2018-2019 Winter

This quarter centers on various forms of resistance to empire. We will challenge received ideas about conquest through an examination of the Inca empire and Spanish colonization of Peru; reflect on how revisions of canonical texts, such as Shakespeare’s The Tempest, destabilize the power structures that sustain empire; and analyze the responses of Indian anti-colonialists to the British Raj. We will explore how empires and their ruins structure the way we think about conquest, colonization, mastery, oppression, rebellion, and revolution by examining written texts, cultural artifacts, images, and film.

Your academic writing last quarter focused on formal elements of writing and argumentation: making arguable claims, choosing persuasive evidence, writing strong warrants, developing logical transitions, and composing rhetorically effective introductions and conclusions. This quarter, you will perfect those abilities while learning how to evaluate and integrate secondary sources.

Note: Students who want to begin Humanities Core in the winter can do so as long as they have satisfied the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement. After completing the winter and spring quarters, students will have met the lower division writing requirement as long as they have a grade of C or better in the writing component. Completion of the lecture component over two quarters with grades of D- or better will fulfill two Arts and Humanities (Category IV) of the GE requirements. (See details.)

LECTURING FACULTY

Prof. Rachel O’Toole (Dept. of History) Office hours: Tu/Th 3:30-4:30pm plus extended hours during weeks 1-3, 230 Murray Krieger Hall

Prof. Jayne Lewis (Dept. of English) Office hours: Th 12:30-2pm, 162 MKH

Prof. Vinayak Chaturvedi (Dept. of History) Office hours: Tu 10:30-11:30am, 444 MKH

REQUIRED MATERIALS

Important: The course requires the specific editions and translations listed below.

Césaire, Aimé. A Tempest. Translated by Richard Miller. TCG Translations, 2002. ISBN 9781559362108.

Gandhi, Mohandas. “Hind Swaraj” and Other Writings. Edited by Anthony J. Parel. Centenary Edition. Cambridge University Press, 2009. ISBN 9780521146029.

Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Signet Classics, ISBN 9780451527127.

Humanities Core Writer’s Handbook: Empire and Its Ruins, 2018-19. Edited by Tamara Beauchamp and Larisa Castillo. XanEdu, 2018. ISBN: 9781593994983.

Lectures are held:
M/W (not on Fridays) 9:00-9:50am in BS3 1200
M/W (not on Fridays) 11:00-11:50am in BS3 1200
Tu/Th 9:30-10:20am (not till 10:50am) in ALP 1300

Students in Humanities Core enroll in a lecture and in a corresponding writing seminar. This calendar (subject to change) provides information about the lecturing faculty, readings, writing assignments, study questions (SQ), and special events. The reading assignment for each lecture should be completed before the lecture. The password for downloadable pdfs will be provided to enrolled students. If and when lecture slides are available for a particular lecture, a link to download them will be provided.

For information about your writing seminar, please sign in to MyEEE.
New to Humanities Core this quarter? Read these tips for success.