Note: This is an outline of an independent study I taught at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester in the spring of 2016.
HIST 695: Seminar on Colonial New England History
Credits: 4
Dates: 2/22/16 through 05/27/2016
Course Description: This course covers New England’s Native American history from early Puritan settlement to the American Revolution. Topics will include the environmental history of colonial New England, its social and economic development, and Native American history. Additionally, the course will take a close look at relationships between Native American communities in New England and European settlers. Requirements: 1.) Student is will check in with Professor Parr at least once per academic week via phone, email, or in person. These meetings are to include discussion of the material covered since the previous check-in. A minimum of half of these meetings must be in-person at a mutually convenient time. Habitual failure to check in may result in a failing course grade. 2.) Student is responsible for timely completion of all readings and written assignments. The due dates of written assignments are noted below. Tardy assignments will be docked at a rate of ⅓ of a grade per day late. After 5 days, late written work will no longer be accepted. 3.) Student is responsible for seeking clarification on instructions, and help (including tutorial resources) as needed in advance of all deadlines. 4.) Student is responsible for obtaining all assigned readings in a timely manner. The weekly reading assignment will be determined during weekly check-ins from the list of readings below.
Readings:
Francis Bremer, The Puritan Experiment
Richard L Bushman, Puritan Into Yankee
Colin Galloway, The Western Abenakis of Vermont
William Cronin, Changes in the Land (bibliographical essay)
Christopher Pastore, Between Land and Sea
Daniel Mandell, King Phillip’s War
Margaret Ellen Newell, Brethen by Nature
Michael Zuckerman, Peaceable Kingdoms
Adams and Pleck, Love of Freedom
Written Assignments: There are two written papers for this course. Both papers should be double-spaced, with a standard 12 point font, like Times New Roman. All work (including quotations, paraphrasing, or things that are not common knowledge) must be properly cited, using Chicago or Turabian Style. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course. The paper assignments are intended to familiarize the student with the craft of history.
Bibliographical Essay (8-10 pages): Due April 18 A bibliographical essay should not merely be a description of what happened, but rather an analytical piece that explains how an event or theme in history has been understood by historians. For example: How have historians analyzed the role of the environment in New England History? How have historians evaluated the origins of the Pequot War? Use the bibliography essay in the back of William Cronin’s Changes in the Land as a model. The bibliographical essay should be analytical and historiographical, rather than summarizing, and avoid excessive use of block quoting. Your essay must use a minimum of 5 sources, one of which can be from your assigned reading. All sources must be scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles, books, or essays in order to receive credit. This paper should be no shorter than 8 full pages (not including works cited), and no longer than 10.
Research paper (15-20 pages): Due May 27 The research paper should draw upon scholarly sources (as in your bibliographical essay) and also primary sources. It should have an original argument, rather than summarizing events. Although this paper will be shorter than most journal articles, an article from a history journal may serve as a good model. All secondary sources must be scholarly (peer-reviewed) in order to receive credit. This paper should be no shorter than 15 pages, or longer than 20, not including the works cited page.
