AMST 1900C Professor Patricia Lott Spring 2014 Office: 194 Meeting St. Day and Time: Wed., 3-5:20 pm Office Hours: Tu. & W. 12-1 Location: 101 Thayer Street (VGQ 1st FL) 116E Office Phone: 401-863-7658 Email: [email protected]
NARRATIVES OF SLAVERY This course examines a range of ways that the story of racial or “new world” slavery has been narrativized—that is presented as or in the form of a narrative. It approaches narrative very broadly as the re/presentation of an event, a history, a biography, an experience, etc., in which particular details are put into a written story, visual image, monument, speech, film, or other mediative and/or representational form. The main modes on which this course centers include the slave narrative, critical texts, iconography, monuments, historiography, and film. One of the seminar’s overarching questions is whether or how the form a narrative takes (e.g. written language, the spoken word, a visual image) or the “genre” that mediates its particulars (e.g. pictorial, monument, historiography, or autobiography) shapes its content and/or meaning. It also interrogates how factors such as race, gender, and geography influence narrative production regarding slavery. In evaluating the issues of form, content, and social positioning, participants will also ponder Black abolitionist, lecturer, novelist, and playwright William Wells Brown’s claim that “Slavery has never been represented, slavery never can be represented” (1847). If it is indeed the case that the atrocities of racial slavery are ultimately unrepresentable and unspeakable, then what does one make of the kind and scope of representations produced by historical and contemporary figures—Brown prominent among them? Are such materials best evaluated from Jean-François Lyotard’s charge that the duty of the writer and the activist—and, we might add, the artist, the filmmaker, etc.—in relation to terror and the “unpresentable” is “not to supply reality but to invent allusions to the conceivable which cannot be [re]presented,” to “be witnesses to the un[re]presentable” (1984)?
Among the other central inquiries the course seeks to address are: What are some of the dominant narratives about slavery? What do they represent as the institution’s most defining features? How do those representations enable or elide critical understanding of slavery, and how do they compare to alternative narratives? What functions do (anticipated) readerships and viewerships play in slavery’s “emplotment,” that is, its placement into the form of a narrative? Is “new world” slavery best emplotted as an ancient institution (i.e. one whose roots lie in antiquity as discerned most vividly in pre-modern Greek and Roman societies), or as a modern-colonial one, that is an institution born of Europe’s colonial modernity as manifested in the rise of capitalism, the nation-state, industrialization, and ethnocentric notions of individualism, reason, scientific thought, and other Enlightenment principles, as enabled by colonialism? Further, what do prevalent narratives reveal about slavery’s constructions of difference in being (e.g. race, gender, and humanness) and how those constructions impacted people’s experiences of bondage, whether they were enslaved or masters and mistresses? What implications does slave status’s basis in matrilineal descent pose for delineating the
Lott Syllabus 1 institution’s gendered features? Moreover, how does the conventionally regionalist narrativizing of slavery in the United States (e.g. as a “peculiar” Southern institution, without regard to its national and global scope), constrain comprehension of slavery’s foundational centrality to the meaning and making of the “new world” more broadly, and of the United States particularly? The course concludes with an examination of narratives that underscore the weighty significance that racial slavery continues to bear upon the present.
Course Objectives:
(1) To delineate how extant narratives “emplot” some of the most constitutive features of racial slavery as it was practiced in various transatlantic sites, especially those in the Caribbean and the United States. (2) To ascertain how knowledge about slavery is constrained or enabled by the forms through which it is mediated. (3) To cultivate in students the critical reading skills needed to evaluate narratives of slavery with attentiveness to the cultural, historical, social, and political milieus in which they were produced. (4) To develop students’ abilities to closely and critically analyze cultural artifacts and critical texts using a number of different approaches.
