H680 Graduate Colloquium

Introduction to Cultural History
Spring 2004

Prof. Konstantin Dierks

Email: kdierks@indiana.edu

Office hours: Ballantine 734, Tuesdays, 3:45-5:45 p.m., or by appointment

Office phone: 855-6288

Cultural History Program standard course description:

What is cultural history? Is it defined through particular kinds of subject matter, through a distinctive methodology, through new historical sensibilities, or through a different hermeneutics of suspicion in historical analysis? This course critically evaluates this exciting field as it has developed over the last generation. It introduces debates that are currently at the center of cultural-historical practice, as well as works that are considered "classics", in the sense that they have become indispensable reference points for all practitioners in the field, shaping historical practice irreversibly and far beyond the boundaries of their specific subject matter. While reading key theoretical manifestos which "new" cultural historians repeatedly invoke as their sources of inspiration, the course is primarily based on works of actual historical research (and historicist research in neighbouring disciplines), drawn from a number of different periods (primarily early-modern to modern), places and problematics. Although the historical topics and contexts raised by those books are of obvious importance, students are expected to focus their attention on the methodological, theoretical and conceptual breakthroughs they represent; issues which they can then bring to bear on the planning and conceptualization of their own historical research.

Typical topics that come under the purview of this course include the history of class and the "linguistic turn"; the move from history of women to history of gender (and sex); different methodological approaches to cross-cultural encounters (and understandings of "race"); the history, and validity, of the distinction between fact and fiction; the uses and abuses of "narrative"; the origins of historical meta-narratives (e.g. "modernity") and the stakes in their de-naturalization; the dangers of cultural constructionism and the potential comeback of "neo-essentialism". Of particular interest is the breaking of disciplinary boundaries entailed by cultural history – both within the study of history itself, and between history and its cognate neighbours (in particular literary criticism and history of art), thus expanding the scope of cultural-historical interest (to novels, art, drama, etc).

Course requirements:

Class participation.  Because this course is a colloquium, its success depends on your active participation in discussion.  Toward the end of the semester, everyone will present an abbreviated version of their research project.

Reading assignments.  Weekly reading is available online or on reserve at the Main Library.  See the course syllabus below.

Writing assignments.  Each week you should draft a 2-4 page response to the readings; this should be circulated via email to the entire class by Monday at 9:00 p.m.

The course will culminate in completion of a mini-research paper (4,000-5,000 words; i.e., 16-20 pages).  Before then, you will submit secondary- and primary-source bibliographies, an outline, a partial rough draft, and a complete rough draft, as well as present your research to the class. 

Evaluation.  You will be evaluated based on your participation in discussion, timely submission of work, your presentation, and your final research paper.

Assistance.  If at any time during the semester you have questions about the course website, reading material, research paper, or your performance in this class, please feel free to speak to the professor before or after class, during office hours, via email, or via telephone to make an appointment.

Course syllabus: