MY TOPIC:

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DUE:

• Thurs. 10/16: Annotated bibliography, worth 20 points (1 copy due in class)
• Thurs. 10/23: Draft, worth 20 points (bring 3 copies to class)
• Mon. 11/3: Final, worth 60 points (submission by 9am sharp in your Dropbox folder)

LENGTH: 1500-2000 words

FORMAT: Double spaced
Include your name and a centered title

STYLE: Descriptive / Analytical

AUDIENCE: Another member of the class. This means you can assume your reader is familiar with our shared topics and concepts (such as subjectivity or the Family of Man) but not your specific subject matter.

PURPOSE:       

• To understand some of the legacy of the American & French revolutions in world history.
• To see revolution as an ongoing historical process. To practice applying the core concepts of our course.
• To conduct scholarly research and use it effectively in writing.
• To understand and apply the difference between summary, synthesis, and analysis.

TASK: In short, your job is to provide both a summary of your chosen revolutionary document’s historical context, and an analysis of its rhetoric. You should spend the first half of your essay on the former task, and the second half on the latter.

The Summary

In the first half of your essay, provide as much detail as your can about the circumstances surrounding your document. Questions you may want to answer include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Who is declaring revolt? A nation? A colony? An army? Another kind of group?
2. Against whom are they fighting?
3. When and where in history does this take place?
4. What historical circumstances have led them to this? What history of oppression are they working to overthrow?
5. What do they ask for or proclaim in the document?
6. Who wrote the document?
7. Was there controversy? How was it received?
8. Did the document have an immediate effect? Or not?

Depending on your particular topic, some of these questions may be easy to find the answers to, and others may be trickier. Make a good effort to cover as much information as your reader would naturally be curious to know, and to provide a comprehensive context for the significance of your document.

Revolutionary Writing

Dr. Jessie Reeder jreeder@rice.edu Herring 326

Office Hours: by appointment

Revolution has made us who we are. As you sit in a classroom in a U.S. university, your access to education, your career opportunities, your rights as a citizen—your very ability to read and write—have all been shaped by the revolutionaries of the past who fought to change the entire social order they lived in. In this seminar we will look back at a thirty-year period when the Atlantic world was shaken by revolutions that created new nations, upset traditional arrangements of class, began to undo the stranglehold of the slave trade, and shook the world’s great powers to their core. Between 1775-1805, the American colonies won their independence from the British Empire and established what would be the world power of the United States, France was thrust into an upheaval that terrified Europe and changed the way modern societies were shaped, and the revolt in Haiti led to that nation’s abolishment of slavery and freedom from France. To live through this period was to experience seismic changes in the idea of social structure, as the “new world” broke free from the “old world” and oppressed groups began to claim—and win—certain rights and recognitions. Our very idea of democratic society was born in these fifty years of radical change.

How did these revolutions change the meaning of a community? How did people argue for new relationships with their communities? New rights, new freedoms, new recognitions? Were they trying to change the community they lived in, or make a totally new one? As war established new political realities, how did the victors define citizens and subjects in their new nations? How did individuals (revolutionaries, soldiers, slaves) speak for groups of people? Who was included in the categories of égalité and fraternité? What about women, indigenous people, the working classes, the mad? In this seminar we will read across a wide variety of genres—speeches, letters, essays, constitutions, poetry, and fiction—to understand how revolutionaries in this historical period employed the rhetoric of individual rights to argue for and establish new communities. And we will think about the notions of community and belonging that we still have today because of these  historical upheavals. All readings will be assigned electronically as PDFs (so budget for printing). There are no required textbooks.

Learning Goals:

• Become conversant in the history of the American, French, and Haitian revolutions.
• Understand how these historical events shaped our modern societies.
• Develop the ability to discuss and argue the issues raised by revolution, including citizenship, community, rights, liberty, and power.
• Enhance understanding of the central place of writing and communication in the learning process and in academic life.
• Learn strategies for analyzing, synthesizing, and responding to college-level materials.
• Improve ability to communicate correctly and effectively in writing and in speech, taking into account audience and purpose.
• Become comfortable with writing as a process and learn strategies—for instance, prewriting, outlining, and revision—for working through that process.
• Learn appropriate use of the work of others and, where necessary, specific practices of citation.
• Learn to articulate arguments and to respond productively to arguments of others in writing, discussion, and presentations.

Readings for the Semester:

Primary Documents

• The U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776)
• Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)
• The Seneca Falls Declaration (1848)
• Frederick Douglass, “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?” (1852)
• Abbé Sieyès, “What is the Third Estate?” (1789)
• The Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)
• Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (excerpts) (1790)
• Olympe de Gouge, “The Rights of Woman” (1791)
• The Code Noir (1685)
• Letters from the Slave Revolt in Martinique (1789)
• Address from the Free Citizens of Color (1789)
• Olympe de Gouges, “Preface to The Slavery of the Blacks” (1792)
• Jean-Paul Marat, Friend of the People (1792)
• Léger Sonthonax, Decree of General Liberty (1793)
• Étienne Polverel’s Plantation Policies (1794)
• Haitian Declaration of Independence (1804)
• Haitian Constitution (1805)

Critical Sources

• “An Age of Revolution” from the Norton Anthology of World Literature, vol. E
• Samuel Huntington, “Revolution and Political Order” (excerpts)
• Film: Égalité for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution
• Film: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité: A New Republic is Born in Blood

Reading About Writing

• Anne Lamott, “Shitty First Drafts”
• Paul Roberts, “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words”
• William Zinsser, On Writing Well (excerpts)
• Selections from They Say/I Say: “Her Point Is” “As He Himself Puts It”

Policies and Expectations:

1. Attendance. You are permitted two unexcused absences (this includes minor illness). Subsequent absences will cost you points from your participation grade. More than five absences will be docked directly from your final grade in the course. Consistent or extreme lateness will also affect your participation grade. Absences may be excused at my discretion for valid reasons (including major illness, emergency, and university-sponsored sports/travel), but you must contact me before you miss class. If you miss class, no matter what the reason, it will be your responsibility to find out what you missed. I will not provide summaries of missed class content—for this you should seek a classmate’s help—but if you reach out and ask me, I will do my best to remember any important announcements I covered.
    
