History 100: Sugar, Spice, Things Not So Nice

Calendar of Readings and Assignments

Readings are due on the day they are listed.

As the course progresses, readings may be added or removed. Please check the website for the most up-to-date version of our schedule.

Introduction

W Sept 6 - Introduction to the course and to each other

I. Cod (and Salt)

F Sept 8 - Codfish I
- Reading: Kurlansky Part I
- Notes: Groups for Wednesday's assignment will be determined today.
- Discussion
M Sept 11 - Codfish II
- Reading: Kurlansky Part II
W Sept 13 - Salt
Reading: Everybody reads -
- Harlan W. Gilmore, Cultural Diffusion Via Salt (jstor - print out). Four page article on general themes.
In-Class Assignment: Form six groups and prepare a 5 minute presentation on the role of salt in one of the following articles (assigned in class). This is a chance to work with your peers in finding a thesis and discussing how the author supports that thesis, although you need to write your assignment separately.
- A) Salt in Ming China - Tao-Chang Chiang, "The Salt Industry of Ming China."
- C) Salt in Japan - U.A. Casal, "Salt." (on jstor)
- D) Salt in pre-colonial Africa (Borno) - Lovejoy, "The Borno Salt Industry."
- E) Early Modern England - E. Hughes, "The English Monopoly of Salt in the Years 1563-71."
- F) Salt in the classical Maya period - H. McKillop, "Underwater Archaeology, Salt Production, and Coastal Maya Trade at Stingray."
- G) Salt in the Bible (conceptually) - E. P. Deatrick, "Salt, Soil, Savior" and C. F. Stable, "Salt as Curse in the Old Testament and the Ancient Near East
Writing Assignment: IW - 1
- Write a 1-2 page analysis on your piece of secondary literature. You will need to restate the author's thesis in your own words, then assess how well and in what way the author has proven his or her thesis. You can, and should, develop these papers in your groups, but you must write your own paper privately.

II. Cloth I - Silk (and Horses) - Relevant Textbook pages: 141-161.

F Sept 15 - The Steppe
- Reading:
  - D. Christian, "Silk Roads or Steppe Roads?" (Muse - print out)
- In-class Exercise: Be prepared to verbally replicate, for Christian's article, the same kind of analysis as you produced for your written assignment the previous class.
M Sept 18 - Han China and the Steppe
- Reading:
  - Excerpts from the Han Narrative Histories (print out)
  - Horses and Camels on the Silk Road - read online and look at the pictures
- Writing Assignment 2 Due:
  - Write a 1-2 page analysis of the Han Histories. Discuss how useful the source is to historians, and what problems an historian must face in dealing with the source. Consider authorial intent, genre, audience, time period, and other related factors.

III. Fur (and Soldiers) - Relevant Textbook pages: 203-218, 396-399.

W Sept 20 - Scandinavians and Arabs
- Reading:
  - The Risala of Ibn Fadlan, translation and commentary by J. Montgomery. (Print Out)
  - Selections from "The Earliest Norwegian Laws," trans. L. Larson - go to: http://www.macalester.edu/library/resources/reserves/index.html and search for Perry. Then print out the document.
- In-class Exercise: Pick one legal topic (Merchant Law, Fishing, Hunting, Drinking, Fur, Transport). If that was your only source about the society, what could you extrapolate about it?
F Sept 22 - Scandinavians and Greeks
- Reading:
  - Lunt, H. G. On Interpreting the Russian Primary Chronicle: The Year 1037 (jstor - print out)
  - Constantine Porphyrogenitus - On Administering the Empire. Print Out.
  - The Russian Primary Chronicle - The Christianization of the Russians (and bonus features). Print Out.
M Sept 25 - Fur in the Early Modern World
- Reading:

Read "Beaver," "Mink," "Sea Otter," "Squirrel" on the James Ford Bell Library "trade products" page. Print them out.
L. Turgeon, French Fishers, Fur Traders, and Amerindians during the Sixteenth Century: History and Archaeology

Writing Assignment 3 Due:
- Think about the encounters between people from two societies as portrayed by Ibn Fadlan. What do we learn about the Rus and what do we learn about Ibn Fadlan and his culture? What did the author bring to the encounter, how did his internal biases alter his perceptions, and what did he take away from it? What can we, as historians, learn from such a dynamic, yet distorted, historical record? Write a 1-2 page (400 words) paper addressing these issues.

