Course Description

This course is a multidisciplinary approach to the history of the Lower Mississippi River Valley. We will investigate the Valley's environmental, cultural, social and material histories. The course will approach the Mississippi River Valley from the perspectives of history, space, environment, architecture, technology, and archaeology.

There are no prerequisites for this course other than a curiosity about one of the world's most important and fascinating rivers.

Course Objectives

My major goal in this course is for you to develop an understanding of the Mississippi River Valley from prehistory to the present. Emphasis will be on the Lower Mississippi River Valley below Cairo but the Upper Valley will also be discussed.

In addition to your reading for this course, I will provide a visual approach to the River through videos, slides, and PowerPoint presentations. I hope that you will learn to see the River in a new way.

Please pay close attention to the location of important sites. In my view, the spatial dimension is an important part of the history of the Mississippi River Valley. Events and processes do not occur in abstract space, but at specific locations.

Textbooks

·         Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi. Bantam Books, 1997.

·         John Barry. Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America. Touchstone Books, 1997.

·         Craig Colten, ed. Transforming New Orleans and Its Environs: Centuries of Change. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2000.

Paper

A paper of approximately 10 double-spaced typed pages is required. Illustrations (photos, etc.) will enhance the paper but are in addition to the 10 page written requirement. The paper should be based on your visit to a historic site related to the history of the Mississippi River Valley. It should integrate your site visit, reading about the site, class notes, and your research into primary/secondary sources into a well-written paper. The paper is due on April 16. You will make an oral presentation of your paper to the class on April 16. The format of the presentation will depend on the number of students in the class and will be announced later.

The site might be a recognized historic site such as a plantation or it could be a place important in the history of the Mississippi River Valley. Locations in or around New Orleans are acceptable but do not hesitate to visit sites in the Atchafalaya Basin or up the River Road if you prefer. Please discuss your visit and projected paper topic with me before you make your selection.

Your paper should have two major components: a review of the site and placement of it into a broad historic context. A paper lacking one of these elements is not acceptable.

The site review component should describe the site and evaluate it. Your personal reaction could be a part of the evaluation but only a small part of your investigation of the site. Include your appraisal of the site's procedures to communicate with the public, including interpreters, guides, and written material.

Second, you should place the site in a broad context. You should explicitly relate the site to the Mississippi River Valley. Your paper should focus on some theme or problem in the history of the Mississippi River Valley. For example, if you visit a plantation you might investigate the broad topic of the plantation economy or some more specific topic. A visit to Bonnet Carré could be tied into research on floods and flood control. Locks such as the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock or Harvey Lock are important in the themes of navigation and economic development.

Examinations

A midterm exam and a final exam are required for this course. The exams may include both short answers, essay questions. and identifications of slides. Examinations will include material from the lectures and the readings.

Grades

Course grades will be based on:

Midterm exam                                                 35%
Paper                                                              30%
Final exam                                                       35%

Course Policies and Procedures

This course will be conducted by lectures with discussion of the readings at appropriate points in the semester. Videos will be shown to provide different views of the river. PowerPoint presentations will be used to illustrate selected elements of the course.

Attendance. I will take attendance occasionally. Material from lectures (both oral and visual) will be tested in the examinations.

Late assignments. My desire to give good grades will be reduced if papers are turned in late without good reason.

Academic honesty. I expect that students will follow the requirements of academic honesty stated in the Tulane University catalog.

Schedule of Classes and Reading Assignments

You should complete the reading assignments by the dates specified. The topics listed in the schedule will be covered in the course but not necessarily on the date shown if we move faster or slower than I anticipate.

January 8. Introduction to course

January 15. The Natural Mississippi River Valley

January 22. The Colonial River

·   Twain,  chapters 1-21

·   Colten,  9-42

January 29. The Antebellum River I.

·   Barry,  21-54

·   Colten,  42-63

February 5. The Antebellum River II.

·   Barry,  55-91

·   Colten,  84-106

February 12. War in the Mississippi River Valley

February 19. Midterm Examination

February 26. The Modern River I

·   Twain,  chapters 22-60.

·   Barry,  95-426

·   Colten,  64-83

March 5. Mardi Gras Break

March 12. The Modern River II.

·   Colten,  121-137

March 19. The Environment, Industrialization, the Environmental Movement, and Environmental Justice

·   Colten,  141-218

March 26. Preserving the History of the Mississippi River Valley

April 2. Beyond the Mississippi: The Mississippi River in American Culture and in Comparative Perspective

April 9. The Future of the Mississippi River

April 16. Site visit presentations

April 23. Conclusion

Final Examination April 30. 5:45-8:45