Coates Course Response

Overall, I really enjoyed the history course taught by Dr. Coates. As I'm sure you've heard me say before, I haven't taken a history class in a very long time, so it was nice to refresh my memory on things I had forgotten about as well as to learn a ton of new things. I really enjoyed learning about Cherokee culture prior to European contact. I had no concept of what mound-building societies encompassed, or knowledge of elaborate and corrupt priesthoods. I also thought that Dr. Coates did a great job explaining blood law and emphasizing that it wasn't about revenge. She definitely got the point across that the clans and blood law were about balance. I also agree with her to some extent that the Cherokee's matrilineal system is superior to our patrilineal descent today. It seemed as though it was much easier on the children, especially when there was a divorce or death of a parent. However, I would like to research more about her claim that there were no social stigmas regarding premarital sex and children born out of wedlock.

Like everyone else who has posted about the course, I also like that she presented the Trail of Tears in a factual manner. I can't tell you how many times I've come across the number 4,000 in the past few days...everywhere from Robert Conley's book to the article in the Native American Times about our trip. I also had the misconception that soldiers accompanied the people on the Trail of Tears and terrorized them. One thing that I left the course wondering was why the Cherokees (as a whole) didn't better prepare for the journey, especially if they knew that it was imminent. Whatever the reason, like Dr. Coates said, even losing one life on the Trail of Tears was one too many.

I am not completley advocating extending the course to forty hours (it was already pretty long), but I did feel as though the end of the course was cut short and that there is still much that I would like to know about issues in the 20th century. Overall, I learned a great deal from this course and I am so thankful that we had Dr. Coates to teach it!