IV. Alcohol (and Grain)

W Sept 27 - Beer in the Ancient World
- Reading:
  - Standage, A History of the World in Six Glasses, 1-39
  - Textbook: 1-30 and 130-140
F Sept 29 - NO CLASS
M Oct 2 - Beer and Gender and Grain
- Reading:
  - Judith Bennett, "The village ale-wife: women and brewing in fourteenth century England." This is on electronic reserve. Follow this link and search for "Perry."
  - Also look at the Tres Riche Heures. Later, we'll be comparing them to another set of paintings.
  - Textbook: 206-222, 316-325.
W Oct 4 - Other Drinks
- Read either the chapter in Standage on wine or on spirits.
- Writing Assignment 4 Due:
  - For the chapter you read: What is Standage's thesis? How well does it work? React to this type of popular historical writing? Do you find it effective? More or less effective than the Kurlansky piece? Are there any problems with Standage's approach? Write a 1-2 page paper on these themes.

V. Spices (and Power) - Relevant Textbook Pages: 219-223, 337-360 (very useful for many weeks), 411-419 (Islam)

F Oct 6 - Islam and merchants
- Reading:
  - Haddawy, Arabian Nights - The Sinbad Stories (pages TBA)
M Oct 9 - Crusades
- Reading:
  - Urban II at Clermont
  - Taxes of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
  - Read ahead for Marco Polo
W Oct 11- Marco Polo I
- Reading:
  - Selections from The Travels of Marco Polo (p. 46-112)
  - Discussion Questions for Marco Polo
F Oct 13 - Chinese voyages - Exploration? Conquest? Trade?
- Online Assignment Due:
  - Voyages of Zheng He
    - Complete the questions on the above page by using the resources provided to you online.
- Note: Spices will be assigned today for Wednesday's assignment. You might read ahead for Sidi Ali Reis
M Oct 16 - Portuguese, Turks, Dutch, and English - The Global Spice Trade
- Reading:
- Discussion Questions
W Oct 18 - Dutch and English in Indonesia
- No Reading
- Short Paper Due
  - Take a look at the James Ford Bell Library Trade Products page, and look at the spices. Pick a spice NOT on that list and research its history (feel free to use reliable internet sources, a subject we shall discuss), then produce a 750-word paper discussing its origins, role in global trade at any period (your choice), and general significance. I will provide you with a list of spices, though I will consider any alternatives you suggest.

VI. Gold and Silver (and coinage) - Relevant Textbook Pages: 80-86,165-167, 300-302, 387-395, 405-406

F Oct 20 - Timbuktu: West and North Africa
- Reading:
  - Leo Africanus (print out)
- Take Home Exam Handed Out Today! Due Monday, October 23
M Oct 23 - Precious metals in the Roman and post-Roman World
- Reading:
  - No reading due.
- In-class Exercise: Coins as a source for history.
- TAKE HOME EXAM IS DUE
W Oct 25 - Columbus and 1492
- Reading:
F Oct 27 - FALL BREAK
M Oct 30 - Conquest of Mexico
- Reading: Schwartz, pages 100-181
  - TEXTBOOK - Make sure you read chapter 14: 338-357. Skim it, get the sense of the chronology.
W Nov 1 - Colonization of Mexico and Latin America
- Reading:
  - Schwartz, pages 182-229
- Assignment Due:
  - Casta-painting online assignment.

