CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN BERNARDINO
History 144: World Civilization III
VA-101, T&Th, 12:00-1:50 pm
Fall, 2011
[History Dept.: SB-327; 537-5524]
Robert Blackey
Office & Phone: SB-343; 537-5550
Off. Hrs.: T&Th, 2:00-3:45 pm
e-mail: rblackey@csusb.edu
Class web page: http://history.csusb.edu/facultyStaff/blackey.htm
Web page includes:
• syllabus
• lecture notes
• 5 sample papers
• sample multiple-choice questions
• lists of names/terms for each exam
• Multiple-Choice Tips
“Awareness of the need for a universal view of history--for a history which transcends national
& regional boundaries & comprehends the entire globe--is one of the marks of the
present....Our civilization is the first to have for its past the past of the world, our history is the
first to be world history....And since 1945 the world has moved into a new phase of global
integration, the demand for a history which reflects this new situation has become more
insistent.”
Geoffrey Barraclough, British historian
“World history is no more difficult than national history. What one needs is a clear & distinct
idea that will define what is relevant.”
William H. McNeill, U.S. historian
“Whether we consider the position of the rock layers that envelop the earth, the arrangement
of the forms of life that inhabit it, [or] the variety of civilizations to which it has given
birth...we are forced to the same conclusion: that everything is the sum of the past, & that
nothing is comprehensive, except through its history.”
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French philosopher
TEXT:
J. Bentley & H. Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters, vol. II: From 1500 to
the Present, 5th ed. (2011)
ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READING:
K. Wolf, Personalities & Problems, vol. II (3d ed., 2005)
J.D. Spence, The Question of Hu
C. Achebe, Things Fall Apart
“To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.”
Edmund Burke (1729-97), British conservative politician
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ASSIGNMENTS:
Sept 22 & 27
(Thur & Tues)
Introduction to Modern World History
Music: Ode to Joy (Beethoven)
Part I: Global Expansion & Encounter, 1450-1750
Lecture: “Introduction & Overview, 1450-1750”
Music: New World Symphony (Anton Dvorak)
•Bentley, pp. 462-63
Sept 29 & Oct 4
(Thur & Tues)
World Explorations & Encounters
Lecture: “Explorations & the Columbian Exchange”
Video clip: Chinese & European ships compared (NOVA)
Music: 1492: Music from the Age of Discovery; Peru
•Bentley, chs. 22, 24
•Wolf, ch. 1
Europe: State Building, Society, Culture
Lecture: “Transformations within Europe”
Music: The Pleasures of the Royal Courts: Spanish Court
in the Early 16th Century
•Bentley, ch. 23 (pp. 492-504, 506-12)
•Wolf, ch. 4
Oct 6 & 11
(Thur & Tues)
States & Societies in Asia & Eastern Europe
Lecture: “Gunpowder Empires of Eurasia”
Music: Young Osman (Janissary March); Raga
Chandranandan; Russian Orthodox Church songs
•Bentley, chs. 27, 23 (pp. 504-06)
•Wolf, chs. 2, 3
Africa, Europe, the Americas: Interactions &
Interrelations
Lecture: “Africa & the Slave Trade”
Music: Toolongjong (Griot song); ceremonial music from
Dahomey (W. Africa); Slave Shout Song
Film clips: Amistad; Europa, Europa
Video clip: Wonders of Africa (visit to slave fort)
•Bentley, ch. 25
•Spence
Review for First Exam (Tuesday, October 11)
Oct 13 & 18
(Thur & Tues)
China & Japan
Lecture: “Asia’s Response to Europe’s Challenges”
Music: Spirit & Wisdom; Song of the Plum; Yachiyo Jishi
•Bentley, ch. 26
***First Exam: Tuesday, October 18
Music: Music of Vietnam (“Imperial Court Music”)
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“The past is never dead; it’s not even past.”
