Wm. Roger Louis

The British Empire at the end of World War II still extended over one fourth of the world and represented a complex, worldwide system.  The seminar will focus on the era of decolonization.   

This seminar is designed as a reading and research course in modern British history—and in the history of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  It is also a class in professional writing.  It includes a cartographical component in which students are required to master the geography of the British Empire.        
 
The main requirement of the course is a research paper focusing on one of the three components of British decolonization: the decisions made in Britain itself; the international influence of the United States and the United Nations in the context of the Cold War; and the initiatives by nationalists in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  The paper in its final form will be about 6,000 words or 20 double-spaced pages including notes.  

The writing component will be fulfilled in three ways.  First, critiques of books, approximately one a week (or comparable assignments), each less than 350 words or one page.  Second, a draft of the research paper.  The critiques and draft will be circulated to all members of the class who will make annotations on style as well as substance.  The third stage is for each writer to take note of the comments offered by others and to rewrite the research paper for final submission.

The principal primary source on which the papers will be based is the extraordinary archival collection in British Documents on the End of Empire (BDEEP).  The class sessions will be enriched by a film series produced by Granada Television entitled ‘End of Empire’.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Required Reading — John Darwin, Britain and Decolonisation; W. David McIntyre,  Decolonization, 1946-1997; Geoffrey Best, Churchill; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Oh! Jerusalem; David Carlton, Suez Crisis; and Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning.    

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); weekly critiques (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (50%).  Final grades include plusses and minuses. This course carries the flags for Writing, Global Cultures, and Independent Inquiry.

This seminar is designed as a reading course in the history, literature, and politics of the nonwestern world as well as the British Empire, and as a class in professional writing. The theme is the Cold War in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. In addition to the required reading, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.  Books may be chosen in Hindi, Chinese, Arabic, and Farsi as well as English.           

The subject has literary, political, and historical dimensions with an emphasis on professional writing, not only assessments that might appear in such newspapers as the New York Times or Wall Street Journal but also especially in policy papers and critical evaluations that are made in government agencies and businesses as well as academic journals. I use my own experience as a former Chairman of the State Department’s Committee on Publication of Historical Records (The Foreign Relations of the United States) to give students guidance on technical as well as analytical methods. 

Literature is a prominent theme along with history and politics.  One book to be read in common is Graham Greene, The Quiet American (Greene’s anti-American novel set in Indochina). Others include: on India, Sarvapalli Gopal’s biography, Jawaharlal Nehru; and Paul Scott, The Raj Quartet (on the partition of India and the beginning of the Cold War in Asia); on the Middle East, Mark Gasiorowski, The 1953 Coup in Iran (for the toppling of the Iranian Prime Minister in 1953 by the British and American secret services); and, for Africa, Crawford Young, Politics in the Congo (for radical leadership and decolonization in Africa in the Cold War era).

On the Cold War itself, students have the opportunity to pursue reading on such themes as the Soviet Union’s attempt to expel the Western powers from Berlin, leaving the world on the edge of nuclear conflagration; the Soviet shipping of nuclear weapons to Cuba; and President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a one-page weekly critique of the reading. (Students are reminded of President Eisenhower’s dictum: ‘Get it on one page or I will not read it.’) Each of the weekly critiques is circulated to other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  In this way the class emphasizes succinct professional writing as one of the key skills to be acquired in graduate school.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality of the weekly critiques (75%).

Reading List—The following works are required: Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality of the weekly critiques (75%).

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a

class in professional writing. In addition to the required reading listed below, each student

draws up an individual reading list (from a prepared larger list) in consultation with the

professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history, and politics of England,

Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the

world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its

Asian and African as well as early American dimensions.

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—

for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also

Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent

each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly essays is

circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.

The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual

academic interests are pursued.

The class also meets on a voluntary basis with the British Studies faculty seminar 3:00-

4:30 pm. on Fridays HRC 3.204-6.

The seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to

enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) accuracy and attention to detail; (4)

lucid and succinct style; (5) capacity for hard work.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the

quality of the weekly critiques (75%). The course carries Writing and Global Cultures flags.

Reading List—The following books are required – (plus other books to be decided upon

in consultation with the instructor):

Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians 

Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Men Who Lost America 

Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf 

The British Empire at the end of World War II still extended over one fourth of the world and represented a complex, worldwide system.  The seminar will focus on the era of decolonization.   

This seminar is designed as a reading and research course in modern British history—and in the history of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Above all it is a class in professional writing.  It includes a cartographical component in which students are required to master the geography of the British Empire.
 