Part II of the class: New World, New Commodities

F Nov 3 - James Ford Bell Library field trip

VII. Sugar and Tobacco - Relevant Textbook Pages: 399-410, others on North America

M November 6 - Sugar in the Caribbean
- M. Wiesner et al., "Sweet Nexus: Sugar and the Origins of the Modern World (1600-1800)." (electronic resource)
W Nov 8 - Rum and Pirates
- Reading: J. Barlow, "Captured by Pirates: Two Diaries of 1724-1725." (On jstor. Print out)
F Nov 10 - No Class. Read for Monday
M Nov 13 - Sweetness and Power
- Reading: Excerpts from Mintz (electronic resource) .
W Nov 15 - Making a European market and its impact
- Reading: Excerpts from Ortiz: Cuban Counterpoint (electonic resource)
- Assignment 5 Due:
  - Write a 1-2 page response to the questions posed in the Wiesner reading, as discussed in class. Make sure to relate specific sources to specific questions.

VIII. Cloth II - Cotton (and weaving) - Relevant Pages: 480-497

F Nov 17- Medieval and Early Modern Cloth
- Reading:
  - Spanish Merchants and the Wool Trade in the Sixteenth Century, Carla Rahn Phillips.
  - The Cotton Industry of Northern Italy in the Late Middle Ages: 1150-1450, Maureen Fennell Mazzaoui
- Note: Final Group Projects Assigned
M Nov 20 - Cotton in the Americas
- Reading: Letter describing new cotton lands, Cloth in the Stone Age.

IX. Wednesday, November 22 - Group Project Working Day

M Nov 27 - Cloth from Africa and India
- Reading:
- Notes on the Portuguese Cloth Trade in West Africa, 1480-1540, John Vogt
- Indian Ocean but not African Sea: The Erasure of East African Commerce from History, Chandra Richard De Silva

X. Slavery - and Cotton, Tobacco, Sugar, Gold, Silver, Religion ...

W Nov 29 - Slavery in the Ancient and Medieval World
- Reading - Print everything and bring to class. Be prepared to define slavery/unfree as you see it in these two bodies of texts.
  - Scandinavian Law codes on slavery (electronic resource)
  - Medieval Serfs and Slaves (online) SKIM!
    - Carolingian Texts on Serfs
    - Concerning Serfs Who Flee to the Cities of Alsace, 1224
    - Manumission of a Villein, 1278
    - Decrees on Sale of Unfree Christians , c. 922-1171
    - Traffic in Slaves: England , 1065-1066
    - William the Conqueror: Sale of Slaves in England , c. 1080
    - Bills of Sale for Saracen Slave Girls , 1248
    - Council of Agde: Concerning Slaves of the Church , 506
    - Gregory of Tours: Enslaving Noble Families , 511
    - Fifth Council of Orleans: Concerning Freedmen , 549
    - Gregory of Tours: Harsh Treatment of Serfs and Slaves , c. 575
    - Gregory I the Great (r.590-604): On Manumission and Redemption , c. 600
    - St. Eligius: Redemption of Slaves , c. 630
    - Fourth Council of Toledo: On the Keeping of Slaves , 633 [re Jews]
    - Pope Gregory III: Prohibition on Selling Christians to Pagans for Sacrificial Rites , 731
    - Lullo, Archbishop of Mainz: On Traffic in Ecclesiastical Serfs , c. 755
    - Council of Worms: On the Murder of Slaves , 876
    - Peter the Venerable vs. St. Bernard of Clairvaux: On the Keeping of Serfs , c. 1120
    - Innocent III (r.1198-1216): The Keeping of Slaves by the Jews , 1204
F Dec 1 - The formation of the early modern slave trade.
- Reading: Skim - 100 Documents on American Slavery. What sorts of variance do you find?
- Crossers of the Sea: Slaves, Freedmen, and other Migrants in the Northwestern Indian Ocean, c. 1750-1914, Janet J. Ewald.
M Dec 4 - Slave Culture in the Americas
- Reading: David B. Davis, Inhuman Bondage, excerpts (on electronic reserve).
- Note: Take Home Exam handed out

XI. Tea (and Opium) - Relevant Textbook Pages: 438-445, 504-509, 532-539.

W Dec 6 - Opium War
- Reading: Tea and the Destruction of China

Friday December 8 - Take Home Exam due. Bruce Schneier presents on Information/Identity as a Commodity