William Faulkner
Oct 20 & 25
(Thur & Tues)
Part II: Age of Revolutions, 1750-1914
Lecture: “Introduction & Overview, 1750-1914”
Music: Inuit ritual music, lullabies, & prayers; Always
Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python)
•Bentley, pp. 616-21
Industrial Revolution: Britain, Europe, the World
Lecture: “Industrial Revolution”
Music: Music of Cambodia; Four Pence a Day
Film clip: Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin)
•Bentley, ch. 29
Oct 27 & Nov 1
(Thur & Tues)
Europe & Latin America
Lecture: “Political Revolutions & the Growth of ‘Isms’”
Music: Malkuri: Traditional Music from the Andes;
Eroica (Beethoven’s Symphony #3)
Film Clip: Danton
•Bentley, chs. 23 (pp. 512-20), 28, 30
•Wolf, chs. 5, 6
Imperialism: Europe & the World
Lecture: “Imperialism: Nature, Causes, in Africa”
Music: Music of the BaBenzéle Pygmies; He is an
Englishman (Gilbert & Sullivan);
Atsiagbeko (“Great Oaths War Dance”)
Film Clip: The African Queen
•Bentley, ch. 32
•Wolf, chs. 7, 8
•Achebe
Review for Second Exam (Tuesday, November 1)
Nov 3 & 8
(Thur & Tues)
Asian Transformations
Lecture: “Asian & Islamic Responses to the West”
Music: Tibetan Inspirations
•Bentley, ch. 31
***Second Exam: Tuesday, November 8
Music: Japanese Kabuki & Other Traditional Music
“Can you love anyone without making him work harder? Can you do your best for anyone
without educating him?”
Confucius, Analects, Book XIII
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Nov 10 & 15
(Thur & Tues)
Part III: The 20th Century
Lecture: “Introduction & Overview, 1900-present”
Music: Namibia (Himba & Bushman tribes)
•Bentley, pp. 758-61
Revolution, Nationalism, Dependence
Lecture: “Key Events on the Eve of World War I”
Music: Music of Islam; La Marseillaise
•Bentley, chs. 31 (pp. 716-17), 32 (pp. 747-49), 33 (pp.
764-67, 772-74, 778-79)
Nov 17 & 22
(Thur & Tues)
World War I
Lecture: “World War I: Grand Plans to Trench Warfare”
Music: Balkan Voices; Over There (George M. Cohan)
Video clip: The Great War
•Bentley, ch. 33
•Wolf, ch. 9
Between the Wars: Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East
Lecture: “The Great Depression; Changing Roles for
Women in the 20th Century”
Music: Depression-era songs; I Ain’t Got No Home in This
World Any More (Woody Guthrie); Handful of Keys
(Fats Waller)
•Bentley, chs. 34, 35
•Wolf, ch. 12
***Paper due: Tuesday, November 22
Nov 29 & Dec 1
(Tues & Thurs)
World War II
Lecture: “The Atomic Bomb & the End of World War II”
Music: Songs from WWII; Threnody for the Victims of
Hiroshima; Madame Butterfly; Who’s Next & Werner
von Braun (Tom Lehrer)
Film clips: Hiroshima; Rain of Ruin
•Bentley, ch. 36 (pp. 834-53)
•Wolf, ch. 10
Review for Final Exam (Tuesday, November 29)
The Cold War & End of the 20th Century
Lecture: “Toward the End of the 20th Century”
Music: Koyaanisqatsi (Philip Glass);Ballad for Americans
(Paul Robeson); National Brotherhood Week (Tom
Lehrer); Ride of the Valkyries (Richard Wagner)
Film clip: The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin)
•Bentley, chs. 36 (pp. 853-61), 37, 38, & pp. 924-25
•Wolf, chs. 11, 13, 14
***Final Exam: Tuesday, December 6, 12:00-1:50 pm
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“The old term ‘Western civilization’ no longer holds. World events and the common needs of
all humanity are joining the culture of Asia with the culture of Europe and the Americas, to
form for the first time a world civilization.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To learn to appreciate world history, not from an American perspective, or a
Western perspective, or from a Eurocentric perspective, but from a “humanocentric” and
global perspective, and to understand what the differences & implications of each are,
including interactions between and among different parts of the world and the growth of
global interdependence. (“A humanocentric history can and must...recognize our historical
and contemporary unity in and through diversity beyond our ideological affirmations of
cultural self.” Andre Gunder Frank, “A Plea for World System History,” Journal of World
History [1991], p. 3.)
2. To become aware of the forces of modernity and globalization that have
developed during the last 550 years—the idea of change and continuity over time—and of
how they have interacted to create the world of today.
3. To compare and contrast select and important aspects of the major civilizations
of the last 550 years in order to understand the extent to which they are unique and how
they have influenced, and grown dependent upon, one another.
4. To become aware of the impact and different effects history has had on various
social classes, on different races, and on gender roles.
5. To understand the causes and nature of the rise of the West, along with its
relative decline in the 20th and early-21st centuries, and the reactions of the peoples in the
rest of the world. (In this regard, it would be instructive to note that much of the turmoil in
our contemporary world has come from a clash between modern technology—which is
uniting the globe as never before—and the awakening of peoples who refuse to allow their
pasts to be cast aside.)
6. To gain an appreciation for the different cultures of the peoples in Africa, Asia,
Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Pacific Islands, and the extent to which—
along with the reasons—they have changed over time. (That is, selections from art, music,
and poetry will be included throughout the course.)
7. To increase understanding of world geography and its significance for a history of
the globe.
Thus the purpose of this world history course is not just to introduce you to a select number
of “foreign cultures,” because the history of humankind is far more than the sum of the
histories of individual nations or civilizations. Instead, it is to identify and explore the largescale dynamic forces that have shaped the human community in the last 550 years or so.
Increasingly, from about 1450 on, an event or development in one place has been likely to
have an impact upon other locations around the world. Political boundaries and cultural
boundaries often mean nothing to global change. Just as a meteorological event in one
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part of the globe can reorder the weather around the planet, so human society has been in
a continuous process of restructuring itself in response to forces that may originate
anywhere. Thus, to help yourself to do well in this course you will need to learn to think
globally.
The remarkable role of the West in modern world history will be prominently featured,
because of the growing impact the West has had since 1450. But even if the Western
tradition shaped most of us, the rise of that tradition occurred within a world context that
shaped much of it. This course, then, will develop a number of themes, stressing the
interrelations of societies and cultures and comparing the experiences of peoples and
civilizations with one another.
“The throes of the contemporary world are those of a birth. And what is being born with such
great pain is a universal human society....What characterizes the events we witness, what
distinguishes them from all preceding events back to the origins of history is...their global
character.”
Etienne Gilson, French historian
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: Each student will write a paper of no more than 2 typed pages
(standard double space and font size [12], with one-inch margins all around); include a
cover page on which you should note the title of the paper, your name, the date, and the
course number. [Please do not place your paper in a plastic binder.] Choose an event or
episode (but not a person) in world history (within the period 1450 to 1990) and do two
things: first, don’t just describe your event or episode, instead explicitly explain its
importance for world history (to the extent, for example, that it added to or relieved human
misery; or that it promoted world peace and understanding; or that it changed the nature of
warfare; or that it promoted or impeded human progress; or that it promoted human well
being or comfort); & second, explain the significance of the event or episode insofar as it
has affected you personally (be sure to support generalizations with examples specific to
your experience). Again, do not merely describe the event or episode. Instead, intertwine
information about the event or episode, as viewed in a world history context, with some
specific aspect of your life and experiences in order to make it clear why you—individually
and personally—believe that event or episode is important (i.e., about half the paper should
be devoted to the event or episode itself, the other half to you and your connection to it).
The paper should be a reflection of who you are, what you believe in and value, and how
the event or episode figures into this. Since this is not a research paper, you are not
required to do any additional reading; but if you decide to do extra reading, do not include
any references in the form of footnotes or bibliography (i.e., impress the instructor with your
insights and writing, not with any sources you might use).
The purpose of this assignment is to have you write and think critically without your
necessarily having to do additional reading. An additional purpose is to encourage you to
identify with an historical event or episode so you can develop and/or improve your
appreciation of the value and utility of history. Still another purpose is to encourage you to
be introspective, to have you examine your life in relation to history. As such, do not
hesitate to write, at least in part, in the first person.
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Further, this assignment provides you with an opportunity to be evaluated on something
you have thought and written about, which is in contrast to the nature of the examinations.
You will be graded on the basis of how successfully you have conveyed an understanding
of your choice of historical events or episodes as explained above. The paper is due on
November 22 (please do not send your paper by e-mail). Because the instructor does not
appreciate it when papers are turned in late, for every school day (i.e., Monday through
Friday) the paper is late there will be a letter grade deduction from the grade you would
have received. Please feel free to discuss the paper with the instructor before completing it
so as to make certain you understand the assignment. Also, on Reserve in the Library are
5 sample papers to help guide you in your work; you would be wise to read some. The
sample papers can also be read on the class web page.
On Written English: Your written assignment will not be downgraded because of a few
comparatively unimportant errors or lapses in grammar or a misspelled word or two. Your
work will be graded essentially on the quality of your ideas and how effectively they are
presented (but that includes written English). The instructor will not be able to read first
drafts (although you should allow enough time to re-read your paper a number of times and
write several drafts as well, just as professional writers do), but he will talk with you about
your paper as often as you need or he will read an outline if you wish. [Note: Good writing
is one of the keys to success in school, and one of the reasons for this is the link between
good writing and good thinking: that is, each helps to improve the other. If you haven’t yet
taken English 101, do so as soon as possible. If you are required to take other courses
prior to English 101, do so immediately. If you have completed English 101 and still have
difficulty, consider electing to take English 300. You should also enroll in one of the
required upper-division writing courses as soon into your junior year as possible. Further,
don’t hesitate to take advantage of the free help from tutors, for your written assignments,
offered by the Writing Center in UH-387.]
On Plagiarism and Cheating: As per the University catalog: “Plagiarism is the presentation
as one’s own, the ideas and writing of another. Plagiarism is academically dishonest and
subjects the offending student to penalties up to and including expulsion. Students must
make appropriate acknowledgments of the original source where material written or
compiled by another is used.” I take this seriously; you should too, both because of reasons
relating to being honest and true to yourself and because I want you to improve and grow.
“The use of history is to give value to the present hour.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, U.S. essayist & poet
EXAMS: The nature and scope of the exams (multiple-choice) will be discussed in class
about a week before they are given. Be sure to consult “Multiple-Choice Tips” on class
web page. Be aware, however, that each exam—while only covering the part of the course
that precedes it (i.e., no exam will be comprehensive for more than one-third of the
material)—will include questions from every class lecture, from each of the required
chapters in the textbook, and from the additional required reading.
Ordinarily, there will be no make-up exams for the two midterms. If you have a valid
excuse (with validity determined by the instructor and best supported with a doctor’s note—
for illness—or a copy of a police report—for an accident) and have been attending class
regularly, a make-up exam will be given. But you must take all exams and complete the
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paper; if you fail to take one of the exams or do not submit the paper, you will NOT pass
the course. (At exam time be prepared to show your student ID or another picture ID.)
HOW TO READ THE TEXTBOOK: For the reading each week, first skim the appropriate
chapters or pages in order to identify the main points, events, and individuals. Then reread those chapters or pages in order to determine how examples are used to support
those points, events, and individuals. Pay attention to chapter titles and subheadings to
help guide you. As you read (just as when you listen in class), do so with pen or marker in
hand so you can note or highlight those key points, events, ideas, themes, patterns, and
individuals in the margins. Do not underline or highlight everything. Teach yourself to
discriminate between important information (including analyses and conclusions) from
unimportant information; practice determining why something is important, in the short run,
in the long run, and on other places, people, and events. Note causes, effects, and results.