Required Texts: Arna Bontemps, editor, Five Black Lives: The Autobiographies of Venture Smith, James Mars, William Grimes, The Rev. G.W. Offley, and James L. Smith Henry Box Brown, Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown Saidiya Hartman, Lose Your Mother Mary Prince, The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave Harriet Wilson, Our Nig Required Films Posted on OCRA (Online Course Reserves): Beloved Burn! Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North The required texts are available for purchase at the university bookstore. Students should bring hard copies of the above listed texts to class on the appropriate days. Additional required and supplemental readings will be uploaded to Canvas, the university’s online course management system. The required films are posted on OCRA and have been made accessible via Canvas (under the E-Reserves tool). Course Requirements
1. Attendance and Participation (20%)—This seminar is participation-intensive. Each student is required to attend class regularly and engage in discussions of the assigned readings, screened films,
Lott Syllabus 2 and other course materials. You should complete required readings each week and be ready to participate in a thoughtful, productive, and consistent manner. Participation also involves completing in-class writing or group exercises designed to enhance understanding of the materials covered by the course. These exercises also give me insight into students’ writing and analytical abilities and allow me to suggest strategies for improvement. Typical in-class assignments include writing responses to assigned readings or screened films and analyzing documents or visual representations presented in class. I will permit one (1) unexcused absence without penalizing this percentage of your grade. Upon a second unexcused absence, however, I will deduct from this percentage of your grade until the fifth unexcused absence, at which time you will not receive credit for either attendance or discussion. In order for an absence to be excused, it must fall within the purview of an emergency (e.g. illness, family crisis, etc.) or other compelling event, and be supported by official documentation. In the event that an emergency prohibits you from attending class, contact me as soon as possible so that we can determine the best way for you to make up missed work. If you know of your absence ahead of time, you should email me regarding the particulars. Moreover, I consider you absent if you come to class more than twenty minutes late other than for reasons beyond your control. I will count accumulated tardiness totaling twenty minutes or more as one absence.
2. Reading Responses (15%)—Each student is expected to complete three (3) one to two page responses to the weekly reading(s) of their choice (12-point, plain font, black ink, 8.5” x 11” paper, double-spaced, and 1” margins on all sides). You should submit your responses in hard copy to the instructor before the class session begins on the days from which you select readings.
3. Short Papers (40%)—Each student is required to compose two (2) short essays (5 to 7 pages in length). I will provide specific information about these papers during the semester well before their due dates. You may select one of these short papers to serve as the basis for your longer final paper. I also encourage students to produce creative projects, such as photographic or filmic essays accompanied by appropriate written descriptions of their content and meaning. You should submit hard copies of your papers on their respective due dates before the class session begins. I will not accept email attachments, drop box files, or other electronic versions of your assignments. Papers turned in after the due dates will result in a deduction from your grade, except when you provide written documentation of an emergency to support your late submission. The penalty for late submissions is a half-grade drop for each calendar day that the paper is overdue (e.g. from an A- to a B). All papers should be printed in 12-point plain, font using black ink on 8.5” x 11” paper, double-spaced with 1” margins on all sides, and numbered and stapled in correct order. You should also include your name, the date, the course number, the instructor’s name, and the assignment (e.g. “Short Paper 1”) on your paper’s first page. Please refrain from submitting a coversheet. You should also supply each of your papers with an appropriate title and diligently proofread your completed work. You may format your paper in any one of the standard manners, including MLA or Chicago Style.
4. Final Paper (25%)—Each student is required to complete the final paper (15 pages in length). As with the short papers, I will provide specific information about the final paper during the semester well before its due date. The same guidelines for formatting listed above for short papers apply to
Lott Syllabus 3 your final assessment as well. As concerns submission, you should bring a hard copy of your final paper to my office by the specified deadline.
Devices
Please do not use your phone, tablet, computer, or other electronic device for non-course related activities during class. Students are allowed to use their laptops to access required readings posted online, but all other devices should remain powered off for the duration of class. Students who use such technology to engage in activities outside of the course’s focus (e.g. surfing the web, chatting, texting, etc.) will be docked one (1) attendance and participation point for each infraction. Should you have an emergency that requires you to keep your mobile phone on, please inform me before class begins and keep your phone on silent or vibrate so as not to disturb the class.
Email Policy & Office Hours
Feel free to email me at [email protected] if or when you have a question or concern. I will try my best to respond to emails between the hours of 9am and 6pm and within 24 hours of your message. If your email requires a lengthy or detailed response, I will ask that you stop by during office hours or make an appointment so that we may discuss the issue in person. I request that you adhere to formal and professional etiquette in all correspondence (see: http://www.wikihow.com/Email-a-Professor).
I am available for office hours Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon to 1 pm and by appointment. My office is located at the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice in Alumnae Hall (194 Meeting Street).
Grade Disputes
If you have a complaint or question about the grade(s) you receive on your assignment(s), you should compose a short (no more than one page), written description of your concern and submit it to me in person with your original graded assignment. This formal complaint must refer to the specific item(s) and dispute(s) within the graded assignment. I will consider your request and reply to you in writing. This policy provides a clear paper trail of the disputed grade and formalizes your grievance. It also ensures that you have time to carefully consider your grade by rereading your assignment, reviewing my comments, and making certain that you have a firm position for requesting a change to your grade. You must submit your request two weeks from the date that the disputed grade is distributed and no later than the final day of class.
