HISTORY 101
SPRING 2014
CLASS LECTURES: IN GMCS-333, MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, 9:00-9:50 AM.
BREAK-OUT SECTIONS 1, 3, 5. 7, and 9 MEET WEDNESDAYS, 10:00-10:50 A.M.;
SECTIONS 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 MEET FRIDAYS, 9:00-9:50 A.M.
WORLD HISTORY
General: This course is a survey of some of the most important developments in world history
over approximately the last five centuries. A general examination of political, economic, social and
cultural developments will be combined with several “case studies” throughout the world to
illuminate these historical processes. Particular attention will be given to studying the expansion
and contraction of the West’s power and influence from a global perspective. Instruction will
incorporate a variety of formats including lectures, class discussions, and visual materials.
Student Learning Outcomes:
The official SDSU wording for this course’s student outcomes is:
“This is a Foundation of Learning course in the Humanities and Fine Arts. Foundation of Learning
courses introduce students to the basic concepts, theories, and approaches offered by disciplinary
and interdisciplinary areas of study. They provide the foundation to understand and approach
problems in the academy, and in local and global real-world environments. Consistent with class
size and learning goals, they cultivate skills in reading, writing, communication, computation,
information-gathering, and use of technology.”
In addition to these officially stated student learning outcomes, this course has the following student
learning outcomes:
1. To assist students to develop critical skills to interpret the main features of modern world
history.
2. To assist students to understand and appreciate that history is an evidence-based interpretation
of past human behavior and is more than a mere recounting of isolated facts.
3. To prepare students to understand modern world history from an interdisciplinary perspective
by interrogating primary sources that include texts, archaeology, art, music, and film.
4. To help students strengthen the following skills and disciplined habits of mind:
a. The ability to understand how societies have changed and interacted over time.
b. The ability to understand cause-and-effect relationships.
c. The ability to understand the interrelationships of social, economic, political,
technological, ecological, intellectual, and cultural factors in modern world history.
d. The ability to make informed comparisons and contrasts of social groups over time.
e. The ability to understand why different players in an historical drama might interpret the
same events differently.
f. The ability to use historical empathy as a tool to interpret the actions of people in the
past in the context of their times and not from present perspectives.
g. The ability to undertake historical research using primary and secondary sources and to
write interpretative essays based upon these sources.
Course Requirements: Course requirements include essay quizzes, participation, response essays,
and a final exam. Students may also write an “extra credit” book review.
1. Essay Quizzes. Unannounced essay quizzes will be given during the break-out sections,
and these will count toward 30% of the course grade. The quizzes will examine lecture
materials presented during the previous class meetings prior to the days quizzes are
administered (in other words, quizzes will be given based on Monday lecture materials for
Wednesday break-out sections, and Wednesday lecture materials for Friday break-out
sections). The number of quizzes given during the semester will not be announced.
Students may drop the lowest scoring quiz. “Make-up” quizzes will be permitted only in
case of documented illness or hardship.
2. Participation. Class participation will count toward 20% of the course grade and will be
based on performance of various activities offered during the break-out sections; student
performance on these activities will be evaluated by the teaching assistants. A student’s
participation grade will be lowered one-half letter grade for each unexcused absence;
excused absences are permitted only for reasons of documented illness or hardship.
3. Response Essays. Students will write two response essays that will count toward 20% of
the course grade. Students will respond to questions posed by the instructor by drawing
upon required materials. These essays will be graded “Pass/Fail.” A “Pass” will be
assigned to essays earning the equivalent grade of “C” or better. Students will, then, be
called upon not only to utilize their interpretive skills but will also be challenged to express
their written interpretations within specific allocations of time. Guidelines will be given on
Blackboard for the response essays, which will be written outside of class. The dates these
response essays will be assigned will be announced in class. “Make-up” response essays
will be permitted only in cases of documented illness or hardship.
4. Final Examination. The final examination will be essay in format, and comprehensive in
scope, and will be based upon all required materials. Study guidelines for the final will be
distributed in class. The final will count toward 30% of the course grade. The final will be
administered Monday, May 12, 8:00-10:00 a.m.
5. Extra Credit Book Review. An extra credit book review, not to exceed 3 double-spaced,
machine-produced pages, will count toward a maximum of an additional 4 points toward the
course grade. Only papers earning the grade of “B” or better will be counted (“B”=3 points,
“A”=4 points). Each student will have the opportunity of selecting a book of his/her choice
for this review, but the selection must have the written approval of the instructor. Students
are, then, required to submit to the instructor a formal written request giving the author, title,
and publisher of the book intended for review.
The review must be of a scholarly secondary work (not a primary source) relating to the
topical scope of this course. Some potential books for the review may be found in the “For
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Further Reference” sections at the end of each chapter in the course textbook. Your
instructor and your Graduate Teaching Associates can also provide you with recommended
titles.
