Dr. Jeffrey T. Leigh, Ph.D.
HIS 162
WORLD HISTORY SINCE 1500
SPRING 2003
TEXTS:
-
Jerry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Zeigler, Traditions and Encounters,
II;
-
Dennis Sherman, et.al., World Civilizations, II;
-
Joseph R. Mitchell, et.al., Taking
Sides, World History, II.
-
There will also be periodic
handouts.
OBJECTIVES:
The goal of this course is to familiarize the student with some of the major themes of human history to 1500. The course will take a comparative approach emphasizing the particular dynamics at work within and between cultures around the globe. In addition to achieving the fundamental benefit of an education in history, the perspective that comes from a personal understanding of people in other times and places, this course will focus on the nature of the historian's craft. To this end, we will complete readings from a textbook, source reader, and a debate-style reader. The textbook will orient the student regarding the course's general themes and chronology. The source reader will provide excerpts from singularly important writings, visual images, and latter-day historical works. Finally, the debate-style reader will provide important commentary on the meaning of history and the continuing relevance of historical debate.
Because the course will consist of a thorough mixture of lecture and
discussion, it is imperative that all readings be completed prior to the
beginning of each day's class meeting. It
is an obvious blunder to wait until just before the exams to begin reading the
assignments. This method of
study will result neither in superior exam performance nor allow for meaningful
participation in the classroom.
EVALUATIONS:
Essay
2/3 of exam grade
ID Section, 1/3 of exam
grade
Participation:
20%
Electronic Preparatory Assignments: 20%
Grades
will be based upon performance on three examinations, electronic preparatory
assignments (E.P.A.), and classroom participation.
Each of these assignments constitutes 20% of the course grade. All three exams will consist of an essay, weighted at
67%, and an identification section, weighted at 33%, of the exam grade.
The essay will treat major themes from the preceding third of the
semester. The identification
section will require single-paragraph answers identifying and giving the
significance of three specific persons, events or ideas, from a choice of
five. Identification terms will be
listed on periodical handouts under the heading "Important Names, Events
and Ideas." Only terms
included under this heading will appear on the ID section of the exams.
The identification sections of each exam will be completed in the
classroom during the exam period. The
essay sections on the first two exams will also be completed in the classroom
during the exam, but the final exam essay will be a take-home question.
The final essay should be 4-6 pages, typed, double-spaced, 1inch margins,
12-point font. Each exam will only
cover materials from the preceding third of the course.
The fourth part of students' grades will be based upon performance on electronic preparatory assignments (E.P.A.). Each week questions will appear on your daily handouts. Once a week, you will need to write a response, approximately 300-350 words, and send it to me via email at the address listed below by 10:00 of that day of class. If this presents a problem, let me know. EPA's will be graded on a check, plus, star system.
The fifth part of students' grades will be based upon participation. The participation grade reflects attendance and performance in the classroom. All students will receive no lower than a C for participation, if they attend all class periods. There are, of course, instances when an absence is unavoidable. In such cases, the instructor must be informed of the nature of the unavoidable absence, preferably in advance. Excused absences will be granted on a case-by-case basis. Participation grades higher than a C will be based upon active involvement in classroom discussions. Active involvement is defined as verbal participation in the classroom. Each class period, individuals who verbally participate will receive either a plus or star based upon the frequency of their verbal participation. Final participation grades will be based upon the sum of these marks. While the quality of participation is noted, student participation is not to be understood as an examination. It is not essential that students have a "polished" statement on the course materials or a "correct" answer to my questions in order to participate. Often students' questions are of equal pedagogical benefit. Active involvement and interaction are the goals of this grading mechanism. The participation grade is designed for the purpose of recognizing the very important learning that goes on in the classroom, which might not fully appear in a student's written work.
During the semester, provisional participation and EPA grades will be reported on returned exams. Students are also encouraged to consult with me frequently on their progress.
HOW TO CONTACT THE PROFESSOR
Office
Hours:
Room 317, M, W 3:45-4:30; T, 4:00-4:30, and by appointment.
Phone:
261-6276,
E-mail:
jleigh@uwc.edu.
If students need
accommodations because of a disability, have emergency medical information that
I should be aware of, or need special arrangements in the case of an evacuation,
please contact me at your earliest possible convenience.
