Course Syllabus and Course Guide

CGS: HIST 1124

Northern Ireland 1969-1994

16824

Spring 2104

Please read "Dedication" for the Course

Introduction:

This is an upper level History course designed for those with both a cursory and strong interest in Irish History and the “Troubles.”  You should be confident in your writing skills and possess a willingness to read and to critically analyze historical material.  You will also need computer, Internet skills as the course materials will be online, and I will keep in touch with you by email.

Email Policy:

The University of Pittsburgh e-mail Policy 09-10-01 states:

Each student is issued a University e-mail address (username@pitt.edu) upon admittance.  This e-mail address may be used by the University for official communication with students.  Students are expected to read e-mail sent to this account on a regular basis.  Failure to read and react to University communications in a timely manner does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications.  The University provides an e-mail forwarding service that allows students to read their e-mail via other service providers (e.g., Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo).  Students that choose to forward their e-mail from their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk.  If e-mail is lost as a result of forwarding, it does  not absolve the student from responding to official communications sent to their University e-mail  address.

The link to this policy is located at:  http://www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/09/09-10-01.html

Classes

Location: 132 Chevron

Time: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Official Meeting Days: 

1/6/2010
1/13/2010
1/27/2010
2/3/2010
2/17/2010
2/24/2010
3/17/2010
3/31/2010
4/7/2010
4/14/2010
 

On the Wednesdays we do not have official classes, I will run “recitations” in the classroom to discuss information from the class and answer any questions.  We will also, at different times, have people from Northern Ireland talk directly to you over the Internet, either by audio or video.  I will announce these during the term.

Although, not mandatory, I highly recommend attending all these!

Dates & Descriptions: These classes are subject to change, as well as change of topics.

3/31/2010    Play #2

Sunningdale – Harold Wilson calls together a panel after the Ulster Workers Council Strike to determine why Sunningdale failed and what is the way forward in Northern Ireland.  The Panel consists of

1. A member of the SDLP

2. A member of the UUUC (United Ulster Unionist Coalition-(anti-Sunningdale)

3. Brian Faulkner leader of the failed Executive

4. A member of the Ulster Workers Council.

Construct a play that deals with:

1. Why Sunningdale fails.

2. What the way forward for Northern Ireland is, if there is one, after the failure of Sunningdale.

4/7/2010   Play #3

The Hunger Strikes affected everyone in Northern Ireland and the World.  Construct two separate scenes where the Hunger Strikes are discussed and debated and examined for what their long-term impact may be in Northern Ireland.  These can take place in a bar, house, coffee shop, or another setting where people come together to discuss the Hunger strikes.

1. Scene 1

   1. The characters are:

                                                               i.      The relative of a hunger striker (you can make this whomever you want.)

                                                             ii.      A Sinn Fein activist who totally supports the Hunger Strikes.

                                                            iii.      A member of the SDLP

                                                           iv.      An ordinary Middle-Class Catholic

Course Requirements

In this class you will be expected to not only learn the history of this period, but also to think about and analyze it in depth; while attempting to do this as objectively as possible.  There will also be a significant amount of reading in this class and I expect that you keep up with it.  In the Workshops, we will supplement the readings, watch, and discuss documentary footage concerning the “Troubles.”  You will come to your own conclusions in the Workshops and on the papers.  I do not want you to repeat what I or the readings say.

Grading and Requirements for the Course:

A mid-term and a final, along with a group project outlined below.   