The main requirement of the course is a research paper focusing on one of the three components of British decolonization: the decisions made in Britain itself; the international influence of the United States and the United Nations in the context of the Cold War; and the initiatives by nationalists in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  The paper in its final form will be about 6,000 words or 20 double spaced pages including notes.  

The writing component will be fulfilled in three ways.  First, critiques of books, approximately one a week (or comparable assignments), each less than 400 words or one page.  Second, a draft of the research paper.  The critiques and draft will be circulated to all members of the class who will make annotations on style as well as substance.  The third stage is for each writer to take note of the comments offered by others and to rewrite the research paper for final submission.

The principal primary source on which the papers will be based is the extraordinary archival collection in British Documents on the End of Empire (BDEEP).  The class sessions will be enriched by a film series produced by Granada Television entitled ‘End of Empire’.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

John Darwin, Britain and Decolonisation; W. David McIntyre, Decolonization, 1946-1997; Geoffrey Best, Churchill; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Oh! Jerusalem; David Carlton, Suez Crisis; and Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning.  
Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); weekly critiques (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (50%).  Final grades include plusses and minuses.

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.  One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions.

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued.

The class also voluntarily meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.


Reading List—The following works are required: Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles
Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality of the weekly critiques (75%).

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history, and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.  One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. 

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.  This is a requirement of the course. The seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts:

The following books are required -- plus other books (one a week) to be decided upon in consultation with the instructor:

Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

Course Requirements:

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the weekly critiques (75%). 

The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.  This is a requirement of the course.

The British Empire at the end of World War II still extended over one fourth of the world and represented a complex, worldwide system.  The seminar will focus on the era of decolonization.  

This seminar is designed as a reading and research course in modern British history—and in the history of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Above all it is a class in professional writing.  It includes a cartographical component in which students are required to master the geography of the British Empire.

The main requirement of the course is a research paper focusing on one of the three components of British decolonization: the decisions made in Britain itself; the international influence of the United States and the United Nations in the context of the Cold War; and the initiatives by nationalists in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  The paper in its final form will be about 6,000 words or 20 double spaced pages including notes. 

The writing component will be fulfilled in three ways.  First, critiques of books, approximately one a week (or comparable assignments), each less than 400 words or one page.  Second, a draft of the research paper.  The critiques and draft will be circulated to all members of the class who will make annotations on style as well as substance.  The third stage is for each writer to take note of the comments offered by others and to rewrite the research paper for final submission.

The principal primary source on which the papers will be based is the extraordinary archival collection in British Documents on the End of Empire (BDEEP).  The class sessions will be enriched by a film series produced by Granada Television entitled ‘End of Empire’.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (75%). 

Required Reading — John Darwin, Britain and Decolonisation; W. David McIntyre, British Decolonization, 1946-1997; Geoffrey Best, Churchill; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Oh! Jerusalem; David Carlton, Britain and the Suez Crisis; and Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning. 

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.  One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions.

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued.

The class also voluntarily meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Reading List—The following works are required: Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality of the weekly critiques (75%).

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history, and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.  One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. 

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.  This is a requirement of the course. The seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts:

The following books are required -- plus other books (one a week) to be decided upon in consultation with the instructor:

Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

Course Requirements:

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the weekly critiques (75%). 

The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.  This is a requirement of the course.

Biography:

Professor Louis's teaching fields are the British Empire/Commonwealth and the history, literature, and politics of nineteenth and twentieth-century Britain.

Professor Louis has recently published Ends of British Imperialism: the Scramble for Empire, Suez, and Decolonization (2006). He has written or edited more than thirty books including Imperialism at Bay (1977) and The British Empire in the Middle East (1984). His edited publications include The End of the Palestine Mandate (1986), The Transfers of Power in Africa(1988), Suez 1956 (1989), The Iraqi Revolution (1991), and Churchill (1993).

This research seminar will discuss the creation of the Modern Middle East by tracing its history from the nineteenth century. The scope includes Iran in the East and Libya in the West, with emphasis on Egypt and the rise of Arab nationalism in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. The creation of the state of Israel receives special attention. During the opening weeks, the focus is not only on the Palestine question but also on the overthrow of the Musaddiq government in Iran by the CIA in 1953; and the consequences of the discovery of oil.  

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments. In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to the post-war Middle East with special attention given to critical events such as the Iraqi revolution of 1958. Members of the seminar will have the opportunity for original research in the documentary series published by the Cambridge University Press.  The requirement is a relatively short research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages (about 6000 words). Drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment, and discussion.