The review is not a summary of a book’s contents, but rather is a critical assessment of the
following features of authorship: 1) writing style; 2) thesis; and 3) the nature, quality and
use of sources. The book reviews are due at the beginning of the break-out sections: for
Wednesday break-outs, April 30; for Friday break-outs, May 2. Reviews may be turned in
before that time but no late reviews, or reviews that contain more than three spelling errors,
three contractions, or three incomplete sentences will be accepted.
Readings Assignments: The required readings for this course include a text and a number of
primary sources. The text is: Valerie Hansen and Kenneth R. Curtis, Voyages in World History,
Brief Edition, Volume 2 (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013). In addition to reading the
body of each chapter in Voyages in World History, students should also read the “Chapter Review
and Learning Activities” section at the back of each chapter in the textbook. The assigned primary
sources are accessible electronically. Required reading assignments for each week are provided
below in the Course Outline. Students may begin the assigned readings at any time, of course, but
they should be aware that the readings assigned for a given week are to be completed before the
first meeting of that week, and lectures and break-out work will be presented with this premise in
mind. Because the lengths of these readings vary from week to week, students should plan their
study schedules accordingly. Students are expected to bring the required readings with them to the
class and the break-out sections for which the readings were assigned.
Grading Criteria: Course grades are derived by totaling the number of points earned on the essay
quizzes, response essays, class participation, and the final exam (and, if appropriate, the extra credit
book review) as follows: "A" (90-100 points), "A-" (89 points), "B+" (88 points), "B" (80-87
points), "B-" (79 points), "C+" (78 points), "C" (70-77 points), "C-" (69 points), "D+" (68 points),
"D" (60-67 points), "D-" (59 points), "F" (58 points and below). An "Incomplete" in this course will
be considered only in exceptional cases of documented illness or hardship.
Student Disability Services: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need
accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at
(619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact
Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not
retroactive, and that the instructor cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until the
instructor has received an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services.
Classroom Protocol: A classroom should provide an environment that fosters the assimilation of
knowledge and the responsible and civilized exchange of ideas. Most students attend a class
because they genuinely wish to learn a particular subject. However, some students will enroll in
courses who do not have this seriousness of purpose, and a few of these individuals will
occasionally engage in inappropriate classroom behavior. Such behavior includes talking during
lectures and documentary presentations, interrupting the instructor during his/her lecture, and
arriving late and/or leaving early without previously notifying the instructor of compelling reasons
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for entering or exiting the classroom while class is in session (for other forms of unacceptable
behavior, refer to the 2013/2014 San Diego State University General Catalog). Of course,
disruptiveness of any kind is disturbing to instructors and serious students alike.
Accordingly, any form of behavior deemed to be disruptive by the instructor will not be tolerated.
A student will be advised once by the instructor that his/her behavior is disruptive; the first time this
disruptive behavior is repeated, the matter will be turned over to the University's Center for Students
Rights and Responsibilities.
Academic integrity is a foundational principle of this course. Cheating in any form (which includes
plagiarism [for the University’s formal definition of plagiarism, refer to the 2013/2014 General
Catalog]) comprises a grave offense. Cheating will not be tolerated, and evidence of cheating by a
student will result in an automatic “F” as that student’s course grade. Any evidence of cheating will
also be promptly reported to the Center for Students Rights and Responsibilities.
All students are expected to adhere to the “acceptable standards of conduct” as described on the web
page of the Center for Students Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.sdsu.edu/srr/)
Students are held responsible for all material covered in large lecture and break-out section meetings
even if they are not in attendance for whatever reason.
Pagers, cell phones, and text-messaging devices must be turned off during large lecture and breakout section meetings.
Changes to the Syllabus: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus as he
considers appropriate. Whether these changes are given by the instructor orally or in writing, they
must be considered as binding course requirements.
Instructor:
S.A. Colston. Office: Arts & Letters, Room 528. Telephone: 594-4716 (voice mail). E-mail:
colston@mail.sdsu.edu Office Hours: Mondays, 10:30-12:00 Wednesdays, 11:30-1:00. No
appointments are needed. The instructor will return E-mail and voice messages only during office
hours. All matters concerning grades must be discussed by the instructor during his office hours.
Teaching Associates:
Genshock, Suzanne (SECTIONS 1 and 6): suzannegenshock@yahoo.com
Gonzalez-Meeks, Javier (SECTIONS 2 and 7): Javier.c.gonzalez53@gmail.com
Gonzalez-Meeks, Moriah (SECTIONS 3 and 8): moriah.meeks.g@gmail.com
Guzman, Joana (SECTIONS 4 and 9): msjoanaguzman@gmail.com
Hoobs, Eric (SECTIONS 5 and 10): ehoobs@gmail.com
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COURSE OUTLINE
Weekly Lecture Topics and Readings: Dates for Monday and Wednesday meetings refer to class
lectures. The lecture topics given below are general in nature; specific “case studies” will be offered
during lectures to illuminate certain features of the general topics designated for each week. Breakout sections will review materials covered in lectures as well as explore topics not addressed in
lectures but presented in the assigned readings. Assigned readings are given below for each week.
Week
1
(January 22)
Introduction to course.
2
(January 27, 29)
History as a discipline, world history as a field. Reading assignment: Voyages in World
History, Preface (pages xvii-xxi). The world around 1500. Reading assignment:
Voyages in World History, Chapter 15 (pages 325-332). Niccolò Machiavelli’s The
Prince [excerpts] (1513) (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/prince-excerp.asp)
3
(February 3, 5)
European overseas exploration and expansion. Beginnings of the Iberian empires in the
Americas. Reading assignment: Voyages in World History, Chapter 15 (pages 322-24,
332-45), Chapter 16 (pages 349-52). Christopher Columbus, “Extracts from Journal
(1492)” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/columbus1.asp) Hernán Cortés, “From
the Second Letter to Charles V (1520)”
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1520cortes.asp)
4
(February 10, 12)
Transformations of Europe and Asia during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Reading assignment: Voyages in World History, Chapter 16 (pages 346-8, 353-67).
Martin Luther, “Letter to the Archbishop of Mainz (1517)”
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/lutherltr-indulgences.asp)
5
(February 17, 19)
Power and politics in Europe, 1500-1750. Reading assignment: Voyages in World
History, Chapter 17. “The Bill of Rights (1689)”
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1689billofrights.asp)
6
(February 24, 26)
European colonies in the Americas. Reading assignment: Voyages in World History,
Chapter 18. “The New Laws of the Indies, 1542”
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1542newlawsindies.asp) “The Inquisition in 17thCentury Peru: Cases of Portuguese Judaizers” (http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/17clea-limainquis.asp)
5
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(March 3, 5)
The Atlantic slave trade. Empires in early modern Asia. Reading assignment: Voyages in
World History, Chapters 19 and 20. Olaudah Equiano, “The Interesting Narrative of the
Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789)”
(http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111equi2.html) “Seclusion Edicts of Japan,
1635 and 1639” (http://www.wfu.edu/~watts/w03_Japancl.html)
8
(March 10, 12)
The Scientific Revolution. The Enlightenment. Reading assignment: Voyages in World
History, Chapter 21. “The Crime of Galileo: Indictment and Abjuration of 1633”
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1630galileo.asp) Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (1651),
Chapters 13-14 (http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/hobbes-lev13.asp) John Locke,
Second Treatise on Government [excerpts] (1690)
(http://www.thenagain.info/Classes/Sources/locke-2ndTreatise.html)
9
(March 17, 19)
Revolutions in the Atlantic World. Reading assignment: Voyages in World History,
Chapter 22. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “The Social Contract (1762)”
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/rousseau-contract2.asp) March 21: Friday breakouts cancelled: NCAA Tournaments, all classes cancelled.
10
(March 24, 26)
The Industrial Revolution. Transformations of Europe during the nineteenth century.
Reading assignment: Voyages in World History, Chapter 23. “Leeds Woollen Workers
Petition (1786)” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1786machines.asp) “The Sadler
Committee Report (1832)” (http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111sad.html)
11
(March 31- April 4)
No class: Spring recess.
12
(April 7, 9)
China, Japan, and India during the nineteenth century. Reading assignment: Voyages in
World History, Chapter 24. Commissioner Lin , “Letter to Queen Victoria, 1839
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1839lin2.asp) Commodore Matthew Perry, “When
We Landed in Japan, 1854” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1854Perry-japan1.asp)
Elisa Greathed, “An Account of the Opening of the Indian Mutiny at Meerut, 1854”
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1857greathed.asp)
13
(April 14, 16)
Nation-building in the Americas. Reading assignment: Voyages in World History,
Chapter 25. “John L. O’Sullivan on Manifest Destiny (1839)”
(http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/osulliva.htm) “Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848”
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1848hidalgo.asp)
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14
(April 21, 23)
“The New Imperialism.” Reading assignment: Voyages in World History, Chapter 26.
Kaiser Wilhelm I, “A Place in the Sun, 1901”
(http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1901Kaiser.asp) Albert Beveridge, “The March of
the Flag, 1898” (http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1898beveridge.asp)
15
(April 28, 30)
Unrest on the eve of world conflict and “the Great War.” Rise of totalitarianism. Reading
assignment: Voyages in World History, Chapters 27 and 28. Donald Fraser, “My Daily
Journal, 1915-1916” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1918fraser.html) Benito
Mussolini, “What is Fascism? (1932)” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/mussolinifascism.asp) April 30: Extra credit book reviews due for Wednesday break-out sections
May 2: Extra credit book reviews due for Friday break-out sections
16
(May 5, 7)
World War II and the origins of the Cold War. The Cold War and decolonization.
Conclusions to course. Reading assignment: Voyages in World History, Chapters 29 and
30. Winston Churchill, “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat (May 13, 1940)”
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/churchill-blood.asp) Winston Churchill, “Iron
Curtain Speech (March 5, 1946)” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/churchill-iron.asp)
Final Examination: Monday, May 12, 8:00-10:00 a.m. (in GMCS-333).
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