All conditions contained in the student handbook related to academic dishonesty will be in effect during the semester. It would behoove students to familiarize themselves with these conditions. Cheating will not be tolerated. See the special sheet on plagiarism.
LAST DAY TO DROP
THE CLASS
This semester’s deadline to drop classes is April 9. See student services for procedures.
It is conceivable that necessary alterations to the syllabus will arise during the course of the semester. These will be communicated to the students with as much advance notice as possible.
SEMESTER SCHEDULE
T&E: Traditions and Encounters
TS: Taking Sides
WC: World Civilizations
Week 1
Jan
21: Orientation
THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE: THE RISE OF
THE WEST
Jan
23: European
Oceanic Explorations, T&E Part V, 602-605, XXIII;
WC
XIII, 1-4, 19-20.
Week 2
Jan
28: Religious
Fragmentation, Political Consolidation and Social Change in
Early
Modern Europe, T&E XXIV, 637-656;
WC XIV, 30-36, 37-49;
Handout:
Philip W. Hornick.
Jan
30: The
European Colonization of the Western Hemisphere, T&E XXV;
WC
XIII, 10-17, 20-21, 27-29.
Week 3
Feb
4: Africa
and the African Diaspora, T&E XXVI; WC XIII, 5-6, XX.
Feb
6: China
and Japan, T&E XXVII; WC XIII, 6-10, 22-26, XV, 50-55, 58-60, 68-70.
Week 4
Feb
11: The
Islamic Gunpowder Empires and Russia, T&E XXVIII, XXIX;
WC
XIV, 36-37, WC XV, 55-58, 60-68.
Feb
13: Exam
Preparation. TS Handouts: Christopher Columbus and
West Define the Modern World.
Week 5
Feb
18: FIRST
EXAM
REVOLUTIONARY AND EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE IN
EUROPE
Feb
20: The
European Scientific Revolution and the Beginnings of the
Enlightenment,
Part VI, 802-805, T&E XXIV, 656-664;
WC XVI, 71-76, 79-84; Handouts: Cardinal Bellarmine,
Gallileo Galilei, John Locke.
Week
6
Feb
25: The
Enlightenment and the Origins of the French Revolution.
T&E XXX, 807-810, 813-820; WC
XIV, 48-49; WC XVI, 76-79, 84-7;
WC XVII, 88-93, 107-110; TS II: Handout: Thomas Paine and
Baron d'Holbach.
Feb
27: The
Collapse of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, and
19th-century European
Politics, T&E XXX, 824-837;
WC XVII, 94-107, 110-115; Handout: Napoleon Bonaparte
and Boyd Shafer.
Week
7
Mar
4: The
Industrial Revolution and its Social Consequences,
T&E
XXXI; WC XVIII, 116-120, 122-126, 128-144; TS I.
REVOLUTIONARY AND EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE IN
THE AMERICAS
Mar
6: Wars
for Independence in the Western Hemisphere,
T&E XXX, 810-812, 820-824, WC XIX, 145-149, 160-164;
Handout, Martin and Madison.
Week
8
Mar
11: The
Expansion, Consolidation, and Economic Development of the
New Republics in the
Western Hemisphere, T&E XXXII;
WC XVIII, 120-121, 126-128; WC XIX, 149-160, 164-169.
TRADITIONAL EMPIRES AND THE NEW IMPERIALISM
Mar
13: Traditional
Empires under Pressure: The Ottoman and Russian
Empires,
T&E XXXIII, 903-917; WC XXI, 198-199, 204-207.
Spring
Break, March 17-21
Week
9
Mar 25: The Rise of New
European Capabilities and the Fragility of China,
T&E
XXXIII, 917-924, XXXIV, 938-939; WC XXI, 190-193, 201-204,
WC
XXII, 227-228, TS VII.
Mar 27: Imperialism
and New Imperial Powers, T&E
XXXIII, 924-929,
T&E
XXXIV, 933-938, 939-954; WC XXI 195-199, WC XXII, 213-226,
228-229;
TS IV.
Week
10
Apr
1: The
Legacy of Imperialism and Exam
Preparation,
T&E XXXIV, 954-963; WC XXII, 208-213, 218; Handout, Lord Lugard.