This research seminar will discuss the creation of the Modern Middle East by tracing its history from the nineteenth century. The scope includes Iran in the East and Libya in the West, with emphasis on Egypt and the rise of Arab nationalism in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. The creation of the state of Israel receives special attention. During the opening weeks, the focus is not only on the Palestine question but also on the overthrow of the Musaddiq government in Iran by the CIA in 1953; and the consequences of the discovery of oil.

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments. In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to the post-war Middle East with special attention given to critical events such as the Iraqi revolution of 1958. Members of the seminar will have the opportunity for original research in the documentary series published by the Cambridge University Press. The requirement is a relatively short research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages (about 6000 words).  Drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment, and discussion.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); the weekly critiques (25 %); and the research paper (50%).

The British Empire at the end of World War II still extended over one fourth of the world and represented a complex, worldwide system.  The seminar will focus on the era of decolonization.  

This seminar is designed as a reading and research course in modern British history—and in the history of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Above all it is a class in professional writing.  It includes a cartographical component in which students are required to master the geography of the British Empire.

The main requirement of the course is a research paper focusing on one of the three components of British decolonization: the decisions made in Britain itself; the international influence of the United States and the United Nations in the context of the Cold War; and the initiatives by nationalists in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  The paper in its final form will be about 6,000 words or 20 double spaced pages including notes. 

The writing component will be fulfilled in three ways.  First, critiques of books, approximately one a week (or comparable assignments), each less than 400 words or one page.  Second, a draft of the research paper.  The critiques and draft will be circulated to all members of the class who will make annotations on style as well as substance.  The third stage is for each writer to take note of the comments offered by others and to rewrite the research paper for final submission.

The principal primary source on which the papers will be based is the extraordinary archival collection in British Documents on the End of Empire (BDEEP).  The class sessions will be enriched by a film series produced by Granada Television entitled ‘End of Empire’.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

John Darwin, Britain and Decolonisation; W. David McIntyre, Decolonization, 1946-1997; Geoffrey Best, Churchill; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Oh! Jerusalem; David Carlton, Suez Crisis; and Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning. 

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); weekly critiques (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (50%).  Final grades include plusses and minuses.

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.  One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions.

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued.

The class also voluntarily meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Reading List—The following works are required: Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality of the weekly critiques (75%).

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history, and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.  One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. 

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance. The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons. This is a requirement of the course. The seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts:

The following books are required -- plus other books (one a week) to be decided upon in consultation with the instructor:

Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

Course Requirements:

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the weekly critiques (75%). 

The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.  This is a requirement of the course.

This research seminar will discuss the creation of the Modern Middle East by tracing its history from the nineteenth century. The scope includes Iran in the East and Libya in the West, with emphasis on Egypt and the rise of Arab nationalism in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. The creation of the state of Israel receives special attention. During the opening weeks, the focus is not only on the Palestine question but also on the overthrow of the Musaddiq government in Iran by the CIA in 1953; and the consequences of the discovery of oil.  

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments. In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to the post-war Middle East with special attention given to critical events such as the Iraqi revolution of 1958. Members of the seminar will have the opportunity for original research in the documentary series published by the Cambridge University Press.  The requirement is a relatively short research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages (about 6000 words). Drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment, and discussion.

This research seminar will discuss the creation of the Modern Middle East by tracing its history from the nineteenth century. The scope includes Iran in the East and Libya in the West, with emphasis on Egypt and the rise of Arab nationalism in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. The creation of the state of Israel receives special attention. During the opening weeks, the focus is not only on the Palestine question but also on the overthrow of the Musaddiq government in Iran by the CIA in 1953; and the consequences of the discovery of oil.

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments. In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to the post-war Middle East with special attention given to critical events such as the Iraqi revolution of 1958. Members of the seminar will have the opportunity for original research in the documentary series published by the Cambridge University Press. The requirement is a relatively short research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages (about 6000 words).  Drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment, and discussion.

Grading:

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); the weekly critiques (25 %); and the research paper (50%).

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.  One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions.

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued.

The class also voluntarily meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts:

Reading List—The following works are required: Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

 Grading:

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality of the weekly critiques (75%).

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing. Its scope will include not only the literature, history, and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. Another point will be a focus on historical, literary, and auto-biography (Disreali, Woolf, Lawrence, Orwell, Gandhi, etc.).

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford-to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity, (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts:

Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians is required, then a choice of five other books from the list below plus six others to be decided upon in consultation with the instructor:

Robert Blake, Disraeli

Michael Holroyd, Lytton Strachey

Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf

T. E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Bernard Crick, George Orwell: A Life

Judith M. Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope

Biography:

Professor Louis teaching fields are the British Empire/Commonwealth and the history, literature, and politics of nineteenth and twentieth-century Britain.

