprehensive answers to the following questions for discussion (DO NOT TURN IN; just prepare for discussion and reading quiz):

What are quilombos and what do they tell us about the early modern history of Africans in the Americas? 


In other words, what are the myths about Africans, particularly African slaves in the Americas, and what does the latest research tell us?
 

DBQ (Document-Based Question) #1

The Rise of Europe

Question: What accounts for the rise of Europe in the 1500s?  Using the documents below and your own knowledge, discuss what you think are the key factors for the successful rise of Europe in the 1500s.  Be sure to use primary sources of evidence for your argument and demonstrate awareness of historians' arguments that are already out there.

Document 1

This document is a map of Spanish and Portuguese explorations from 1400 to 1600 (for images, see PDF version in the class readings section on the right):

 

Document 2:

This document includes an excerpt and an illustration from an Aztec account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico (for images, see PDF version in the class readings section on the right):

The Spaniards took refuge in Acueco, but they were driven out by our warriors. They fled to Teuhcalhueyacan and from there to Zoltepec. Then they marched through Citlaltepec and camped in Temmazcalapan, where the people gave them hens, eggs and corn. They rested for a short while and marched on to Tlaxcala.

      Soon after, an epidemic broke out in Tenochtitlan. Almost the whole population suffered from racking coughs and painful, burning sores.

Document 4

This document is an excerpt from Bernal Diaz del Castillo's account of the conquest of Mexico:

     

However, I saw that our troops were in considerable confusion, so that neither the shouts of Cortes nor the other captains availed to make them close up their ranks, and so many Indians charged down on us that it was only by a miracle of sword play that we could make them give way so that our ranks could be reformed. One thing only saved our lives, and that was that the enemy were so numerous and so crowded one on another that the shots wrought havoc among them, and in addition to this they were not well commanded, for all the captains with their forces could not come into action and from what we knew, since the last battle had been fought, there had been disputes and quarrels between the Captain Xicotenga and another captain [...].

Document 4

These documents are images that illustrate what is known as the "Columbian Exchange" thesis (for images, see PDF version in the class readings section on the right):

Document 5

These documents include a photograph of the silver mines in Potosi, Bolivia, and examples of Spanish silver coins minted in the Americas (for images, see PDF version in the class readings section on the right).

 

Week Five Assignments, Part Two

Reading #2: "Woods, Winds, Shipbuilding, and Shipping: Why China Didn't Rule the Waves," and "Better to Be Lucky than Smart," in Pomeranz/Topik, The World that Trade Created, pp. 47-51.
Questions to prepare for discussion: According the authors, why didn't China rule the waves in the 1500s, and why was it better for Columbus to be lucky than smart?

Reading #3: "Shiploads of Money (Silk for Silver, Part One)," in Mann, 1493, pp. 157-178.
What were the "woukou" and how were they a factor in 16th century China?

Reading #4: "Lovesick Grass, Foreign Tubers, and Jade Rice (Silk for Silver, Part Two), in Mann, 1493, pp. 210-227
Why were the Chinese so much quicker than others to adopt American food plants and what were the effects of adopting these food plants?

Week 5 Reading Questions

For Monday, September 24, please read Charles Mann, "Evil Air," in 1493, pp. 99-116, and provide comprehensive answers to the following three questions:

1.    What is the story of malaria in world history?

2.  What did "Seasoning" mean?

3.  How did the spread of malaria influence the development of chattel slavery?

Fall Independent Research Project Guide (1500-1815)

I. Research writing project calendar and due dates:

Week 4: Library Tour of Research Facilities, Source and Scholarship Collections, initial research, book and source selection, 9/4-7.

           

Week 4: Topic proposal, a 3-5 sentence proposal concluding with a research question, and book review selections due at end of week, 9/21.

           

Week 7: Book Review Draft due at end of week, 10/12.

           

Week 9: Book Review Final Draft due at end of week, 10/26.

           

Week 11: Independent Research Project Outline, Preliminary Thesis Statement & Annotated Bibliography, 6-8 sentences that summarize the state of the scholarship on a specific topic from two secondary sources and assesses the value & limitations of at least two primary sources that support your thesis; due by Thurs, 11/8.

           

Week 13: First Draft, 3-5 pages w/ peer editing, due by Wed, 11/21.

           

Week 15: Final Draft, 5 pages, double-spaced minimum; must include footnotes and bibliography; due at end of week, 12/7.

II. Assignment Descriptions:

Research Proposals: write a one-page document that includes a 3-5 sentence paragraph, and proposes an initial topic and problem of interest, e.g., Asia/China and the latest research on the extent and impact of the Ming Dynasty's Treasure Fleets, Early Modern European fashion and the politics of design, a political and social history of chocolate, the latest on pirates and empire, English folkways and modern sports, etc., along with a meaningful research question about your topic, and a comment on why you think your research is important to the study of world history in our class.

    

Book Reviews: write a 2-3 page review of a book chosen specifically to begin the research process for your research topic. Hopefully, choose a book that interests you about your topic. Make sure to read the introduction and get to know the author's intentions in writing the book; focus then on reading an interesting and hopefully important chapter of the book. Take notes on what strikes you about the book, how it is written, what one can learn from it, if the author(s) successfully accomplished what they set out to do, and/or any questions, comments or criticism you might have. Begin to look through the book reviews featured online, especially the New York Review of Books (http://www.nyrb.com) to start. Outline and compose first draft for peer and teacher review and further revisions.

Papers: write at least five pages on a topic from roughly 1500 to 1815. See guiding questions, weekly reading questions and additional topics in the full independent research guide posted in the class readings on the right to start brainstorming. Meet with instructor to discuss.

Presentations: Prepare an 8-10 minute presentation on the topic of your presentation, including the development of your initial research question, a summary assessment of the scholarship, i.e., secondary sources, and the effective use of some of primary sources in support of your thesis. Consider use of handouts, materials objects, a brief PowerPoint presentation, etc. Choose a week to present and discuss with the instructor.