2. Participation. You are expected to be an active participant in our class. Education does not mean passively listening to and acquiring facts. It is a process of becoming fluent in new ideas and discovering your own thoughts and values. You cannot do this in silence—you must question, hypothesize, and argue. To receive full participation credit in this class you must: consistently take part in our class discussions, be respectful of others’ opinions, respond to your classmates’ ideas (rather than just waiting for your turn to talk), and engage thoughtfully in peer review.

3. Classroom Etiquette. Please be “present” in class by not using anything with a screen—no laptops, tablets, or phones. The point of our class is not to transcribe what’s being said but to listen and participate. You must bring pen and paper for jotting down new ideas and participating in in-class activities. You must also bring a printed copy of the day’s reading with you to every class meeting. If you consistently fail to have the reading with you, this will affect your participation grade.
    
4. Thought Papers. In this class, as in life, writing is more than just an assignment. It’s how we figure out what we think and how we try to persuade others to think the same way. You will write regular response papers as you develop your beliefs this semester. The thought papers are designed to help you think about the readings, jump-start class discussion, and build toward the longer essays. If you put some mental energy into your thought papers, you should have no trouble participating in class and getting started on your longer essays. There are no right or wrong answers to the thought paper prompts. You are simply figuring out what you believe. Thought papers must be submitted in hard copy at the beginning of class.
    
5. Essays. Writing is a process, not a product. No one, not even the most experienced writers, sits down and types a perfect essay in one go. Skilled writers brainstorm, draft, seek feedback, revise, revise, and revise. We will focus on all of these stages in order to help you develop habits that will make you a successful writer in this class, in college, and beyond. I expect you to embrace the process of writing and put your full effort into each stage.

   You will write three longer assignments this semester. In topic, they all focus on our course theme of revolution. In form and style, they build in complexity. In the first essay we will work on writing   skills that help you reach your audience: clarity, style, concision, and rhetoric. In the second essay,  you will learn how to do research and properly summarize and synthesize sources. The final essay brings all of these skills together as you will make a persuasive argument of your own, but one that uses sources in order to be persuasive.
    

6. Presentations. I know that public speaking can be nerve-wracking, but no matter what field you go into, you will need to communicate your ideas to others. Sometimes you will do this in writing, but sometimes you will need to give presentations. We will discuss good strategies for presenting ideas and you will give two presentations. You will be expected to give presentations in PowerPoint format, so make sure you have access to this program on your personal computer or in the library.
    
7. Extensions and Late Work. Thought Papers will not be accepted late or granted extensions. You are welcome to submit them early if you know you will miss class or if it helps you budget your week. Longer essays will lose 5 points every calendar day they are late. In the case of emergencies, extensions may be granted on a case-by-case basis at my discretion. Extracurricular commitments, social activities, and work for other courses will not be considered as grounds for an extension. Planning and budgeting your time even when busy is one of the skills you need to acquire in college.
    
8. Plagiarism. In the university, as in the “real world,” you will be subject to severe consequences if you use the words or ideas of someone else without proper citation. This includes, but is not limited to: submitting an essay that someone else wrote as your own work; presenting the ideas of any source (including online analysis guides such as sparknotes) as though they are your own; using the direct words of any source without quotation marks or proper paraphrase; failing to provide citation for  any source used. Please consult the university honor code (www.ruf.rice.edu/~honor) or me if you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism. Any instance of academic misconduct will be punished according to university policy. Remember: It is always better to submit an assignment late than to submit plagiarized work!!

9. Disabilities. Any student with a documented disability seeking academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with me during the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain as confidential as possible. Students with disabilities will need to contact Disability Support Services in the Allen Center.
    
10. Resources

1. Me! I am more than happy to help you during your writing process. But I won’t read drafts over email. Just come to my office hours or make an appointment and I will be thrilled to help you brainstorm or work through a draft. I would also be delighted to meet with you and talk about anything related to the course—or anything else.
2. Each other. We don’t write and think in a vacuum; we communicate with others. Your classmates are an ideal audience to test ideas. Feel free to seek each other out and make writing groups.
3. The Center for Written, Oral, and Visual Communication (CWOVC). This is a tremendous resource you would do well to use throughout your time in college. You can make 40-minute appointments with a consultant who will help you brainstorm, organize, and clarify your  ideas for written or oral assignments. Make an appointment at: cwovc.rice.edu.

Grade Distribution

Grading Scale:              

98-100  A+

92-98    A

90-92    A-

88-90    B+

82-88    B

80-82    B-

78-80    C+

72-78    C

70-72    C-

68-70    D+

62-68    D

60-62    D-

* FWIS cannot be taken pass/fail, and it cannot be dropped.

COURSE CALENDAR

Assignments and readings are subject to change. All changes will be announced in class and via email.

American Revolution // Making Arguments

French Revolution // Summarizing and Synthesizing Sources

Haitian Slave Revolt // Making an Argument in Conversation with Sources

THOUGHT PAPER TOPICS

Each Thought Paper should be 400-600 words long, typed, single-spaced, and handed in at the start of class.

I will assess the depth of your thinking as well as your use of the writing skills we have discussed so far in the semester. These papers will help you think about the questions you will answer and practice the writing skills you will need for the longer assignments, so please take them seriously—for your own good.