Professor Louis has recently published Ends of British Imperialism: the Scramble for Empire, Suez, and Decolonization (2006). He has written or edited more than thirty books including Imperialism at Bay (1977) and The British Empire in the Middle East (1984). His edited publications include The End of the Palestine Mandate (1986), The Transfers of Power in Africa(1988), Suez 1956 (1989), The Iraqi Revolution (1991), and Churchill (1993).

This research seminar will discuss the creation of the Modern Middle East by tracing its history from the nineteenth century. The scope includes Iran in the East and Libya in the West, with emphasis on Egypt and the rise of Arab nationalism in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. The creation of the state of Israel receives special attention. During the opening weeks, the focus is not only on the Palestine question but also on the overthrow of the Musaddiq government in Iran by the CIA in 1953; and the consequences of the discovery of oil.   

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments. In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to the post-war Middle East with special attention given to critical events such as the Iraqi revolution of 1958. Members of the seminar will have the opportunity for original research in the documentary series published by the Cambridge University Press.  The requirement is a relatively short research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages (about 6000 words). Drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment, and discussion.

This research seminar will discuss the creation of the Modern Middle East by tracing its history from the nineteenth century. The scope includes Iran in the East and Libya in the West, with emphasis on Egypt and the rise of Arab nationalism in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. The creation of the state of Israel receives special attention. During the opening weeks, the focus is not only on the Palestine question but also on the overthrow of the Musaddiq government in Iran by the CIA in 1953; and the consequences of the discovery of oil. 

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments. In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to the post-war Middle East with special attention given to critical events such as the Iraqi revolution of 1958. Members of the seminar will have the opportunity for original research in the documentary series published by the Cambridge University Press. The requirement is a relatively short research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages (about 6000 words).  Drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment, and discussion.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); the weekly critiques (25 %); and the research paper (50%).

The British Empire at the end of World War II still extended over one fourth of the world and represented a complex, worldwide system.  The seminar will focus on the era of decolonization.  This seminar is designed as a reading and research course in modern British history—and in the history of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Above all it is a class in professional writing.  It includes a cartographical component in which students are required to master the geography of the British Empire.   Drawing a free-hand map will be one of the first assignments.  

The main requirement of the course is a research paper focusing on one of the three components of British decolonization: the decisions made in Britain itself; the international influence of the United States and the United Nations in the context of the Cold War; and the initiatives by nationalists in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  The paper in its final form will be about 6,000 words or 20 double spaced pages including notes.  

The writing component will be fulfilled in three ways.  First, critiques of books, approximately one a week (or comparable assignments), each less than 400 words or one page.  Second, a draft of the research paper.  The critiques and draft will be circulated to all members of the class who will make annotations on style as well as substance.  The third stage is for each writer to take note of the comments offered by others and to rewrite the research paper for final submission.  

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

The principal primary source on which the papers will be based is the extraordinary archival collection in British Documents on the End of Empire (BDEEP).  The class sessions will be enriched by a film series produced by Granada Television entitled ‘End of Empire’.

 Texts:

John Darwin, Britain and Decolonisation; W. David McIntyre, Decolonization, 1946-1997; Geoffrey Best, Churchill; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Oh! Jerusalem; David Carlton, Suez Crisis; and Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning.

Grading:

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); weekly critiques (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (50%).  Final grades include plusses and minuses.

This reading seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar not only includes the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.  One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. 

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. 

The class also voluntarily meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.   In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts:

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality of the weekly critiques (75%).

Grading:

The following works are required: Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing. Its scope will include not only the literature, history, and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. Another point will be a focus on historical, literary, and auto-biography (Disreali, Woolf, Lawrence, Orwell, Gandhi, etc.).

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford-to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity, (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts:

Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians is required, then a choice of five other books from the list below plus six others to be decided upon in consultation with the instructor:

Robert Blake, Disraeli

Michael Holroyd, Lytton Strachey

Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf

T. E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Bernard Crick, George Orwell: A Life

Judith M. Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope

This research seminar will discuss the creation of the Modern Middle East by tracing its history from the nineteenth century. The scope includes Iran in the East and Libya in the West, with emphasis on Egypt and the rise of Arab nationalism in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. The creation of the state of Israel receives special attention. During the opening weeks, the focus is not only on the Palestine question but also on the overthrow of the Musaddiq government in Iran by the CIA in 1953; and the consequences of the discovery of oil.   

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments. In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to the post-war Middle East with special attention given to critical events such as the Iraqi revolution of 1958. Members of the seminar will have the opportunity for original research in the documentary series published by the Cambridge University Press.  The requirement is a relatively short research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages (about 6000 words). Drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment, and discussion.

