Museum of Social History An Integration Project PL 3370 British Social Philosophy London Semester Fall 2003 Purpose: To allow each student to integrate his/her understanding of British history and the social meanings that characterize different periods of that history into a single comprehensive project covering the entire semester. Understanding what goes forward in history is the basis of understanding the dominant social philosophies that provided crucial justifications and explanations of the meaning of society and self in each period of history. In other words, the dominant social philosophy enters into the social history of the period. (See the syllabus for a more complete explanation) Your project will be to construct a social history museum. You may focus on any aspect of social history. You need NOT take political history as a focus. Possible foci are art, literature, customs and mores, institutions, etc. You may customize the project to your interest, academic major, or other courses you are taking. The easiest way, of course, is to focus on the social-political history of England. However, this is NOT required. Requirements: The project is a semester long project. I expect students to work the project regularly throughout the semester to integrate your learning in this course with your experience in London/Britain. Ideally, you will start to grasp the history of British social institutions, culture, and social philosophies from the inside as an observer participant and not just a distant observer. Successful completion of the project CANNOT be done overnight. It will require thought and time. There will be two check-ins and grades. One will replace the mid-term examination. The other will replace the final examination. The two grades will be averaged for a final project grade. So the first grade is quite as important as the second. I will be happy to consult with any student at anytime on their project. The project is divided into six (6) related parts: periodization, description & justification of the periods, timeline, representative artifacts, a representative text, and a summative essay. 1. Periodization: You will divide the social-political history of England (Britain) into periods. There is no predetermined periodization. The choice is up to you and is part of the project. However, each period must be justified. Why is the time frame a period? How is it different from other periods? That is, what distinguishes it as a period? [You need not and may well-choose not to follow the periodization used by Hibbert, Shama, or me. It might be useful for you to look at different ways of setting up periods besides the three used in the course. How? Go to the library! I do suggest, however, that you consider longer rather than shorter time periods.] Example: the Anglo-Roman (55 B..C.E. - ca. 450) period began with Julius Caesar s first invasion of England and ended with the withdrawal of the last Roman Legion to the mainland. This period is clearly distinguished from the tribal Celtic and Anglo-Saxon period that preceded and followed it. There is evidence that while Roman customs, laws, religion, and government dominated English life, many Celtic traditions, like a strong sense of local or regional order and traditional rights remained and were adapted to Roman Law as, for example, the hero-leader-chieftain. After the withdrawal of political Rome from England in the mid-5th century, cultural Rome remained in a strong respect for law as the basis of social order. Note this IS NOT an essay. You should be able to contain your description and explanation on a large card sized text such as one might see in a museum. So you may have up to one page. As in the above example, the length can be shorter. However, it must be complete and completely
justify your dating of the period. Your periods in essence represent rooms in your museum. Into each room you must place the following. [These are minimum requirements. Minimums MAY BE exceeded. See grading standards below.] 2. Description and justification of the periodization. (See above) 3. A short outline (you may use a time line, great figures, or problems approach) of the period. Make sure you answer (following the outline or time line) the following questions: What were the problems that recurred, especially in the social-political order? What resources were brought to bear? What were the unresolved problems passed on to the next period (generation). Here is an example using the event-problems approach. This is ONLY an example. I am not looking for complexity, but your understanding of what is significant in shaping the period making it what it was (is). There are samples of timeline with different content and periodization on the internet sites in the file history_links. However, please DO NOT just copy this timelines. Use you mind and imagination. 4. At least two artifacts that characterize the period. You may have more. The artifacts may be an implement, a work of art, building, clothing or whatever. Site visits will provide more than ample examples. You can find others. Explain why the artifact characterizes the period. It will be helpful if you include a picture. Otherwise, you will have to describe the artifact as completely as possible. (Copies scanned from books, the internet can provide possible sources of pictures as can a digital camera. However, be careful taking pictures in museums. They have rules. Check first.)
