BinghamtonUniversity

Soc380H/Afrst380H
Revolution:IdeaandMovement
Spring2016
Instructor:M.O.West
OfficeHours:Tue.11am1pm&byappointment
OfficeLocation:LibraryTower415
Description:Thiscourseexaminesrevolutionbothasanideaandasamovement.Theevents
coveredincludetheProtestantReformation,theUS,French,Haitian,Russian,Chineseand
Cubanrevolutions,andtheglobalimpactofGandhisSatyagraha(Nonviolence).
Format:Lecture/discussion.Classmeetstwiceperweek,witheachweeknormallyfocusingon
adiscreetsubject(e.g.,theProtestantReformation).Generally,butnotalways,thefirstdayof
eachweekwillbedevotedtolecturingandtheseconddaytodiscussion.Ideally,thereading
shouldbedonebythefirstclassmeetingoftheweek;itmostcertainlyshouldbedonebythe
secondday,thedayofdiscussion.
Requirements:
(a)4exams:50%oftotalgrade(thefirstandlastexamsareeachworth10%whilethe
secondandthirdcountfor15%apiece).Theexamsareprimarilyessaybased,centeredonthe
readingsandlectures,inthatorder.
(b)Discussion:20%oftotalgrade(discussionsaregenerallyheldweekly,andarebased
ontheassignedreadingforthatweek).
(c)4quizzes:12%oftotalgrade(thequizzeswillbegiven,unannounced,beforethe
discussionatvariouspointsduringthesemester;thelowestquizgradewillbedropped,so
effectivelyyouaregradedonthreequizzes,eachofwhichwillbeworth4%).
(d)Paper(18%).Thiswillbeacomparisonofrevolutions,orrevolutionaryevents,or
revolutionaries.Thedetailswillbediscussedlaterinthesemester.
Note:Studentsmustcompletealltherequirementstoobtainapassinggrade,evenifthey
aretakingthecoursepass/fail.
Reading:Studentsarerequiredtoreadallthetextandbringthemtotheclassdiscussions,
preferablyinprintedform,althoughelectronicversionsonacomputerareacceptable.
Inreading,youwillwanttofocusonwhatisbeingsaid,howitisbeingsaid,andthe
motive(statedorunstated)oftheauthor.Thekeyistoidentifytheargument,orthecentral
point,andperhapssummarizeitinyourownwordsinthemargins.Ifyouareunclearaboutthe
argument,rereadtheopeningpages.Paycloseattentiontoheadings,subheadings,andtopic
sentences,allofwhichmayprovidecluestotheargument.Askcriticalquestionsofthetextsas
youread,includingwhatmajorproblemstheymayhave,perhapsjottingdownyourquestionsin
themargins.
ExtraCredit:Therewillbenone.Nosuchrequestswillbeentertained.

Honesty:Studentsareexpectedtostrictlyfollowthecodeofhonesty,which,amongother
things,prohibitsplagiarism,cheatingonexams,andmultiplesubmissions.Studentsarestrongly
encouragedtoreadandtaketohearttheuniversityStudentAcademicHonestyCode.There
willbezerotolerancefordishonestyinthisclass.Violationsofthehonestycode(which
studentsareencouragedtoreadforthemselves)willbepunishedtothefullestextentallowed,
includingfailingtheentirecourseandbeingreportedtotheuniversityforfurtheraction,which
mayincludesuspensionfromschool.
Outcome:Itishopedstudentswilldevelopaclearunderstandingofthemeaningofrevolution
andsomeofthekeyrevolutionsandrevolutionaryeventsthathaveshapedthemodernworld,the
consequencesofwhicharestillwithus.Byreadingandanalyzingprimarysources,alongwith
secondarymaterial,studentswillcometoanappreciationofhowthepastisinterpretedandwill
bebetterequippedtomaketheirowninterpretations.Thelargerideaistofostercriticalthinking
andquestioningofwhatis.Further,thevariouswritingexercisesshouldenhancebothliterary
craftandresearchskills.
REQUIREDTEXTS(allonblackboard)

Week1:

January26:Introduction
January28:ProtestantReformation

Reading:
JamesDefronzo,SocialMovementsandRevolutions,inDefronzo,Revolutionsand
RevolutionaryMovements,5thed.,pp.932.

Week2:

February2:Film(MartinLuther,PBS,Part1,54mins.)
February4:Discussion

Reading:
TheTwelveArticles:TheManifestoof1525,inPeterBlickle,ed.,TheRevolutionof
1525,pp.1822.
MartinLuther,AgainsttheRobbingandMurderingHordesofPeasants.
FriedrichEngels,ThePeasantWarinGermany,inJamesChowningDavies,ed.,When
MenRevoltandWhy,pp.2532.
SharonL.Arnoult,TheFailureofGodlyWomanhood:ReligiousandGenderIdentityin
theLifeofLadyElizabethDelaval,inJulieA.ChappellandKaleyA.Kramer,eds.,
WomenDuringtheEnglishReformations,pp.115128.
2

Week3:

February9:TheUSRevolution
February11:Discussion

Reading:
JamesOtis,TheRightsoftheBritishColoniesAssertedandProved(1764),inJackP.
Greene,ed.,ColoniestoNation,vol.2,pp.2833.
ThomasPaine,CommonSense,inJackP.Greene,ed.,ColoniestoNation,pp.270
283.

