HIST 102: World Civilization
Fall 2009
LANG 354
M-F 9:00 – 9:50
Dr. Roxanne Easley
LL 100-I; 963-1877
easleyr@cwu.edu
Office Hrs: M-H 10-11
www.cwu.edu~easleyr
REQUIRED TEXTS:
(Available at CWU bookstore and Jerrol's):
1. Strayer, Ways of the World, Vol. 2.
2. Andrea and Overfield, The Human Record, 6th ed., vol. 2.
COURSE SYLLABUS
Between 1500 and 1800, the cultural regions of the world were drawn into
more frequent and intense contact, resulting in a new era of commercial,
cultural, technological, and biological exchanges. This contact enriched
some peoples, devastated others, and left yet others relatively insulated, to
develop mainly from within. However diverse and splendorous the
individual cultures of the world remained, the early modern period
accelerated the process of cultural syncretism, by which every cultural
region reshaped and redefined the ideas of others, assimilating and
domesticating these elements for use in a different environment. The world
network expanded to literally global proportions, introducing the Americas
and most of Africa to the world stage for the first time. More ominously,
the age saw the establishment of definite and highly unequal relationships,
resulting in the pronounced dependence and subordination of entire cultural
regions in the international economy. The result was a world in which
isolation was no longer possible, but neither was any one civilization yet
prepared to assume a dominant role in world affairs.
LEARNER OUTCOMES:
After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
•
Identify key events, persons, and places in modern world history
on exams
•
Isolate and analyze significant issues in world history in written
analyses and presentations
•
Compare opposing interpretations and opinions on exams and in
written analyses
•
Recognize and appreciate global diversity and interdependence in
discussion, presentations and written work
•
Understand the relationship between the past and contemporary
events and problems in discussion, presentations and written work
•
Critically analyze primary and secondary sources in written
analyses
•
Organize and present ideas clearly in writing and speaking in
discussion, presentations and written work
2. Purchase ONE of the following four regional accounts, after attending
class:
Cabeza de Vaca, Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America.
Olaudah Equiano, The Life of Olaudah Equiano.
Stephen Ozment, Magdalena and Balthasar.
Jonathan Spence, Emperor of China.
LATE POLICY:
Late assignments will adversely affect the attendance and participation
percentage of the course grade. No late assignment will be accepted after
the assignment is graded and returned to the rest of the class, except by my
special permission.
SPECIAL NEEDS:
Students who have special needs or disabilities that may affect their ability
to access information or material presented in this course a re encouraged to
contact me or the office of Disability Support Services at (509) 963-2171
for additional disability-related educational accommodations.
1
THE WRITING CENTER:
Writing Consultants offer free, one-on-one sessions to all CWU students, of
all disciplines and levels. Students can brainstorm ideas, find research, and
revise their drafts for organization, citation style, and grammar, learning
how to edit their own papers. You can drop in or make an appointment for
an in-person session or request a live, interactive, online session. There are
three campus locations: Hertz 103, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9
a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday; library Fishbowl, 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday; and SURC 273,
6 to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Please call 963-1296/1270. Also available
are grammar handouts and other writing resources at
www.cwu.edu/~writingcenter
PLAGIARISM POLICY:
Using others’ words and ideas without proper attribution will result in
automatic course failure and full prosecution according to University
procedure.
COURSE ASSESSMENT:
40%
20%
20%
10%
10%
Primary Source Analyses
Midterm
Final
Presentation
Discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance, Preparation, and Participation: Given the complexities of our
topic and the relatively short period of time to cover them, daily attendance
is assumed. More than ten absences will automatically result in a failing
grade for the course. Preparation for and participation in all class
discussions are absolutely essential, and may be assessed by regular quizzes
and short writing assignments.
Reading: The study of history requires frequent and considerable reading.
In a ten-week course it is crucial that you stay on top of the assigned
reading schedule. All of our texts are required for the course, and you will
be responsible for reading assigned portions of these fully, thoughtfully, and
on time.
Examinations. There will be two in-class, closed-book exams, both of
which will combine essays and identifications. You will receive study
sheets a week ahead of time from which questions and terms will be chosen.
See course calendar for dates.
