Department of History
PROFESSOR
Office: CA 243B
Office Hours: MW
Tel. (317) 278-9022
E-mail: sstoffer@iupui.edu
REQUIRED TEXTS
McKay, Hill, & Buckler, A History of Western Society, Vol. I (
Wiesner, Ruff,
& Wheeler, Discovering the Western Past: A Look at the Evidence,
Vol. I (
Einhard and Notker the Stammerer, Two Lives of Charlemagne (London: Penguin, 1969)
COURSE GOALS
H113 is designed to introduce you to the history of Western Civilization from its earliest beginnings in the Ancient Near East to the dawn of the Early Modern era. The course will make use of lectures, textbook/source readings, films, and your own independent analysis of these materials to construct a historical view of the people and forces that gave shape to the civilization we know as the “West.” In doing so, it endeavors to sharpen your ability to think critically about the things you read, watch, hear, and subsequently discuss with your teacher and fellow students—an important skill which you will use throughout the rest of your life. The course is thus dedicated to helping you develop skills consistent with the Principles of Undergraduate Learning, as detailed at www.iupui.edu/~history/principlesundergradlearning.htm.
COURSE POLICIES and
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Policies
As a university student, you are an heir to the traditions and expectations of higher education dating back to the Middle Ages (and even beyond). You are entering into a unique relationship with your professor, not always easily defined. As both apprentice and partner, student and teacher, much is expected of you in this course by way of actively learning about the modern world. Class lectures, readings, assignments, films, and discussions are all meant to facilitate that learning process, but the crucial task of integrating the available knowledge into a coherent view of history ultimately resides with you. As your professor, it is my duty to help you reach that goal, and also, of course, to evaluate your level of success in this endeavor.
In accordance with departmental and university guidelines, regular attendance is mandatory for this course. Missing class more than three times will result in the lowering of your course grade by 1% per day absent. Absences may be excused for medical or other dire personal reasons, but written documentation explaining the situation is required. It is possible to make up the first exam or receive a short extension on the paper, provided there is a good reason (usually medical) that the regular date or deadline was missed; otherwise, late work will be penalized at a rate of a quarter-grade per day.
You are hereby reminded that plagiarism (i.e., failing to give proper credit to sources of information and ideas, particularly in the paper) or cheating, if discovered, will beget disciplinary action consistent with the guidelines set forth by the university. For further details, consult the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct at www.hoosiers.iupui.edu/studcode.
Exams
There will be two in-class examinations, each worth 25% of the course grade. They will be similarly structured, comprised of a mixture of short-answer identification items and extended essay questions. Additional details will be provided as the semester progresses, and review sheets will be distributed the week before each exam.
Paper
There is one writing assignment for the course. Worth 10% of the course grade, this paper
will consist of your historical-minded response to the film, “The Name of the
Rose.” Specifically, in about 3
double-spaced pages, you should analyze this particular portrayal of the
Catholic Church’s stuggles with dissent in the Late
Middle Ages, identifying the film’s major themes and assumptions. Expert knowledge of ecclesiastical history is
not expected; rather, drawing on the context provided by the McKay textbook and
in-class lectures, you should be able to formulate some basic conclusions
regarding the film’s merit. Illustrate
your arguments with references to specific scenes and/or characters (a list of
which will be available). This essay
will be due in class on November 24th. One important tip: if you would like help
polishing your writing style, the best resource on campus is the
For this portion of the course grade, small groups (formed either of their own accord or by lot) will take up the challenge of actively “doing” history (or at least editing it). Specifically, each group will adopt a chapter of Discovering the Western Past (either by general consent or, if contested, by lot) and ask the question, “What’s missing?” That is, “What one additional item would best round out the chapter, making it more representative of the age it purports to reflect?” You should envision yourself as a member of an editorial board, looking for ways to improve the quality of the book and its resonance with college readers. The best approach will be to think in terms of finding a “cultural artifact” that embodies a certain aspect of the era in question. Suffice it to say that the definition of “cultural artifact” is broad, and could include such diverse items as a book, play, song, work of art, film, letter, fairy tale, piece of technology, building, piece of clothing—the more creative the better. (Live performances would be especially welcome.) Each group will need to do some general research on the chapter’s time period, decide on a suitable artifact, and then justify in some detail why it deserves to be included in Discovering the Western Past. Ultimately each group will submit its artifact to the class in a presentation of about 15 minutes during the scheduled discussion of the chapter. (If, however, a group ardently wishes to take on one of the book’s early chapters, we can most likely make time for a retrospective later in the semester.) In any case, time is clearly of the essence, so we will form groups very early on, and specific chatrooms will be set up on the OnCourse website to facilitate planning. An initial one-page, single-spaced proposal detailing the chosen artifact, the potential resources to be used in gathering background information on it, and the specific roles of group members will be due on September 24th. Consultation with the professor during office hours or via e-mail is advised and encouraged (though it would be best for each group to select one point-person to handle this correspondence). The presentation is worth 20% of the course grade; each student’s evaluation will be based on a combination of the presentation’s overall merit with an internal audit of fellow group members’ contributions. NOTE: For those who prefer to work independently, a traditional paper assignment involving the works of Equiano and Mill will also be available. Contact the professor regarding this option.
