North Shore Community College
Fall 2005
Course: HIS 132 E, World Civilization II
Time: MWF 12:30-1:20 pm Room: DM 303
Instructor: Dr. Lawrence H. Davis
Office: DM 367H
Telephone: (978) 739-5578
E-mail: ldavis@northshore.edu
Office Hours: Danvers: MWF 9:20-10:15 am; Lynn: TTH 8:30-9:15 am (cafeteria). Or by appointment.
Required Texts:
--Jerry Bentley and Herbert Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, vol.
C (3rd Edition) (McGraw-Hill) [please bring the text to each class]
--Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (Anchor Books)
Reserve Reading:
--Tadeusz Borowski, “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” (pp. 11-49)
General Course Description: A survey and examination of major social, political, economic, and cultural
developments in Middle Eastern, European, Asian, African, and Latin Civilizations since 1700. Emphasis will
be placed on the impact of those developments on today's world, and on comparisons, contrasts, and
relationships between those civilizations. Fulfills open, liberal arts, social science, history, and with HIS131,
history sequence electives.
Instructional Objectives: The major objectives of this course: 1.) to encourage students to explore the major
themes of world history through the study of a number of societies and their impact on history.
2.) to teach students valuable writing and critical thinking skills. 3.) to discuss why the study of history is
crucial to understanding our world today.
Teaching Procedures: The course is primarily a lecture course. However, students will be asked to participate
in all aspects of the course, and may be required to discuss important historical issues in small groups.
Examinations: Students are required to complete a take-home mid-term exam and a take-home final exam.
The exam papers will contain essay questions and will require students to write one essay that integrates
material from lectures, textbook readings, primary sources (on-line), discussions, and film. The essay should
range from 5-6 pages (typed, double-spaced). The mid-term exam is due Wednesday, October 26. The final
exam will be due Wednesday, December 14. Two weeks before the mid-term exam and final exams are due,
students will receive the essay questions.
*Please be advised that late assignments (mid-term exam paper and final exam paper) will not be accepted. If
class is cancelled due to snow or other emergency, the papers will be due the next class meeting. Students are
asked not to use any kind of plastic or manila binding to adorn the exam papers. One staple in the top left-hand
corner is sufficient.
Quizzes: Students are required to complete TWO quizzes. The first will be based on Chinua Achebe’s book
Things Fall Apart and the second will be based in Tadeusz Borowski’s piece “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and
Gentlemen.” The quizzes will ask students to answer multiple choice questions based on each reading. The
instructor will provide a study sheet to help students prepare for the quiz. The quiz will help students prepare
for class discussion of the book. The Things Fall Apart quiz will be held on Wednesday, October 12; the “This
Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” quiz will be held on Wednesday, November 16. If class is cancelled
due to bad weather, the quiz will be administered on the day class resumes.
*Please be advised that a makeup quiz will not be given. Students who miss the quiz will be required to write
an analysis paper instead.
On-Line Assignments: Students are required to read and analyze primary source documents and secondary
readings found on the course webpage. To access this page, please logon to Pipeline and click on the “My
Courses” tab found on the left. Scroll down to World Civilization II and click. Students will then be granted
access to the course website. If students wish to access the course website without logging on to Pipeline can
go to www.northshore.edu/users/ldavis/his132/index.html. The website will allow students access to the course
syllabus and the list of primary source documents to be read for each unit. Also included are sites that will help
students interpret the sources. Students are required to cite primary sources in the mid-term and final exam
papers. Also included on the webpage are websites pertaining to the authors Chinua Achebe and Tadeusz
Borowski. Students must follow the links and read the posted readings to be prepared for class discussions of
Things Fall Apart and “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen.”
The course website also includes a tool called “Message Board.” This tool allows students to post questions or
comments regarding any of the readings found on the course webpage as well as any questions they have
regarding the course in general. I encourage students to use it frequently. I will read the responses posted on
the Message Board on a regular basis and will give participation credits to students who use it.
Grade Determination:
Mid-term Exam: 30%
Final Exam: 30%
Quiz 1: 12.5%
Quiz 2: 12.5%
Class Participation: 15% (excessive absences will negatively affect the class participation grade)
Total: 100%
Attendance Policy: As a class member it is your responsibility to attend all class sessions. You are
responsible for the completion of all course requirements, even if you are unable to attend all classes.
Students who take more than three unexcused absences will lose ½ grade for each additional unexcused
absence. Students are asked to avoid being late for class. Students are expected to exhibit courteous and
considerate behavior in class at all times, and are asked to please remain seated during class, unless an
emergency arises. Students are asked to please turn off cell phones and beepers at the start of class.
Advising/Help: If you see a problem developing, please arrange a meeting as soon as possible. I will be
available at the time listed above. If you cannot meet at the designated time, we can arrange to meet at a
mutually convenient time.
Readings: Most reading will be from the assigned texts and books on reserve. Other readings may be assigned
to complement the texts or lectures.
North Shore Community College is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all
students in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and The Americans with Disabilities Act and
to providing all reasonable academic accommodations, aids and adjustments. Any student who has a
documented disability requiring an accommodation, aid or adjustment should speak with the instructor
immediately. Students with disabilities who have not previously done so should provide documentation to and
schedule an appointment with the Office for Students with Disabilities and obtain appropriate services.
Course Outline*
September 7: Introduction
I. Sept. 9, 12, 14: The World in the Twenty-First Century
--Historical background to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
--What are the roots of Terrorism?
--U.S. Occupation of Iraq
Readings: **Bentley, pgs. 1103-1106; 1138-1156
II. Sept. 16, 19, 21: Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment
--Scientific Discoveries
--Rationalism
--The fate of the Enlightenment in Catherine the Great’s Russia
--Legacy of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
Readings: **Bentley, pgs. Chapter 29
Document: *Immanuel Kant, “What is Enlightenment?”
III. Sept. 23, 26, 28, 30: The French Revolution:
--Chronology of the Revolution
--Stages of the Revolution:
Readings: **Bentley, pgs. Chapter 29
Document: “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen,” p. 789
IV. Oct. 3, 5: Society and Culture in 19th Century Europe and the United States:
--Liberalism Defined
--What is the Bourgeoisie?
--Gender Roles in Bourgeois Culture
--Nationalism
Moderate, Radical, and Reactionary
--Legacy of the Revolution for Europe and the World
V. Oct. 7, 12, 14: Wars for Independence in Latin America:
--End of the Colonial Period
--Early National Period, 1825-1850
--Caudillismo
Readings: **Bentley, pgs. Chapter 29, 31
VI. Oct. 17, 21, 24: Europe and the World: Imperialism in Asia and Africa:
--Theories of Imperialism
--The Imperial Experience: Britain as the model
--The Impact of Imperialism on Africa:
--Discussion: Cultural conflict as presented in Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Readings: *Bentley, Chapter 32, 33
*Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
______________________________
*This course outline is subject to change, depending on time constraints, etc. If changes need to be made, students will be
notified well in advance.
Writing Workshop: October 19
VII. Oct. 26, 28, 31, Nov. 2: The Industrial Revolution:
--Varieties of Industrial Experience:
--Europe
--United States
--Asia
--Latin America
--The Industrial Revolution and Marxism
Readings: *Bentley, Chapter 30
Documents: *“Parliamentary Committee Investigations into Working Class Conditions”
*“Marx and Engels on Bourgeoisie and Proletarians,” p. 838
VIII. Nov. 4, 7, 9: The Crisis of Bourgeois Europe and World War I:
--The Second Industrial Revolution
--Mass Politics and Nationalism: Liberalism Challenged
--Suffragette Movement
--Causes of World War I
--The Lost Generation and the “Hunger for Wholeness”
Readings: Bentley, Chapter 34
Film: Selections from the documentary “The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century”
IX. Nov. 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 28, 30, Dec. 2: The Age of Anxiety and Dictatorship, 1919-1945:
--Benito Mussolini and the Rise of Fascism in Italy
--Adolph Hitler and the Rise of Nazism in Germany
--Joseph Stalin and Dictatorship in the Soviet Union
--Dictatorship in Latin America
--World War II and the Holocaust
--Discussion of Tadeusz Borowski, “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen”
Readings: *Bentley, pgs. Chapters 35, 36, 37
*Tadeusz Borowski, “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen”
Documents: *Benito Mussolini, “The Basic Philosophy of Fascism”
*Adolf Hitler, Selection from Mein Kampf
Film: “Life is Beautiful”
X. Dec. 5, 7, 9, 12: The Postwar World, 1945 to the Present:
--The Cold War
--The Vietnam War
--Post-Independence Africa
Readings: *Bentley, Chapter 38, 39 and pgs. 1156-1165
Final Exam Due: Wednesday, December 14