History 1112: World Civilization Since 1500 Course Syllabus 11:00 AM 12:20 PM TR Fall 2015 Jesse F. Cucksee Newnan Center 131 Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday: 12:30 1:50 Email: jcuckse1@my.westga.edu DESCRIPTION We will explore the major social, cultural, political, and economic themes in World history from 1500 to the Present. While this class will emphasize many important dates and figures, it will primarily focus on change over time, the cause and effects of those changes, and specifically why those changes took place. Special attention will be devoted to the historical changes and problems of economic and social development on a global scale. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will demonstrate the ability to think historically through understanding of the political, social, economic, and cultural dimensions of world history; comprehension of causal relationships and patterns of change and continuity over time; or awareness of the social significance of ethnicity, gender, race, and class in historical events and study. Students will also demonstrate an understanding of the commonalities and differences among two or more societies, nations, or cultures outside of the United States in regard to language, literature, aesthetics, politics, economics, as well as social and cultural practices. Special Note Students, please carefully review the following information at this link: http://www.westga.edu/~bjames/commonlanguageforcoursesyllabi.htm It contains important material pertaining to your rights and responsibilities in this class. Because these statements are updated as federal, state, university, and accreditation standards change, you should review the information each semester. COURSE TEXTS Equiano, Olaudah. The Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African. New York: Dover Publications, 1999. ISBN: 978-0486406619 Browning, Christopher R.. Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1998. ISBN: 978-0060995065 1
GRADING *********************Federal Privacy Laws and Grades********************* I cannot discuss grades or course progress with any student via email or over the phone. It must be in person. Furthermore, I cannot discuss grades or your progress in the course with your parents at all. If you would like to discuss any of your exam grades, your overall grade, or your progress in the course, it must be in person and I am happy to do so at any time. Just make and appointment and we ll talk. *********************************************************************** Class Participation - 10% Attendance is mandatory. Students should come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings and answer questions pertaining to the material. Attendance and Class participation are NOT the same. Students who participate in the lecture by asking and answering questions will receive a higher participation grade than those who simply show up and fill a seat. Students that make statements of substance at least once per week, and during every book discussion, can expect to earn a full participation grade. Book and reading discussions are a great time to gain points toward your participation grade. IF students do not participate during book discussions, a quiz will be given instead. As previously stated, participation and attendance are not the same. Any student that misses more than 7 lectures over the semester will automatically fail the course. Reading Quizzes 10% There will be six reading quizzes throughout the course of the semester. These short assessments will consist of multiple choice questions that will assess your understanding of the assigned readings. You will be given 10 minutes to complete this quiz. Exams 60% (20% each) Exams will consist of material covered before the date of the exam itself. They will also include material from the assigned reading material given in class. This exam will include a selction of multiple choice questions, short answer, fill in the blank questions, and a primary source analysis. Do not forget to bring a scantron form. Make-up policy - It is your responsibility to come see me in the event that you miss an exam. If you miss an exam for any reason, the make-up exam will be essay only. Furthermore, you have one week to make up the exam. For those of you who miss an exam for properly documented reasons, you should make arrangements with me as soon as possible for a make-up 2
exam. If you do not have proper documentation, you will not be allowed to make up the exam. If you do not make up the exam in one week s time, you will be given an F for that exam (unless you are still sick and then your week make-up window will begin as soon as you return to school). If you schedule a make-up exam with me but fail to show up, you will not be given another chance to make up the exam and will receive an F for the exam. If you come to me at the end of the semester and have not made up an exam and request a make-up for a previously missed exam, the answer will be NO. Book Reviews - 20% (10% each) (750-1000 Word) I have assigned three books as required texts for this class. These texts are meant to reinforce and add texture to the subject matter of this course. Three days will be set aside to discuss these books. Each student will be required to write a reaction paper on each of the assigned readings. These reactions should be organized as follows: Summarize the book In this section, you will need to describe the content of the book, what happened, when, and why. This section should take up no more than one full page of the paper. Points will be taken off if the summary is more than a page. Analyze the work Why did the author write this book, what did they want, and who was the intended audience? How do you think their motives reflect on their narrative? Is their any bias we might need to be aware of? Was the author effective in their attempt to persuade their audience? You may want to do a little outside research into the author in order to understand why they are writing. If you use outside sources, you must ensure that they are reputable and that you