History 1523/World Civilizations/Spring 2008

 Dr. Patterson

patterson@lambuth.edu

Office:  Varnell-Jones 201  Phone:  425-3310

Office Hours:  MWF  11AM-12PM  1PM-2:30PM  T/Th  10:45AM-11:45

 

Essential World History by Duiker and Spielvogel 

Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader: Volume Two:  since 1400  by Kevin Reilly  (2000)  2nd ed.

Annual Editions World History since 1500  Volume Two  9th ed. 

Burmese Days by George Orwell

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

 

Course Requirements:

 

Exams  You will have three exams:  two during the semester and a final, which may have comprehensive elements.  Exams will be based on the readings and lecture notes and will consist of core concepts and possibly an essay.  Cheating will not be tolerated and will result in a zero for that exam and suitable disciplinary action.

 

Core Concepts  For every class, there are core concepts to be learned.  At the beginning of class, you will write a paragraph on one of the assigned core concepts.  You should expect to write on a core concept at least once a week, sometimes more.  If you miss a class in which a core concept is given, that will count as a drop grade, no matter the reason for the absence; your lowest three core concept grades will be dropped.  If you miss a core concept due to an official school absence, you must make up that core concept within one week of the original absence.  You will receive a 1,3,4, or 5 grade on each core concept:  1—for showing up,  3—for a “C” answer,  4—for a “B” answer,  5—an “A” answer.  An “A” answer will tell who/what/where/why/when and also give the historical significance of the subject.

 

Papers For this class, you will write one major paper and one shorter paper.  The major paper (4-5 pages) will be a compare/contrast essay based on Burmese Days and Things Fall Apart.  The shorter paper will be based on an Annual Editions article (2-3 pages).  The papers should be grammatically correct, conform to an accepted style (MLA or Turabian), typed, and double-spaced.  All papers for this class should be stapled in the upper left hand corner, or they will be penalized.  Do not include a cover page for your paper, but you should give it a title that goes at the top of the first page.  Any papers that are plagiarized will be given a zero and suitable disciplinary action will be taken.  Students in the TEP (Teacher Education Program) will be dropped from the TEP if they plagiarize.  Late papers will be assessed a letter grade penalty for every day they are late (down to a zero, if an F).  Also, these papers must be submitted in person at the beginning of class on the due date.  Also, please note that I do not accept papers that are emailed to me. 

 

Annual Editions Paper:  You will write a review of one of the articles in Annual Editions.  Most importantly, choose one of the articles that we are not reading for the class already. Questions you should consider in this paper are:  the main purpose of the article, including at least two important facts the author uses to support his/her argument, the main conclusions of the article, any examples of faulty reasoning in the article, and the implications of the article.  I will be giving you a handout on Critical Thinking (from which these questions are taken), and you can choose two of the topics of Critical Thinking from the handout to incorporate on this essay.  These papers should clearly indicate which article you are analyzing, and the papers should be typed, double-spaced, use 12 point font, and one-inch margins.  This papers are due  at the beginning of class.

  

Book quizzes You will also take quizzes on the books read for class (Burmese Days and Things Fall Apart).

 

Presentation  You will complete an in-class oral presentation on a historical topic.  (See guidelines below). 

 

 

Guidelines for oral presentations:

    

  1. Important:  Do not read your presentation to the class.  Use index cards, an outline, or whatever it takes for you to be able to give an informed and lively talk about a historical subject. You may use PowerPoint, but your slides should not have more than 5 or 6 words of text on them (Hint:  follow the design I use for my lectures, and you’ll be ok).  Also do not read a PowerPoint presentation to the class.
  2. You should speak for at least eight minutes.  I will not be grading you on your speaking skills, but obviously you want to give a polished presentation. 
  3. You may use slides or overhead projections or even video, but I must be informed one class in advance on whatever media you will need.
  4. Presentations must be done on the assigned day, or they will be dropped one letter grade.
  5. You should prepare a typed, annotated bibliography.  Your bibliography must consist of at least four sources with at least two books (meaning no more than two internet sites)  Bibliographies must be turned in to me before you begin your presentation.  You will be docked a letter grade if you do not turned in a typed, annotated bibliography on the day the presentation is due.
  6. This is not a project you can do the night before it is due!!  Again, please note that the dates correspond to the day you would give your particular talk.  The goal is for you to give an engaging and lively talk about a subject that interests you, which should interest the class as well.  Think of these as more cultural than political.  Your goal is not to explain the various factions during the French Revolution,  Instead, you should focus on the changes in clothing and fashion that were ushered in during the Revolution.

 

Grading

     Exams:  50 pts. each              Major Paper (on assigned book):   50 pts.   Oral Presentation:  25 pts. Annotated Bibliography:  25 pts. (50 pts. total for presentation)  Book Quizzes:  20-25 pts. each  Annual Editions paper:  20 pts.  Core Concepts:  at least 55/60 pts.

     For your final average, I will divide your number of total number of points into the possible total to get a percentage grade.

      A  100-92 %     B  91-84  %    C  83-76 %   D 75-68 %     F  67-0 %

 

Attendance

Your presence in the classroom is crucial.  Accordingly, you may have four unexcused absences.  A three-percent penalty will be applied to your final average for each unexcused absence after four absences.  Also, do not be absent on days when you are scheduled to present material or you will likewise be assessed a penalty for that assignment.  Please note that you do not get to make up Core Concepts if you are sick, only if you are absent because of an official school absence.

 

Course goals

1.   To understand the concept of change over time and be able to relate past events with present problems.

2.       Develop a thorough knowledge of historical events of the places and people studied.

3.       Through extensive use of primary sources, learn how to interpret and decipher historical documents.

4.       Explore the complex relations between different races and cultures.

5.       Understand how different cultures have influenced individuals (and vice-versa).

 

Classroom Incivilities

     Arriving late, leaving early, excessive bathroom breaks, cell phones, outside reading in class, naps, and whining.  Also note that I do not discuss grades or classroom assignments via email.  Also note that if you miss a class, it is your responsibility to obtain missed assignments.  

 

Hints

     Don’t be intimidated in class.  There is no reason to hide, so please make an effort to contribute, even if you don’t fully understand the topic.  If something does not make sense to you, please ask me to clarify. 

 

Course Outline:  EWH=Essential World History  WH=Worlds of History  AE=Annual Editions

·         We will follow this presentation as closely as possible, however, I reserve the right to make changes to it or the syllabus

 

F  Jan  11—Syllabus   Lecture:  How to Study History

M  Jan 14—Critical Thinking

W  Jan 16—Primary Sources

F   Jan 18—Article on Reserve:  The Magic Mountain 

 

M  Jan 21—MLK Day

W  Jan 23—EWH pp. 341-351, WH  1:1-3 Core Concepts:  Zheng He, Calicut India, Chinese maps

Presentation topics:  Eunuchs in China, foot-binding in China

F   Jan 25—Lecture

 

M  Jan 28—EWH pp. 296-305,  WH  1:4,5  Core Concepts:  Admiral Colon

W  Jan 30—AE 1:1  WH 2:6,7  Core concepts:  Cortes, Montezuma, Tenochtitlan

Presentation topics:  Aztec warfare, Meso-American ball games, Engineering Tenochtitlan

F   Feb  1—Article on Reserve (tba) Core concepts:  Columbian exchange, potato

Presentation topics:  chocolate

 

M  Feb 4—Lecture

W  Feb 6—EWH pp. 305-311, WH 2:9-10  Core concepts:  Middle Passage, chattel slavery, Equiano Presentation topics:  Atlantic Slave Trade

F   Feb  8— EWH (279-285) Core concepts:  Martin Luther, Henry VIII

 

M  Feb 11—Lecture Presentation topics: King James Bible, gin palaces in England

W  Feb 13 —Darnton,  “The Great Cat Massacre”  (on reserve, in Golden,  The Social Dimension of Western Civilization,  pp. 160-173) Core Concepts:  The Great Cat Massacre  Presentation topics:  Dirty Jobs in 17th/18th Century England (whipping boy/link boy/topman, etc. Check out this site for starters http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/W/worstjobs/georgian1.html#4)   

F    Feb 15—EXAM I:  BRING A BLUE BOOK!!

