SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
HISTORY 155: The 20th Century World
Section 1, Course 24392, Spring 2016
Monday-Wednesday 0900-1015, DMH 163
Final Exam: Wednesday, May 18, 0715-0930
Dr. E. Bruce Reynolds
Office: DMH 140, Tel. 924-5523 (has voice mail)
Office Hours: MW 10:30-11:00 a.m.; W 5-5:45 p.m.
Email: bruce.reynolds@sjsu.edu
MAIN TEXTS: 1) William J. Duiker, Contemporary World History, sixth edition,
(Cengage, 2015).
2) James H. Overfield, Sources of Twentieth Century Global History,
first edition, (Houghton-Mifflin, 2002). (used copy can be
ordered inexpensively online; not available at Spartan
Bookstore)
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED REFERENCE: Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for
Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, 8th edition (University of
Chicago Press, 2013). [If you already have the 7th edition or can obtain one
inexpensively it will suffice.]
SJSU STUDIES: This course fulfills the Area V requirement for SJSU Studies
(formerly advanced GE). The goals of Area V courses are to "give students and
appreciation for human expression in cultures outside the U.S. and an understanding of
how that expression has developed over time … [and] … increase students'
understanding of how traditions outside the U.S. have influenced American culture and
society, as well as how cultures in general develop distinctive features and interact with
other cultures."
The goals for student learning are developing the abilities to:
"1) compare systematically the ideas, values, images, cultural artifacts, economic
structures, technological developments, and/or attitude of people from more than one
culture outside the U.S. (assessment based on the three essay assignments and class
discussion);
2) identify the historical context of ideas and cultural traditions outside the U.S. and how
they have influenced American culture (assessment based on the mid-term exam and
class discussion); and
3) explain how a culture outside the U.S. has changed in response to internal and external
pressures" (assessment based on the final exam and class discussion).
Courses to meet Areas R, S, and V of SJSU Studies must be taken from three separate
SJSU departments, or distinct academic units.
HISTORY 155 seeks to meet these objectives by enabling students better to comprehend
the key socio-economic, political and cultural struggles of the past century, one that saw
remarkable progress in science and technology, but was marred by the deaths of millions
of people in numerous wars, genocides, and famines. The perspective of the class will be
global and historical.
Central to understanding the century are the impacts of the post-Enlightenment quest for
progress through the "modernization" of traditional societies and the post-Industrial
Revolution competition to control markets and resources (imperialism in its various
forms). During the first half of the century the effects of modernity and imperialism
produced a three-way struggle between advocates of competing political ideologies
(liberal capitalism, ultra-nationalism/fascism, and socialism/communism). The defeat of
fascism in World War II reduced this to a two-way struggle between liberal capitalism
and socialism/communism, a competition complicated by the gradual post-World War II
demise of the old colonial order. With the collapse of the Soviet Union liberal-capitalism
appeared to have swept the ideological field, but now faces new challenges from religious
fundamentalism and ethno-nationalism, as well as serious resource and environmental
challenges.
The course also covers struggles between traditional and non-traditional attitudes towards
issues of gender, race and ethnicity, as well as the problems created by mass migrations
caused by wars and socio-economic changes.
SPECIFIC CONTENT OF THE COURSE: The course will follow the framework
established by the main text (Duiker) supplemented by discussions of readings and
images in the sources text (Overfield). It is essential that students read the assigned
material BEFORE the class in which it will be covered.
CLASS AND READING SCHEDULE
Week One:
February 1: Course introduction.
February 3: Duiker, Chapter 1: "The Rise of Industrial Society," pp 1-24.
Week Two:
February 8: Duiker, Chapter 2: "The High Tide of Imperialism," pp. 25-46.
February 10: Duiker, Chapter 3: "Shadows Over the Pacific" and Part I
"Reflections," pp. 47-68.
Week Three:
February 15: Discussion of readings in Overfield, Chapter 1: pp. 5-36; Chapter 2, pp.
39-43.
February 17: Duiker, Chapter 4: "War and Revolution," pp.69-93.