cite them. Plagiarism will result in an automatic F and a referral to the University disciplinary board. Reactions In the final section, you will need to include your reaction to this text, how it made you feel, and what you learned. These reactions need to be typed in 12-point Times New Roman Font, Double-spaced, and include your name and the date in the upper left corner of the first page. If the paper is not properly formatted, points will be deducted. The reactions will need to be turned in through Course-den before the beginning of class on the day assigned for the discussion of the text. LATE SUBMISSIONS, OR PAPERS NOT TURNED IN THROUGH COURSEDEN, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. These papers will be graded on Grammar, Style, and Content. All papers will also be processed through plagiarism detection software. If you are caught plagiarizing, you will automatically fail the course. HONOR CODE EXPECTATIONS 3
Students should make sure to understand and strictly follow the standards of the university s Honor Code as outlined in the Student Handbook. Cheating and plagiarism constitute violations of the Honor Code. The Student Handbook defines cheating as: using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids. It defines plagiarism as representing the words or ideas of another as one s own. Direct quotations must be indicated and ideas of another must be appropriately acknowledged. UWG Honor Code: http://www.westga.edu/handbook/59.php SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS Please submit an official Student Accommodations Report (SAR) to the instructor if the Office of Disability Services has authorized you to receive special assistance during regular class meetings and/or test dates. For testing purposes, appropriate arrangements will be made in accordance with the following procedures outlined by the Office of Disability Services: Most Students With Disabilities (SWD) are entitled to 1.5 time on all tests in classes in which they have presented their Student Accommodations Report (SAR) to their professor and made advance arrangements with their professor for this extra time per test Students have two options for receiving testing accommodations. They can make arrangements directly with their professor or test at the Learning Support and Testing Center. Class Policies Students are NOT permitted to record the instructor s lectures. Exceptions will be made for students who submit a Student Accommodations Report (SAR) that explicitly requests permission to create recordings. Cell Phones: TURN THEM OFF!!!!! Anyone texting in class will be asked to leave immediately. If there is an emergency that requires you to keep your phone on, please notify me before class and turn your phone to vibrate. If a call or text comes in that you must answer, quietly leave the class before responding. Extra Credit: Extra Credit questions may appear on your midterm and final. This is the only form of extra credit available. Food: Since this class does fall during lunch, students will not be penalized for bringing food or drinks to class. However, students are expected to clean up after themselves, and prevent their eating habits from disturbing others in the class. If students fail to meet these expectations, I withhold the right to ban food and drink within the classroom. Tentative Course Outline and Readings Assignments Please be advised that this schedule is tentative, and could change at any time. 4
Week 1: Tuesday, Aug 25: Introduction to Course Thursday, Aug 27: The State of the World before 1500 Week 2: Tuesday, Sept 1: Transformations in Europe Thursday, Sept 3: The Americas, 1500-1770 Week 3: Tuesday, Sept 8: Islamic Empires 1500-1800 Thursday, Sept 10: Early Modern China and Japan Week 4: Tuesday, Sept 15: Africa in the Atlantic World. Quiz over assigned Reading on Courseden: Thomas Phillips, A Journal of a Voyage Made in the Hannibal of London in 1694. Thursday, Sept 17: Reformation and the Scientific Revolution Week 5: Tuesday, Sept 22: The Enlightenment Thursday, Sept 24: EXAM 1 Week 6: Tuesday, Sept 29: The Slave Trade and Slavery in the Atlantic World Thursday, Oct 1: Discussion over Equiano (Reaction Papers due in courseden before the beginning of class) Week 7: Tuesday, Oct 6: Atlantic Revolutions and Empire. Quiz over assigned Readings on Courseden: The Declaration of the Rights of Man, and the Declaration of the Rights of Woman. Thursday, Oct 8: Atlantic Revolutions and Empire Continued Week 8: Tuesday, Oct 13: The Industrial Revolution. Quiz over (3) assigned Readings on Courseden: Laments of Japanese silk workers around 1900, Rules for Workers from the Benck and Co. Factory in France from 1842, Laments of Japanese Silk Workers around 1900. Thursday, Oct 15: Liberalism, New Imperialism, and the Scramble for Africa. Quiz over assigned Reading on Courseden: Jules Ferry, On French Colonial Expansion Week 9: Tuesday, Oct 20: New Imperialism Continued Quiz over assigned Reading on Courseden: Edgar Canisius Rubber Collecting in the Congo, 1885 Thursday, Oct 22: EXAM 2 5
Week 10: Tuesday, Oct 27: World War I and the Roaring 20 s Thursday, Oct 29: The Russian Revolution. Quiz over assigned Reading on Courseden: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (excerpt). Week 11: Tuesday, Nov 3: Political changes in Asia. Thursday, Nov 5: Disarmament and the rise of Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin Week 12: Tuesday, Nov 10: WWII Tuesday, Nov 12: The Holocaust and Russian Purges Week 13: Tuesday, Nov 17: Discussion over Ordinary Men (Reaction Papers due in courseden at the beginning of class) Thursday, Nov 19: The Beginnings of the Cold War Week 14: Nov 23-27 Thanksgiving Break!!! Week 15: Tuesday, Dec 1: Communist China Thursday, Dec 3: Korea and Vietnam and The Cold War in Latin America FINAL EXAM DEETS Our final is exam is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8th, 11:00am 1:30 pm. Be sure to bring a writing utensil and a scantron Final grades are posted on Banweb. I cannot discuss grades via email or over the phone, so please do not ask. It must be in person. 6