Presentations - Group Projects

M Dec 11 - Presentations
W Dec 13 - Presentations
F Dec 15 - Presentations


Calendar of Readings and Assignments Readings are due on the day they are listed. As the course progresses, readings may be added or removed. Please check the website for the most up-to-date version of our schedule. Introduction W Sept 6 - Introduction to the course and to each other I. Cod (and Salt) F Sept 8 - Codfish I Reading: Kurlansky Part I Notes: Groups for Wednesday's assignment will be determined today. Discussion M Sept 11 - Codfish II Reading: Kurlansky Part II W Sept 13 - Salt Reading: Everybody reads - Harlan W. Gilmore, Cultural Diffusion Via Salt (jstor - print out). Four page article on general themes. In-Class Assignment: Form six groups and prepare a 5 minute presentation on the role of salt in one of the following articles (assigned in class). This is a chance to work with your peers in finding a thesis and discussing how the author supports that thesis, although you need to write your assignment separately. A) Salt in Ming China - Tao-Chang Chiang, "The Salt Industry of Ming China." C) Salt in Japan - U.A. Casal, "Salt." (on jstor) D) Salt in pre-colonial Africa (Borno) - Lovejoy, "The Borno Salt Industry." E) Early Modern England - E. Hughes, "The English Monopoly of Salt in the Years 1563-71." F) Salt in the classical Maya period - H. McKillop, "Underwater Archaeology, Salt Production, and Coastal Maya Trade at Stingray." G) Salt in the Bible (conceptually) - E. P. Deatrick, "Salt, Soil, Savior" and C. F. Stable, "Salt as Curse in the Old Testament and the Ancient Near East Writing Assignment: IW - 1 Write a 1-2 page analysis on your piece of secondary literature. You will need to restate the author's thesis in your own words, then assess how well and in what way the author has proven his or her thesis. You can, and should, develop these papers in your groups, but you must write your own paper privately. II. Cloth I - Silk (and Horses) - Relevant Textbook pages: 141-161. F Sept 15 - The Steppe Reading: D. Christian, "Silk Roads or Steppe Roads?" (Muse - print out) In-class Exercise: Be prepared to verbally replicate, for Christian's article, the same kind of analysis as you produced for your written assignment the previous class. M Sept 18 - Han China and the Steppe Reading: Excerpts from the Han Narrative Histories (print out) Horses and Camels on the Silk Road - read online and look at the pictures Writing Assignment 2 Due: Write a 1-2 page analysis of the Han Histories. Discuss how useful the source is to historians, and what problems an historian must face in dealing with the source. Consider authorial intent, genre, audience, time period, and other related factors. III. Fur (and Soldiers) - Relevant Textbook pages: 203-218, 396-399. W Sept 20 - Scandinavians and Arabs Reading: The Risala of Ibn Fadlan, translation and commentary by J. Montgomery. (Print Out) Selections from "The Earliest Norwegian Laws," trans. L. Larson - go to: http://www.macalester.edu/library/resources/reserves/index.html and search for Perry. Then print out the document. In-class Exercise: Pick one legal topic (Merchant Law, Fishing, Hunting, Drinking, Fur, Transport). If that was your only source about the society, what could you extrapolate about it? F Sept 22 - Scandinavians and Greeks Reading: Lunt, H. G. On Interpreting the Russian Primary Chronicle: The Year 1037 (jstor - print out) Constantine Porphyrogenitus - On Administering the Empire. Print Out. The Russian Primary Chronicle - The Christianization of the Russians (and bonus features). Print Out. M Sept 25 - Fur in the Early Modern World Reading: Read "Beaver," "Mink," "Sea Otter," "Squirrel" on the James Ford Bell Library "trade products" page. Print them out. L. Turgeon, French Fishers, Fur Traders, and Amerindians during the Sixteenth