• Take home mid-term exam – given after first 5 weeks :
  • 25% of your final grade
• Take home final exam
  • 25% of your final grade
• Each student will also submit, by email, a question for the next class.  I will choose two for each week of the term that we will then discuss at the start of class.  However,  when we have a speaker, instead of submitting a question for class, all students must be prepared to ask at least one question of the speaker and hand that question in at the end of the class. 
  • 10% of final grade
• Group Project – Writing and performing a play based around a theme, or scenario I give out at the beginning of term.
  • 30%  for the writing, performance and discussion of the play (see below for instructions)
  • 10% for the audience assignment for the play (see below for instructions)

Assignment Descriptions:

1. Mid-Term – Take Home – You will have 20 questions and you answer 15 of them.  These are “short answer” only in that they are not full essays.  However, they are mini-essays as the questions are very complex and you will not be able to answer them in one sentence or even paragraph.  The rule of thumb should be that each question should take about ¾ page single-spaced. 
2. Final – Take Home -– You will have 20 questions and you answer 15 of them.  These are “short answer” only in that they are not full essays.  However, they are mini-essays as the questions are very complex and you will not be able to answer them in one sentence or even paragraph.  The rule of thumb should be that each question should take about ¾ page single-spaced.  
3. Group Project – The “Play”
   1. Mechanics:

                                                               i.      After Add-Drop I will break you into groups of 4 students each.

                                                             ii.      On Courseweb, I will create your groups and you will be able to collaborate online with your group, sharing files and use the discussion board in your group to discuss the Project.

                                                            iii.      I will then assign each group their topic for their play and when you will perform it.

                                                           iv.      We will have the plays over the last 5 weeks of the term.

2. The Project:

                                                               i.      Each group will write a play based on an event, period or process from the period we are studying.  (30% of grade)

1.      You will do this according to rubric you receive at the start of the term.

2.      Each group must turn in a synopsis of the play at least 2 weeks prior to the play’s performance.

                                                             ii.      The play will be no more than 15 minutes in length.

                                                            iii.      You will perform the play in class at your designated time during the term.

                                                           iv.      At the end of the play, you will then have a Question and Answer session with the audience, i.e. your fellow students. In this session you should be able to:

1.      Explain why you chose to do the play the way you did.

2.      Explain the motivations and thinking of the characters.

3.      Explain the politics surrounding the topic of your performance and how they influenced the way you wrote this play. 

4.      Answer any questions from the audience dealing with any facet of the play and the history and politics.

                                                            v.      The audience will be responsible for: (10% of grade)

1.      Grading the play and performance according to the rubric you receive at the start of the term.

a.       Audience evaluation will be 50% of the grade

b.      My evaluation will be 50% of the grade.

2.      Critiquing the play and the historical accuracy of the play

3.      Asking questions of the writers and actors about the play and their characters.

Course Materials – ALL ARE REQUIRED

Textbooks:

• McKittrick, David and McVea, David, Making Sense of the Trouble: The Story of Conflict in Northern Ireland, 2000, Belfast: Blackstaff.
• Taylor, Peter, Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein, 1998, London: Bloomsbury Publishing. - Available as "CoursePacket" in Bookstore.
• Taylor, Peter, Loyalists: War and Peace in Northern Ireland, c1999, New York: TV Books. - Available as "CoursePacket" in Bookstore.
• Paul Dixon, The Politics of War and Peace

The first two books, by Dixon and McKittrick, take a very even-handed approach and provide a solid analysis of the period under study.   I chose Peter Taylor’s books because his two works provide the view “from the street,” so to speak, as we read how the Loyalists (all the Loyalist groupings) and the Republicans (mainly Provisional IRA) viewed the conflict, why they fought, and how they eventually moved from the military struggle to the political struggle.  Students should read these two books in their entirety.  McKittrick/McVea is very good for providing an understanding of the “Troubles,” but Taylor’s works take us directly into the lives of those who fought the war.

Course Website:

This is a web-based course; therefore, you will be actively using the course site as well as links to other related web-based sites. To access the online portion of the course:

• Go to http://www.tnovosel.org/1124 - All sections are located there. 
• If you want a simple guide to the course go to:  History 1124 Sections the bookmark that page.