Review these notations regularly as you read the assigned pages. Reviewing in this
fashion should enable you to see the direction a chapter (or lecture) is taking; it should also
help to improve your concentration. With practice you should improve. If, however, when
you review, you are unable to summarize what you have read, this is probably a sign you
that are not understanding. And that means it is time to re-read the material. Summarizing
and reviewing in this fashion should help you to maintain your concentration, to process
information more deeply, and to remember it longer. If after all this you still can’t figure it
out, then bring the problem to me either in class or in my office. It also might be helpful for
groups of two to four students to form study groups so as to assist one another in
understanding the material. [For more general assistance in the way you study and learn,
seek free help from the Learning Center, in UH-353.]
HOW TO READ THE ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READING: These three books should be
read more quickly than the textbook, as if you were reading a novel for pleasure without
having to retain all the names and every little intricacy of plot and narrative. Try to extract
solid impressions and understandings.
More specifically, for Wolf’s Problems &
Personalities, pay attention to the questions that start each chapter (and be able, in your
head and for the exams, to answer them briefly); also, be able to identify the main idea or
theme of each chapter. For the books by Spence and Achebe, focus on the main points of
the story, on the interactions between peoples from different civilizations, and on what can
be learned from such experiences. More specifically, for the first midterm, in reading and
reviewing The Question of Hu, pay special attention to: (1) the reasons behind Hu’s
decision to go to Europe; (2) what lay behind the problems between Hu and his French
hosts; (3) the reason for restraints being placed on Hu during his last two years in France;
(4) what the question of Hu actually was. For the second midterm, in reading and
reviewing Things Fall Apart, pay special attention to: (1) the nature of Umuofia family
structure and life; (2) the purpose of the transition rites experienced by men in the village;
(3) why Christianity took hold among the Ibo people; (4) how the villagers reacted to the
first among their people who converted; (5) why things fell apart; (6) what author Achebe
hoped to achieve in writing the book.
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ATTENDANCE: Although attendance will not be taken in class, your being there will not
only be appreciated but it will also increase your chances of learning and of doing well.
That is, there will most definitely be material that is covered in class that is not covered in
the required reading, and there is a great deal in the reading that will not be covered in
class. For exams, you will be responsible both for what goes on in class and for what is in
each of those readings; thus, the more you miss of one or the other the greater are the
odds of your doing less well on the exams. If you miss a class, be sure to get the notes
from the class web page; but even these notes will not take the place of your being there to
listen, to see all the visual material, to think, and to participate yourself—and not
everything covered in class is in the web site notes.
Note: Your missing class frequently sends a message to your instructor that you
don’t care about his course.
In addition, keep in mind that each class session is part of a continuing story. When you
miss a class, you miss key parts of that story and can more easily become confused. You
may also miss the introduction of certain concepts and terms that you will need to make
use of as the course develops.
PUNCTUALITY: You are expected to arrive in class on time and to stay until the session is
over; arriving late and/or leaving early is not polite to the instructor or to fellow students. If,
however, you know in advance that you will have to arrive late or depart early, please let
me know beforehand, and then take a seat quietly or make sure to take a seat near the exit
so as not to disturb any more people than necessary. But do join the class, even if you are
late. Your cooperation will be appreciated by one and all.
PAGERS, BEEPERS, CELL PHONES, I-PODS: Please turn them off before class begins.
LAPTOPS IN CLASS: Laptops (as well as other electronic devices) may NOT be used in
class; if, however, you have a special need in this regard, please see the instructor.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you are in need of an accommodation for a disability
in order to participate in this class, please let me know ASAP and also contact Services to
Students with Disabilities at UH-183, (909) 537-5238.
DROPPING OR WITHDRAWING: Before you decide to drop or withdraw from any course,
see University regulations and procedures in this quarter’s printed Class Schedule. If you
simply stop attending any course, you will receive a grade of F.
