UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE: SPRING 2003

HISTORY 112 - WORLD HISTORY 1500-1800

DR JAMES LACHLAN MACLEOD

[click on image for link to the textbook’s website, or click here]

Click here for link to Origins of the Modern World website.

‘Worlds Together, Worlds Apart’

The title of the main textbook for this course is a good indication of what we will study this semester. This course is a survey of world history from c1500-c1800 and as such it will explore the way the different parts of the world have over that time period ignored, visited, explored, exploited, coveted, destroyed and helped one another. We will struggle against our own prejudices and our own ignorance, and against the prevailing fashion for Euro-American ethnocentrism that affects so much history. None of this easy, but it can be very rewarding. Hey it might even be fun…

Note how in this 15^th century European World Map there is no America, no Australia, and no way into the Indian Ocean by sailing round Africa. 15^th century Germans were entirely restricted by a limited view of the world – and in many ways so are we. This class will try to address that problem.

Europe

China

India

The Indian Ocean

Africa

Arabia

The class is a seminar-based one, with learning based on informed classroom discussion; this involves hard work and considerable thought, but can also be a lot of fun. In a class with potentially large numbers, it is particularly important that you are prepared to talk in class, and your contribution to the class's discussions throughout the semester will count as 20% of your final grade. If you are unable or unwilling to talk in an informed manner in class, your grade will suffer; if you are not going to talk, don’t sign up for this class!

TEXTBOOKS

The recommended textbooks, which you must buy, are:-

Robert Tignor et al, eds., Worlds Together, Worlds Apart (2002)

James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me (1995)

Robert B. Marks, The Origins of the Modern World (2002)

I hope you enjoy these books; they are interesting and, as you can see, fairly recent. Students will, however, be expected to read much more besides if they wish to gain the most from this course. In addition to textbook reading, students will be asked to read some original texts and also to study carefully any handouts provided, in order to participate in classroom discussion.

ASSESSMENT

1 mid-term examination = 20% of total grade

1 4-page written paper, accompanying presentation = 20% of total grade

1 class presentation by student = 20% of total grade

class participation = 20% of total grade

final examination = 20% of total grade

Please note that attendance is carefully recorded and excessive absences will have a devastating impact on your grade in this class (see below).

WRITTEN WORK AND ATTENDANCE

In the grading of all written work, credit will be given for well-constructed, clearly argued and accurately researched writing: errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar will be penalized. Please note the ZERO TOLERANCE policy with regards to plagiarism.

Students who for medical reasons (confirmed by a medical certificate) are not able to sit the mid-term examination at the appointed time will sit the final examination, which is comprehensive, and the percentage score of the mid-term will be carried forward and added to the final examination. Thus a student who misses the mid-term will sit the final examination for 40% of his/her grade rather than for 20% as for the rest of the class. No other form of make-up examination will be permitted.

Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis. There is an attendance policy; students who exceed their permitted number of excused absences will be penalized by one grade drop on each occasion they exceed their maximum limit.

ONLY TWO UNEXCUSED ABSENCES ARE PERMITTED IN THIS CLASS.

Absence from class is permitted only in cases of extreme sickness or ill-health. In the event of such an occurrence, it is incumbent upon the student to see a qualified medical authority and to obtain a certificate of certified absence within 24 hours of the absent class. Apart from this form of justified absence, no other absence is excused except where authorized by the Chair of the Department of History.

Finally, a note of warning concerning punctuality. Any student who arrives later than ten minutes for class will be deemed to be absent from that class, and the absence will count as an unexcused absence. Similarly, I expect work to be handed in by the set time and date. Unless a request for an extension has been made and agreed, all overdue papers will be awarded an automatic "F".

OFFICE HOURS

I am available to meet with you during my regular office hours which for this semester are

Mon Wed Fri 9.00-10.00, Tu Th by appointment

For your own convenience, try to make an appointment in case I am meeting another student.

GENERAL

Life is too short to be poker-faced. The class will be as informal as possible, and I will do my best to make sure that you all have an enjoyable and successful time.

and maybe, just maybe….

Contacts

Dr James Lachlan MacLeod

Office Olmsted 343

telephone 2599

email jm224

Website access through History Dept homepage at

http://history.evansville.edu

CLASS PRESENTATIONS

This is a seminar-based course and each student or group of students (2-4 per group, depending on class numbers) is expected to prepare and deliver a presentation at one of the meetings of the class. This is to take the form of a discussion of one of the topics listed; the earlier you sign up the more choice you have as to when you present; you must decide on a subject and a date by 25 January 2003. Please note the following points carefully:

You will be graded with the following checklist: failure to fulfil any part will result in a deduction of points.

