The books are in the bookstore (?). All readings should be done and understood before the class for which they are shown and assigned. Please take this seriously (I shall!). Other readings and supplementary items will probably be made available on-line or in class. At times (especially with the Reilly reader), things may be assigned more than once; don’t worry, just read them more than once, as they are intended to be seen, and read, and discussed in different contexts each time.

It does not matter at all to me that you OWN the books; what matters is that you READ and UNDERSTAND the assigned readings.

Howard Spodek, The World's History, vol. 2, Since 1100 (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, Inc., [1998]; ISBN 0-13-079203-9)

Kevin Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader, vol. 2 (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, [2000]; ISBN 0-312-15788-6)

 

Map Exercise -- On 19 January, there will be an in-class map quiz, drawn from the items on the study sheet you have received. You will be expected to locate twenty of these places (chosen at random) on an outline map. The map exercise grade will be 10% of your final grade for the course.

Discussion Sessions -- You will be expected to sign up to take leadership roles in one of the discussion sessions listed below. This will be 15% of your grade for the course. I have given suggested readings and suggested questions, though it will not be satisfactory for you merely to wade through these questions and readings; it will be necessary to truly involve your classmates in discussion over the general issues outlined, with these readings and questions being merely a starting point. Note the regulation on attending these classes, below.

General discussion in Class -- both in regular classes and on special "DISCUSSION" days -- This will be 15% of your final grade. Be aware and warned that it is difficult to discuss if you don’t come to class. It is especially important (based on past experience) that you participate in the student-led discussion sessions (this includes doing the reading for these classes!). For each student-led discussion session you miss, there will be a 5-point penalty from this discussion grade (if you miss all of those in which you don’t participate, this will add up to a hefty 40-point penalty – ouch).

On-line Discussion -- At http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HIST102/. This will be 10% of your grade for the course.

Mid-term Exam -- 11 October, 25% of the grade. The exam will be "mostly" essay and, perhaps, some multiple choice questions; sample questions will be distributed in advance.

Final Exam -- Of unknown timing (the Registrar refuses to tell us!). This will be 25% of the final grade. While the exam will be comprehensive, it will focus on the material since the mid-term exam. The structure will be much like the mid-term, "mainly" essay with some multiple choice questions; there will probably be sample questions distributed in advance.

Class Attendance -- This course has a policy on attendance. It is that all of you are adults and that, therefore, you have a right to make decisions about your lives. This includes the right to make really stupid decisions. I am not your mother, I shall not take roll in class, I shall not make you do the reading. If you can make an "A" without coming to class, I should be willing to give it to you; however, I sincerely doubt you will be able to do well in this course without coming to class. Note that you cannot discuss if you are not here. Be warned! The one exception to this rule lies with regard to the special, student-led sessions; for each of these you miss, 5% will be deducted from your grade for your in-class discussion grade. I consider it more than just a matter of simple courtesy that you should attend these classes.

Grading Policy -- Winthrop says I have to give you a grade. Frankly, I think such things get in the way of learning, especially in a course such as this, but "I hear and I obey." All exams, papers, and such will be graded on a 100-point scale and your final grade will be computed based on the percentage distributions outlined above. Letter grades will be assigned on a strict "ten-point-cut" system of: A=100-90, B=89-80, C=79-70, D=69-60, F=59 or less. There is no curve and there is no "extra credit" scheme.

 

Wednesday, 15 January -- Introduction to the "Special Nature" of the Course and to the Study of History

Friday, 17 January -- The World Before 1500

Spodek, World’s History, pp. xvii-378

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, preface and introduction

The syllabus for this course (no joke!)

 

Unit 1 -- The Individual and Society

Monday, 20 January – NO CLASS (MLK Birthday)

Wednesday, 22 January -- The European Global Invasion and its Results in Europe

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 378-420

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 22, and 23

Map quiz

Friday, 24 January -- DISCUSSION: Religion and the Individual

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 16, 17, 22, and 23

Suggested Questions to Discuss: How did the Renaissance and Reformation change the European sense of individuality? What tensions did this change unleash? Were Protestants more "individual" than Catholics? Why or why not? In what ways did non-European history (e.g., that of China) depict a different picture from that of Europe?

