Below is a sample from the most recent syllabus our online graduate course, summarizing the course experience in 2016.
HISTORY 579 (via Gilder Lehrman Institute)
Understanding Lincoln // Summer 2016
Lead Scholar: Matthew Pinsker (Dickinson College)
Teaching Assistants: Aaron Bell, Joseph Murphy and Todd Mealy
COURSE DESCRIPTION
No one would have appreciated the power of open online education more than Abraham Lincoln, one of the great self-made, lifelong learners in world history. This open online graduate course aspires to create the kind of learning experience that Lincoln would have embraced. The course will be organized around five popular designations that have been applied to the great president over the years (Railsplitter, Honest Abe, Father Abraham, Great Emancipator, and Savior of the Union) and dig deeper into each of these themes in order to explore their origins and assess their validity. In the process, participants will come to better understand Lincoln as a man and a president, and also enjoy a unique online platform to share their insights. Crowd-sourcing is a phrase used to describe how individuals can help develop online projects by contributing content to them remotely. Through “Understanding Lincoln,” we will attempt an experiment in what might be called “class-sourcing.” Participants in this course will have the opportunity to develop various types of content that will be published online as part of Lincoln’s Writings, a new multi-media edition of Lincoln’s selected writings.
ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments for this course include interactive document quizzes, close reading essays, and a major multi-media project.
Readings: Before the course begins
Required Pre-reading: Understanding Lincoln Historiography
Optional pre-reading:
- J.G. Randall, “Has The Lincoln Theme Been Exhausted?”, American Historical Review 41 (January 1936)
- Mark E. Neely, Jr., “The Lincoln Theme Since Randall’s Call: The Promises and Perils of Professionalism,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 5 (1983)
Readings: Theme 1—The Railsplitter
Essential Question: Was Lincoln self-made or self-invented?
Required Documents (via Lincoln’s Writings):
- First Campaign Statement (March 9, 1832)
- Lyceum Address (January 27, 1838)
- Letter to William Herndon (July 10, 1848)
- Letter to John Johnston (January 12, 1851)
- Autobiographical Sketch (December 20, 1859)
Required Readings:
- Michael Burlingame, “Railsplitter,” multi-media excerpt from Abraham Lincoln: A Life (2008), Journal Divided, (August 26, 2010)
- Erika Nunamaker, “Lincoln’s Pursuit of ‘Egalitarian Refinement’: Evidence from his Mahogany Sofa,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 28 (Winter 2007)
- Kenneth J. Winkle, “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made Man,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 21 (Summer 2000)
Recommended Lecture (via Gilder Lehrman Institute):
- Douglas Wilson, “Honor’s Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln,” (41 mins)
Featured Digital Pedagogy (via previous course participants):
- Jesse O’Neill, A.Lincoln, A Funny Man?, (Summer 2014)
Readings: Theme 2—Honest Abe
Essential Question: Did Lincoln deserve the nickname, “Honest Abe”?
Required Documents (via Lincoln’s Writings):
- Handbill on Infidelity (July 31, 1846)
- Notes for a Law Lecture (July 1, 1850)
- Letter to Richard Yates (August 18, 1854)
- Letter to Norman B. Judd (October 20, 1858)
- Cooper Union Speech (February 27, 1860)
Required Readings:
- Matthew Pinsker, “Man of Consequence: Abraham Lincoln in the 1850s,” Illinois History Teacher 16 (2009)
- Mark E. Steiner, “The Lawyer as Peacemaker: Law and Community in Abraham Lincoln’s Slander Cases,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 16 (Summer 1995)
Recommended Lecture (via Gilder Lehrman Institute):
- Richard Carwardine, “Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life,” Gilder Lehrman Institute (April 15, 2004),
Featured Digital Pedagogy (via previous course participants):
- Mary Beth Donnelly, Philosopher in Chief, (Fall 2013)
Readings: Theme 3—Father Abraham
Essential Question: How did Lincoln’s own contemporaries respond to his leadership?
Required Documents (via Lincoln’s Writings):
- Letter to Mary Todd Lincoln (April 16, 1848)
- Letter to Grace Bedell (November 19, 1860)
- Letter to Reverdy Johnson (July 26, 1862)
- Letter to Joseph Hooker (January 26, 1863)
- Letter to Ulysses S Grant (January 19, 1865)
Required Readings:
- Catherine Clinton, “Wife Versus Widow: Clashing Perspectives on Mary Lincoln’s Legacy,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 28 (Winter 2007)
- Brooks Simpson, “Lincoln and His Political Generals,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 21 (Winter 2000)
Recommended Lecture (via Gilder Lehrman Institute):
- James McPherson, Lincoln as Commander in Chief, Gilder Lehrman Institute (November 22, 2008),
Featured Digital Pedagogy (via previous course participants):
- Meg Thompson, Death of Elmer Ellsworth, (Fall 2013)
- Megan VanGorder, Lincoln’s Bloomington, (Summer 2014)
Readings: Theme 4—Great Emancipator
Essential Question: Why did Lincoln try to separate equality and civil rights from his emancipation policy?
Required Documents (via Lincoln’s Writings):
- Letter to Williamson Durley (October 3, 1845)
- House Divided Speech (June 16, 1858)
- First Draft of Emancipation (July 22, 1862)
- Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863)
- Letter to Albert Hodges (April 4, 1864)
Required Readings:
- Eric Foner, “The Emancipation of Abe Lincoln,” New York Times, December 31, 2012
- James Oakes, “Forever Free,” New York Times / Disunion, January 7, 2013
Recommended Lecture:
- Allen Guelzo, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation (2004)
Featured Digital Pedagogy (via previous course participants):
- Lois Macmillan, Global Lincoln, (Fall 2013)
Readings: Theme 5—Savior of the Union
Essential Question: How should we teach Lincoln’s nationalism?
Required Documents (via Lincoln’s Writings):
- First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1860)
- Letter to Horace Greeley (August 22, 1862)
- Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863)
- Blind Memorandum (August 23, 1864)
- Second Inaugural Address (March 4, 1865)
Required Readings:
- James L. Huston, “The Lost Cause of the North: A Reflection on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 33 (Winter 2012)
- Matthew Pinsker, “Warning: Artists at Work,” in Unofficial Teacher’s Guide to Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012)
Virtual Field Trips: Required Videos:
Choose ONE of the following video collections and prepare to discuss how it might be integrated into your final multi-media project or classroom. Also, consider ways that the format or content might be expanded or improved to better suit various types of classroom experiences.
- What Would Lincoln Do? (October 2013) (90 mins)
- “Lincoln and War Powers” series (2014) (3 videos, 90 min. each)
- Reconstruction workshop (March 2015) (Foner, 90 mins / Rosen, 60 mins / Pinsker 60 mins / Downs 75 mins / Rubin 75 mins)
- Gettysburg field trip (Summer 2013) (60 min)
- Ford’s Theatre virtual tour (2014) (9 short videos / 35 min total)