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments. In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to the post-war Middle East with special attention given to critical events such as the Iraqi revolution of 1958. Members of the seminar will have the opportunity for original research in the documentary series published by the Cambridge University Press. The requirement is a relatively short research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages (about 6000 words).  Drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment, and discussion.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); the weekly critiques (25 %); and the research paper (50%).

The British Empire at the end of World War II still extended over one fourth of the world and represented a complex, worldwide system.  The seminar will focus on the era of decolonization.  

This seminar is designed as a reading and research course in modern British history—and in the history of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Above all it is a class in professional writing.  It includes a cartographical component in which students are required to master the geography of the British Empire.

The main requirement of the course is a research paper focusing on one of the three components of British decolonization: the decisions made in Britain itself; the international influence of the United States and the United Nations in the context of the Cold War; and the initiatives by nationalists in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  The paper in its final form will be about 6,000 words or 20 double spaced pages including notes.

The writing component will be fulfilled in three ways.  First, critiques of books, approximately one a week (or comparable assignments), each less than 400 words or one page.  Second, a draft of the research paper.  The critiques and draft will be circulated to all members of the class who will make annotations on style as well as substance.  The third stage is for each writer to take note of the comments offered by others and to rewrite the research paper for final submission.

The principal primary source on which the papers will be based is the extraordinary archival collection in British Documents on the End of Empire (BDEEP).  The class sessions will be enriched by a film series produced by Granada Television entitled ‘End of Empire’.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); weekly critiques (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (50%).  Final grades include plusses and minuses.

Required Reading — John Darwin, Britain and Decolonisation; W. David McIntyre, Decolonization, 1946-1997; Geoffrey Best, Churchill; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Oh! Jerusalem; David Carlton, Suez Crisis; and Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning.

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.  One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions.

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued.

The class also voluntarily meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock Friday afternoons.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality of the weekly critiques (75%).

Reading List—The following works are required: Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians; Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing. Its scope will include not only the literature, history, and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. Another point will be a focus on historical, literary, and auto-biography (Disreali, Woolf, Lawrence, Orwell, Gandhi, etc.).

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford-to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity, (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts:

Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians is required, then a choice of five other books from the list below plus six others to be decided upon in consultation with the instructor:

      Robert Blake, Disraeli

      Michael Holroyd, Lytton Strachey

      Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf

      T. E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom

      Bernard Crick, George Orwell: A Life

      Judith M. Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope

The seminar this semester will discuss the causes of British expansion in the nineteenth century and the reactions to British conquest and rule.  How did the British manage to establish colonial sway over a quarter of the globe? What were the aims of British colonial administration?  How did the Empire affect the lives of Asians, Africans and others throughout the world as well as the lives of those within the British Isles? In the first half of the seminar, students read books that will stimulate curiosity about those questions.   During the opening weeks, the focus is on Latin America, the Middle East and Africa as well as India.  Latin America provides the background for discussion on ‘informal empire’.   Those taking the seminar in Middle Eastern studies will find the creation of the state of Pakistan to be of critical importance in understanding the broader region of the Middle East.

Prof. Louis is Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford History of the British Empire, a Past President of American Historical Association, Founding Director of the AHA National History Center, Former Director of US State Department Historical Advisory Committee, 2003 – 2009 (resigned on principle), U.T. Professor of the Year, he held the Kluge Chair in the Library of Congress in 2010, and was most recently awarded the Benson Medal of the Royal Society of Literature.  He is author or editor of some thirty books including The British Empire in the Middle East 1945-1951 (1984).

The British Empire at the end of World War II still extended over one fourth of the world and represented a complex, worldwide system.  The seminar will focus on the era of decolonization.    

This seminar is designed as a reading and research course in modern British history—and in the history of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Above all it is a class in professional writing.  It includes a cartographical component in which students are required to master the geography of the British Empire.

The main requirement of the course is a research paper focusing on one of the three components of British decolonization: the decisions made in Britain itself; the international influence of the United States and the United Nations in the context of the Cold War; and the initiatives by nationalists in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  The paper in its final form will be about 6,000 words or 20 double spaced pages including notes.  

The writing component will be fulfilled in three ways.  First, critiques of books, approximately one a week (or comparable assignments), each less than 400 words or one page.  Second, a draft of the research paper.  The critiques and draft will be circulated to all members of the class who will make annotations on style as well as substance.  The third stage is for each writer to take note of the comments offered by others and to rewrite the research paper for final submission.

The principal primary source on which the papers will be based is the extraordinary archival collection in British Documents on the End of Empire (BDEEP).  The class sessions will be enriched by a film series produced by Granada Television entitled ‘End of Empire’. 

