HIST4000 - American Discovery Theories

NOTE: this course is being offered for the Spring 2019 semester.

Dr. Brian Regal

Professor for the History of Science

Department of History

T 117-I

bregal@kean.edu

This special topics course will examine the various myths and legends about who 'really' discovered America. Non-Columbian legends including the supposed visitations of Vikings, Welsh, Portuguese, Chinese, African, and others will be discussed by analyzing original primary sources and documents, as well as the political and religious inspirations for them.

Syllabus: (note: The syllabus may be altered as the semester proceeds)

Required Readings

• Keneva Kunz (Translator), The Vinland Sagas (Penguin Classics, 2008). ISBN-13: 978-0140447767

Power Point slide show: updated March 28, 2020

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dTAwzPIAVAH2pRbq1XsOPj1g4QEFAVWX/view?usp=sharing

Slide show with audio 3.39.20

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ncAxCASgIi9qcYNCHIsBoEYfxlq9Jm-v/view?usp=sharing

Additional Required Readings:

• An Attempt to Shew

• Did the Greeks discover Canada

Columbus

• Columbus Historiography

• Elite Revisionists

• Irving's Columbus

Prince Madoc

• An Inquiry into the Tradition

• Anthropological Professionalism

The Mound Builders

• The Soil of Unknown America

The Vikings

• An Introduction to Ancient Stones

• The Weston Stone

• Vinland on the Charles

• Discovering Viking America

• Vikings and Race Theory

• Vikings in America

Asia

• Fu Sang and the Discovery of America

• Did the Chinese Discover America?

Africa

• Robbing Native American Cultures: Ivan Von Sertima

Supplemental Readings:

• Edmund Burke's The Discovery of America

• The so-called Christopher Columbus

• Justin Winsor: a Memoir

• Vinland and it's Ruin

• George Burder and the Welsh in America

On-Line sources: