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HIS 102: HISTORY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION SINCE 1789.
Instructor: Dr. John M. Currin
Office Hours: MW 9:30-11:00 and by appointment.
Phone: (Home) (480) 456-4964
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COURSE TEXT (REQUIRED)
Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: A Brief History. Comprehensive
Edition. 2nd edition. (2002).
The Study Guide written for the assigned text is optional but contains exercises
that students may find helpful for study and test preparation.
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SCOPE
This course is an introductory survey of the personalities, social and economic
conditions and ideas that have shaped modern Western Civilization since the
French Revolution. While the primary focus will be on European Civilization,
consideration will be given to European interactions with non-Western
civilizations.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Lectures, Discussions, Readings and Quizzes
Class sessions will be a combination of lecture and discussion. The lecture and
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discussion topics and assigned readings are given below. STUDENTS ARE
REQUIRED TO READ THE ASSIGNED PAGES OF THE TEXT BEFORE CLASS THE
SCHEDULED LECTURE SO THAT THEY MAY BETTER UNDERSTAND THE LECTURE
AND BE PREPARED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ASKED OF THEM. The reading
assignment from the text for each class will not be more than 15 pages.
Students should not only read the assigned pages, but study the material and
be prepared to answer questions based on the assigned reading. Students are
encouraged to ask questions about the points raised in the text and class
lecture they may want clarified. The “focus questions” at the beginning of each
chapter in Spielvogel will be used in class discussions.
In preparation for class discussions, bear in mind the wisdom of Plato:
"Wise men [and women] talk because they have something to say; fools because
they have to say something." The best way to be wise during the discussions is
to have done the assigned reading beforehand so that when called upon you
have something to say and will not have to scramble just to say something.
Class participation is part of the course grade.
There will be brief quiz each week over material presented in class and in
the textbook readings. The purpose of the quizzes will be to help reinforce the
material and measure the progress of students. The instructor will hand out
study guides to help students prepare for the weekly quizzes.,
Adjustments to the schedule of lectures, readings and discussions will be
made as needed and announced in class.
Examinations
There will be a mid-term examination and a final examination. The final
examination will not be comprehensive. Both the mid-term and final
examination will be a combination of essay and short answer. The instructor
will hand out a study guide in advance of each examination containing review
questions, and is willing to schedule a voluntary review sessions to help student
prepare for the exams. The mid-term examination is scheduled for October
20th. The time a place of the final examination will be announced later.
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Attendance
Attendance is the responsibility of each student and will be considered as part
of the student’s class participation grade. Allowances will be made for excused
absences, but a student claiming an excused absence must provide
documentation showing the necessary reason for the absence. In case of
illness, a note from the student's physician will be required.
Grade Breakdown
The final grade for the course will be based on the following breakdown of
assignments and requirements:
Attendance and class participation: 25%
Weekly quizzes:
25%
Mid-Term Exam:
25%
Final Exam:
25%
In determining the final grade for the course, the instructor tempers justice
with mercy, taking into account evidence of a student's hard work and overall
improvement during the course.
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LECTURE TOPICS WITH ASSIGNED READINGS
1. Introduction: Modernity and Western Civilization.
2. Three Revolutions and the Making of the Modern Age: The English
Revolution, The “Glorious” Revolution, and the American Revolution.
Spielvogel, pp. 315-319, including the document “The Bill of Rights”;
pp.383-386.
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3. The French Revolution.
Spielvogel, pp. 386-398, including all documents.
4. Napoleon and Europe.
Spielvogel, pp. 398-403, including all documents.
5. Great Britain and the Rise of the Industrial Age.
Spielvogel, pp.405-414, including all documents.
6. Industrialization and Social Change.
Spielvogel, pp. 414-422, including all documents.
7. The Conservative Reaction in Europe.
Spielvogel, pp. 423-429, including all documents.
8. Liberalism, Nationalism, and Socialism.
Spielvogel, pp.429-432, including all documents.
9. Reform and Revolutions, 1820-1850.
Spielvogel, pp. 398-403, including all documents.
10. Romanticism.
Spielvogel, pp. 438-442, including all documents.
11. Nationalism and Nations: France, Italy, and Germany.
Spielvogel, pp. 443-450, including all documents.
12. Empires and Republic: Austria-Hungary, Russia, Great Britain, and the
United States.
Spielvogel, pp. 450-455, including all documents.
13. Karl Marx and Marxism.
Spielvogel, pp. 455-458, including all documents.
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14. Scientism, Evolution, and Realism.
Spielvogel, pp. 458-463, including all documents.
15. The Second Industrial Revolution.
Spielvogel, pp. 464-470, including all documents.
16. The Rise of Mass Society.
Spielvogel, pp. 470-485, including all documents.
17. Modernity and its Discontents.
Spielvogel, pp. 486-500, including all documents.
18. The New Imperialism.
Spielvogel, pp. 500-510, including all documents.
19. The Great War.
Spielvogel, pp. 511-522; 527-532, including all documents.
20. The Russian Revolution .
Spielvogel, pp. 523-526, including all documents.
21. Democracies in Crisis.
Spielvogel, pp. 533-538, including all documents.
22. The Totalitarian States.
Spielvogel, pp. 538-548, including all documents.
23. Pessimistic Modernity.
Spielvogel, pp. 548-554, including all documents.
24. Europe on the Brink of War.
Spielvogel, pp. 555-560. including all documents.
25. World War II.
Spielvogel, pp. 560-577, including all documents.
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26. Cold War
Spielvogel, pp. 578-585, including all documents.
27. Decolonization and the New Europe
Spielvogel, pp. 585-601, including all documents.
28. The Permissive Society and Postmodernity
Spielvogel, pp. 596-601, including all documents.
29.The End of the Cold War, the Collapse of Communism and the Resurgence of
Racial Nationalism.
Spielvogel, pp. 603-613, including all documents.
30. Europe: Crisis, Renewal, and Union.
Spielvogel, pp. 613-618, including all documents.
31. Society and Culture at the end of the 20th Century.
Spielvogel, pp.618-627, including all documents.
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