Ledenhall mosaic. Ledenhall Street, London. This mosaic illustrates the extensive Roman influence on English life. The Rudge Cup. This inscribed cup, found in Hadrian s Wall (ca. 1750) lists the names of five wall forts. The occupation of the fort illiurates Roman administration and maintenance of public order. Iceni Coin (ca. 70 AD) from the time of Boudicca found in a buried cache. The incorporation of Celtic design and Roman coining techniques illustrates the mixture of Celtic and Roman influences on Romano-Britain. That the coin was buried shows the extent of the Iceni rebellion. The rebellion, led by Queen Boudicca, shows tha 5. A text (book, essay, play, news article, poem) that characterizes the period. Summarize the text. Then indicate why the text characterizes the period. The text need not be philosophical by any means! Plays, newspaper articles, and other texts represent good examples of the social concerns, problems or issues of the period. Obviously, in the course reader I have relevant texts by some of the more important figures (philosophical thinkers) of in each period. However, you are not limited to these, though they perhaps provide a good starting point. The summary must be complete, coherent, and clearly written. Make sure you discuss why the text represents or characterizes the period. Example: Tacitus the Roman historian provides an account of Boudicca s rebellion )60-61 AD in The Annals, Book XIV, Chapters 29-35. Tacitus account was written between 110-120 ad. It provides a summary of the military campaign of Paulinus Suetonius, an ambitious general reversed previous Roman policy of consolidating rather than extending their rule in Britain. His campaign in Wales, particular on the Isle of Mona was vicious and brutal. Prasutagus, king of the Iceni tried secure peace and stability for his kingdom by bequeathing half in prosperous kingdom to the Roman governor. However, Roman troops ravaged the kingdom, raping his wife and daughters and enslaving the royal family. Boudicca, with the help of neighboring tribes, sought to rectify the wrong. Tacitus characterizes their motivation as the neighboring states, not as yet taught to crouch in bondage, pledged themselves, in secret councils, to stand forth in the cause of liberty. Boudicca s speech to his troops before the final battle with the Roman s recorded by Tacitus certainly characterizes the reason for the revolt as one of protecting traditional freedom and a protest against the injustices that Roman inflicted on the Britons. "This is not the first time that the Britons have been led to battle by a woman. But now she did not come to boast the pride of a long line of ancestry, nor even to recover her kingdom and the plundered wealth of her family. She took the field, like the meanest among them, to assert the cause of public liberty, and to seek revenge for her body seamed with ignominious stripes, and her two daughters infamously ravished.... Behold the proud display of warlike spirits, and consider the motives for which we draw the avenging sword. On this spot we must either conquer, or die with glory. There is no alternative. Though a woman, my resolution is fixed: the men, if they please, may survive with infamy, and live in bondage." Many dimensions of the British social and political thinking are shaped by the key idea, acting to assert or protect public liberty, expressed by Boudicca.
6. A summative essay: (minimum of five double space pages (1500-1800 words), 11 point type, double-spaced). [T.B.A.] Presentation: You may present your museum in any form that is comfortable for you. You may Create a portfolio that collects information by rooms bound in a notebook. This will be the easiest to manage. Use a PowerPoint format or other computer generated format. Each room might be a separate PowerPoint presentation. However, if you use PowerPoint you must make sure you cover the short written sections adequately. You may submit the final summative essay in as a word processor file linked to the last PowerPoint slide. Click here to see the above example in a PowerPoint presentation. If you are really creative and have the computer skills--you may design a virtual museum using HTML. This would be more versatile format to linking written text with images. However, it is also demanding in terms of time. Evaluation: Because this is an ongoing assignment and one that cannot be judged using quantified methods, it is important that we understand the evaluative criteria for the project. Please take time to read the standards and make sure that you understand them. The underlined portions that distinguish each grade level from the previous level are important. It is also important to not that completing the project accurately, completely and on time is the standard for a C. The standards for B and A require more. STANDARDS OF EVALUATION A grade of F is given for work showing serious and extensive errors in the understanding of the material. The work shows a lack of conscientious engagement with the material, sloppy presentation, or lack of care. A grade of D is given for work where there are many errors or serious omissions in understanding. Work shows poor organization and a lack of structure and focus. There is a high degree of ambiguity in written and oral expression that forces me to guess at your meaning. A grade of C is given when the student s work shows an accurate understanding of the material. Work shows some structure and focus. Thoughts are clearly expressed with occasional ambiguity. Most key points are covered and central questions identified. C level work meets the basic requirements of the assignment. A grade of B is given when the standards for the C are met and the following are also evident. Work is well organized. Thoughts are clearly and accurately presented. Thinking through written or oral presentation demonstrates a precise and exact understanding of the material. There is no ambiguity. There are no omissions of important points or questions. A grade of A is given if the conditions for the B are met and the following are also evident. Work shows a highly developed structure and focus. Thoughts are precise and demonstrate an understanding of the material sufficient to allow the student to raise new questions, generate new insights, or suggest new approaches. All work demonstrates confidence with the ideas explored in reading, lecture, discussions, and personal reflection. Examples are used. Ideas are
not only correctly expressed but are expressed with some originality of thought and expression.