Video, Audio and Primary Documents: 

I have also linked many primary documents, video and audio files into the course.  They are all located on Courseweb: courseweb.pitt.edu

To access the video, audio files and primary documents you will need to access the Courseweb through the Pitt Portal.  Go to my .pitt.edu

• Login using your Pitt user account name.
• Click on Student Services.
• Click on the CourseWeb link.
• The next screen should contain the name(s) of your course(s) in the "My Courses" box.
• Click on this course, which is History 1124: Ireland: The “Troubles” 1969 – 1994
• This course site will be available on the first day of term. If you have difficulty, please contact the University Computer Help Desk at 412.624.HELP (4357)

Course Outline:

I have divided the Online Study Guide into three sections and one extra section on the Good Friday Agreement.  The Section on the Good Friday Agreement is for your own information and for further study.

• Section 1: The Origins of the “Troubles” (Units 1-6)
• Section 2: “The Troubles” (Units 7-9)
• Section 3: The Long War and the Search for Peace: 1972-1994 (Units 10-17)

The course is structured with the following components in each of the three major sections.

·        Introduction

·        Objectives

·        Units: Including Commentary, Readings, and Study Questions

·        Activities

·        Conclusion

Course Rationale and Methodology:

Rationale

"The Irish want their History like they want a Chinese carryout. They want it fast, hot and to their taste." Former Official Irish Republican Volunteer - 2009

The historical and political situation in Northern Ireland is “loaded” emotionally for many Americans of Irish descent and for those who see the conflict in terms of Imperialism and Colonialism and the fight of a “small nation to be free and united.” However, what our investigation will show is that this conflict was/is much more complicated than the simple slogans one hears about it or in simple terms, such as “Brits Out” or “No Surrender.” What this class will attempt to do is take the emotion and the preconceived notions out of the discussion and instead analyze this period and its actors in all their complexity. 

Consequently, the way in which we approach this subject is going to be very different from what you might expect.  As, I stated above, we will not examine this period in the, in my view, simplistic terms of a conflict between the IRA and the British state, or as part of an anti-imperialist struggle.  Both are legitimate in methods of analysis but do not go far enough or deep enough in explaining the protracted and very violent struggle in Northern Ireland.  Nor do they help us understand why, after not achieving their aims, the IRA ended the armed struggle and why the Loyalists, who fought the war with the IRA, were willing to bargain with the IRA and accept the fact that 50 years of Unionist rule had been 50 years of Unionist misrule.

Methodology

Our methodology in this class will take a twin-track approach.

• On the macro level we will use McKittrick-McVea and others to analyze the “Troubles,” that is, what occurred amongst the political elites in Ireland, the United States, Britain and Northern Ireland as they worked together to create the political climate that could provide the basis of a settlement. This settlement would then allow Britain to disengage militarily and politically from Northern Ireland, allow the Republic of Ireland to engage in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland, all the while reassuring the Unionist/Loyalist community of their place within the UK and the Nationalist/Republican community of the protection of their rights in a “new” Northern Ireland.

•  On the micro level our analysis, once we move into the 1970s, will focus on the Provisional IRA and the UDA/UFF and the UVF. Here we will examine:

•     Why they fought.

•      What they hoped to gain.

•       How they viewed one another.

•       Why they each increased and decreased their violence at different stages of the conflict.

•        What changes took place within both movements, how they took place and how these changes led them each to move towards the transformation of the military struggle into the political struggle and eventually to the Ceasefires of 1994.

To accomplish this task using this methodology we will spend much of Section 2, Section 3 focusing on and examining the paramilitaries on both sides rather than focusing on the political actions of the various governments and constitutional political parties in Northern Ireland.  Although this may seem strange, there is a very simple reason for this approach.  What we will discover is that it did not matter what the governments and constitutional parties tried to do in terms of ending the conflict.  Those efforts were doomed to failure if the paramilitaries did not want them to work.  The failures of all the peace initiatives from 1972 to 1994 are clear evidence of that.  As author Padraig O’Malley (1997) argues, “Britain could not impose a solution; she could not impose either majority rule on the Nationalists or an Irish Dimension on the Unionists.” (p. 379).  Throughout this period, the IRA had the ability to sabotage any effort at a settlement if that settlement did not fit into their final goal of a United Ireland.  On the other hand, as we will see, the Loyalists in alliance, at times, with the Unionist constitutional parties had the ability to make Northern Ireland ungovernable if the settlement or policies did not take into account the Loyalist fears, concerns and desires, in particular the security of the Union. Therefore, the most Britain could do was impose or propose a framework that would establish the "reference points for a satisfactory agreement" (p. 379).  Therefore, in Sections 2 and 3 our examination will focus on the actions and changes within Republicanism and Loyalism, both militarily and politically, to understand how, within the framework for peace the political elites, as studied in Dixon and McKittrick-McVea, tried to create, Loyalism and Republicanism, nearly simultaneously, moved towards the transformation of the military struggle into a political struggle.

