Are we going to have a study session today? If yes, what time and where? Thank you kindly.

I also agree with the proposal for some short essay-type questions and maybe one long essay that is focused on a particular period of the Civil War that can be connected to all the other parts of the War. I think that these types of questions show that you know the material and they also allow you to draw connections between events. I do like the short answer questions but sometimes I feel they can get a little to specific and with so much information to know on this test I feel as if it would be difficult to pick and choose what the ask about and what not to ask about in a short answer type sectoin.

I also think that a study session tomorrow afternoon would be very helpful.

Thanks Dr. Benson!

    I agree with Christopher on his idea for essays. I think it would be a good idea to have short essays that deal with a specific timeframe that can connect to a larger theme. I also think having some amount of choice on the exam would be a good idea. As for ideas for short essay topics, maybe something about connecting a specific aspect of the Civil War to the Confederates in the Attic book?

   I would definitely like a study session on Monday. I have 2 exams that day (at 8:30 and 12), so later in the afternoon would work better for me. Thanks!

I agree with Christopher on his comments about previous tests, especially as they relate to a cumulative exam. My apologies for not submitting any of my own suggestions... I am leaving soon for an out-of-town trip and probably won't have a chance to revisit the discussion board, but I know my fellow classmates will have amazing suggestions... and I like Christopher's idea about a reenactment of our own!

Regarding a formal study session on Monday: I think that would be a great idea! I work full-time (usually until 5 pm) but can flex my schedule if afternoon works best for everyone else.

Thanks, Dr. Benson!

I personally liked the format for all of our tests with an objective portion, and an essay portion. However, for a final, with so much material, the objective portion can almost tree you like a coon dog trees a coon. Essays with an all encompassing element can also be tricky to navigate. I think essays that focus on a particular part of the course that you can link to overarching themes and reference other sections of material work well. You show that you know the material, but also that you can link together events, themes, and present an argument if needed. I know these are "traditional" finals and test ideas, but they seem to work pretty well.

Or we could have a final where we recreate a battle on campus! Don't know what that would look like, or how Dr. Benson would grade it, but it would be fun and educational!

Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horowitz was a great, and fun way to end up the term. The book was hard to put down and was a very easy read. It was interesting on how Horoqitz spoke on many different topics and the characters he used to do so. The reinactors of the Civil War are still around even where I live today in Roanoke, Virginia, and I can relate to their love and interest in the Civil War. Once again, the book was a great way to sum up the term!

Confederates in the Attic was amazing!!! It was such a relief and a breath of fresh air to read a humorous work, and I must say that it tied up things nicely. I've lived all over the south, from Tallahassee to Virginia, and I know many guys my age who participate in reenactments. In high school I was fascinated and drawn to the charm and alure of the Civil War south, and this book brought back alot of that. I've always wondered what my perspective of the Civil War would've been if I hailed from the north, and I'm guessing that it would be quite different.

My favorite part about Confederates in the attic was the section about farbers because my grandfather is a man in the hardcore camp, so I appreciated that greatly. Also, it shows that people really desire to be passionate about something, and to be part of something greater than themselves, even if it was a lost cause.

At the risk of sounding redundant, I definitely agree with my fellow classmates; Confederates in the Attic was a great book to finish off our course! I found myself relating very well to the narrator, having had a few similar experiences with Southerners myself during my time at Furman. While it certainly wasn't the most historical book, I think that Horwitz did a wonderful job of encapsulating instances of how people think about and act on the war today.

One common theme that stood out to me (if any common theme can emerge from a book such as this) was the importance of symbols. Every person characterized in the book looked to some sort of symbol, whether it was an effigy of Robert E. Lee, a marching drum, or the "Stars and Bars" themselves, as the quintessence of their Civil War identity. It was interesting to see how the powerful images of the day have retained their lure to the modern American, even if that draw is the result of a different meaning or cause than what was originally intended. Along those lines, it was VERY interesting to see how people today have taken symbols and history and forced it to conform to their own agenda. Selective memory, one-sided stories, and prejudice seem to run as rampant when dealing with historical matter as they do in today's media. Horwitz did a wonderful job of depicting this without judging any of the people he encountered. Even though it's a bit dated, I hope that this book is never removed from the curriculum for this class.

