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Colloquium:  HUMAN STORIES

– the hope for a better world
19th Century Millenarian Movements in China, Brazil and South Africa as Utopian Thought
Jan Bender Shetler, Department of History
MWF 9:00-9:50, WY318, Thurs. 2:00-3:15, SC203
HIST 100C – Fall 2005

Definitions of Millenarian – a universal human impulse, to hope for something better…

• A person who believes in the coming of the millennium (a time of great peace and prosperity). Relating to or believing in the millennium of peace and happiness.
• Millenarianism is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming major transformation of society after which all things will be changed in a positive (or sometimes negative or ambiguous) direction.

Searching for understanding of millenarian movements, and of ourselves…
            As historians – searching for truth

                        Why do we act in the inexplicable ways we do?
                                    The Boxer Rebellion, China, 1898-1900
                                    Paul Cohen, History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience and Myth
                        Why did the late nineteenth century produce so many millenarian movements around the world?  What do they share in common and how are they related to their particular historical contexts?  How do we explain them?
                        Historical method, how we do history

            As social activists – searching for justice and peace

                        What kind of communities do we seek to build?
                                    The Canudos Movement, NE Brazil, 1893-97
                                    Robert M. Levine, Vale of Tears:  Revisiting the Canudos Massacre in Northeastern Brazil, 1893-1897 and novel, The War at the End
                        Should millenarian movements be interpreted as social reform/revolution or as individualistic conservative/pietistic movements?
                                                           Why was the Brazilian government so threatened by the Canudos community?
                        Social practice, how we do community

            As people of faith – searching for hope

                        How do spiritual connections and hope make a difference in our lives?
                                    The Cattle-Killing Movement, South Africa, 1856-7
                                    J. B. Peires, The Dead Will Arise:  Nongqawuse and the Great Xhosa Cattle-Killing Movement of 1856-7 and Hunting for Hope
                       What was the logic behind Xhosa spiritual yearning that led to the tragedy of the cattle-killing movement?  Is it possible to have empathetic understanding of a different cultural and religious position?  What positive religious impulse can we find in this movement?
                        Spiritual embodiment, how we do faith

Activities

• read books, write papers, study, exams, group project
• journal personal reflections on the questions raised by the historical material
• class discussions and preparation for those discussions
• transition to college activities and materials – organization, library, student life, etc
• social activities, service day, convocation/chapel, group bonding, interviews

Required Texts
Paul Cohen, History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience and    Myth (New York: Columbia University Press, 1997).
Robert M. Levine, Vale of Tears:  Revisiting the Canudos Massacre in Northeastern Brazil, 1893-1897 (Berkeley:  University of California Press, 1992).
Mario Vargas Llosa, The War of the End of the World (Penguin Books, 1997).
J. B. Peires, The Dead Will Arise:  Nongqawuse and the Great Xhosa Cattle-Killing Movement of 1856-7 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1989).
Scott Russell Sanders, Hunting for Hope: a Father’s Journey (Boston:  Beacon Press, 1998).

Library Reserve
Philip Curtin, The World and the West (Cambridge, 2000): Chs. 11 & 12.
Mike Davis, Late Victorian Holocausts (Verso, 2001): Chs. 2, 6, 11 & 12.
Norman Cohn, Pursuit of the Millennium (Harper, 1961): Ch. 12.
South Africa Reading, TBA

Grading
Journals (8 x 5 points)                                                                                                   40       
Discussion Questions (15 x 3)                                                                           45
Research Assignments (Library, Proposals, Bibliography, Draft)                                    45
Exams  (75 + 75 + 100)                                                                                            250                   
Presentation                                                                                                                  50
Final Paper                                                                                                                 100
Participation (class, on-line, stories)                                                                               60                   
Portfolio (writing samples, Coll. Handbook, 4-year plan)                                               10
                                                                                                                                  600

Contact Information:
Jan Bender Shetler – home, 407 Marilyn Ave., office phone 535-7108, home phone 534-5116, email jans@goshen.edu
Kirstin Docken, student assistant – home, 1605 8th St. Apt. 1 (next to Howell house), home phone 534-2287, email kirstinsd@goshen.edu

Course Requirements

• Attendance at all classes is mandatory.  After three unexcused absences your grade will drop 1 percentage point each day you are absent.  You demonstrate respect for the teacher and fellow students by prompt arrival and attentiveness in class.  A tardy is the same as an absence after the attendance has been taken.  Plagiarism in written assignments will not be tolerated.  Exams and discussion participation on days of unexcused absences cannot be made up.  Extensions on papers are granted only in unusual circumstances and at least 3 days in advance of the deadline.  If you are sick or for some medical reason could not complete the assignment let me know as soon as possible.  Any late work, which has not been cleared with me in advance, will be reduced by ten percentage points for each day that it is late.  If you have a scheduled school activity, please turn your assignment in ahead of time.

2. The success of this class depends on developing a community of learning in the classroom with active participation in discussion each day.  Reading assignments must be completed before the class for which they are assigned.  No later than 7:00 a.m. on each class day students will post their discussion questions on the Blackboard site to the professor with brief responses to three discussion questions concerning the reading.  They should bring more detailed responses and their reading notes to class, especially on the days when there are discussion groups.  The first half of the class period will be taken up in discussing student responses.  The three discussion questions for response each class period are as follows:

• Response to a question supplied by the professor posted on the Blackboard site.
• Main point of the reading and evidence to support the point.
• Question(s) you want to raise/discuss in class.

Fifteen discussion question responses are required in the semester, worth 3 points each.  You will receive up to 20 points for participation in class and up to 30 points for participation in small group discussions.   In addition you are encouraged to post responses to the discussion questions on the blackboard discussion site.

3. Exams will be mainly essay, either in class or take home, following the history thesis style for an argumentative essay based on the readings and lectures covered during that period.  A satisfactory performance is one that develops a thesis that connects your conclusion with the readings and class lectures.

4. On Thursdays each student will turn in a Journal response on the Blackboard site before class.  The questions for the journal entries will be posted on the Blackboard site.  These should be one paragraph to one page long, single spaced.  Do not take a lot of time editing and composing.  A journal should be your own reflections on the subject as it applies to your own experience. 

5. Students will write an 8-10 page research paper on a particular case study of a millenarian movement of their own choosing, to be chosen in consultation with the professor through a series of proposals.  The papers will be presented orally in class at the end of the semester.  You may also take a creative approach through art or music to present your findings, in consultation with the professor.  The paper will be focused around one of the main themes or questions from the semester.  Details on the final project will be provided later in the semester.  There will be a number of shorter assignments leading up to the research paper, like the library tutorial, proposals, an annotated bibliography and a first draft.  Please consult with either the professor or the assistant about papers and writing at any time during the semester.

6. At the end of the semester you are required to compose a first semester portfolio of your best writing examples from the semester, your Colloquium handbook including your 4-year plan of study, and the best examples from your journal entries.

7. Goshen College wants to help all students be as academically successful as possible.  If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor or the Director of the Academic Support Center, Lois Martin, early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met.  In order to receive accommodations, documentation concerning your disability must be on file with the Academic Support Center, KU004, x7576, lmartin@goshen.edu.   All information will be held in the strictest confidence.  The Academic Support Center offers tutoring and writing assistance for all students.  For further information please see www.goshen.edu/studentlife/asc.php.

Tentative Colloquium Schedule