Century: History and Archaeology Writing Assignment 3 Due: Think about the encounters between people from two societies as portrayed by Ibn Fadlan. What do we learn about the Rus and what do we learn about Ibn Fadlan and his culture? What did the author bring to the encounter, how did his internal biases alter his perceptions, and what did he take away from it? What can we, as historians, learn from such a dynamic, yet distorted, historical record? Write a 1-2 page (400 words) paper addressing these issues. IV. Alcohol (and Grain) W Sept 27 - Beer in the Ancient World Reading: Standage, A History of the World in Six Glasses, 1-39 Textbook: 1-30 and 130-140 F Sept 29 - NO CLASS M Oct 2 - Beer and Gender and Grain Reading: Judith Bennett, "The village ale-wife: women and brewing in fourteenth century England." This is on electronic reserve. Follow this link and search for "Perry." Also look at the Tres Riche Heures. Later, we'll be comparing them to another set of paintings. Textbook: 206-222, 316-325. W Oct 4 - Other Drinks Read either the chapter in Standage on wine or on spirits. Writing Assignment 4 Due: For the chapter you read: What is Standage's thesis? How well does it work? React to this type of popular historical writing? Do you find it effective? More or less effective than the Kurlansky piece? Are there any problems with Standage's approach? Write a 1-2 page paper on these themes. V. Spices (and Power) - Relevant Textbook Pages: 219-223, 337-360 (very useful for many weeks), 411-419 (Islam) F Oct 6 - Islam and merchants Reading: Haddawy, Arabian Nights - The Sinbad Stories (pages TBA) M Oct 9 - Crusades Reading: Urban II at Clermont Taxes of the Kingdom of Jerusalem Read ahead for Marco Polo W Oct 11- Marco Polo I Reading: Selections from The Travels of Marco Polo (p. 46-112) Discussion Questions for Marco Polo F Oct 13 - Chinese voyages - Exploration? Conquest? Trade? Online Assignment Due: Voyages of Zheng He Complete the questions on the above page by using the resources provided to you online. Note: Spices will be assigned today for Wednesday's assignment. You might read ahead for Sidi Ali Reis M Oct 16 - Portuguese, Turks, Dutch, and English - The Global Spice Trade Reading: Vasco da Gama: Round Africa to India, 1497-1498 CE Ferdinand Magellan's Voyage Round the World, 1519-1522 CE Sidi Ali Reis's voyages. Discussion Questions W Oct 18 - Dutch and English in Indonesia No Reading Short Paper Due Take a look at the James Ford Bell Library Trade Products page, and look at the spices. Pick a spice NOT on that list and research its history (feel free to use reliable internet sources, a subject we shall discuss), then produce a 750-word paper discussing its origins, role in global trade at any period (your choice), and general significance. I will provide you with a list of spices, though I will consider any alternatives you suggest. VI. Gold and Silver (and coinage) - Relevant Textbook Pages: 80-86,165-167, 300-302, 387-395, 405-406 F Oct 20 - Timbuktu: West and North Africa Reading: Leo Africanus (print out) Take Home Exam Handed Out Today! Due Monday, October 23 M Oct 23 - Precious metals in the Roman and post-Roman World Reading: No reading due. In-class Exercise: Coins as a source for history. TAKE HOME EXAM IS DUE W Oct 25 - Columbus and 1492 Reading: Privileges to Columbus from the King and Queen Columbus' Journal Columbus' Letter to the King and Queen of Spain F Oct 27 - FALL BREAK M Oct 30 - Conquest of Mexico Reading: Schwartz, pages 100-181 TEXTBOOK - Make sure you read chapter 14: 338-357. Skim it, get the sense of the chronology. W Nov 1 - Colonization of Mexico and Latin America Reading: Schwartz, pages 182-229 Assignment Due: Casta-painting online assignment. Part II of the class: New World, New Commodities F Nov 3 - James Ford Bell Library field trip VII. Sugar and Tobacco - Relevant Textbook Pages: 399-410, others on North America M November 6 - Sugar in the Caribbean M. Wiesner et al., "Sweet Nexus: Sugar and the Origins of the Modern World (1600-1800)." (electronic resource) W Nov 8 - Rum and Pirates Reading: J. Barlow, "Captured by Pirates: Two Diaries of 1724-1725." (On jstor. Print out) F Nov 10 - No Class. Read for Monday M Nov 13 - Sweetness and Power Reading: Excerpts from Mintz (electronic resource) . W Nov 15 - Making a European market and its impact Reading: Excerpts from Ortiz: Cuban Counterpoint (electonic resource) Assignment 5 Due: Write a 1-2 page response to the questions posed in the Wiesner reading, as discussed in class. Make sure to relate specific sources to specific questions. VIII. Cloth II - Cotton (and weaving) - Relevant Pages: 480-497 F Nov 17- Medieval and Early Modern Cloth Reading: Spanish Merchants and the Wool Trade in the Sixteenth Century, Carla Rahn Phillips. The Cotton Industry of Northern Italy in the Late Middle Ages: 1150-1450, Maureen Fennell Mazzaoui Note: Final Group Projects Assigned M Nov 20 - Cotton in the Americas Reading: Letter describing new cotton lands, Cloth in the Stone Age. IX. Wednesday, November 22 - Group Project Working Day M Nov 27 - Cloth from Africa and India Reading: Notes on the Portuguese Cloth Trade in West Africa, 1480-1540, John Vogt Indian Ocean but not African Sea: The Erasure of East African Commerce from History, Chandra Richard De Silva X. Slavery - and Cotton, Tobacco, Sugar, Gold, Silver, Religion ... W Nov 29 - Slavery in the Ancient and Medieval World Reading - Print everything and bring to class. Be prepared to define slavery/unfree as you see it in these two bodies of texts. Scandinavian Law codes on slavery (electronic resource) Medieval Serfs and Slaves (online) SKIM! Carolingian Texts on Serfs Concerning Serfs Who Flee to the Cities of Alsace, 1224 Manumission of a Villein, 1278 Decrees on Sale of Unfree Christians , c. 922-1171 Traffic in Slaves: England , 1065-1066 William the Conqueror: Sale of Slaves in England , c. 1080 Bills of Sale for Saracen Slave Girls , 1248 Council of Agde: Concerning Slaves of the Church , 506 Gregory of Tours: Enslaving Noble Families , 511 Fifth Council of Orleans: Concerning Freedmen , 549 Gregory of Tours: Harsh Treatment of Serfs and Slaves , c. 575 Gregory I the Great (r.590-604): On Manumission and Redemption , c. 600 St. Eligius: Redemption of Slaves , c. 630 Fourth Council of Toledo: On the Keeping of Slaves , 633 [re Jews] Pope Gregory III: Prohibition on Selling Christians to Pagans for Sacrificial Rites , 731 Lullo, Archbishop of Mainz: On Traffic in Ecclesiastical Serfs , c. 755 Council of Worms: On the Murder of Slaves , 876 Peter the Venerable vs. St. Bernard of Clairvaux: On the Keeping of Serfs , c. 1120 Innocent III (r.1198-1216): The Keeping of Slaves by the Jews , 1204 F Dec 1 - The formation of the early modern slave trade. Reading: Skim - 100 Documents on American Slavery. What sorts of variance do you find? Crossers of the Sea: Slaves, Freedmen, and other Migrants in the Northwestern Indian Ocean, c. 1750-1914, Janet J. Ewald. M Dec 4 - Slave Culture in the Americas Reading: David B. Davis, Inhuman Bondage, excerpts (on electronic reserve). Note: Take Home Exam handed out XI. Tea (and Opium) - Relevant Textbook Pages: 438-445, 504-509, 532-539. W Dec 6 - Opium War Reading: Tea and the Destruction of China Friday December 8 - Take Home Exam due. Bruce Schneier presents on Information/Identity as a Commodity Presentations - Group Projects M Dec 11 - Presentations W Dec 13 - Presentations F Dec 15 - Presentations
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This site last updated: 7/31/06 Comments to: David Perry Homepage URL: http://www.macalester.edu/courses/hist100/ © 2006 by David Perry and Macalester College. All rights reserved.