Accessibility
In order to maintain an accessible and equitable learning environment, students who need accommodations should inform the instructor of their particular needs as soon as possible. You should also consult Brown’s Student and Employee Accessibility Services (SEAS) to complete any necessary formalities: http://www.brown.edu/campus-life/support/accessibility-services/.
Lott Syllabus 4 Writing Resources
Brown University’s Writing Center is staffed by graduate students from a variety of academic disciplines who are dedicated to assisting students with various stages of the writing process. The Center is located in room 213 of J. Walter Wilson (69 Brown Street) and has many resources to help you. In addition to offering individual conferences, the Center’s associates also offer various workshops on writing. I highly recommended that you take drafts of your papers there for writing help prior to turning them in. For more information, visit http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Writing_Center/ or call 401-863-3524.
Code of Conduct
For information on the code of conduct by which the university expects students to abide, including avoiding plagiarism, visit: http://brown.edu/academics/college/degree/sites/brown.edu.academics.college.degree/files/uploads/A cademic-Code.pdf
Grading Rubric for Analytical & Expository Essays
(A) 90-100 % range—Outstanding, original ideas developed exceptionally well. Content: a persuasive, insightful presentation of your own ideas that analyzes the topic thoroughly ideas are clearly connected to the text/topic and to each other Organization: Clearly stated, specific thesis Succeeding paragraphs follow logically from thesis Conclusion considers the ramifications of thesis (answers question: “so what?”) Evidence: appropriate number of quotes used as evidence to prove thesis Quotes are integrated into the text of the essay (quotes are preceded by an identification of the speaker and a brief explanation of the context) Quotes are followed by a thorough analysis that shows they are evidence Process of reasoning is clearly articulated throughout this paper Style: language is clear and concise, with few grammatical or stylistic errors Literary present tense used throughout Quotes punctuated and/or blocked properly; quotes are not “freestanding”
(B) 80-89.5% range—Displays sound understanding of the text, some originality and a sense of the issues involved in interpretation, rather than mere exposition; may have one or two of the following problems: Content: Structure and argument are clear, but ideas lack depth and/or detail—cursory treatment of topic Topic needs more analysis; ideas are good but are insufficiently explained or justified Ideas are good, but logical connection to text or to each other not clear Organization: thesis is vague, difficult to understand and/or prove; thesis is not an argument; thesis not worded strongly
Lott Syllabus 5 Body paragraphs do not follow logically from thesis or each other; or sentences do not follow logically in paragraph Introduction generalizes; or intro is choppy and ideas do not relate well; into does not fit body of paper Conclusion merely restates or summarizes thesis; conclusion does not explore ramifications of thesis Evidence: too few quotes used as evidence or quotes do not prove thesis Quotes/evidence not integrated (see previous ranges) Quotes/evidence could be analyzed more thoroughly (quotes need to be connected more clearly to your ideas) Quotes/evidence not cited properly Style: a number of grammatical or stylistic errors including: vague, repetitious, or colloquial language; shifting tenses; punctuation errors (including improper punctuating or blocking quotations); agreement or predication errors
(C) 70-79.5%range—Displays either uneven performance (serious flaws of comprehension and/or presentation alongside signs of talent) or competent composition without a real attempt at interpretation; may have three of the problems outlined in the previous ranges and/or: Content: depends on plot summary, rather than analysis and interpretation No thesis or discernable argument Inadequate coverage of the topic Basic reasoning not sufficiently in evidence Organization: body paragraphs do not follow logically from a central idea Evidence: few quotes; little actual analysis Insufficient examples of any kind to back up your point Style: stylistic and grammatical errors interfere with the content of the essay
(D) 60-69.5% range—Essay is off-topic (does not answer an assigned or approved topic, displays fundamental misunderstanding of the text) or has three of the problems outlined in the previous ranges.
