On the Edges of Empire

Empires, Nations, and Borderlands in a Comparative Perspective

HIST 3390
TR 10:30 to 11:50am (LART 319)
Mr. Chantra Vanna Potts
LART 320C
Office Hours: T 12-2:00pm W 3:30-430pm
cpotts@miners.utep.edu
Course Description and Objectives:

This course is an introduction to the study of borderlands history,

colonialism, and imperial relationships of power. Students will gain an
understanding of the culture, politics, and nature of colonial borderlands
within the French, British, and Spanish Empires in the eighteenth- to
nineteenth-century western hemisphere. The main theme of the course will
assess the ways that imperial bodies, peoples, and cultures interacted with
one another and the political and social dynamics of borderland life.
The course will be divided into four sections. The first section
investigates the Ohio Valley in the eighteenth century, a region contested by
the British and French Empire and the Iroquois Confederation. The second
section examines the Ro de la Plata region, situated between modern-day
Argentina and Uruguay and located at the confluence of the Spanish,
Portuguese, and British Empires in the eighteenth century. The following
section assesses the Louisiana and Florida territory in the eighteenth
century, a location where the British, French, and Spanish Empire along with
indigenous allies vied for political hegemony. And the final segment of the
course will investigate New Spains northern frontier in which Spanish
settlers and soldiers contested over territories with their Apache and Navajo
neighbors. The goal of the course is for students to gain an understanding of
the nature of colonial borderlands and the ways that imperial empires and
native authority overlapped within them. Students will learn to conceptualize
the basic tenets of a borderland and the character of political and social
power on the periphery of empire, while learning the methods to engage
with secondary scholarly literature on the subject within a comparative
perspective.
Grading Scale: 90=A; 90-80=B; 80-70=C; 70-60=D; 60
Grade Breakdown:
10% Attendance and Class Preparation
35% Weekly Issues Papers

25% Short Mid-term Comparative Paper

30% Long Final Comparative Paper

Assessments:
Attendance and Class Preparation: Students will be expected to attend each
class session having completed the days assignment and read the assigned
pages in order to contribute to the in-class discussion. Attending each class
session, participating in the discussion, and actively listening to your
classmates perspective will insure an effective understanding of the broader
concerns and concepts within the course.
Weekly Issues Papers: Students will be asked to submit a one-page, singlespaced paper that summarizes the assigned readings for the week. The
purpose of this assignment is to help students engage with the assigned
readings and articulate the readings within written form. Think of these as
weekly reading journals.
Short Mid-term Comparative Paper: This paper will be four to five pages in
length with one-inch margins, size 12-point font, double spaced, and
Chicago-style citation. In this essay, the student will write a comparison of
the two books read in the first half of the semester (Perkins and Prado),
analyzing the differences and similarities between the two borderlands
regions. Late papers can be submitted up to the following class period for a
full letter grade reduction.
*more information will be provided closer to the due date
Long Final Comparative Paper: This paper will be seven to eight pages in
length with one-inch margins, size 12-point font, double spaced, and
Chicago-style citation. In this paper, students will write a comparative paper
about all four borderlands regions, interpreting the ideas, trends, and
concepts that are similar and different between each borderlands. Be sure to
think about the main themes of the course: power, empire, and borderlands.
Late papers can be submitted up to 24hrs after the due date for a full letter
grade reduction.
*more information will be provided closer to the due date
Required Readings:
Barr, Juliana and Edward Countryman, editors. Contested Spaces of
Early America. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014.

Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin

and Spread of
Nationalism. New York: Verso, 2006.
*Only certain chapters from the above books will be assigned for
reading.
Narret, David. Adventurism and Empire: The Struggle for Mastery in
the Louisiana-Florida Borderlands, 1762-1803. Chapel Hill: University of
North Carolina Press, 2015.
Perkins, Elizabeth A. Border Life: Experience and Memory in the
Revolutionary Ohio Valley. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press,
1998.
Prado, Fabrcio. Edge of Empire: Atlantic Networks and Revolution in
Bourbon Ro de la Plata. Oakland: University of California Press, 2015.
*E-book versions of Barr, Narret, and Perkins are available from the UTEP
Library database and
sections of Barr will be posted on Blackboard
Student Conduct: Attendance is mandatory for this class. Please arrive to
class on time and have completed the required work for the days class
session. Students should have a notebook or laptop for taking notes on
lecture. Electronic devices such as laptops, tablets/I-pads, and mobiles
should only be used for accessing relevant information to the course. Social
media and browser surfing should wait till after class. Please keep private
conversations and distractions to a minimum out of respect for other
students.
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: According to sections 1.3.1 of the
UT Regents Rules and Regulations, It is the official policy of the University
that all suspected cases or acts of alleged scholastic dishonesty must be
referred to the Dean of Students for investigation and appropriate
disposition. It is contrary to University policy for a faculty member to assign a
disciplinary grade such as an F or a zero to an assignment, test,
examination, or other course work as a sanction for admitted or suspected
scholastic dishonesty In short, anyone caught cheating will be reported to
the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. For more on cheating
see UT Regents Rules and Regulations section 1.3.1.1. Dont plagiarize, be
original and always cite your sources (paraphrases and direct quotes).
Students with Disabilities: If you require accommodations or suspect that
you have a disability please contact The Center for Accommodations and
Support Services (CASS) at 747-5148 or at cass@utep.edu or visit Room 106
of the Union East Building. For more info visit http://sa.utep.edu/cass/.

Course Schedule: Spring 2016

Week 1
Week 2

Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10

Week 11

Jan 21 Introductions. What is a borderland? What is an empire?

Comparisons and Theory
Jan 26 Anderson: Creole Pioneers
Jan 28 Anderson: Census, Map, Museum and Old Languages,
New Models
Ohio Valley: the British, French, and Iroquois
Feb 2 Hmlinen, Shapes of Power
Feb 4 Perkins: Introduction and Chapter 1
Feb 9 Perkins: Chapter 2
Feb 11 Perkins: Chapter 3
Feb 16 Perkins: Chapter 4
Feb 18 Perkins: Chapter 5
Ro de la Plata: Spanish, British, and Portuguese
Feb 23 Prado: Introduction and Chapter 1
Feb 25 Prado: Chapter 2
Mar 1 Prado: Chapter 3
Mar 3 Prado: Chapter 4
Spring Break
Mar 8 Prado: Chapter 5
Mar 10 Prado: Chapter 6
Mar 22 Prado: Chapter 7 and Conclusion
Mar 24 Mandrini: Transformations: Rio de la Plata
Louisiana-Florida: French, Spanish, and British
Mar 29 Mid-term Work-day, No weekly paper due
Mar 31 Narret: Prologue and Chapter 1
Short Mid-term Paper due
Apr 5 Narret: Chapter 2 and 3

Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16

Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr

7
12
14
19
21

Narret: Chapter 4 and 5

Narret: Chapter 6 and 7
Narret: Chapter 8 and 9
Narret: Chapter 10 and Conclusion
Taylor, Remaking Americans
New Spains Frontiers
Apr 26 Radding, Colonial Spaces in Fragmented Communities
Apr 28 Cramaussel, A Hispanic Method of Colonization
May 3 DeLay, Blood Talk: Navajo-New Mexican Borderland
May 5 Truett, The Borderlands and Lost Worlds of Early
America
Finals Week
Long Final Paper due Friday May 13 @11:59pm