HIS/POL487-1: BIOGRAPHIES
W: 3:00-4:50
spring 2011 (2 credits)
Meyer Hall 314/319
Concordia University, St. Paul
professor: David E. Woodard, PhD
office/phone: 241 Administration/(651) 641-8713
office hours: M,W 1:00-3:00; Tuesday 3:00-4:00; and by appointment. I am around a lot and easy to find. Stop by my office, catch me after class, or send me an email.
email: woodard@csp.edu
class blog: http://bios-csp.blogspot.com/
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will look at biography as a form of historical and political writing. By studying biographies that approach the craft and their subjects from a variety of perspectives, this class will examine how biography shapes our understanding of history as well as the people and institutions of the past. Among the questions to be examined are:
-How does biography reveal the historical circumstances of the subject’s life to give readers a broader understanding of the historical context of that life and the era in which the subject lived?
-How effectively can contemporary readers explore the past through the prism of one person’s life?
-Is biography, which presumes an empathetic relationship between writer and subject, a challenge to the idea of historical objectivity?
-Does biography, one of the oldest forms of historical writing, challenge or complement contemporary approaches to the craft?
-What do we seek to learn about a person in a biography and why?
-We will also examine different kinds of biography, how these works are written, and the kinds of sources are used.
GRADES
biography #1: essay/review: 15%
biography #2: essay/review: 15%
annotated bibliography-historiography on one of your biographies: 20%
presentation on your other biography: 10%
film biographies: reviews: 10%
in-class projects and discussion: 15%
research-reading notebook: 15%
Annual Research and Scholarship Symposium
The Annual Concordia University Research and Scholarship Symposium will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2010. This is an opportunity for undergraduate students to showcase the research and/or scholarship that they have completed either in the context of a course or with a faculty mentor. Research is typically displayed using a poster format, but other display needs can be accommodated. Please be planning for this as you teach your fall and spring courses! Questions can be directed to Jessica Allen (jallen@csp.edu) or Sharon Mosgrove (mosgrove@csp.edu). Deadline for Registration: March 31, 2010.
SOME CLASSROOM POLICIES and GUIDELINES
LATE ASSIGNMENTS: All in-class and other daily/weekly assignments must be completed/posted on time. Late assignments will not be accepted. For major essays and papers, I will deduct 10% from your grade for each day it is late starting immediately after class. Assignments turned in 5 or more days after the due date will receive an automatic zero. There are no exceptions to this policy. If you must miss class when assignments are due, you are still responsible.
ATTENDANCE: Participation and attendance will be part of your grade—I will be taking attendance. You are allowed only one (1) excused absence. After absence #1, you will begin losing points from your final grade. There will be no excuses; each and every miss will be counted. So plan your absences accordingly.
NO EXCUSES/NO WHINING: While I understand that emergencies do arise; I cannot possibly distinguish between valid and invalid excuses. Therefore, I am compelled to accept no excuses and would appreciate it if you would avoid employing any and all excuses when attempting to explain late or missed assignments. And I dislike whining.
LAPTOPS DURING CLASS: Generally, laptops and cell phones are banned during class. Students should be listening, discussing, and conversing—not mindlessly staring at a computer screen. There will be times, however, when we will use our laptops for research and information gathering. If you are using your laptop or cell phone when you should be listening, you will be marked absent for the day. I also reserve the right to “collect” your cell phone for the class period.
WEEKLY READINGS and ASSIGNMENTS
week #1: January 19
-introductions: professor, students, class, class concepts
-What bios will we be reading?
-online database search
-ANB (online and LTC)
-blog and/or delivery system
week #2: January 26
-discussion of articles and podcasts (links below)
-find a scholarly article on a historical figure (bring the article/link and source)
-discuss ANB
-start and bring your Reading and Research Journal
Topics/Questions: What do we expect to learn from biographies? Who might we want to read about? What do we look for as we look for a quality biography?
Readings
Literacy and why reading (books) is important (a few short articles to get us started)
global student comparisons
reading for pleasure
why reading is important
on literacy and reading
why we should read more books
reading stats
biography links to read
Caro on writing biographies (45 minutes)
PRI program on presidency (55 minutes)
short article on using bios in the classroom
brief interview w/biographer David McCullough
Biography as History, Banner, Lois W.
American Historical Review; June 2009, Vol. 114 Issue 3, pp.579-586
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Why Biography? Kessler-Harris, Alice
American Historical Review; June 2009, Vol. 114 Issue 3, pp.625-630
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week #3: February 2
-different kinds of biographies: psychological, literary, sports, political
-presidency and other institutions
-discussion of bio subjects
-discussion of articles and podcasts (links below)
-discuss ANB—bring your research-reading journals
Topics/Questions--What is biography? How and why do we do biography; the practice of biography over time; how do we write a biography; striking the balance between "the life" and "the times"; tools of the trade
I. biography links to read
Caro interview (60 minutes)
Chernow interview (25 minutes)
Kearns Goodwin on Lincoln (55 minutes)
Writing From the Source, Pace, Audra
Read; 11/27/2009, Vol. 59 Issue 7, pp.28-31
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A Place in Biography for Oneself, Brown, Kate
American Historical Review; June 2009, Vol. 114 Issue 3, pp.596-605
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Channelling Ike, Rayner, Richard
New Yorker; 4/26/2010, Vol. 86 Issue 10, pp.21-22
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"Remembering Public Life: Writing Policy into Biography," Zarnow, Leandra
Journal of Policy History; Oct2009, Vol. 21 Issue 4, pp.448-454
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week #4: February 9
-Sources: archives and online
-Book Reviews
-articles found
-historiography/annotated: examine what it means and start looking for articles
-select people and start looking for articles and books
Chernow on writing (70 minutes, 1999)
Morris (70 minutes)
Schiff interview (15 minutes)
Isaacson interview (15 minutes)
"Original Letters of the Celebrated Mrs. Mary Robinson," Setzer, Sharon
Philological Quarterly; Summer2009, Vol. 88 Issue 3, pp.305-335
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Writing Women's Lives: One Historian's Perspective, Ware, Susan
Journal of Interdisciplinary History; Winter2010, Vol. 40 Issue 3, pp.413-435
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John F. Kennedy as a World Leader: A perspective on the Literature
Burton Kaufman
Diplomatic History, summer 1993
week #5: February 16
biographers panel discussion (1 hour)
McCullough interview (55 minutes)
Christopher Columbus in United States Historiography: Biography as Projection
Carla Rahn Phillips, William D. Phillips
The History Teacher Vol. 25, No. 2 (Feb., 1992), pp. 119-135
Published by: Society for History Education
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/494269
Separations of Soul: Solitude, Biography, History, Taylor, Barbara
American Historical Review; Jun2009, Vol. 114 Issue 3, pp.640-651
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Writing Biography at the Edge of History, Fleming, Robin
American Historical Review; Jun2009, Vol. 114 Issue 3, pp.606-614
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week #6: February 23
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/289912-1
Early modern lives in facsimile, Stewart, Alan
Textual Practice; Apr2009, Vol. 23 Issue 2, pp.289-305
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Medieval Biography, Prestwich, Michael
Journal of Interdisciplinary History; Winter2010, Vol. 40 Issue 3, pp.325-346
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week #7: March 2
biographers panel dicussion (70 minutes)
"Life Histories" and the History of Modern South Asia, Brown, Judith M.
American Historical Review; Jun2009, Vol. 114 Issue 3, pp.587-595
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Galaxy of Black Stars: The Power of Soviet Biography, Hellbeck, Jochen
American Historical Review; Jun2009, Vol. 114 Issue 3, pp.615-624
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Scene-Setting: Writing Biography in Chinese History, Mann, Susan
American Historical Review; Jun2009, Vol. 114 Issue 3, pp.631-639
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week #8: March 9—no class/spring break
week #9: March 16
week #10: March 23
week #11: March 30
week #12: April 6
week #13: April 13
week #14: April 20
week #15: April 27
week #16: May 4
final exam week: May 9-12
