Salisbury University, Fall 2007

 

History 102.008:

 

World Civilizations, 1500 to the Present

 

Dr. Maarten L. Pereboom

 

Class meets:               TR 9:30-10:45, Devilbiss 116

Office:                        HH338a; phone: 410-543-6454; e-mail:  mlpereboom@salisbury.edu

Office hours:              MW 1:00-2:50 MW; T 2-3:15, or by appointment

 

Overview:                  Today we live in a world transformed by revolutions in transportation and communications.  Phone, fax and e-mail make it possible to communicate with people almost anywhere, instantaneously.  We can get ourselves to the other side of the world in a matter of hours.  We can watch news stories unfold live via satellite.  Events in Latin America and Japan have an impact on our economy.  We consider it to be in our interest for democracy to take hold in Asia and Africa.  Care for the environment requires cooperation across national and cultural lines.

 

Some people would argue that we now live in a global civilization.  But do we?  The world's peoples remain highly diverse, shaped by very different traditions.  To understand how our world has developed, we will be discussing the story of the world's civilizations and their interactions since about 1400, actually.  We will begin in Europe, where old and new ideas, technological advances and a sense of adventure brought Europeans into contact with nearly every civilization in the world.  The encounters that have taken place since then often have not been mutually beneficial, but they have produced the world in which we live and work and therefore must try to understand.

 

Objectives:                 1.        To gain an understanding of how the culture and institutions of the modern world have developed.

2.         To understand the relevance of the past to our lives today.

3.         To work on skills such as reading, writing, discussion, analysis and critical thinking.

 

Requirements:           1.       Classroom contribution (20% of grade)

Attendance, participation and short assignments account for this portion of the grade.  I expect everyone to attend class and participate in discussions.  You have both the freedom and responsibility to decide how you will spend your time, but under normal circumstances I regard more than three absences from class as a sign of inferior participation and will not give a grade higher than 70% in this category.  The participation grade drops ten percentage points for each absence beyond the limit.

 

2.        Exams 1 and 2 (30% of grade):  October 4, November 1.

Each exam will be in two parts, worth equal amounts:

1.         In short paragraphs, identify and state the significance of ten (out of twelve) terms;

2.         Answer one (of two) questions in essay form.

I will provide study guides one week in advance of the exams.

 

3.        Journal (30% of grade):  During the semester I would like you to keep a journal in which you reflect on the relationship between the past and the present, interactions among civilizations and the relevance of all this material to your personal and professional life.  Your journal must include an entry for each week of at least 250 words, in which you present a thesis on that week's topic (listed below), focusing on the readings in Reilly for supporting evidence, but also including reflections on the class sessions and any film material we may view.  Your entry must include discussion of how the primary and secondary documents help to answer the central questions raised in each chapter; for weeks in which you are assigned to read multiple chapters in Reilly, you may focus on just one.  Journals must be typed (double-spaced). No plastic report covers, please!  Just use a staple or paper clip to join the pages.

 

4.        Final exam (20% of grade):  Thursday, December 13, 4:15-6:45

The format will be similar to that of the other exams, but with two essays instead of one.  The final will cover mostly material since midterm, but the second essay will be comprehen­sive.

 

Final grades will be on the following scale:  A = Excellent; B = Very good; C = Satisfactory; D = Unsatisfactory, but passing; F = Failure. 

 

Readings:                   Brummett, P. et. al.  Civilization, Past and Present.  Eleventh Edition. New York:  Pearson Longman, 2006.

Reilly, Kevin.  Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader, Volume Two:  Since 1400.  Third edition.  Boston: Bedford, 2007.

 

Schedule of Classes and Assignments

 

I.       Introduction

 

Week 1 (Aug. 28-30)               Organization and Introduction

Start readings due next week

 

II.      The Emergence of the Modern World, 1500-1800

 

Week 2 (Sept. 4-6)                Overseas Expansion

Read Brummett, chapters 12 and 16; Reilly, chapters 1-2.

 

Week 3 (Sept. 11-13)            The Reformation and European Statecraft

Read Brummett, chapters 14, 15 and 17; Reilly, chapter 3.

 

Week 4 (Sept. 18-20)            The Afro-Asian World

Read Brummett, chapters 13, 19 and 20; Reilly, chapter  4.

Submit journals Thursday.

 

Week 5 (Sept. 25- 27)           A New Western View of the Universe

Read Brummett, chapter 18; Reilly, chapter 5.

 

Week 6 (Oct. 2-4)                 Global Politics, Revolution and Independence Movements

Read Brummett, chapters 19 and 21; Reilly, chapter 6.

First exam Thursday, Oct. 4

 

III.    Industry, Imperialism, Nationalism and War, 1800-1918

 

Week 7 (Oct. 9-11)               The Industrial Revolution and its Global Impact

Read Brummett, chapter 22; Reilly, chapter 7.

 

Week 8 (Oct. 16-18)             Liberty Equality and Fraternity in the Nineteenth Century

Read Brummett, chapters 23-24; Reilly chapter 8.

 

 

Week 9 (Oct. 23-25)             Imperialism and the Roots of Global Conflict

Read Brummett, chapters 25 and 26; Reilly, chapter 9.

Submit journals Friday.

 

Week 10 (Oct. 30-Nov.1)       The First World War

Read Brummett, chapter 27; Reilly, chapter 10

Second exam Thursday, Nov. 1

 

IV.     Globalization and its Discontents, 1919-present

 

Week 11 (Nov. 6-8)              World Revolutions and Dictatorship

                                            Read Brummett, chapters 28 and 29.

 

Week 12 (Nov. 13-15)           The Second World War

Read Brummett, chapters 30 and 31; Reilly, chapter 11.

 

Week 13 (Nov. 20)               The Cold War

Read Brummett, chapters 32 and 33; Reilly, chapter 12.

 

Week 14 (Nov. 27-29)          The Contemporary World

Read Brummett, chapters 34 and 35; Reilly, chapter 14.

 

Week 15 (Dec. 4-6)               Conclusions

Submit complete journals for entire semester.

 

December 13                         Final exam (Thursday), 4:15-6:45 pm, DH 116