Monday, 27 January -- Culture and Individuality

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 454-459

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 22, and 23

Wednesday, 29 January -- Non-European Societies under Attack

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 420-446

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, and 21

Friday, 31 January -- DISCUSSION: The Invention and Maintenance of the "Modern Individual"

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 19

Suggested Questions to Discuss: How has individuality changed over the past five hundred years? Are people more or less individualistic now than they were in the sixteenth century? In what ways was life more "public" or "private" then? What does "privacy" mean, then or now? Is it, as the Chinese would see it, mere selfishness? What does privacy have to do with individuality? How did people in sixteenth-century Europe understand their or someone else’s identity? Did people know others "better" in the sixteenth century than we do now? What made a person an individual then? What does today? What was the relationship between individuality and liberalism? Is modern culture more individualistic than earlier forms? What does modern culture and the arts tell us about our self-confidence or self-knowledge? Compare the idea of self as expressed in the readings. Is individuality increasing or decreasing? Where? Why?

Monday, 3 February -- Individuality and Mass Society in the European Old Order

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 462-473

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 16, 18, 22, 23, and 24

Wednesday, 5 February -- Challenges to the Old European Order

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 473-496

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28

Friday, 7 February -- DISCUSSION: The Individual in Structured Society

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 57, 66, 67, 68, 69, 92, 93, and 94

Suggested Questions to Discuss: What is the meaning of individuality in a "managed mass society"? What kind of people supported the Nazis and why? Why did people allow their individuality to be restricted? Did they just want to "escape" from "too much" freedom? Was Nazism a thing of the past or a harbinger of the future? Are we becoming more or less free? Are we becoming more or less individualistic? Is there any relationship?

 

Unit 2 -- Economics, Ecology, and Politics

Monday, 10 February -- Politics and Economics

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 497-511

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 12, 13, 15, 20, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, and 33

Wednesday, 12 February -- The New Global Economic Web

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 511-513

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 19, 20, 29, 33, 34, 43, and 44

Friday, 14 February -- DISCUSSION: Is Politics a Moral Science?

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, and 31

"Declaration of the Rights of Woman," distributed in class

Suggested Questions to Discuss: (NOTE: This discussion will not focus on the U.S.A. or our political "system"!!) What is the relationship between politics and morality? What should it be? Do we want governments to behave in ways which would be "immoral" for individuals? Should governments lie to us? Was Machiavelli right? What is the relationship between politics and economics? Did Hobbes or Locke have a better understanding of how people behave and what they want? What was a "middle-class revolution" and what is meant by the "politics of process"? Point out the achievements and limitations of the American and French Revolutions on the basis of their documentary record.

Monday, 17 February -- Work and Exchange

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 505-513

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 30 and 31

Wednesday, 19 February -- Challenges to Capitalism and Industrialism

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 511-518

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, document 32

Friday, 21 February -- DISCUSSION: Capitalism, Pre-Capitalism, etc.

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 25, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, and 42

Suggested Questions to Discuss: What is this thing called capitalism? No dictionary definition will be satisfactory! How did it develop? Why did it develop? Where did it develop? What were some of its effects? In what ways did capitalism improve people’s lives? It what ways did it not? What was the relationship between capitalism and industrialization? Why didn’t capitalism and industrialization come first to India or China? Might they have appeared there first? Why did the technological and financial balance between Europe and Asia change so dramatically?

Monday, 24 February -- Industry and Economics

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 519-536

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34

Wednesday, 26 February -- Technology and the New Political Order

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 538-555, 574-582

Friday, 28 February -- DISCUSSION: Ecology vs. Economics

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 602-606

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 4, 5, 6, 8, 16, 17, 20, 21, 88, and 94

Suggested Questions to Discuss: What is the relationship between economics and ecology? To what extent are our ecological problems a result of our industrial lifestyle? To what extent are they the result of our economic system? In what ways was the capitalism of the nineteenth century ecological or anti-ecological? How has it changed in the twentieth century? Or has it changed? What are the major ecological problems facing the world today? What possible solutions can be derived from a careful reading of world history?

Monday, 3 March -- MIDTERM EXAM

 

Unit 3 -- Racism, Nationalism, Internationalism

 

Wednesday, 5 March -- Race and Racism

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 447-454

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 43, 45, 46, 47, and 48

Friday, 7 March -- Race and "The Other"

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 555-570

Monday, 17 March -- Empire and Race

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 519-536, 574-582

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48

Wednesday, 19 March -- DISCUSSION: The Idea (and Ideal?) of "Race"

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, , 67, 68, 75, 76, 83, 84, 94

Suggested Questions to Discuss: What is race? What is racism? (Don’t waste time in a dictionary for these!) Has race always existed? Has racism always existed? What are the most important historical causes of European racism? Is there, historically, non-European racism? How would you weigh the positive and negative impacts of the European settlement (invasion?) of the Americas? Of the remainder of the world? What are the origins of slavery? How did slavery differ in Africa, Central and South America, North America, and elsewhere in time and space? What accounts for these differences in slave systems? In what ways does the world live with the effects and "baggage" of slavery today?

