Topic: Experiencing the Civil War

TimeDaysLocationInstructorGERCreditOPUS Class NumberSyllabus (Tentative)
2:30pm-4:30pm
Th
Woodruff Library 974
James Roark. HSCW. 42981 TBA.

January 13, 2010- April 26, 2010

Catalog Description: (Similar in nature and format to History 487.) Recent colloquia in American history include: free blacks in antebellum U.S., Jews and other "others" in American history, American Conservatism since 1945.

Semester Details:

Content: What was it like to live through (or to die in) the American Civil War? What difference did it make if one were a soldier or a civilian, white or black, slave or free, male or female, planter or yeoman? Students will explore the wartime experiences of southerners through secondary sources but most especially through individual research in manuscript sources. Woodruff Library's rich holdings include scores of collections of common soldiers, military leaders, politicians, women and civilian workers behind the lines, and more.

Texts: Several secondary readings on southern civilians and soldiers.

Particulars: Each student will write a research paper of approximately 25 pages, an abbreviated version of which the student will present orally to the colloquium. Students will be expected to come to the colloquium each week prepared to engage in informed discussion of the assigned reading.  Final grades for the course will reflect a student's class participation and research paper, each receiving approximately equal weight.


The schedule of courses on O.P.U.S. is the official listing of courses, including days and times they meet and the General Education Requirements they satisfy. Students should use course descriptions as general guidelines. Course requirements, grading details, book lists, and syllabi are subject to change.