JohnDickinson,ArgumentsAgainsttheIndependenceoftheColonies,inJackP.
Greene,ed.,ColoniestoNation,pp.292296.
DouglasR.Egerton,MumBettTakesaName,inEgerton,DeathorLiberty,pp.169
193.
Week4:

February16:TestI
February18:Film(TheFrenchRevolution:TearingUpHistory,BBC,59
mins.)

Week5:

February23:TheFrenchRevolution
February25:Discussion

Reading:
DeclarationoftheRightsofManandCitizen(1789),inKeithMichaelBaker,ed.,
UniversityofChicagoReadingsinWesternCivilization,vol.7,pp.237239.
DeclarationoftheRightsofWoman(1791),inKeithMichaelBaker,ed.,Universityof
ChicagoReadingsinWesternCivilization,vol.7,pp.261268.
GeorgeRude,WhywasthereaRevolutioninFrance?inRude,RevolutionaryEurope,
2nded.,pp.4962.
RobertDarnton,WhatwasRevolutionaryabouttheFrenchRevolution?NewYork
ReviewofBooks,January19,1989.
ShantiSingham,BetwixtCattleandMen:Jews,Blacks,andWomen,andthe
DeclarationoftheRightsofManandCitizen,inDaleVanKley,ed.,TheFrenchIdeaof
Freedom,pp.114153.

Week6:

March1:TheHaitianRevolution
March3:Discussion

Reading:
MichaelO.WestandWilliamG.Martin,Haiti,ImSorry:TheHaitianRevolutionand
theForgingoftheBlackInternational,inMichaelO.West,MartinG.MartinandFanon
CheWilkins,eds.,FromToussainttoTupac,pp.7290.
C.L.R.James,TheProperty,inJames,TheBlackJacobins,pp.626.
DavidPatrickGeggus,TheBoisCaimanCeremony,inGeggus,HaitianRevolutionary
Studies,pp.8192.
PhilippeGirard,RebelleswithaCause:WomenintheHaitianWarofIndependence,
180204,Gender&History,21,1(2009),pp.6085.
Week7:

Week8:

March8:Review
March10:TestII

March15:TheRussianRevolution
March17:Discussion

Reading:
KarlMarxandFrederickEngels,TheCommunistManifesto,Chapter1.
V.I.Lenin,TheExperiencesof184851,inLenin,StateandRevolution,pp.2131.
EdwardHallettCarr,TheFoundationsofBolshevism,inCarr,TheBolshevik
Revolution,vol.1,pp.325.
ChristopherHill,TheCausesoftheRevolution,inHill,LeninandtheRussian
Revolution,pp.1734.
WilliamM.Mandel,WomenintheRevolution,inMandel,SovietWomen,pp.4463.

Week9:

March22:GandhiandtheGlobalRevolutioninSatyagraha
March24:Film(Gandhi)

Reading:
MohandasGandhi,AhimsaortheWayofNonViolence,inKrishnaKripalani,ed.,All
MenAreBrothers,pp.110139.

B.R.Ambedkar,StatementonGandhijisFast:19September1932,inSukhadeoThorat
andNarenderKumar,eds.,B.R.Ambedkar,pp.187193.
AshwinDesaiandGoolamVahed,BrownOverBlack,inDesaiandVahed,TheSouth
AfricanGandhi,pp.3048.
(thisweeksreadinglistcont.onnextpage)
KwameNkrumah,WhatIMeanByPositiveAction(1949],inNkrumah,Revolutionary
Path,pp.9195.
MartinLutherKingJr.,ThePowerofNonviolence(1958),inJamesMelvin
Washington,ed.,ATestamentofHope,pp.1215.
MartinLutherKingJr.,BirthofaNation,inClayborneCarsonandKrisShepard,eds.,
ACalltoConscience,pp.1741.
Week10:

Week11:

April5:Discussion/Review
April7:TestIII

April12:TheChineseRevolution
April14:Discussion

Reading:
MarkSelden,TheChineseCommunistRevolution,inJackA.Goldstone,ed.,
Revolutions,pp.191201.
SunYatSen,TheRevolutionisthePathtotheRegenerationofChina,inFranz
SchurmannandOrvilleSchell,eds.,RepublicanChina,pp.819.
MaoTseTung[Zedong],ThePeasantMovementinHunan,inFranzSchurmannand
OrvilleSchell,eds.,RepublicanChina,pp.125131.
Emily Honig, Maoist Mapping of Gender: Reassessing the Red Guards, in Susan
Brownell and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, eds., Chinese Femininities/Chinese Masculinities, pp.
255-268.

Week12:

April19:TheCubanRevolution
April21:Discussion

Reading:
5

JoseMarti,OurAmerica,inPhilipBrenner,et.al.,eds.,TheCubaReader,pp.2429.
FidelCastro,HistoryWillAbsolveMe,inCastro,RevolutionaryStruggles,vol.I,pp.
164169,212221.
CheGuevara,AttheAfroAsianConferenceinAlgeria(1965).
(thisweeksreadinglistcont.onnextpage)
CarlosMoore,TheColorofPower,inMoore,Castro,theBlacks,andAfrica,pp.314,
379381.
LoisM.SmithandAlfredPadula,SexualityandRevolution,inSmithandPadula,Sex
andRevolution,pp.168180.

Week13:

April26:Review
April28:TestIV

Week14:

May3:PaperPreparation
May5:PaperPreparation

Week15:

May10:PaperPreparation