For this final exam/paper in our class on the history of the Caribbean, I’m asking you to reflect back on all four books we have read this semester, as well as class lectures, films and your two PowerPoint projects.  I’d like you to do this by re-considering Jamaica Kincaid’s essay about the relationship between Antiguans and outsiders.

 Specifically, I’d like you to write an essay of approximately 1,800 words [roughly 6 double-spaced pages] that adopts as its thesis one of the three template sentences listed below. See the grading grid below for specific requirements.

 1. Kincaid is surely right about _________ because recent research and published documents on Thomas Thistlewood, the Haitian Revolution, and twentieth-century vodou show that _____________.

2. Whereas Kincaid is surely right that _____________________, recent research and published documents on Thomas Thistlewood, the Haitian Revolution, and twentieth-century vodou convince me that __________________________ instead.

3.  I disagree with Kincaid’s view that _________________, because, as recent research and published documents on Thomas Thistlewood, the Haitian Revolution, and twentieth-century vodou prove, _______________________. 

Instructions: To read my embedded comments in older versions of Microsoft WORD, click “View” and “Comments” on the menu. In Word 2003 and after, click “View” and then “Print Layout View”.  I highlighted [in green] words and phrases that contain obvious errors; ask me if you have trouble figuring out what the mistake is!

On your Mama Lola paper I said you should improve:

Your second PowerPoint projects are graded, and you’ll find my comment sheet and grading grid in your WebCT. sorry to use that system, but UTA regulations say I can’t use regular email to send you grades. If you need to contact me, though, please use my regular email and NOT webct.

As long as you’re in WebCT — go ahead and check out your grades in the gradebook. Make sure I have everything there that you’ve turned in!

The paper on Karen McCarthy Brown’s book Mama Lola is due on December 4, instead of November 13.  As before, you don’t need to turn the paper in until the afternoon of that day. We’ll talk about the paper in class, so be sure to come, even if you haven’t finished it!

You should include this sentence [with blanks filled in] as your thesis:

“Some people say ________ about ________, but Karen Brown says _____________.” I encourage you to talk about vodou but you can fill in the blanks with anything that makes sense to you.

Extra credit opportunity: get out the graded version of your Haitian Revolution  paper. Copy the grading grid and comments I made and paste them into the top of your Mama Lola paper. I’ll use that to help grade this paper, so you’re saving me some time!

Sorry to change websites on you, but I’m having problem with my UTA email account which is overflowing due to some large files someone sent me. So I used the mail function inside WebCT to send you an attached Word document with the grading grid and my comments. You can also see the numerical grade in the WebCT grade book. I didn’t put any comments in the PowerPoint file you sent, so there is no point in sending you that.

Write an essay based on historical documents answering the question: “Why did the Haitian Revolution succeed in permanently defeating slavery?” I think it will take you about 1,500 words to write such an essay. The historical documents should come from Slave Revolution in the Caribbean: 1789-1804.

Specifically, you should write about three documents, of your choosing. One must come from pp. 63-132 — these are the sections entitled “The Revolution Begins, 1789-1791″ and “From Slave Revolution to Emancipation, 1791-1794″. The second should come from pages 133-156, which is the section entitled “Defining Emancipation, 1794-1798″. And the third document should come from pages 167-196, which is the section entitled “War and Independence”.

The syllabus says the paper is due on October 18, but I would like you to take a little more time — it will be due on Tuesday, October 23. Watch this post for another “grading grid” and be sure to review my comments on your Thistlewood paper. I will look at those comments when I grade this essay — I’m looking for improvement!

Check your email for a link to the paper with all my comments. Check Webct to see your grade on this and other assignments.

On Tuesday 9/11 we’ll be talking about the first two chapters in Burnard’s book [see suggested reading schedule below.] Don’t forget to bring your book! Also, map quiz grades and last Thursday’s lecture are posted to WebCT.

This is a draft of the essay question on Burnard, Mastery, Tyranny, and Desire. This paper will be due to me electronically the afternoon of 9/25. What follows is NOT the final question, but conveys the general idea so that you can get the information you need as you read this book.

The final version of the question will give you more clues about what I’m looking for. It will also contain a “grading grid” so you can see the criteria I use when I evaluate your paper. I’ll post it on the blog, and we’ll talk about it in class.

Here’s the general gist of the coming question.

In reading about Caribbean slavery, we often ask ourselves “How could anyone do this to another person?” But we know that human beings have done (and, on the other end, survived) terrible things. The more historical question to ask is “Why?”. Why was the life of Jamaican plantation managers and enslaved people the way it was?

Write a 1,500 word essay answering this question, based on the evidence presented by Burnard in Mastery, Tyranny and Desire. You’ll also have a lot of information from my class lectures.

Here’s the upcoming discussion schedule for Burnard, Mastery, Tyranny, and Desire. Note that I’m assuming you can read two chapters over the weekend and one from Tuesday to Thursday. Give yourself about 2 hours to read each 35-page chapter. Write ideas and main points in your book so when you write the paper you won’t have to re-read it!

• Tuesday 9/11 Chapters 1 & 2
• Thursday 9/13 Chapter 3
• Tuesday 9/18 Chapters 4 & 5
• Thursday 9/20 Chapter 6
• Tuesday 9/25: Chapters 7 & 8

Paper will be due electronically that afternoon of 9/25

By the way — Jamaica Kincaid discussion grades are posted on WebCT.

Here is the sign-up results from the calendar grid I passed around in Tuesday’s class

HIST4369
9:30:00 AM; UH02
Show’n'tell signup Date
Barton,Jenn 4-Sep
Bates,Latoya ??
Cardenas,Mike 6-Sep
Connaughton,Jared 20-Sep
Czajkowski,Mary 13-Sep
Dixon,Erin Nicole 27-Sep-07
Ferguson,Andrew 25 Sep
Ferguson,Meggan 11-Sep
Gammon,Taylor 11 Oct
Hailey Jr,Charles 11-Oct-07
Huking,Lauren 13-Sep
Leigh,Cymary F 4 Oct
Magro-Malo,Mariela 16 Oct
Nance,Nick 23-Oct-07
Pelham,Kaylee N 16-Oct-07
Roberson,Jerroed 9-Oct-07
Serrano Jr,Richard 20-Sep
Walker,Genedra 18 Oct
Weiland,Tori 4-Oct-07
Mansfield, Chris 25-Sep-07
Miller, Trimeka 16-Oct-07
DeMaurao, Robert 18-Oct-07

ShowNTell schedule

Thanks to Jenn for being the first ‘Show’n'Tell’ presenter of the semester. She found an interesting photo, though I hope later ‘Show n’ Tell’ presenters will stay away from flcker and find sites with a variety of different motives for posting images from the Caribbean. That’s the real focus on the assignment — not what is the picture about, but why is it on the internet. Who posted and what were their motives. How do they view the Caribbean. this involves some interesting web-detective work — and I hope to see more of this in later presentations — and especially in your Powerpoint assignments!

Good discussion on Jamaica Kincaid! One point I wanted to be sure everyone understood was about her strategic use of ‘politeness’ in the book — she describes people as ‘rude’ rather than calling them racist. This is one example of the way she uses British colonial culture — a kind of ‘code of behavior’ borrowed from the British — to criticize them. Another ‘code’ that was imported to Antigua and used by Kincaid with devastating effect is the English language itself.