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

John Darwin, Britain and Decolonisation; W. David McIntyre, British Decolonization, 1946-1997; Geoffrey Best, Churchill; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Oh! Jerusalem; David Carlton, Britain and the Suez Crisis; and Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning.  

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (75%).  

British History, Literature, & Politics

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing. In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor. The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography and autobiography for example not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance. The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o'clock Friday afternoons. This is a requirement of the course. In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity, (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing. Its scope will include not only the literature, history, and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. Another point will be a focus on historical, literary, and auto-biography (Disreali, Woolf, Lawrence, Orwell, Gandhi, etc.).

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford-to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity, (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts

Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians is required, then a choice of five other books from the list below plus six others to be decided upon in consultation with the instructor:

      Robert Blake, Disraeli

      Michael Holroyd, Lytton Strachey 

      Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf

      T. E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom

      Bernard Crick, George Orwell: A Life

      Judith M. Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope

About the Professor:

His teaching fields are the British Empire and Commonwealth and the comparative history of colonialism, Belgian, French, Dutch, German, and Portuguese; and the history, literature, and politics of nineteenth and twentieth-century Britain.

Professor Louis has recently published Ends of British Imperialism: the Scramble for Empire, Suez, and Decolonization (2006). He has written or edited more than thirty books including Imperialism at Bay (1977) and The British Empire in the Middle East (1984). His edited publications include The End of the Palestine Mandate (1986), The Transfers of Power in Africa (1988), Suez 1956 (1989), The Iraqi Revolution (1991), and Churchill (1993).

He is the past President of the American Historical Association and the present Director of the AHA's National History Center.  He is Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford History of the British Empire, and the former Chairman of the Historical Advisory Committee, U.S. Department of State (resigned on principle, 2008).

Awards/Honors

Selected by the 50,000 students at UT as Professor of the Year, 2009

Kluge Chair for the Library of Congress in 2010

Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011

This research seminar will discuss the causes of British expansion in the nineteenth century and the reactions to British conquest and rule.  How did the British manage to establish colonial sway over a quarter of the globe? What were the aims of British colonial administration?  How did the Empire affect the lives of Asians, Africans and others throughout the world as well as the lives of those within the British Isles? In the first half of the seminar, students read books that will stimulate curiosity about those questions.   During the opening weeks, the focus is on Latin America, the Middle East and Africa as well as India.  Latin America provides the background for discussion on ‘informal empire’.  

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The seminar thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. 

This is a research seminar.  In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to India as an example of British rule and the problem of Indian independence in 1947.  Two documentary series will be studied as a primary sources, the British Transfer of Power series and the Indian Towards Freedom series.  The requirement is a research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages.

Again, drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment and discussion.

The seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) accuracy and attention to detail; (4) lucid and succinct style; (5) capacity for hard work.  

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); the weekly critiques (25 %); and the research paper (50%).  

Reading Schedule

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Freedom at Midnight                         September 6

W. R. Louis, Imperialism: The Robinson and Gallagher Controversy            September 13

Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher, Africa and the Victorians                    September 20

Judith Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope                                                        September 27

Penderel Moon, ed., Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal                                       October 4

Sarvepalli Gopal, Nehru (vol. 1)                                                                      October 11

Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman                                                                 October 18

October 25: Discussion of Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman

November 1: Discussion of research topics

November 8: first batch of three research papers (draft of first six pages)

November 15: second batch of research papers

November 22: third batch of research papers

November  29: discussion of research papers

December 6: research papers due

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Wm. Roger Louis

Kerr Professor of English History and Culture and Distinguished Teaching Professor

B.A. University of Oklahoma, 1959

M.A. Harvard University, 1960

D.Phil. Oxford University, 1962

D. Litt. Oxford University, 1979

Assistant and Associate Professor, Yale University, 1962-1970

Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin, 1970-1985

Director of British Studies, 1975 —

Kerr Professor 1985 — 

Fellow of St. Antony’s College, Oxford, 1986 —

UT Distinguished Teaching Professor, 1999 — 

Editor-in-Chief, Oxford History of the British Empire, 1992 —

Appointed Commander of the British Empire by the Queen for professional service, 1999

President of American Historical Association, 2001

Founding Director, AHA National History Center, 2001 —

US State Department Historical Advisory Committee, 2003 – 2009 (resigned on principle)

U.T. Professor of the Year, 2009

Kluge Chair, Library of Congress, 2010

Author or editor of some thirty books including Ends of British Imperialism (2006)

Edited books include Adventures with Britannia; More Adventures with Britannia; Still More Adventures with Britannia; Yet More Adventures with Britannia; Penultimate Adventures with Britannia; Ultimate Adventures with Britannia; Resurgent Adventures with Britannia; and Burnt Orange Britannia

Harry Ransom Center 3.202

512-471-9274

britishstudies@mail.utexas.edu                                               hlg23@georgetown.edu

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Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259.