Course Goals:

Utilizing the above mentioned methodology, this class will examine and analyze, as objectively as is possible in dealing with such a volatile subject, the three main periods of the “Troubles” to understand how the “Troubles” began; why the period 1969-1994 became so violent; and how the peace process finally began and to some extent has succeeded.

1.   The first goal is to provide you with an understanding of how and why the “Troubles” began in the 1960s.  Here we will examine the history of the “The Static Society,” as McKittrick and McVea call it, in creating the basis of the “Troubles.”

2.   The second goal is to understand how and why many ordinary people on both sides of the sectarian divide took up arms to fight what they each saw as a “just war.”  Within this study, we will examine how those on all sides gradually came to the realization that the conflict had to end someday with a political solution, not a military one.

3.   The third goal is to analyze and understand how Northern Ireland moved away from the 25 years of military conflict and examine how the transformation of the military conflict into a political one took place.

Course Objectives:

When you complete this course, you will:

1. Appreciate the complexity of historical events.
2. Appreciate that there are no simple, clear-cut answers when doing historical analysis.
3. Explain that the origins of the “Troubles” were much more complicated than simply the struggle to reunite Ireland.
4. Identify the institutional and societal pressures that prevented Northern Ireland from reforming itself, when it had the chance.
5. Describe the role of the British Government throughout this period.
6. Describe the role of the Irish Republic throughout this period.
7. Outline the role the United States played in the peace process.
8. Explain the split that took place in the IRA in 1969 and subsequent rise of the Provisional IRA.     
9. Explain why Loyalist paramilitaries became active in 1966 and why they fought the IRA and were prepared to fight the British Army.
10. Explain the role of the British Army. Also, explain how it based many of its actions in fear of a “two-front” war with Republicanism and Loyalism.
11. Compare and contrast why many people, on both sides of the divide, decided to “take up the gun” and fight a “War of Liberation” or a war to “Defend Ulster.”
12. Describe the institutional and informal pressures that restricted the ability of the political elites of all hues to come to an accommodation until 1998.
13. Explain the changes that took place within the IRA that led it to accept a settlement far short of its goals.
14. Analyze the changes that took place within sections of Loyalism that made it possible for it to sit and negotiate with those it viewed as mortal enemies.
15. Analyze how the combatants and politicians transformed the conflict in Northern Ireland from a military conflict to a political conflict and how that made it possible to achieve a political accommodation in Northern Ireland.

Resources:

Before you begin the readings for this course, use the Resources listed below to familiarize yourself with Northern Ireland, the terminology that we will use throughout the course and the timeline that will keep you "located" in the proper period throughout the course.  Refer to them often.

1. Go to the map and familiarize yourself with Northern Ireland.
2. Timeline of Troubles by year 
3. Go to page 331 in McKittrick and make sure you familiarize yourself with all the acronyms and names of the various political and paramilitary groups.  Bookmark this page also so that you can go there quickly when you need to look up a name again.
4. Bookmark page 329 in McKittrick. This is a chart of the political murders in Northern Ireland.
5. Go to page 244 in McKittrick and bookmark this. This is a timeline, beginning in 1920, that chronicles the “Troubles.” Again, refer to this whenever you have a difficult time locating when events happened.
6. Suggested – but not required.  Read and listen to historical analysis of Ireland's History

Getting Help:

Many students take Hybrid courses and do not avail themselves of the professor/s when they need help.  Do not do that!  I am on campus most days of the week.  I am also available on the weekends and would be happy to meet, talk, Skype or email you at anytime.  So, if you are having problems or are struggling with your paper of the readings or anything contact me IMMEDIATELY!  Simply contact me through the information listed on the syllabus.

