Pierce College
Fall 2015
History Professor: Armendariz
HISTORY 2
WESTERN CIVILIZATION
SYLLABUS
COURSE DESCRIPTION: History 2 Section 3399
PRESENT HISTORICAL MAJOR ELEMENTS IN THE WESTERN HERITAGE FROM
THE AGE OF ABSOLUTISM TO THE PRESENT
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
BY THE END OF THE SEMESTER
1) Students will have an awareness of the major events and
personages who contributed to the history of western civilization
since the 17th century.
2) Students will acquire knowledge of the interrelatedness between
historical events and their geographical settings.
3) Students will become conversant in the major intellectual and
cultural trends of western civilization since the 17th century.
DURING THE SEMESTER STUDENTS WILL BE ASSESSED ON ONE OF THE
ABOVE-MENTIONED OBJECTIVES
TEXTBOOK:
The West in the World. Vol. 2 from 1600 by Dennis Sherman and Joyce
Salisbury. Mcgraw-Hill, 4th ed., 2011.
EXAMINATION, PAPERS AND GRADES:
Examination Schedule:
1) September 28th * first exam -Blue Book required
2) October 12th Mid-term report due
3) November 16th * second exam –Blue Book required.
4) FINAL EXAM – December 14th at 4:30-6:30, BlueBook required.
5) Extra Credit –technological or writtn report on any
approved historical subject learned- one to two
page paper discussing social, economical, or political issues of
that particular period with emphasis on a newly agreed conclusion
reached by the student with evidence.
*Examinations will cover most of the reading required unless the
instructor informs you otherwise. Allowed is a 4” x 6” cheat sheet to
facilitate the thoroughness of answers and short response identification
questions.
READING SCHEDULED: Topics of interest/Lectures, & Discussions
Week 1 - 16th with a focus on absolutism -Louis 14th (9/7)
Week 2 –3 Stuarts and England in the 17th century/ English Revolution and
Glorious Revolution (9/14)
Week 4–Dutch Republic and the Scientific Revolution in Europe(9/21)
Week 5-Enlightened Despotism and First Exam (9/28)
Week 6 – Enlightened Despotism continued
Walpole’s England and Hogarth/ The Industrial Revolution & 18th Century
Enlightenment(10/5)
Week 7 – The French Revolution (10/12) “PAPER DUE”
Week 8 – 9 The French Revolution and Napoleon’s Rise (10 /19 & 10/26)
Week 10 – Age of “Isms”- France’s Napoleon III (11/2)
Week 11-Tale of 2 Cities = Paris and London/ German and Nationalism
(11/9)
Week 12 – *– Russian in the 19th century and Liberalism criticized and
Second Exam(11/16)
Week 13 – The Great War, & The Russian Revolution (11/23)
Week 14 - Berlin in the 1920s and Facism and Democracies (12/7)
Week 15 – WWII, Cold War, Rise and Fall (12/7)
Week 16 – FINAL EXAMINATION December 14
Attendance and Observing the Student Code of Conduct:
1 or more consecutive absences may result in exclusion and to avoid
disrupting your education I would suggest that 2 is too many.
How to avoid class disruptions:
1) Be on time to class, especially on exam days. The instructor
reserves the right to refuse any student from entering tardy to the
classroom during an exam.
2) Turn off all electronic devices to include cell phones.
3) Getting up during lectures or discussions is unacceptable as well as
leaving after the hour for whatever reason. Let the instructor know
if there is an emergency or doctor’s appointment and provide the
proper documentation.
4) Attendance rosters: a seating chart will be provided and leaving
does not constitute present for that particular day. Try to
remember that each hour accounts for 1 day.
Office hours & Emergency Numbers:
 Instructor’s availability: After class 7-8 p.m. on Mondays and by
appointment.
 Emergency Numbers: Sheriffs on campus: 710-4311
 NON-EMERGENCY # 719-6450
Escort to your car 719-6450