Friiday, 21 March -- The "Great War" as the Turning Point

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 582-586

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 64, 65

Monday, 24 March -- Europe at War with and in the World, 1918-1945

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 586-596

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, and 72

Wednesday, 26 March -- DISCUSSION: A Comparative Approach to Race and Class

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 47, 65, 66, 67, 68, 73, 74, 75, and 76

Suggested Questions to Discuss: Compare the racial history of South Africa and that of the United States. In what ways are the two histories similar? Why? In what ways were they different? Why? What were the most important racial turning points in the racial history of each society? In each case, and comparatively, what were the causes of racism? How can racism be diminished or eradicated?

Friday, 28 March -- Nationalism and Internationalism

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 555-570, 626-642

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 32, 42, 49, 57, 59, 60, 61, 64, 65, 69, 72, 74, 79, and 80

Monday, 31 March -- Nation and Race at the Logical (?) Extremes: Hitler

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 586-601

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 66, 67, 68, and 69

Wednesday, 2 April -- DISCUSSION: Nationalism and Imperialism

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 35, 39, 45, 58, 60, 63, 73, 74, 79, 86, and 87

Suggested Questions to Discuss: What is nationalism? (No dictionaries, please!) What causes it? What were some of the positive and negative effects of nationalism? Why did nationalism develop first in the West? Or did it? Why and how did it develop only later in the remainder of the world? Or did it? In what ways was Western imperialism nationalistic? To what degree was Western imperialism a conscious attempt to create a New World Order? What is the relationship among nationalism, imperialism, and racism? What is internationalism? Has nationalism or internationalism been increasing in the world? Should either be encouraged?

Friday, 4 April -- Nationalism and Communism

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 596-601, 608-626

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 32, 46, 48, 49, 51, 55, 56, 62, 77, 79, and 80

Monday, 7 April -- Rejections of the European Model: India, China, etc.

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 644-678

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 77, 78, and 81

Wednesday, 9 April -- DISCUSSION: Socialism, Communism, Nationalism, Internationalism

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 32, 38, 39, 42, 43, 46, 48, 55, 56, 62, 77, 78, 79, 81, and 94

Suggested Questions to Discuss: What are the differences among the terms in the title of this class? (Again, as always, dictionary quotation won’t help you too much here!) What are the differences between nationalistic revolutionary movements and communistic revolutionary movements? What examples exist of each? What were the benefits and drawbacks of both? Was the Russian Revolution a triumph or a disaster? Was Gandhi the savior of India or its destroyer and the preserver of privilege? Was China better off with Mao Zedong? Was Ho Chi Minh "good" or "bad" for Vietnam?

Friday, 11 April -- Communism and Capitalism

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 505-521, 574-582, 613-622

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 62, 77, 79, 80, and 94

Monday, 14 April -- The Newly Independent World after 1945

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 679-706

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 54, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 87, 92, 93, and 94

Wednesday, 16 April -- DISCUSSION: Cold War and a U.S. World

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 73, 74, 75, 76, 79, 80, 90, 92, and 94

Suggested Questions to Discuss: How did the Cold War originate? What were the issues that divided the "Capitalist" and "Communist" worlds? In what ways were capitalism and communism expansionistic? What has motivated U.S. foreign policy since WWII? What were the motivations for the U.S.S.R.? In what ways have the two competing foreign policies been helpful;, and in what ways harmful, to the remainder of the world? Is the Cold War over? Who won? What next? How can we have a more peaceful world? (Answer this last one really well and you’ll get a Nobel Peace Prize!)

 

Unit 4 -- The Newest World since 1945

Friday, 18 April -- The Post-War Revolutions

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 707-740

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 77, 78, 79, 80, 82, 87, 90, and 92

Monday, 21 April -- The "New" Green World

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 742-773

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, document 88

Wednesday, 23 April -- The Newest World of Resurgent Asia

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 81, 87, 89, 90, and 92

Friday, 25 April – The Return of Religion: Al-Qaida and Beyond

Monday, 28 April -- The Newest New World, 2000-2050 (and beyond)

Spodek, World’s History, pp. 774-777

Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2, documents 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, and 94

 

Final Exam – unknown at present!

http://faculty.winthrop.edu/haynese/hist_102.html

Ed Haynes

last revised 26 September 2002