I also have to agree with everyone else on how enjoyable Confederates in the attic was to read! Growing up in Florida, I never actually realized how much the Civil war still has an influential impact on American society. I thought Horwitz did a great job of showing how the Civil War is remembered, espicially by the South. I found the Lee-Jackson birthday party and Hodge's character by far the most interesting! I have to agree with my classmates when they say that it seems as though the confederate spirit is still alive in particular states!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I also thoroughly enjoyed the process of reading Tony Horowitz's Confederates in the Attic. Horowitz's journey of exploring the different forms of prevailing sentiments towards Southern pride and the end of the Civil War proved truly illuminating on multiple levels. I found it most interesting that the historical memory of the Civil War in the South has taken on a variety of differing positions, rather than just one "the South will rise again!" battle cry. As has already been mentioned in previous posts, perhaps the most prevailing theme of the book was that the Civil War gave many Southerners a whole new paradigm through which to identify themselves, creating a region of the United States that proves a challenge and thrill to historians and sociologists alike.

"Confederates in the Attic" was hard for me to put down; a very interesting and honest reflection by Horowitz of the mysteries and impact of the Civil War on the South. Not only were there eccentric characters with opposing opinions, but also sensible, everyday people who comprised the very complex views of post-Civil War Southerners. I found it to be a fascinating book. And, at the risk of sounding repetitious, I was very interested in the issues related to the Confederate flag, because of its recent controversy.

Confederates in the Attic was a very enjoyable read for me. The subject matter was very interesting; it was interesting to see how the Civil War still greatly influences American society. Like Emily, I took a particular interest in how our modern society recepts the Confederate flag. In the present, many people display the old flag for many reasons, the least of which is hatred for Blacks. Unfortunately, much of society has come to believe that the confederate flag is a symbol used to promote racism and hatred for African Americans. As Horwitz interviews people concerning this topic, the different views toward this flag become better understandable. This insight allowed me to better understand how and why different groups of people have come to view the Confederate flag in their unique way.

I also found it interesting that so many people continue to pursue the Civil War and it's history as either a means of living or a major hobby. When considerating the case of the war reinactors, it is almost as if the "glory of death" and romanticism of the war continues, as it was, during the 19th century. Above all, I believe this book is able to show society how and why the Civil War effects our nation and our ways as Americans.

I really enjoyed ready Horwitz's book Confederates in the Attic. I thought that it was a fun book to end the class with, and important in that it gave a view of the Civil War from outside the classroom and academic setting. Horwitz's travels to get Civil War stories took him all over the US and he got different viewpoints on how the war is remembered in popular memory. Popular memory is a powerful thing, and Horwitz does an excellent job in his book giving equal weight to all the different ideas and thoughts that he heard on his travels, no matter how ridiculous. The part of the book that I enjoyed the most was about the "living historians" and the powerful culture that has sprung up among the truly "hardcore" people; the ones that refuse and modern conveniences while out in the field.

As my classmates have stated below, The Confederates in the Attic is a wonderful book! It was such a delightful read! I first started reading the book when I was working on my history engine episode because the book has a chapter about the Battle of Shiloh. That chapter made me look forward to reading the rest of the book because the author, Tony Horwitz, gives such an amazing perspective to the war and to the South. He makes the war come to life.

Since I spent my childhood in Fort Worth, Texas, where the Civil War is rarely discussed, I was unaware of the Confederate mentality that still remains in many southern states. This book opened my eyes. I was fascinated to read about all of the men who are so involved in Civil War reenactments. Personally, I think that it is a little bit absurd that they strive to physically look like the soldiers and endure similar living situations. I enjoyed how the author traveled to various cities in various states in the south to interview locals and capture the spirit of the people. In my two and a half years in South Carolina, I have been amazed at how many Confederate flags I still see in shop windows, in the back of cars and other places. Confederates in the Attic explores the thoughts and actions of those who treasure the history of the Civil War. The book truly highlights that the spirit of the Confederacy persists in the South.

The consensus keeps growing: the book was a good read. Since the book is a study of historiography, one thing I really liked about the book was that Horwitz did not attempt to make too much commentary on what people said. What some people said directly contradicted facts we learned about this term, but also presented different theories (some of which held more weight than others). If someone said something incorrect, Horwitz included it as part of how things are remembered, which is a big part of historiography and public memory.
With this in mind, I couldn't help but see the book was two fold, it was Horwitz's personal journey to making sense of the past, and his recordings of other people's reflections on the past affecting the present. The book showed the multi-dimensional, multifaceted South. States' rights, slavery, heritage, symbols, rebellion, government, philosophy, family, land: all things we have talked about in our class that other people bring up in the book and how the Civil War is remembered.
The book brought up issues and ideas that I personally relate to, and brought up views and ideas that I see in members of my own family. It was personally challenging as well as academically.