Perspectives:
World 1500 to 1800
H108 (C353)
Professor Didier Gondola Office
Hours: MW: 2:15-3:15
MW: 1:00-2:15 Email: gondola@iupui.edu
Nota
bene: This syllabus and other course materials can
be found on the web page( http://www.oncourse.iu.edu) and on the homepage of
the History Department. To get to the
History Department homepage: from http://www.iupui.edu
click on ACADEMICS; then SCHOOLS; then IU SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS; then RELATED
PAGES; then DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY; then COURSES and CLASS MATERIALS, then H108.
Course Description
This course is
a survey of World history from 1500 to 1800.
Students who enroll in this course should have a background in the
knowledge of World Civilizations from the origins to 1500. The objective of this course is to acquaint
students with different cultures, not exclusively Western cultures, considered
from their indigenous perspective as well as in the global context. The format of teaching is primarily lecture
although slide presentations, video displaying, and student discussion will be
incorporated. Students are strongly
encouraged to participate in class discussions and to ask questions whenever
they feel necessary.
A.
Regular
class attendance and class participation (10%).
B.
Two
quizzes (2@10%). Quizzes will be given at the end of lecture.
C.
Two
inclass exams (there will be no final exam).
The midterm exam (20%) includes materials (readings, lectures, and
discussions) covered from the beginning of the semester. The second exam (20%) includes materials
covered since the previous one.
D.
One
paper (30%). Topics will be distributed in class. The paper should be 5-7 pages double-spaced, typewritten
(preferably using a word-processing program).
Schedule of Exams and Paper
Midterm:
October 10.
Quizzes:
September 19 & November 7.
Term
exam: December 10.
Paper:
due on December 5.
Books [available
at the University Bookstore. Each
student should purchase and read according to the schedule dates the books
required]
All
required readings for the course are available at the bookstore and I suggest
you purchase all the recommended books.
I strongly recommend that you read the sections assigned at least twice
before coming to class. Make notes in your texts or on a separate sheet of
paper and highlight or underline the specific passages you want to discuss.
McKay, Hill, Buckler, & Ebrey. A
History of World Societies. Volume II: Since 1500.
Overfield, The Human Record. Sources of Global History. Volume II: Since 1500.
The
classroom is an environment of learning par
excellence. Not only do students
learn from the instructor and by their own critical analysis of the material
but they also learn from fellow students.
It is, of course, an intimate and ever-changing space where students are
constantly asked to share opinions and critically analyze the issues as they
are being presented by the instructor and fellow students. Participation in class discussions is
instrumental in the student’s ability to analyze and assimilate
information. Do not feel shy to ask a
question, raise an issue or interject a thought. There are several ways to get prepared for class
discussions. Here are some tips on how
students can enrich discussion of the course materials: (1) Spend time before
each class preparing for discussion by making notes in your texts or on a
separate sheet of paper pertaining to specific passages from the readings that
you want to discuss. (2) During class discussions, when raising a question or
point about the assigned readings, make specific references to texts, authors
and page numbers in question. (3) Listen carefully to an interlocutor’s
question and position before responding and making your own comment. Try not to
make assumptions about your interlocutor’s intentions or motivations based on
his/her gender or origin. Never
hesitate to ask your interlocutor to clarify or restate her/his position.
I
believe that a grade is less a reward for or a penalty against the student’s
intelligence than a reflection of the student’s proficiency to write clearly
and persuasively a paper on a given topic.
Organization and pertinence of ideas, as well as grammar and clarity,
are among some the chief criteria I use in grading a paper. With this in mind I give the following
grades:
D
is for a paper written with a level of grammatical errors that
sometimes hinders the comprehension. Ideas exist but are arranged without a
clear logic. Some of them are obscure and unintelligible. Sentences are
confusing…
E
is for a paper quickly and poorly written, with incomplete sentences,
and often off-subject. This grade signifies an unacceptable performance in
writing a specific assignment. Usually
the content can hardly be grasped because of a lack of clarity and
organization.
Letters
Numbers Letters Numbers Letters Numbers Letters Numbers
A+ 97-100 B+ 85-88 C+ 73-76 D+ 61-64
A 93-96
B 81-84
C 69-72 D 57-60
F 52
Here are some writing tips:
1.
“Have
something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of
style” (Matthew Arnold).
2.
“The
great enemy of clear language is insincerity” (George Orwell).
3.