The British Empire at the end of World War II still extended over one fourth of the world and represented a complex, worldwide system.  The seminar will focus on the era of decolonization.   

This seminar is designed as a reading and research course in modern British history—and in the history of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Above all it is a class in professional writing.  It includes a cartographical component in which students are required to master the geography of the British Empire.

The main requirement of the course is a research paper focusing on one of the three components of British decolonization: the decisions made in Britain itself; the international influence of the United States and the United Nations in the context of the Cold War; and the initiatives by nationalists in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  The paper in its final form will be about 6,000 words or 20 double spaced pages including notes.  

The writing component will be fulfilled in three ways.  First, critiques of books, approximately one a week (or comparable assignments), each less than 400 words or one page.  Second, a draft of the research paper.  The critiques and draft will be circulated to all members of the class who will make annotations on style as well as substance.  The third stage is for each writer to take note of the comments offered by others and to rewrite the research paper for final submission.

The principal primary source on which the papers will be based is the extraordinary archival collection in British Documents on the End of Empire (BDEEP).  The class sessions will be enriched by a film series produced by Granada Television entitled ‘End of Empire’.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Texts

John Darwin, Britain and Decolonisation; W. David McIntyre, British Decolonization, 1946-1997; Geoffrey Best, Churchill; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Oh! Jerusalem; David Carlton, Britain and the Suez Crisis; and Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning. 

Grading

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (75%). 

British History, Literature, & Politics

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing. In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor. The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography and autobiography for example not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance. The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o'clock Friday afternoons. This is a requirement of the course. In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity, (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

 British History, Literature, and Politics

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history, and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and auto-biography—for example, not only Disreali, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell, but also Gandhi.The seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Readings:The following books are required – plus ther books (one a week) to be decided upon in consultation with the instructor:Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians Hermione Lee, Virginia WoolfNorman Davies, The Isles

Requirements:The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotated comments on style as well as substance. Revision is required. The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued.Additionally, the class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o'clock Friday afternoons. Attendance is mandatory.

About the Professor:Professor Roger Louis teaches in Oxford as well as the UT Department of History. He is the author or editor of some twenty books including Imperialism at Bay and a biographical study of Churchill. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford History of the British Empire.

This research seminar will discuss the causes of British expansion in the nineteenth century and the reactions to British conquest and rule.  How did the British manage to establish colonial sway over a quarter of the globe? What were the aims of British colonial administration?  How did the Empire affect the lives of Asians, Africans and others throughout the world and also the lives of those within the British Isles?  The general aim is to study the history of the British Empire with the advantage of a post-colonial perspective on the ruled as well as the rulers, on the colonized as well as the colonizers.

Some forty years ago Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher wrote a challenging book that has established itself as a classic.  They argue in Africa and the Victorians that the partition of Africa and parts of the Middle East in the late nineteenth century was no more than a footnote to the British Raj in India, and that the African continent was partitioned essentially for political and strategic reasons, not for economic exploitation.  Whether one agrees with their interpretation or not, they have provided an analysis that offers an alternative to economic theories of imperialism.

The ‘Robinson and Gallagher Controversy’ provides the basis for the discussion in the first part of the seminar, which will deal principally with Africa and the Middle East, especially Egypt.  

In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to India as an example of British rule and the problem of Indian independence in 1947.  The Transfer of Power documentary series will be studied as a primary source.  The reading includes Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal, R.J. Moore, Escape from Empire, and Sarvepalli Gopal, Nehru.

This is a research seminar.  The chronological focus in the fall semester 2010 will be the twentieth century (especially India in the 1940s).  The sequel to the course, on decolonization, will be offered in the spring semester.

Texts 

Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher, Africa and the Victorians 

W. R. Louis, Imperialism: The Robinson and Gallagher Controversy

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Freedom at Midnight 

Judith Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope  

Penderel Moon, ed., Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal

Sarvepalli Gopal, Nehru (vol. 1)

Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman 

Grades 

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (75%).  

History 350L                                                                                       W. Roger Louis

Garrison 2.108                                                                                                HRC 3.202

Spring Semester 2011                                                             Office Hours Thursday 2-3

Thursday 3:30-6:30 p.m.                                                                     and by Appointment

The British Empire at the end of World War II still extended over one fourth of the world and represented a complex, worldwide system.  The seminar will focus on the era of decolonization.  

