HISTORY 540: FRANCE 1600-1815 F 2001 Professor Jeremy POPKIN
245 Classroom Bldg Office: 1725 POT MWF 11 Phone: 257-1415 Email: Popkin@pop.uky.edu
Course Description
Between 1600 and 1815, France dominated the European world. The absolutist monarchy created by Henri IV, Richelieu, and Louis XIV made France the most powerful state on the European continent. Its unexpected collapse in the French Revolution of 1789 and the creation of Europe's first constitutional and democratic political system set off shock waves that still affect us today. Finally, the events of the Napoleonic era spread French influence as far away as Russia and the Americas. In this course, we will study the people and events that shaped French history during these two centuries. Through lectures, discussion, readings and written assignments, students will gain a better understanding of French history and of its impact in the making of the modern world.
Course Requirements
(1) regular attendance and active class participation
(2) completion of assigned readings (see below)
(3) written assignments: several short essays of varying length, on topics to be given out (some may involve additional reading). Essay papers must be double-spaced typed or word-processed.
(4) class project: participation in a class project involving a re- enactment of debate from the revolutionary period.
(5) exams: two in-class mid-term exams (essay tests with some identification questions) and a final. The final exam is comprehensive.
Graduate students in history will be assigned a longer paper and some additional readings. There will be periodic meetings for the graduate students to provide for more intensive discussion of French historiography (approx. 1 extra meeting per month).
Grading: Class participation 12.5%; essays 25%; project 12.5%; midterms 12.5% each; final 25% (Graduate students: class participation 15%, essays 20%, term paper 20%, project 5%; midterms 10% each, final 20%)
Comment Cards: Class will be divided into three groups; each group will do one comment card per week. Come to each class with a filled-out 5" x 8" >comment card=. In addition to your name and the date, write down on the card (1) a one- or two-sentence summary of the subject and central thesis of the assigned reading and (2) at least two comments about the reading. Comments may include points you did not understand, points that struck you as especially noteworthy, issues in these readings that relate to other course readings, etc. Please try to keep comments on one side of card, and write legibly. We may use cards as bases for discussion. Completion of comment cards will be counted as part of your participation grade for the course.
Assigned Readings (To be purchased by all students)
Textbooks (available at UK or Kennedy's bookstores)
(1) Briggs, Early Modern France, 2nd. ed.
(2) Goubert, French Peasantry
(3) Burke, Fabrication of Louis XIV
(4) Voltaire, Zadig/L’Ingénu
(5) Mercier, Panorama of Paris
(6) Popkin, Short History of the French Revolution
(7) Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled
Reserve Readings: Reserve readings will be available in 2 locations: at the Young Library Reserve Desk (2 hour reserve) and in the History Dept. library (1743 POT)
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Schedule of Topics and Related Readings
[Dates of tests and written assignments are marked *]
22 Aug.: Introduction to the Course
24 Aug.: An Age of crisis (Briggs, 1-32)
27 Aug.: Population and economy (Briggs, 33-52)
29 Sept.: Urban life and noble elites (Briggs, 52-62)
31 Sept.: Government and economy (Briggs, 62-72)
3 Sept.: LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
5 Sept.: Good King Henry (Briggs, 73-89)
7 Sept.: The Cardinal (Briggs, 89-122, and Richelieu selection on reserve)
10 Sept.: Goubert, French Peasantry, 1-69 (reaction paper on “Martin Guerre” due)
12 Sept.: film, “Return of Martin Guerre,” pt. 1
14 Sept.: film, “Return of Martin Guerre,” pt. 2
*17 Sept.: Goubert, French Peasantry, 70-121
19 Sept.: Goubert, French Peasantry, 122-187
21 Sept.: Goubert, French Peasantry, 187-end
24 Sept.: Mazarin and the Fronde (Briggs, 122-36)
*26 Sept.: 1ST MIDTERM
28 Sept.: Louis XIV: personality and policies (Briggs, 136-59)
Schedule of Topics, cont.
1 Oct.: Religion in the 17th century (Briggs, 160-84, and Catholic xerox selection on reserve
3 Oct.: Advertising absolutism (Burke, 1-69)
5 Oct.: 2001 FALL BREAK
8 Oct.: The king’s changing image (Burke, 71-133) 10 Oct: Reading the king’s image (Burke, 135-203) 12 Oct: Women in the 17th century (reading selection on reserve)
15 Oct.: 18th-century France (reading selection on reserve)
17 Oct.: The French Enlightenment (Briggs, 184-203; Voltaire, “Zadig”)
*19 Oct.: Enlightenment, continued (Voltaire, “L’Ingenu”)Voltaire essay due
22 Oct.: Paris in the 18th century (Mercier, 1-110)
24 Oct.: Urban society (Mercier, 111-230)
26 Oct.: Origins of French Revolution (Popkin, Short History, 1-20)
29 Oct.: Outbreak of the Revolution (Popkin, Short History, 21-35)
31 Oct.: Remaking France (Popkin, Short History, 36-52)
*2 Nov.: 2ND MIDTERM
5 Nov.: Failure of the Liberal Revolution (Popkin, Short History, 54-72)
7 Nov.: Radical Revolution (Popkin, Short History, 73-93; Palmer, 3-77)
9 Nov.: Revolutionary government (Palmer, 78-129)
12 Nov.: The Terror in the provinces (Palmer, 130-224)
14 Nov.: The high tide of radicalism (Palmer, 225-279)
16 Nov.: Toward the Great Terror (Palmer, 280-334)
19 Nov.: The end of the radical revolution (Palmer, 335-396)
21 Nov.: Class project: judging Robespierre
23 Nov.: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
*26 Nov.: The Revolution in the Caribbean (lecture)papers from class project due
28 Nov.: The Directory (Popkin, Short History, 94-108)
30 Nov.: The Consulate (Popkin, Short History, 109-121)
3 Dec.: The Empire (Popkin, Short History, 122-137)
5 Dec.: TBA
7 Dec.: Conclusion(s) (Popkin, Short History, 138-49)
14 Dec.: Friday, 1 pm, FINAL EXAM (in regular classroom)
Course Policies
1. Late Work and Make-Up Exams: Late papers are not accepted and make-up exams are not administered unless students requesting them can produce documented evidence of illness, accident or other cause beyond their control accounting for absence. Students who will miss an exam or assignment because of a scheduled university activity must make arrangements to make up the work before the scheduled due date. Please note that the final for this course is scheduled on the last afternoon of UK finals week. I cannot change the date and time of the final exam. Please do not ask to take the final early.
2. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined in the UK Student Handbook. Students submitting work which is not their own will receive an 'E' for that assignment and will not be allowed to make it up.
3. Modern Technology: Recording devices are not permitted during lectures and discussions, except for students who have a valid physical reason for needing them (e.g., inability to take written notes). Students wearing earphones during class will be invited to go be bored somewhere else. Beepers, cellular phones and other devices which may cause a distraction must be turned off during class. In view of the time period covered in this course, students are welcome to use quill pens, but please pluck your geese outside the classroom.
4. Note on textbook: The textbook assigned for the French Revolution section of this course is one that I have written myself. I assign it because it best suits the way I teach the course. Since you are required to buy the book for this course, however, I would be guilty of a conflict of interest if I made a profit off your purchase of the book. I will therefore refund to each student remaining in the course after the final day for textbook returns and showing me that they have purchased a new copy of the book, an amount equal to my royalties (approx. $1.00). Alternatively, students may designate their royalty refund as a donation to the UK Library, to be made in the name of the class. Please understand that I do not receive any royalties from the sale of used copies of the textbook.