Participation
The level of participation in class discussions of Discovering the Western Past, the Two Lives of Charlemagne, and “The Name of the Rose,” along with the quality of responses to the occasional extemporaneous question about the day’s assigned textbook readings will account for 20% of your overall grade. (Specifically, each general class discussion will be worth 10 points, with attendance counting for 5, and the rest assigned according to the frequency and quality of contributions.) So be sure to read the material on time, and if you have questions, by all means, ask them. Those students who simply cannot bring themselves to speak in public may (with the professor’s consent) write a 2-page paper on the scheduled chapter, book, or film instead, due on the day of the relevant discussion. Those taking advantage of this alternative, however, are nevertheless expected to attend class discussions.
Thus, your grade will stem from the following composite: Exam I 25%
Exam II 25%
“Rose” Paper 10%
Group Project 20%
Participation 20%
TOTAL 100%
“If we only do what is required of us, we are
slaves. The moment we do more, we are
free.” —
August 20 Beginnings
August 25 Cradles
of Civilization
TEXT: McKay 1; Wiesner 1
August 27
TEXT: McKay 2
September 1 LABOR DAY
September 3 The Landscape of Ancient Religion
DISC: Wiesner 2
September 8 Rise of the Greeks
TEXT: McKay 3-4
September 10 The Greek Achievement
FILM
(excerpt): “Lysistrata”
DISC: Wiesner 3
September 15 Banks of the
Republic and Empire
TEXT: McKay 5
September 17 The Cost of Survival: Roman Crisis and Rescue
TEXT: McKay 6
DISC: Wiesner 4
September 22 Christianization
The World of Late Antiquity
TEXT: McKay 7
September 24 Barbarian
Successors
DISC: Wiesner 5
Project Proposals Due
September 29 Carolingian Crucible
TEXT: McKay 8
October 1 MIDTERM EXAM
October 6 Charlemagne
and History
DISC: Einhard and Notker
October 8 Carolingian
Legacies
October 13 Feudal (Dis)Order and Papal Monarchy
October 15 Dreams of
Greatness, Nightmares of Frustration: The Medieval State
DISC: Wiesner 6
October 20 God Wills
It! The Crusades
TEXT: McKay 9
October 22 Holy Lands on
Fire
DISC: Wiesner 8
October 27 Medieval
Revolutions
TEXT: McKay 10
DISC: Wiesner 9
November 3 New Scholars
and New Learning
TEXT: McKay 11
November 5 University Life
DISC: Wiesner 7
November 10 The Age of Courtly Love
November 12 Varieties of
Faith
TEXT: McKay 12
November 17 FILM: “The Name of the Rose”
November 19 FILM &
DISC: “The Name of the Rose” (cont.)
November 24 The Worst of Times:
The Calamitous 14th Century
TEXT: McKay 12 (cont.)
“The Name of the Rose” Response Paper Due
November 26 THANKSGIVING BREAK
December 1 The Renaissance
TEXT: McKay 13
December 3 Courtiers and
Princes
DISC: Wiesner 10
December 8 The West and the World
TEXT: McKay 15
DISC: Wiesner 11
TBA FINAL EXAM