How to Study for this Course:

1.   Make sure you read the objectives listed at the beginning of each section. These are crucial for what you should get out of each section and the course as a whole.

2.   Read commentary and background provided in the Study Guide. Then do the required readings assigned for each section.

3.   Click on the hyperlinks I have created for individuals, parties and events to take you directly to explanations and/or definitions of each.

4.   Answer the study questions at the end of each unit on your own. Make sure you can do these before you move on. If you have problems or questions, contact me ASAP.

5.   Study the review terms in the Study Guide. If you are unsure of the review terms, do not proceed to the next unit without either referring to one of the recommended general texts or contacting to me.

6.   Remember, to do well in this class you should put yourself on a tight study schedule, keep up with the reading, contact me when you need help and come to the Workshops.

G-Grade Information:

Students are expected to complete course work during the term in which they are enrolled. 

For this course, a G-Grade will be granted only with the consent of the instructor and only in extenuating circumstances. The G-Grade for this class only allows one additional term to complete the course work. If it is not completed then, I will convert your grade to the letter grade you earned with an F given for the uncompleted work. This G-Grade requirement supersedes any other printed statement in the Study Guide for students enrolled this term.

Disability Resources and Services:

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you

are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services,

216 William Pitt Union, 412-648-7890/412-383-7355 (TTY), as early as possible in the

term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for

this course. A comprehensive description of the services of that office can be obtained at

www.drs.pitt.edu.

Academic Integrity Guidelines:

All Hybrid (UESP) course students are expected to observe the same code of academic honesty required of all University of Pittsburgh Students. The conduct below constitutes a violation of this code.

Taking of Information

• Copying graded assignments from another student. Each written assignment must be the student’s own work.

Tendering of Information

• Giving your work to another student to be copied.

Plagiarism

• “To present as one’s own work, the ideas, representations, or words of another, or to permit another to present one’s own work without customary and proper acknowledgement of sources” (University of Pittsburgh Guidelines on Academic Integrity, p. 5).

Honors Pledge

You will complete all work for this course according to an "Honor System." Your signature, electronically (Typing it in) or written on your paper verifies that this is your work.  You may collaborate with anyone on your paper, but it must be your original work. 

Additional Resources:

Terminology:

You will run into a great number of acronyms and confusing terms. Please refer to the back of McKittrick-McVea (pp. 331-337) if the terms become confusing. One important point needs to be made about the terminology used in this Study Guide.  I will be using the terms Nationalists, Republicans, Unionists, and Loyalists throughout the Study Guide. Be aware that:

1.      Nationalists and Republicans are Catholic, for the most part.

2.      Unionists and Loyalists are Protestant, for the most part.

3.      Nationalists support the reunification of Ireland through constitutional political means.

4.      In the period under study - Republicans support the reunification of Ireland through the armed struggle.

5.      Unionists, for the most part, support the maintenance of the Union with Britain though Constitutional and political means.

6.      In the period under study - Loyalists, who are 100% working class support the maintenance of the Union with Britain through the armed struggle.

These are generalizations, but they tend to hold for the purposes of our study.

Important and Helpful Websites for the Course - I have created this list for you to use and refer to throughout the course. Please use them as you will find them extremely helpful throughout this course.