Primary Source Analyses:
NOTE that a primary source is a work that was written or created at a
time that is contemporary or nearly contemporary with the period or
subject being studied (a secondary source, by contrast, is one that is
written about the subject but is written after the time contemporary
with it). Ask yourself: Did this author personally experience the events
or conditions that he/she is describing? If so, the work is a primary
source. The Andrea documents (not introductions) and the four
regional accounts are all primary. Strayer is secondary, as are
Andrea’s document introductions.
Preparation: Each week, skim all of the assigned pages in the Strayer text
for the following week. Make notes on key events, ideas, and individuals.
This will serve as supporting background material for class lectures and
discussions, your primary source analyses, and exams. Study the maps and
illustrations in the text. Next, read all of the assigned primary documents in
the Andrea text, taking notes and recording your questions (you will write
about some of the documents, and discuss others in class).
Writing: With the boldface study question on the course calendar in mind,
write a three-to four- page essay (double spaced, 12 pt. font, one-inch
margins) analyzing the assigned primary source documents (from Andrea).
Our job is to "get inside the authors' heads"--to understand what larger
historical themes the sources reflect. Do not concern yourself with whether
or not you personally agree with the sources, but with the reasons the
authors had for believing in what they were writing. Always consider the
time and conditions in which the sources were written, so as not to unfairly
judge them by present-day standards.
Each essay must consist of an introduction, a thesis statement, document
summaries, an analysis, and a conclusion. See the attached "Primary
Source Analysis Evaluation Checklist" for details on each of these elements.
We will discuss them at length in class.
2
Use a formal, clear writing style, and proofread your entries for errors in
grammar or spelling.
Submission. You must submit three primary source analysis essays on time
(due dates as announced in class) to receive full credit for the primary
source analysis assignment, so be sure to keep on top of the reading and
writing schedule. If you would like extra credit, you may choose to do
more than three of the assigned analyses. The extra grade will be averaged
into the total primary source analysis grade.
The overall primary source analysis grade is based on progress. For this
reason, submit ALL previous analyses together with the current essay.
Your job is to read one of the four assigned regional accounts for the
course. Based on the account, you will participate in a group presentation,
according to the following ground rules:
1. If you need advice or audiovisual equipment, or if you would like to
assign supplementary reading, you should make an appointment with me
before the presentation.
2. You must use the full class period.
3. You must briefly summarize the characters and plot of the book (five
minutes or less).
4. You must spend the bulk of the class period assessing how the book
reflects historical themes we’ve discussed in class (see also the study
questions below). Draw on the common base of knowledge that the whole
class shares by relating the specific events/ideas of the book to topics
raised in lecture and discussion.
5. You must engage the audience by means of organized discussion,
visual aids, provocative questions, skits, "game shows," or in any other
fashion you like.
6. Though you may divide up individual responsibilities as you wish
(researchers, a/v technicians, administrators, presenters, etc.), each member
of the group must participate equally.
7. Grades for the presentation are generally assigned to the group as a
whole, not to individuals.
8. Answer the following “Presentation Self-Evaluation" questions on a
separate sheet of paper and submit it to me on the day following the
presentation. The group will not receive a grade until all self-evaluations
have been submitted.
a. List your name and group.
Regional Account Analysis and Presentation:
Regional primary sources afford the historian one of the best means of
understanding the daily life and thoughts of individuals in history. They
also allow us to assess the impact that "big events" had on the experience of
individuals. Regional evidence engages the imagination and empathy of the
reader in a way that no textbook or "big picture" study can do.
b. What specifically did you do to prepare for or participate in the
group presentation? On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being low), how would
you rate your level of participation and effort in the group
presentation?
c. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being low), how would you rate the
group’s organizational efforts as a whole? Why? Were there
group members who contributed more or less to the group than
others?
3
TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDAR:
d. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being low), how would you rate the
overall success of the group presentation? Why?
WEEK 1: 9/23-9/25
Introduction: The Puzzle of Early Modern World History
Questions you may want to consider (all or some):
1. What does the account suggest about the social structure of the
culture it portrays? Is there a class hierarchy? Do you get a sense
of family or gender structures?
2. What does the account reveal about political structures and
events? Who exercises political power? Are military structures
evident? Can you date the work to a particular reign or era, and on
the basis of what evidence?
3. What does the account indicate about regional religious or
intellectual currents? Is there a "moral" to the story that historical
peoples would have understood? Is the work itself written in a
particular style or genre?