Apr 3: SECOND EXAM
THE MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY WARS
Week
11
Apr 8: WWI: The Causes and Conduct, T&E Part VII, 966-969, XXXV,
971-989;
WC
XXIII, 230-233, 248-250, 254-256; TS VIII.
Apr 10: WWI: the Consequences,
T&E XXXV, 989-1001; WC XXIII, 233-236,
241-242, 258-259, WC XXIV, 282-283; TS, IX.
Week
12
Apr
15: The
Interwar World, T&E XXXVI; WC XXI, 205-06, XXIII, 236-241,
242-248, 250-253, 256-258, 259-262, WC XXIV, 270-273, 283-285.
Apr
17: WWII,
T&E XXXVII, 1037-1060; WC XXIII, 262-265, XXIV, 266-269,
279-281, 285-287; TS X.
Week
13
Apr
22: The Early Post-War Period,
T&E XXXVII, 1060-1066, XXXVIII, 1069-1082;
WC
XXV, 291-299, 313, 316-318; TS XII.
THE MOVEMENT TOWARD A NEW WORLD ORDER
Apr
24: Decolonization,
T&E XXXIX; WC XXIV, 273-279, XXV, 299-313, 322-325,
TS XV.
Week 14
Apr
29: The
1970s and 1980s, the Trend Toward Something Different,
T&E
XXXVIII, 1082-1090; WC XXIV, 287-290, XXV, 318-322;
TS
XIV.
May
1: The
Collapse of the Marxist Alternative in Eastern Europe and the
Soviet
Union, T&E XXXVIII, 1090-1097; WC
XXVI, 326, 330-333,
337-339.
Week
15
May
6 and 8: And
Now for Something Really Different,
T&E
XXXX; WC XXVI, 327-330, 333-337, 339-351;
TS
XVI, XVIII.
FINAL EXAMS
162-01 (11:30-12:45): May 15, 10:30-12:30.
162-02 (2:30-3:45): May 13, 3:30-5:30
How
to write an essay
The Thesis Statement:
The most important part of any essay is the thesis statement. The thesis statement usually consists of a single sentence at
the end of the first paragraph. Its
objective is to tell the reader the purpose of the essay.
In the case of an essay exam, it answers the exam question.
When beginning an essay, make certain that you have a simple, clear
thesis statement. Not only will
this guide the reader through the essay, but it will also help you to organize
your writing.
Organization and Clarity:
The entire essay must be
organized to support the thesis statement.
The purpose of the first paragraph, the introduction, is to introduce
your reader to the subject. The
main body of your essay (often three paragraphs for an exam question)
illustrates the thesis statement. In
these paragraphs you develop the idea(s) that you introduced in the thesis
sentence. Each paragraph must be
clearly relevant to the thesis statement. This
is most easily accomplished by including a topic sentence in each paragraph.
The topic sentence functions in much the same way as the thesis sentence.
It defines the paragraph and should make the connection between the
paragraph and the thesis statement clear. Do
not include material that is irrelevant to the thesis.
Such material 'muddies' the paragraph with unnecessary information and
takes the readers attention away from your purpose.
Concentrate on clarity. Spelling,
grammatical and syntactical mistakes also make the essay difficult to comprehend
and therefore detract from its quality.
Evidence: Evidence is the
information you present to support your thesis. Each paragraph must include sufficient evidence to show that
you have a solid understanding of the assigned material and can relate it to the
question. Factual mistakes and
vague statements detract from an essay, but not nearly so detrimentally as
analytical errors. Make certain
that the evidence you present supports your thesis.
As mentioned above, the inclusion of irrelevant details does not improve
the essay.
The grading of all essays will be based on the criteria mentioned above.
The essay must have a thesis statement, be logically and clearly
organized and include sufficient information to support the thesis. The assignment of a letter grade will be based on how well
you have fulfilled these requirements. In
answering an essay question, the most important task is to answer the
question. Do not make the
mistake of 'data dumping,' simply throwing down all the information you know
related to the topic. All
information must be shown to be relevant. Spend
a couple of minutes thinking about the question, write an outline, and then
construct your essay with the question in mind.
Refer to the question after you have written the essay so that you are
certain that you have answered it.