1. BBC: "The Troubles"
2. BBCNi "Hearts and Minds"
3. BBC – "The Search for Peace"
4. PBS Frontline – "Behind the Mask"
5. The Guardian - "Who's Who" in Northern Ireland
6. The Guardian – Special Report on Northern Ireland
7. CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet – University of Ulster) The Northern Ireland Conflict (1968 to the Present)
8. CAIN – Exhaustive list of Websites dealing with the conflict in Northern Ireland
9. CAIN – Photographs of Northern Ireland and the Conflict – Refer to this during your readings and browse some of the photographs housed here. INCORE guide to Internet sources on conflict in Northern Ireland
10. Ulster TV
11. The Good Friday Agreement
12. The Blanket - Dissident Republican Journal
13. Ireland's Own - Republican Website with press releases and also many videos.
14. Ireland's Own- Women in the Republican Movement
15. Slugger O'Toole- Best blog site for keeping up on current events.
16. What it is like to have been a child of “The Troubles” - Power Point Presentation

Newspapers  -Newspapers that are online that can be of great help to you in your research and studies:

1. The Guardian/Observer Newspaper
2. The Times of London
3. Belfast Telegraph
4. Irish News
5. Irish Independent
6. Irish Times
7. Republican News (An Phoblacht)
8. Ulster Newsletter

Additional Readings:

Below are listed a number of books, by no means exhaustive, that I would recommend that you eventually read, or browse through.  They are all very good in dealing with their particular subjects.  I will be quoting from many of them and using them during the term. Two books I STRONGLY RECOMMEND for all of you to buy for yourself is: 

1. Lost Lives, David McKittrick (Editor)

2. Bear in Mind These Dead, Susan McKay

3. Lost Revolution, Brian Hanley

Recommended Books:

1. Bell, J. Bowyer Bell, The Secret Army

2. Bruce, Steve. The Edge of the Union: The Ulster Loyalist Political Vision. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

3. Bruce, Steve. God Save Ulster!: The Religion and Politics of Paisleyism. Oxford [Oxfordshire; ]New York: Oxford University Press, c1986.

4. Coogan, Tim Pat. The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal 1966-1996 and the Search for Peace. Boulder, CO: Roberts Rinehart Publishers, c1996.

5. Coogan, Tim Pat, The IRA: a History

6. Crawford, Colin. Inside the UDA: Volunteers and Violence. London; Sterling, Va.: Pluto Press, 2003.

7. Crawford, Colin, Defenders or Criminals: Loyalist prisoners and criminalization, Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 1999.

8. Cusack, Jim and Henry McDonald. UVF. Poolbeg, Dublin: 1997.

9. Dillon, Martin. The Shankill Butchers: A Case Study of Mass Murder. London, G.B.: Hutchinson, 1989.

10. Farrell, Michael. Northern Ireland the Orange State. London: Pluto Press, c1976.

11. Farrell, Michael, Arming the Protestants

12. Garland, Roy. Gusty Spence. Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 2001.

13. Lister, David and Hugh Jordan. Mad Dog: The Rise and Fall of Johnny Adair and "C" Company. Edinburgh: Mainstream, 2003.

14. McCann, Eamonn. War and an Irish Town. London: Pluto Press, 1993.

15. McDermott, Jim, Northern Divisions: The Old IRA and the Belfast Pogroms, 1920-22

16. Mitchell, George J. Making Peace. New York: Knopf: Distributed by Random House, 1999.

17. Moloney, Ed. A Secret History of the IRA. New York: W.W. Norton, c2002.

18. O'Leary, Brendan. The Politics of Antagonism: Understanding Northern Ireland. London; Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Athlone Press, 1993.

19. O'Malley Padraig. The Uncivil Wars: Ireland Today. Boston: Beacon Press, c1997.

20. Porter, Norman. Rethinking Unionism: An Alternative Vision for Northern Ireland. Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1996.

21. Rowan, Brian. The Armed Peace: Life and Death after the Ceasefires. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing, 2003.

22. Sinnerton, Henry. David Ervine: Uncharted Waters. Dingle, Ireland: Brandon.

23. Stone, Michael. None Shall Divide Us. London: John Blake Publishing, 2003.

24. Tonge, Jonathan, Northern Ireland

25. Toolis, Kevin. Rebel Hearts: Journeys Within the IRA's Soul. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996.