Before the Presentation

Meet with partners to discuss project in detail

Meet with professor 2 days ahead of class

Provide professor with a bibliography

Provide professor with typed outline of the whole presentation

Organization

Introduction is helpful and tells us what to expect and focus on

Main points made clear

Presentation logically structured

Material pertinent to the subject (not rambling nor excessive)

Presentation neither too long nor too short

Each participant contributes equally in terms of content and time

Conclusion provides a clear and helpful summary

Content

Clear language; technical terms explained simply

Well researched – not taken directly from a single textbook or website

Not read from a website printout

Good range of information included (not too obvious nor too specialized)

Clear explanations of main points

Helpful case studies and/or examples used to illustrate points

Appropriate attention paid to women, minorities and the non-Western world

Communication Skills

Interesting and engaging manner

Appropriate expressions (avoiding, e.g., "um," "like," “back in the day”, and "stuff" and cursing)

Did not read from notes excessively

Poise and posture – professional manner and appearance

Helpful hand-outs, visual aids and/or multimedia

Questions and Discussion 

Sufficient time left for questions and discussion

Good questions posed to class to generate discussion

Responsive attitude towards questions and comments

Questions answered appropriately and completely

Good management of discussion

Your Presentation must be accompanied by a four-page paper; each student is responsible for his/her own paper – the paper is NOT a group project

This must be in the form of a research paper, and must follow the MLA rules on citation, including a works cited page. Please use 12-point Times Roman font, double-spacing and leave adequate margins. Please number your pages. Your first page must state the question that you are answering. Your paper must not be longer than four pages.

All papers must be submitted electronically as well as on paper!

Please note the following:

All papers must have at least five sources, of which no more than three can be websites; the textbooks do NOT count as one of your five sources, although you are of course free to use and cite them all.

PRESENTATION TOPICS AND DATES

Each presentation MUST look at the whole period, where possible, and you MUST cover more than just the Western World. You MUST consider developments and changes in your topic, and you MUST try to communicate both positives and negatives. Be creative!

Above all, you MUST answer the question asked!

Failure to provide these five aspects will result in a poor grade for your presentation

TOPIC	SOME SUGGESTED ISSUES TO CONSIDER	DATE
What was the role of religion in society?	Politics; gender; imperialism; nationalism; ritual; distraction.	Jan 31
What were the key sources of Conflict?	Land; money; religion; empire; dynasty; power.	Feb 7
How did societies treat their youth?	Work; play; education; religion; gender; weqlth.	Feb 14
How did people react to sickness and death?	Causes of death; life expectancy; medicine; death rituals; class differences.	Feb 17
Why was trade and travel important?	What comes with trade? Prerequisites? Reasons to travel? Obstacles?	Feb 21
How and why did things get invented?	Wealth; need; education; momentum; nationalism; war.	Feb 28
How important was agriculture?	Food; employment; innovation; urbanization; industrialization; tradition.	Mar 7
Why did buildings look the way they did?	Role and purpose; wealth of builder; tradition; social class; national identity.	Mar 21
How have societies treated women? Why?	Laws; power; tradition; religion; sex; choices; education; literacy	Mar 24
Does painting and sculpture really tell us much about a culture?	Elite versus popular; literate v. illiterate; alternative sources; interpretation; changes over time.	Mar 28
What does its music and poetry tell us about a culture?	Elite versus popular; literate v. illiterate; alternative sources; interpretation; changes over time.	Apr 4
What happened when a culture became literate (or did not)?	Printing; role of books; societies without written languages; revolutions; class.	Apr 7
Is a hierarchical social structure inevitable?	Power of hierarchies; religion; lack of alternatives; alternative voices; challenges.	Apr 11
What things have people done for fun, and why?	Games; leisure; hobbies; national pastimes; traditions; stories; toys; dances.	Apr 25

Calendar for History 112: Spring 2003

Your four-page paper is due at the time of your presentation

Week Beginning:	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Jan 13
Jan 20	MLK Day
Jan 27					Religion
Feb 03					Conflict
Feb 10					Youth
Feb 17	Death				Trade/Travel
Feb24			Midterm Exam		Inventions
Mar 3					Agriculture
Mar 10	Spring Break	Spring Break	Spring Break	Spring Break	Spring Break
Mar 17					Buildings
Mar 24	Women				Painting/Sculpture
Mar 31					Music/Poetry
Apr 7	Literacy				Hierarchies
Apr 14				Easter
Apr 21	Easter				Fun
Apr 28	Last Day o’ Classes		Reading Study Day
May 5		12.30 Final Exam