INDIANA UNIVERSITY at INDIANAPOLIS
Department of History
PROFESSOR
Office: CA 243B
Office Hours: MW 12:45-2:15pm
Tel. (317) 278-9022
E-mail: sstoffer@iupui.edu
REQUIRED TEXTS
McKay, Hill, & Buckler, A History of Western Society, Vol. II (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003)
Wiesner, Ruff, & Wheeler, Discovering the Western Past: A Look at the Evidence, Vol. II (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004)
Equiano, Equiano's Travels: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African, ed. Paul Edwards (London: Heinemann, 1996)
Mill, On Liberty (London: Penguin, 1985)
COURSE GOALS
H114 is designed to introduce you to the history of Western Civilization from the early modern era to the present day—an era of human endeavor vitally important to the contours of our daily lives, whether we realize it or not. 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 have shaped our world. 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. 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. Furthermore, because of the scheduling circumstances of this particular section (Saturdays only), missing any more than one day of class will result in the lowering of your course grade by 2%. 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, “Queen Margot.” Specifically, in about 3 double-spaced pages, you should analyze this particular portrayal of the French wars of religion, identifying the film’s major themes and assumptions. Expert knowledge of French 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 September 13th. One important tip: if you would like help polishing your writing style, the best resource on campus is the University Writing Center, staffed by dedicated faculty ready to offer assistance: CA 427, tel. 274-2049, http://www.iupui.edu/~writectr/.
Project
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 27th. 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, “Queen Margot,” Equiano’s Travels, and On Liberty, 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. Keep in mind, however, that those taking advantage of this alternative are nevertheless expected to attend class discussions.
Thus, your grade will stem from the following composite: Exam I 25%
Exam II 25%
“Queen Margot” Paper 10%
Group Project 20%
Participation 20%
TOTAL 100%
“If we do only what is required of us, we are
slaves. The moment we do more, we are
free.” — Cicero
August 23 Foundations
Peasants
Tell Tales
August 30 FILM
and DISC: “Queen Margot”
TEXT: McKay 14
September 6 Long Centuries
TEXT: McKay 15;
Wiesner 1 & 4
September 13 Colliding
Worlds: Exploration and Expansion
TEXT: McKay 19
DISC: Equiano’s Travels
“Queen
Margot” Response Paper Due
September 20 The Bounds of
Reason
TEXT: McKay 18, 20
DISC: Wiesner 3
September 27 Court and
Courtliness
A Revolutionary Age
TEXT: McKay 16-17, 21
DISC: Wiesner 2 & 5
October 4 MIDTERM EXAM
Time
Compensation for Project Work
October 11 New Ways of
Working, New Ways of Thinking
TEXT: McKay 22-23; Wiesner 6
DISC: Mill, On Liberty; Marx, Communist
Manifesto (in Wiesner 7)
October 18 Dreams of
America
The Glory and Folly of Empire
TEXT: McKay 24-26; Wiesner 9
October 25 Suicide in
the Trenches: WW I
TEXT: McKay 27
DISC: Wiesner 10
November 1 Revolution in
the East
Coco
and Krupskaya
TEXT: McKay 27 (cont.)
DISC: Wiesner 11
November 8 Answers (Good
and Bad) in an Age of Anxiety
TEXT: McKay 28
DISC: Wiesner 12
November 15 For
the Soul of the West: WW II
TEXT: McKay 29
Can There Be Laughter After
Auschwitz? The Holocaust
FILM: Wiesel, First Person Singular
November 22 Whither the
World?
TEXT: McKay 30
DISC: Wiesner 13 &14
November 29 THANKSGIVING BREAK
December 6 O Brave New
Century!
TEXT: McKay 31
DISC: Wiesner 15
Course
Evaluation
December 13 FINAL EXAM