History 202
Development of the Modern World
Syllabus
Prof. Dodgen
Herodotus says, "Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all: The conscientious historian will correct these defects."
Mark Twain
The subject matter of this course is the history of the world from the fifteenth century until the present. The goals of the course are to acquaint you both with the major historical events of the period and with the methods used by historians to reconstruct, analyze and understand those events. Obviously, such a huge span of time and territory cannot be covered in detail. Our strategy will be to survey the whole, but to use certain selected events or periods as a means to explore the major influences that have created our contemporary global society.
Readings:
Five books are required for the course:
- Nathaniel’s Nutmeg by Milton
- Tastes of Paradise, by Shivelbusch
- A Child from the Village by Qutb
- Six Chapters from My Life Downunder, by Yang*
- Patriotism, by Mishima*
*Students have the option of reading either one or the other of these two books and doing a report on it; the three remaining books are all required..
In addition, we will read short documents found on the internet. The main sites for these materials are the Internet Modern History Sourcebook at:
Some material will also be found in the Internet Medieval History Sourcebook found at:
Evaluation:
Grades will be based on take-home essays on four of the five books, and a mid-term and final in-class exam based on the identification items found at the end of the syllabus. The take-home essays must be a minimum of four pages, typed, double-spaced, and should cite the pages in the reading from which you draw your evidence or information. The essays will be based on questions or prompts handed out in class. The guidelines and prompts for the paper will be handed out in class and discussed in greater detail at that time. Those who fail to follow the guidelines will receive an ‘F’ on that paper. Each essay will each be worth 20 percent of the total grade. Students who are in need of extra credit can do a report on all five books, with the fifth report counting as extra credit.
In-class exams will be based on the items at the end of the syllabus. Answers must reflect the course content, not what you looked up on the internet or found in an encyclopedia. The in-class exams will each be worth 10 percent of the grade.
Success in the class will require that you do the readings and complete all assignments on time. No make-up exams will be given and no late work accepted without a written doctor’s excuse. The student is responsible for all the information given in class, including any changes in the timing of exams, the content of the syllabus, and all course content. The in-class portion of the exams is designed to test you on the material presented in lecture and the films, so taking careful notes is strongly advised. A grade of incomplete will not be given for any reason other than a valid and documented medical excuse and then only to students who have completed at least half the course with a grade of C or better.
Office hours:
My office is Stevenson 2066, phone extension 42462. Office hours are Monday and Wednesday, 9:30-11:00. I can be reached by e-mail at .
Syllabus
Week ofTopic and Reading Assignments
1/29-31--Introduction. How to understand sources.
Readings: witchcraft documents at:
;
begin Nathaniel’s Nutmeg.
2/5-7Monday: Film, “The day the universe changed, v. 3”
Wednesday, no class, do library assignment below:
Readings: continue Nathaniel’s Nutmeg.
2/12-14--Renaissance, Reformation, and the rise of the nation-state in Europe.
2/21-- Iberian Expansion and the Atlantic Model. Readings: continue Nathaniel’s Nutmeg.
2/26-28Science and Enlightenment. Readings; Documents at:
;
Wednesday: complete Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, discussion.
3/5-7--East Asia: The Realms of Confucian Culture. 3/5: Report due on Nathaniel’s Nutmeg.
Readings:, documents: ; begin Tastes of Paradise.
-- New World encounters.
3/12-14--The Slavery System and Its Impact on Africans.
3/19-21-- The Islamic World. Readings: completeTastes of Paradise, discussion.
-- The Industrial Revolution. Readings: documents at:
3/26-28Monday: Review. Wednesday, midterm exam—take-home essay on Tastes of Paradise due.
.
4/2-4--Imperialism and Response in East Asia, II. Readings: begin A Child from the Village.
--Late Imperialism. Readings: documents at:
;
4/9-11--Spring Break.
4/16-18--Total War. Readings: documents at: ;
complete A Child from the Village, discussion.
4/23-25--The Great Depressionand WWII.4/25,Paper on A Child from the Villagedue. Readings: documents at:
;
Begin Six Chapters from My Life Downunder or
Patriotism.
4/30-5/2--Utopian Holocausts. Readings: documents at:
; continue Patriotism or Six Chapters
Wednesday: film, “Night and Fog.”
5/7-9--Revolutions, De-colonization and Wars of National Independence.
Readings: documents at:
complete Patriotism or Six Chapters, discussion.
Links for questions on Six Chapters and “Patriotism”:
Six Chapters:
(A journalists retrospective judgment of the Cultural Revolution with some participant quotes)
(a superficial but useful overview)
(an interesting exhibition of artifacts from the cultural revolution along with a very abbreviated outline of events and some quotes from participants)
“Patriotism”:
5/14-16--The Cold War. Readings: documents at:
The Pacific Century. Readings: TEIP, 976-1019. Documents: Selections from The Japan
that Can Say No! at:
-- Final Exam:
Terms for History 202, Exam 1
IndulgenceCalvinismJesuits
Spanish InquisitionHoly Roman EmpireJoint stock company
Little Ice AgeEnlightenmentEdict of Nantes
Fortunate IslesEncomiendaMestizos
Columbian ExchangeMercantilismMiddle passage
JihadJanissarySafavids
TokugawaSamuraiMatteo Ricci
ConfucianismCotton ginJames Watt
Laissez fairePositivismBastille
Estates GeneralVersaillesReign of Terror
Third EstateCongress of ViennaToussaint L'Overture
History 202, Terms for Final Exam
Congo Free StateHiroshimaSimon Bolivar
Taiping (T’ai-p’ing) RebellionGreat Leap ForwardG.F.W. Hegel
Ho Chi-min Meiji RestorationNapoleonic Code
Joseph StalinBoersOpium War
Mao ZedongAlfred DreyfusAlexis de Tocqueville
Salvador AllendeEdmund BurkeCharles Darwin
Ayatollah Khomeini ProletariatSelf-Help
PerestroikaHolocaustShaka Zulu
HUACManifest DestinyKeiretsu
ShariaShintoThe Battle of the Somme