PREREQUISITES Completion or concurrent enrollment in all other required general education courses, GOVT 300, and 18 credits in the major.

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1 George Mason University Department of Public and International Affairs GOVT 490, section 004 Synthesis Seminar Spring :30-2:45 PM MW Robinson B 222 Instructor: David F. Ericson Office Phone: Office Location: Robinson A, Rm. 238 Office Hours: 2:45-4:00 MW; 1:15-2:15 TU; or by appointment dericso2@gmu.edu CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Readings, individual or group projects, and discussion of papers reflecting on the connections between the liberal arts and sciences and the political world. Satisfies General Education Synthesis requirement WRITING INTENSIVE COURSE This course fulfills the Writing Intensive requirement in the Government and International Politics major. You will be asked to write five essays over the course of the semester as well as one research paper; approximately 40 pages of written work. A draft of the research paper will be due approximately three weeks prior to the final due date. This draft will be returned to you within the week with comments and suggestions for revisions. PREREQUISITES Completion or concurrent enrollment in all other required general education courses, GOVT 300, and 18 credits in the major. REQUIRED TEXTS: (1) Louise Shelley, Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective (Cambridge, 2010). (2) Orlando Patterson, Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1982). (3) Don E. Fehrenbacher, The Slaveholding Republic: An Account of the United States Government s Relations to Slavery (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001). (4) Toni Morrison, The Beloved (New York: Vintage, 1995). [All these books can be purchased at the university bookstore.] CLASS REQUIREMENTS (1) Class participation (16.67% of grade). This class is a synthesis seminar, meaning that it will be interdisciplinary and discussion based. Your class participation grade will be based on how much and 1

2 how well you participate in class discussions, including those lead by other members of the class. In order to participate, you will need to complete the reading assignments on time and, obviously, you cannot participate if you are not in class. (2) Class presentation (8.33%). Everyone in class will be responsible for participating in a team presentation over the course of the semester. Your team will be graded on its performance as a team, not as individuals. (3) Five short (approximately five pages) writing assignments (10% each). These papers will be based on assigned topics from course materials. (4) One longer (approximately fifteen pages) research paper (25%) This paper will involve further research on a topic of your own choosing from course materials. A draft will be due approximately two weeks prior to the due date of the paper to provide ample time for fine-tuning your draft. More details to follow. [Because of the nature of the course, there will be no exams. Instead, the writing assignments and class discussions will test your knowledge of course materials.] GOALS (1) To understand the impact of slavery on world history, including American history. (2) To also understand slavery from multiple points of view, across time and space, including its continuing effects on the global system. (3) To develop critical thinking and writing skills. (4) To draw upon past coursework within the general education curriculum, including in government, history, literature, communications, anthropology, economics, religion, philosophy, sociology, and film studies. ASSESSMENT (1) your written work shows a superior understanding of the relevant material or materials = A; a superior understanding is one that not only expertly explicates the meaning of the relevant material but one that artfully conveys its deeper implications and (where appropriate) presents insightful connections between materials. (2) shows a good understanding = B; is deficient on one of the above dimensions (3) shows an adequate understanding = C; is deficient on two of the above dimensions (4) shows a poor understanding = D; is extremely deficient on one or more dimension (5) none of the above = E Class participation will be graded according to following criterion: (1) you regularly contribute to class discussion in a meaningful way = A (2) frequently contribute to class discussion in a meaningful way = B (3) occasionally contribute to class discussion in a meaningful way = C (4) rarely contribute to class discussion in a meaningful way = D (5) none of the above = E Course Outline [all reading and writing assignments should be completed by the date listed on this outline unless I announce otherwise in class] January 23 Read this syllabus 2

3 January 28 Read: Patterson, Slavery as Social Death, preface, introduction, chap. 1 January 30 Read: Patterson, Slavery as Social Death, chap. 2-3 February 4 Read: Patterson, Slavery as Social Death, chaps. 4-5 February 6 Read: Patterson, Slavery as Social Death, chaps. 6-7 February 11 Read: Patterson, Slavery as Social Death, chaps First writing assignment handed out February 13 Read: Patterson, Slavery as Social Death, chaps February 18 Read: Fehrenbacher, Slaveholding Republic, preface, chaps. 1-2 First writing assignment due February 20 Read: Paul Finkelman, Slavery and the Founders: Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson (Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 1995), 1-33 ( Making a Covenant with Death: Slavery and the Constitutional Convention ) [on ereserve; password: TBA] February 25 Read: Fehrenbacher, Slaveholding Republic, chaps. 3-4 Topic statement due Second [Amistad] writing assignment handed out February 27 Read: Fehrenbacher, Slaveholding Republic, chap. 5-6 March 4 start reading Beloved on a pace to finish by April 1 March 6 March March 18 March 20 Second writing assignment due Retooling Spring break Read: Steven Deyle, An Abominable New Trade: The Closing of the African Slave Trade and the Changing Patterns of U.S. Political Power, , William and Mary Quarterly, 3d Series, 66, 4 (October 2009): [on ereserve] March 25 Read: Fehrenbacher, Slaveholding Republic, chaps

4 March 27 Read: Suzanne C. Guasco, The Deadly Influence of Negro Capitalists: Southern Yeomen and Resistance to the Expansion of Slavery in Illinois, Civil War History 47, 1 (March 2001): 7-29 [on ereserve] April 1 Fehrenbacher, Slaveholding Republic, chaps. 9 Third [Beloved] writing assignment handed out April 3 Read: Fehrenbacher, Slaveholding Republic, chaps April 8 John W. Blassingame (ed.), What to the Slave Is the Meaning of the Fourth of July, in The Frederick Douglass Papers: Series One: Speeches, Debates, and Interviews, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1979), II: [on ereserve] Third writing assignment due April 10 Read: Paul Angle (ed.), The Complete Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991), chap. 4 ( Ottawa Debate, ) [on ereserve] April 15 Alexander H. Stephens, Cornerstone Speech, March 21, Fourth writing assignment handed out April 17 Read: Shelley, Human Trafficking, introduction April 22 Read: Shelley, Human Trafficking, chaps. 1-2 Fourth writing assignment due April 24 Read: Shelley, Human Trafficking, chaps. 3-4 April 29 Read: Shelley, Human Trafficking, chaps. 5-6 Fifth writing assignment handed out Research Paper draft due May 1 Read: Shelley, Human Trafficking, chaps. 7-8 May 6 May 13 Fifth writing assignment due Research Paper due OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION ACADEMIC INTEGRITY GMU is an Honor Code university; please see the University Catalog for a full description of the code and the honor committee process. The principle of academic integrity is taken very seriously and violations are treated gravely. What does academic 4

5 integrity mean in this course? Essentially this: when you are responsible for a task, you will perform that task. When you rely on someone else s work in an aspect of the performance of that task, you will give full credit in the proper, accepted form. Another aspect of academic integrity is the free play of ideas. Vigorous discussion and debate are encouraged in this course, with the firm expectation that all aspects of the class will be conducted with civility and respect for differing ideas, perspectives, and traditions. When in doubt (of any kind) please ask for guidance and clarification. GMU ACCOUNTS Students must use their Mason accounts either the existing MEMO system or a new MASONLIVE account to receive important University information, including messages related to this class. See for more information. OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS [ OTHER USEFUL CAMPUS RESOURCES WRITING CENTER: A114 Robinson Hall; (703) ; UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES Ask a Librarian COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES (CAPS): (703) ; UNIVERSITY POLICIES The University Catalog, is the central resource for university policies affecting student, faculty, and staff conduct in university academic affairs. Other policies are available at All members of the university community are responsible for knowing and following established policies. 5