 

M  Feb 18—EWH pp. 285-294, WH 5:22, 6:28,29  Core Concepts:  Louis XIV, On Miracles, Voltaire  Presentation topics: alchemy, coffeehouses in Europe

W  Feb 20— EWH pp. 362-374, WH 6:32  Core Concepts:  Declaration of the Rights of Man

Presentation topics:  Versailles, political cartoons and the French Revolution,

F   Feb 22—EWH pp. 374-384 Core concepts: Napoleon, The Old Regime Presentation topic: “What Marie Antoinette Wore to the French Revolution”

 

M   Feb  25—Lecture

W   Feb 27—EWH pp. 392-397  WH 7: 36-38  Core concepts:  Wealth of Nations,  Sadler Report,  Presentation topics:  child labor

F    Feb 29—Last Day to Drop!  WH 7: 36, 39  AE 3:19 Core Concepts:  Communist Manifesto, Asia and the Industrial Revolution  Presentation topics:  decline of blood sports,  19th-century dueling

 

M  Mar  3—EWH pp. 413-433 Core Concepts:  (tba) Presentation topics:  Sentinelese People, mysticism in 19th-century Europe/mesmerism/séances

W  Mar  5—AE 1:3  Core Concepts:  East India Company Presentation topics: Rise of professional sports/games

F   Mar  7—EWH pp. 434-444 WH 8:42, 45  Core Concepts: White Man’s Burden, Osterhammel on Colonialism Presentation Topics: Richard Burton (the explorer), Theosophy, Founding of the Boy Scouts

 

M  Mar 10— Spring break

W  Mar 12—Spring break

F   Mar 14— Spring break

 

M  Mar 17—AE 1:6, 1:9 Core Concepts:  opium trade, Heart of Darkness  Presentation topics: Explosion of Krakatoa,  19th-century fashion (Victorian), Dirty jobs of Victorian England

 

W  Mar 19— EXAM II

F   Mar 21—Good Friday

 

M  Mar  24—Things Fall Apart

W  Mar 26— Things Fall Apart 

F   Mar 28— Burmese Days

 

M  Mar 31—Burmese Days

W  Apr  2 —Burmese Days

F   Apr   4—Peer Review

 

M  Apr 7— Paper Due!

W  Apr 9—EWH 477-486, WH 10:55  Core Concepts:  Francis Ferdinand, Coming of the First World War

F   Apr 11— WH 10:56-59 Core Concepts:  All Quiet on the Western Front, “Dulce et Decorum Est,” Government posters 

 

M  Apr 14— Annual Editions Paper Due! 

W  Apr 16— EWH pp. 486-491,  WH 10:60  AE 4:26  Core Concepts:  Lenin, Nicholas II Presentation Topics:  Death of the Red Baron, flu epidemic (1918)

F   Apr  18—EWH pp. 520-526, WH 11:54,65  Core Concepts:  Rise of Hitler, Speech to the SS

Presentation Topics:  German art (Weimar or “degenerate”)

 

M  Apr 21—EWH pp. 528-538  WH  11:66,67  Core Concepts: Treblinka, village in Vichy France

W  Apr  23—AE 4:32, WH 11:68-70  Core Concepts: Rape of Nanking, germ warfare, Meditating on War Guilt

F    Apr 25—AE 5:38,  AE 6:46  Core Concepts: Iraq’s unruly century,  Terror in the Name of God

M  Apr 28—tba

 

Final Exam:  MWF 10:00 AM class—Monday May 5th at 10:30

                       MWF 11:00 AM class—Wednesday May 7th at 8:00