4. What does the account suggest about daily life in the region?
What do the characters eat, drink, wear, and live in? How do they
make a living?
5. Finally, how does the account reflect the unique historical
development 1of the region? Remember to specifically draw on
your text and lectures for context.
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, Prologue; for discussion, draw up a list
of five concepts, impressions, individuals, or events that you associate with
the period 1500 to 1800. Look over the “Primary Source Analysis
Checklist.”
WEEK 2: 9/28-10/2
Traditional Europe in Transition
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, ch. 13; Andrea, P1-P15; Primary Source
Analysis Checklist
WEEK 3: 10/5-10/9
Cultural Flowering and Divisiveness: The Renaissance and Reformation
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, chs. 15, 16; Andrea docs. 1, 2, website
docs. “Council of Trent” and “Acts of Supremacy”
ANALYSIS 1 (REQUIRED): Using Andrea docs. 1, 2, and the two
website sources (“Council of Trent” and “Acts of Supremacy”), what
problems did the Catholic Church face in the sixteenth century? On
what specific points did the Protestants and Catholics disagree? Were
there any points of agreement? Why were the two faiths unable to
compromise, and with what effects?
WEEK 4: 10/12-10/16
Culture and Society in Early Modern Europe
Overseas Exploration and the Columbian Exchange
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, ch. 14; Andrea, Multiple Voices I (pp.
37-43), doc. 22
PRESENTATION: Ozment
ANALYSIS 2: Using Andrea, Multiple Voices I (pp. 37-43), and docs.
19 and 22, how would you categorize European motives for the
“discovery” of New World peoples? How did these writers and artists
4
characterize Native Americans? What treatment did these different
views seem to recommend? How did Native American views of contact
differ?
WEEK 5: 10/19 – 10/23
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
The Colonial Americas
Kingdoms and City-States in Africa
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, chs. 14, 15; Andrea, docs. 20, 21, 24, 25
PRESENTATION: Cabeza DeVaca
WEEK 6: 10/26-10/30
Africa and the Transatlantic Trade
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, ch. 15; Andrea docs. 20, 21, 36, 37, and
Multiple Voices III (pp. 170-176)
PRESENTATION: Equiano
ANALYSIS 3: Using Andrea docs. 20, 21, 36, 37, and Multiple Voices
III (pp. 170-176), how did Europeans and Africans view one another?
How did trade with Europeans enhance or disrupt African personal,
economic, political, and social systems? In what various ways did
Africans respond? What arguments were made for and against the
slave trade, and why do you think the abolitionists’ arguments were
successful?
WEEK 8: 11/9-11/13 (NO CLASS 11/11)
Ming and Ching China
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, chs. 13, 14, 16, 19; Andrea docs. 15, 17,
18, 43, and 44
PRESENTATION: Spence
ANALYSIS 5: Using Andrea docs. 15, 17, 18, 43, and 44, what were
the advantages and disadvantages of the Chinese imperial system?
What was the Confucian social hierarchy, and what were the values of
its elites? How do you compare these values with European ones, and
how did the differences affect China’s place in world affairs?
WEEK 9: 11/16-11/20
The Spread of Chinese Civilization: Japan, to 1600
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, ch. 16; Andrea docs. 16, 19, Multiple
Voices II (pp. 93-98)
WEEK 10: 11/23-11/24 (NO CLASS 11/25, 11/26, 11/27)
Europe on the Eve of Modernity
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, ch 16; Andrea docs. 7, 8, 29, 30, 31, and
website doc. “Condorcet”
WEEK 11: 11/30-12/4
The English, American and French Revolutions
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, ch. 17; Andrea docs. 42, 43, 44, 45
WEEK 7: 11/2-11/6
The Islamic Empires
READ AND DISCUSS: Strayer, chs. 13, 14, 16; Andrea docs. 8(?), 9,
10, 11, 38, and 39
ANALYSIS 4: Using Andrea docs. 8(?), 9, 10, 11, 38, and 39, what
similarities do you find in the exercise of power in the Muslim empires?
What special problems did each ruler face, and how did he fail or
succeed in overcoming them? What role did European incursions play
in the ability to solve these problems?
FINAL EXAMINATION: THURSDAY, 12/10, 8 – 10 AM.
5