Week Four:
February 22: Duiker, Chapter 4, continued
February 24: Discussion of readings in Overfield, Chapter 3: pp. 73-108, Chapter 4:
pp. 119-126.
Week Five:
February 29: Duiker, Chapter 5: Nationalism, Revolution and Dictatorship," pp. 94120.
(First Writing Assignment Due)
March 2: Discussion of readings in Overfield: Chapter 5, pp. 143-165, Chapter 6:
pp. 167-194; Chapter 7, pp. 195-229.
Week Six:
March 7: Duiker, Chapter 6: "The Crisis Deepens" and "Part II
"Reflections," pp. 121-145.
March 9: Duiker, Chapter 6 continued
Week Seven:
March 14: Discussion of readings in Overfield: Chapter 4, pp. 111-119, 126142, Chapter 7, pp. 229-234; Chapter 8: pp. 239-266.
March 16: Mid-Term Exam
Week Eight:
March 21: Duiker, Chapter 7: "In the Grip of the Cold War," pp. 147-168.
March 23: Duiker, Chapter 7, continued
March 28-April 1 Spring Break
Week Nine:
April 4: Duiker, Chapter 8: "The US, Canada & Latin America," pp. 169-189.
April 6: Duiker, Chapter 9: "Brave New World," pp. 190-209.
Week Ten:
April 11: Duiker, Chapter 10: "Postwar Europe," pp. 210-230
April 13: Discussion of readings in Overfield, Chapters 8-9: pp. 266-314; Chapter
10: pp. 315-328; Chapter 11: pp. 347-355.
Week Eleven:
April 18: Duiker, Chapter 12: "The East is Red" and Part III "Reflections," pp. 251270. (Note: Duiker, Chapter 11 will be covered later) (Second Writing
Assignment Due)
April 20: Duiker, Chapter 13: "Nationalism Triumphant," pp. 271-290
Week Twelve
April 25: Duiker, Chapter 13, continued.
April 27: Duiker, Chapter 14: "Emerging Africa," pp. 291-307.
Week Thirteen:
May 2: Duiker, Chapter 15: "Ferment in the Middle East" and Part IV
"Reflections," pp. 308-328.
May 4: Duiker, Chapter 15, continued.
Week Fourteen:
May 9: Duiker, Chapter 11: "Toward the Pacific Century?" pp. 231-247.
May 11: Duiker, Chapter 11, continued.
Week Fifteen
May 16: Duiker, Chapter 16: "The New Millennium" pp. 329-342 (Last Writing
Assignment Due).
FINAL EXAM: Wednesday, May 18, 0715-0930
GRADING AND ASSIGNMENTS:
Three essays (10 points each)………...30 points
Quizzes…………….……………… ...20 points
Mid-term exam……………………… 20 points
Final exam……………………………20 points
Participation…………………………..10 points
Total…………………………………100 points
1. Exams: There will two major essay exams, a mid-term and a final. Students will be
expected to prepare for three essay topics, one of which (drawn at random) will be the
topic actually assigned on the exam. In writing the exam the student will be expected
to make a clear argument and support it with relevant evidence. The student should
bring a blank, 8 ½ x 11-inch blue or green exam book (obtainable in the Spartan
Bookstore) to the mid-term and final. Each exam will count 20% of the final grade.
2. Quizzes: There will be objective quizzes on each chapter of the assigned reading
material in the Duiker text. The purpose of this exercise is to provide an incentive to
read the assigned chapters and be prepared for class. At the end of the semester each
student’s best ten quiz grades will be averaged and this will count for 20% of the final
grade.
3. Three five-page (typed, double-spaced) essays will be required, each based on
related primary source documents (at least two) and/or images from different
cultures collected in the chapters of the Overfield sources book. That means the
primary sources from Overfield should be used in the paper. Students are
expected do sufficient library research to place the documents in historical context.
Accordingly, a minimum of one library book should be used and cited in the
paper. It is fine to use the Duiker text as a source, but it cannot be counted as the
outside (library) source. Other sources, either primary or secondary, can be used. The
papers should present a logical analysis that has a clear thesis (argument). The essays
will be graded on both content and presentation. Each will count for ten percent of
the grade and students will have the opportunity to learn from feedback on the first
papers. For the first assignment the student may choose a topic covered in chapters 13 of the Overfield book. For the second assignment the choice is from chapters 4-10.