This seminar is designed as a reading and research course in modern British history—and in the history of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Above all it is a class in professional writing.  It includes a cartographical component in which students are required to master the geography of the British Empire.

The main requirement of the course is a research paper focusing on one of the three components of British decolonization: the decisions made in Britain itself; the international influence of the United States and the United Nations in the context of the Cold War; and the initiatives by nationalists in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.  The paper in its final form will be about 6,000 words or 20 double spaced pages including notes. 

The writing component will be fulfilled in three ways.  First, critiques of books, approximately one a week (or comparable assignments), each less than 400 words or one page.  Second, a draft of the research paper.  The critiques and draft will be circulated to all members of the class who will make annotations on style as well as substance.  The third stage is for each writer to take note of the comments offered by others and to rewrite the research paper for final submission.

The principal primary source on which the papers will be based is the extraordinary archival collection in British Documents on the End of Empire (BDEEP).  The class sessions will be enriched by a film series produced by Granada Television entitled ‘End of Empire’.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (75%). 

Required Reading — John Darwin, Britain and Decolonisation; W. David McIntyre, British Decolonization, 1946-1997; Geoffrey Best, Churchill; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Oh! Jerusalem; David Carlton, Britain and the Suez Crisis; and Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning.  

December 22, 2010

British History, Literature and Politics—Spring Semester 2011

(Meets voluntarily with Faculty Seminar on British Studies Fridays 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.;

thereafter regular seminar hours are 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.)

History 384K, E392M, GOV 390L

Spring Semester 2011 W. Roger Louis

HRC 3.206 HRC 3.202

Friday 4:30-7:30 p.m. Office Hours Thursday 2-3

and by Appointment

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in

professional writing. In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an

individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales,

Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.

One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian

and African as well as early American dimensions.

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for

example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each

week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly essays is circulated

to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance. The class

thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic

interests are pursued.

The class also voluntarily meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock

Friday afternoons.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—

to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4)

accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7)

enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding,

that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality

of the weekly critiques (75%).

Reading List—The following works are required: Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians;

Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement,

Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259.

Description:

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing.  In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history, and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions.

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and auto-biography—for example, not only Disreali, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell, but also Gandhi.

The seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Readings:

The following books are required – plus ther books (one a week) to be decided upon in consultation with the instructor:

Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians

Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf

Norman Davies, The Isles

Requirements:

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotated comments on style as well as substance. Revision is required. The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued.

Additionally, the class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o'clock Friday afternoons. Attendance is mandatory.

About the Professor:

Professor Roger Louis teaches in Oxford as well as the UT Department of History. He is the author or editor of some twenty books including Imperialism at Bay and a biographical study of Churchill. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford History of the British Empire.

This course has a writing flag.

This research seminar will discuss the causes of British expansion in the nineteenth century and the reactions to British conquest and rule.  How did the British manage to establish colonial sway over a quarter of the globe? What were the aims of British colonial administration?  How did the Empire affect the lives of Asians, Africans and others throughout the world and also the lives of those within the British Isles?  The general aim is to study the history of the British Empire with the advantage of a post-colonial perspective on the ruled as well as the rulers, on the colonized as well as the colonizers.

Some forty years ago Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher wrote a challenging book that has established itself as a classic.  They argue in Africa and the Victorians that the partition of Africa and parts of the Middle East in the late nineteenth century was no more than a footnote to the British Raj in India, and that the African continent was partitioned essentially for political and strategic reasons, not for economic exploitation.  Whether one agrees with their interpretation or not, they have provided an analysis that offers an alternative to economic theories of imperialism.

The ‘Robinson and Gallagher Controversy’ provides the basis for the discussion in the first part of the seminar, which will deal principally with Africa and the Middle East, especially Egypt.  

In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to India as an example of British rule and the problem of Indian independence in 1947.  The Transfer of Power documentary series will be studied as a primary source.  The reading includes Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal; R.J. Moore: Escape from Empire; and Sarvepalli Gopal: Nehru.

This is a research seminar.  The chronological focus in the fall semester 2010 will be the twentieth century (especially India in the 1940s).  The sequel to the course, on decolonization, will be offered in the spring semester.

Grading

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (75%).  

Texts

Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher, Africa and the Victorians 

W. R. Louis, Imperialism: The Robinson and Gallagher Controversy

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Freedom at Midnight 

Judith Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope  

Penderel Moon, ed., Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal

Sarvepalli Gopal, Nehru (vol. 1)

Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman 

Study of various subjects with Asian studies-related content.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Some topics are offered on the letter-grade basis only; these are identified in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.