(F) 50-59.5% range—No paper has been submitted; paper has been plagiarized (incorporates another author’s ideas or language without acknowledgment; or actually written by someone else)
Course Schedule Readings marked with an asterisk (*) are uploaded to Canvas. WEEK 1 (Jan. 22): Introduction and Overview
WEEK 2 (Jan. 29): Power and the Making of Narratives *Michel Rolph-Trouillot, Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History
WEEK 3 (Feb. 5): The Constituent Elements of Slavery: Civil & Social Death *Joan Dayan “Legal Slaves and Civil Bodies,” Nepantla 2:1 (2001): 3-39 *Orlando Patterson, Slavery and Social Death, pp. 1-76
WEEK 4 (Feb. 12): Racial Slavery & Colonial-Modernity
Lott Syllabus 6 *Paul Gilroy, “The Black Atlantic as a Counterculture of Modernity,” from The Black Atlantic, pp. 1-40 *Vincent Brown, “Social Death and Political Life in the Study of Slavery,” American Historical Review (December 2009): 1231-1249
WEEK 5 (Feb. 19): The Slave’s Narrative? *James Olney, “‘I Was Born’: Slave Narratives, Their Status as Autobiography and as Literature,” from The Slave’s Narrative, pp. 148-174 *Nicole Aljoe, “The Forms of Creole Testimony: A Poetics of Fragmentation,” in Aljoe, Creole Testimonies: Slave Narratives from the British West Indies, 1709-1838, pp. 27-56 *Jerome Handler, “Life Histories of Enslaved Africans in Barbados,” Slavery & Abolition 19:1 (1998): 129-134. *Archibald Monteith, “Archibald John Monteith: Native Helper and Assistant in the Jamaica Mission at New Caramel,” Callaloo 13:1 (1990): 102-114
WEEK 6 (Feb. 26): The Slave’s Narrative? cont’d Mary Prince, The History of Mary Prince “Autobiography of Venture Smith,” in Five Black Lives
February 26th: FIRST SHORT PAPER DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS SESSION
WEEK 7 (Mar. 5): The Slave’s Narrative? cont’d Henry Box Brown, Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown “Autobiography of James L. Smith,” in Five Black Lives
WEEK 8 (Mar. 12): Regionalism in U.S. Narratives of Slavery *Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North (On OCRA) *Nathan Huggins, “The Deforming Mirror of Truth: Slavery and the Master Narrative of American History,” Radical History Review 49 (1991): 25-48. *Joanne Pope Melish, “Introduction” and “‘A Thing Unknown’: The Free White Republic as New England Writ Large,” from Disowning Slavery, pp. 1-10 & 210-237
WEEK 9 (Mar. 19): Regionalism cont’d Harriet Wilson, Our Nig James Mars, in Five Black Lives
WEEK 10 March 22-30: Spring Recess. No class.
WEEK 11 (Apr. 2): Visual Representations of Slavery *Radiclani Clytus, “‘Keep it Before the People’: The Pictorialization of American Abolitionism,” in Early African American Print Culture, pp. 290-317 *Phil Lapsansky, “Graphic Discord: Abolitionist and Antiabolitionist Images,” in Abolitionist Sisterhood, pp. 201-230 *Marcus Wood, “Introduction,” from Blind Memory, pp. 1-13
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WEEK 12 (Apr. 9): Visual Representations cont’d *Kay Dian Kriz, “Curiosities, Commodities, and Transplanted Bodies in Hans Sloane’s Voyage,” William and Mary Quarterly 57:1 (2000): 35-78 *Robert Slenes, “African Abrahams, Lucretias and Men of Sorrows: Allegory and Allusion in the Brazilian Anti-Slavery Lithographs (1827-1835) of Johann Moritz Rugendas,” from Slavery and Abolition 23 (2002): 147-68 *Laurence Brown, “Monuments to Freedom, Monuments to Emancipation,” Slavery and Abolition 23.3 (2002): 93-116. *Veerle Poupeye, “A Monument in the Public Sphere: The Controversy About Laura Facey’s Redemption Song,” Jamaica Journal 28:2-3 (2004): 36-48.
Apr. 9th: SECOND SHORT PAPER DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS SESSION
WEEK 13 (Apr. 16): Film as Historical Narrative *Burn! (On OCRA) * Natalie Zemon Davis, “Film as Historical Narrative,” and “Ceremony and Revolt: Burn! and The Last Supper” from Slaves on Screen, pp. 1-15 & 41-68 *Michael T. Martin and David C. Wall, “The Politics of Cine-Memory: Signifying Slavery in the History Film,” in Companion to the Historical Film, Robert Rosenstone & Constantin Parvulesu, eds. (2012), pp. 445-467)
WEEK 13 (Apr. 23): Film cont’d *Beloved (On OCRA) *Natalie Zemon Davis, “Witnesses of Trauma: Amistad and Beloved,” from Slaves on Screen, pp. 69-119
WEEK 14 (Apr. 30): Narratives of Slavery’s Afterlife *Guyora Binder, “The Slavery of Emancipation,” Cordozo Law Review 16: 2063-2102 *Saidiya Hartman, Lose Your Mother
Wed., May 14th: FINAL PAPERS DUE BY 5 PM!!! Do not email your paper to me. Deliver a hard copy to my office in Alumnae Hall at 194 Meeting Street.
Lott Syllabus 8