NOTE TAKING & LISTENING IN CLASS: I “give” a lot of notes; that is, students tell me
they take a lot of notes in my classes. To help you to pay attention in class and avoid
feeling the need to actually take a lot of notes, I have prepared notes on most, but not all,
aspects of each lecture. You can access them on the web page listed above (p. 1). But
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these notes are not word-for-word transcriptions of what I will say: in some cases they will
be brief summaries or key words; these notes do not include the commentary on the many
projected images or on the film clips and music. Having these notes will help, especially if
you have to miss class, but they are not a substitute for being there. If you wish to tape
record lectures (for your course-related use only), you may. I do not give permission for
the use of cell phone cameras.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DATES: Some dates are very important, most hardly at all, and
many primarily in relation to critical events. Important dates—such as 1492 (as being
symbolic for the age of exploration), 1929 (for the Great Depression), and July 16, 1945
(when the Atomic Age was launched with the detonation of the first A-bomb)—are
important because they mark the more or less precise boundaries of great historical
movements. You should try to develop a sense of time and of the movement of events
through time. More important than any date is having a sense of chronology, of the correct
ordering of events over time. Events are interconnected in exact ways, depending on their
order; some events cause or influence others. Being aware of chronology, then, will help
you to analyze the connections between and among events.
THE ROLE OF MEMORIZATION: There is a lot you will have to remember—that’s part of
learning—but that’s not the same thing as memorization. Understanding the material is far
more important than trying to memorize it. If you understand the issues and problems of
historical events, you should find it easier to remember people and “facts.” Memorization
without understanding meaning is tedious, difficult, and not worth very much, because no
real learning takes place and nothing of any significance will be retained. If you ask
yourself why something happened and how something or someone affected something
else or others, along with other similarly analytical questions, you will be getting to the heart
of historical understanding and you will make remembering easier and more worthwhile.
“I’m nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there’s a pair of us—don’t tell!
They’d banish us, you know.”
Emily Dickinson, Life
EXPECTATIONS:
A. My expectations of you: Although I do not expect this class to occupy all your
time, I do expect you to give it serious and regular attention (i.e., several hours and days
each week—including your reading the assigned material each week—and not just on the
eve of exams or when the paper is due). If you have difficulty with any aspect of the
course, please inform me immediately either just before or after class or during my office
hours; in fact, talk to me (or e-mail me) before a problem becomes serious (i.e., talking to
me afterwards will inevitably make resolution more difficult). Doing well in this class, as in
all the courses you take, will contribute to your success in college; and at this early stage it
might help to keep in mind the following: according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics,
people with college degrees typically earn 54% more on average than those who attended
college but did not graduate. Remember, too, that the instructor before you is a real person
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just like you; he is not an image on a TV screen. Just as you can see him, he can—and
does—see you.
B. Your expectations of me: You can expect me (1) to do my best to challenge you
intellectually and to make this course interesting, informative, educationally profitable, and,
I hope, enjoyable; (2) to grade exams and papers fairly and to return them promptly (i.e.,
my goal is always to make exam scores available to you and papers back to you within a
week); (3) to be available to you during my office hours and at other times I agree to; (4) to
help you to improve your thinking and analytical skills and to add to your appreciation of the
importance of history; (5) to be demanding and fair.
FINAL GRADE:
First Exam
Second Exam
Written Assignment
Final Exam
Extra Credit
25%
25%
25%
25%
None
….Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands, that the rod of empire might have swayed,
Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre….
Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
Some village-Hampden, that with dauntless breast,
The little Tyrant of his fields withstood;
Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest,
Some Cromwell guiltless of his country’s blood….
Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
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Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll.
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley, Invictus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Seeing a faculty advisor in your major at least once a year is something every
student should do.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Save all papers, reports, and exams returned to you in courses in your major; you
will need them for pre-graduation assessment in your major.
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