For the final assignment the choice is from chapters 11-14.
All essays should have proper notes and bibliography according to the style
Turabian terms "notes-bibliography," also often referred to as the "Chicago
style". In writing your paper pay particular attention to chapters 16 and 17
(which provide specific examples of how to cite a wide variety of sources
according to the "notes-bibliography" style). Do NOT use parenthetical
reference style which is explained in Turabian chapters 18 and 19). You may
place the notes either at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or the end of the
paper (endnotes).
Purchase of the Turabian manual is strongly recommended because the new edition is
substantially revised and offers much more helpful advice on the process of writing,
material not included in previous editions. It is a reference work that should prove
helpful in other classes.
Remember that using someone else's words from a book, journal, or the Internet
without quotation marks and a proper note, or borrowing someone else's idea
without a proper note is plagiarism. This is not acceptable will result in a zero
grade on the paper in question. If you assume that I will not be able to tell the
difference, you will run a serious risk of getting caught. Your own commitment to
learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University, and the
University’s Academic Integrity Policy requires you to be honest in all your academic
course work. Faculty are required to report all infractions to the office of Judicial
Affairs. For the complete university policy go to:
http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/policies/pol_plagarism_acad_integrity/
If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, read Turabian (pp. 78-82 in
the latest edition), see: http://library.sjsu.edu/start-your-research/i-need-helpavoiding-plagiarism or contact the instructor.
4. Class Participation: Students are expected to attend class regularly, arrive on
time, and be active learners by asking questions and participating in class
discussions, which, as indicated above, are regularly scheduled and will focus
particularly on the readings and images in the sources book. The discussions will
provide useful background for the writing assignments. The instructor's evaluation of
class discussion participation will count for ten percent of the final grade.
Participation will be assessed by full credit for active participation, partial credit for
passive participation, and no-credit for non-participation. Roll will be taken at the
beginning of each class and students who arrive late are responsible for making their
presence known to the instructor at the end of the class. Otherwise they will be
marked absent.
The keys to success in this course are: 1) keep up with the assigned readings and take
notes, 2) attend class regularly, participate, and take notes, 3) prepare for the quizzes and
exams using those notes, and 4) get started early on the writing assignments so you are
not caught up in a last minute rush to finish them.
LATE PAPERS AND MISSED QUIZZES AND EXAMS: There will be no make up
of quizzes under any circumstance. The mid-term exam may be made up IF the student
has a legitimate excuse and IF the instructor is notified of the reason for the absence in
timely fashion. Late papers will be accepted, but will be marked down one point for
each calendar day the paper is late. No papers will be accepted after the final day of
class, however, so the final paper must be turned in on time. All students are
expected to be present on the final exam day. Incompletes will be given only for
extraordinary reasons.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES: The use of laptop computers or other electronic devices in
class is prohibited. Students are expected to put away cell phones and like devices during
the class. Electronic devices are distracting to other students as well as to their users.
STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR: The class begins at 9 a.m. While it is
understandable that circumstances may occasionally cause late arrival, repeatedly
coming to class late is unacceptable. If you do come late, show respect for the
instructor and consideration for your fellow students by entering as quietly as
possible through the back door.
If you know that you must leave class early for some compelling reason, explain the
situation to the instructor BEFORE the class starts.
Otherwise, sudden illness or personal emergencies are the ONLY acceptable reasons for
leaving in the middle of class. Go to the rest room BEFORE coming to class. If you
must leave class, do so as quietly as possible and close the door quietly when you exit
and return. During an examination do not leave the room without asking the instructor's
permission.
SJSU POLICY S12-3
Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit
of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours
per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or
preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships,
labs, clinical practice. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations
as described in the syllabus.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE. “If you need course
adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need special
arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with
The Disability Resource Center (924-6000, located in ADM 110) as soon as possible.
Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities register with DRC to
establish a record of their disability.”