When
writing a paper, do not make unsupported assertions. Try to present the most convincing case for your argument. Think carefully and thoroughly about the
evidence you will use to support your position. Always anticipate opposing critiques of your position and
opposing arguments. Try to answer or address opposing positions as you present
your own position. This will
demonstrate that you are aware of alternative viewpoints and that you are
capable of proposing and defending a thesis.
4.
Your
paper should not be a first-draft presentation and organization of your
thoughts. Give yourself ample time to
read the assigned materials and to consult appropriate sources before making
final decisions about your thesis statement and the supporting evidence, which
will provide structure for your argument and conclusion. For example, you might begin writing your
final paper by making very strong statements about a point you aim at
defending. However, in consulting the
works of scholars in the field, you may see the need to modify your original
thesis, or you may be compelled to abandon it altogether. This is to be expected in scholarly research
and writing. You should not feel
reluctant to change your argument if your reasons for changing it are more
convincing than your original reasons for posing it.
5.
Please
take advantage of all the resources available to you when planning to write
your paper. Never hesitate to ask
reference librarians for help in trying to locate scholarly sources. Never hesitate to ask me for extra help in
thinking through your ideas for the paper. Discussing a topic before
researching and writing can help you think of new ideas and new approaches and
sources. It can also save time.
6.
Always
use page numbering and a 12 inch-font. Do not hesitate to use footnotes I you
think they might clarify your demonstration.
A bibliography should always figure at the end of your paper. Double-spacing is a requirement. Please, staple your paper; do not join pages
with a paper clip.
7.
Last
but not least, always proofread your paper before you hand it in to be graded.
Not only does proofread help rid your paper of any grammatical errors and typos
that can make its content less comprehensible and appealing, but it also helps
to consider re-wording a sentence or improving an existing idea. Proofreading
can make a difference in your grade.
pla.gia.rize \vb
–rized; -riz.ing vt [plagiary] (1716)
: to steal and
pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
: use (a
created production) without crediting the source ~ vi
: to
commit
literary theft: present as new and original an idea or product
derived from
an existing source — pla.gia.riz.er n
—
From the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1997, p. 888.
We’ve entered
an age where the amount of information generated and the technology available
to retrieve it have made it easier for anybody to take verbatim words and ideas belonging to somebody else, without the
author’s permission, without reference to the authorship, and by passing them
as his or her own. This is
unacceptable, especially in the academic environment where copyright laws are supposed
to be known and respected by all.
Please always abide by the following rules:
a. Never use and idea that you have
borrowed, without referring to the authorship.
b. Figures, when not your own, should always
be referenced.
c. There is nothing wrong in inserting
quotes in your work, but always give the source (author, work, date and place
of publication, publisher and page number)
While it’s
hard for some of us to assimilate that words and ideas are also property and as
such are subject to copyright laws, we should always remember the Golden
Rule.
(Also
refer to the Indiana University Bulletin, 1998-2000: School of Liberal Arts,
p. 20-21)
1
August
22: Introduction: Why World History?
2
August
27: Significance of the Period
for World History
August 29: The Rise of Europe
3
September
5:
Early Latin America and
European Conquistadors
4
September
10: The Age of Absolutism in
Europe
September 12: The Rise of Russia
5
September
17:
The Scientific Revolution
September 19:
The
World of the Philosophes
QUIZ #1
Week 6-8. Chapter 19: The Changing Life of the
People in Europe
6
September
24: The Economy and Society of
Early-Modern Europe
September 26: Life within a Society of Orders
7
October
1: Women and Society in
Early-Modern Europe
October 3: The Protestant Revolution
8
October
8: The Legacies of the
Reformations
October
10: Midterm Examination
9
October
15: An Historical Encounter:
Kongo and Portugal
October
17:
Africa in the Era of Slave
Trade
10
October
22: The Amistad: Abolition and
Black Holocaust
October 24:
The
African Diaspora
11
October
29: The Haitian Revolution
October 31:
The
Impact of the Haitian Revolution on the Atlantic World
Week
12-13. Chapter 21: West and South Asia: The Islamic World Powers, ca 1450-1800
12
November
5: The History and Political
Economy of Islam
November
7: The Ottoman Empire
QUIZ #2
13
November
12: The Mughal Empire
Week
14-15. Chapter 22: Continuity and Change in East Asia, ca 1400-1800
14
November
14: China
November 19:
The
Civil Service Examinations in China
15
November
26:
Japan
Week
16-17. Chapter 23:
The Revolution in Western Politics, 1775-1815
16
November
28: The Roots of the French
Revolution
December 3: The French Revolution
17
December
5:
Conclusion: The World in
1800
PAPER DUE
December
10: Term Examination
_______________________________________________
NOTES: