Goals

This course has the following three goals: 1) to give the students an over-view of the development of Western Civilization from approximately 1650 to the present; 2) to provide the students with a sense of what “doing history” entails; and 3) to foster the critical, analytical, and communicative skills of the students, through extensive reading and writing assignments. By the end of the course, the students should be able to describe effectively the basic development of Western Civilization from the Scientific Revolution to the contemporary world order, and to evaluate critically the sources upon which historical portrayals of Western Civilization have been based. Furthermore, students should be able to reflect on how Western traditions have impacted, and continue to impact, life in the West today. Thus this course contributes to, and indeed is based on, IUPUI’s Principles of Undergraduate Learning. The exams, combined with the final essay (see below) are designed to develop and test the students’ communication and quantitative skills, their critical thinking, their ability to integrate and apply their knowledge, their intellectual depth, breath, and adaptiveness, their understanding of society and culture, and their values and ethics. This is not a course that seeks only to impart information. This is a course that by design focuses on the creation of meaning in the past, and how that creation of meaning in the past relates to present-day meanings. Reflection on and analysis of the sources as well as the self is the primary requirement for success in this course. History is not a “thing of the past”, but a “thing” of the present. The ways in which it is so are the foundation upon which this course is based, and are analyzed as much as they are taken as givens. The over-all goal for the course is that students will not only develop their communicative and analytical skills, but will also gain intellectual depth and breadth in reflecting on the values and ethics of the past as a “sounding board” for the values and ethics of today in coming to a deeper and broader understanding of the society and culture of the past and of the present, and how that past has impacted and continues to impact themselves and their worlds.

Required Texts

Margaret L. King, Western Civilization. A Social and Cultural History. Vol. 2: 1500-The Present. 2^nd

Edition. Prentice Hall, NJ, 2003 (abbr.: King)

Megan McLean, ed., Western Civilization. Primary Source Reader. Vol. 2. McGraw Hill, NY, 2003.

(abbr.: Sources).

Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2000.

Organization

The course is organized into four distinct, but integrally related components: 1) The textbook; 2) the lectures; 3) a theoretical monograph on the development and future of modern Western Civilization; and 4) the sources. The lectures are designed to compliment, supplement, and comment on the required texts. Examinations and grading will be based on all four components. You will not pass the course if you ignore any one of the three.

Grading

The final grade will be given based on the following:

1) Two mid-term examinations, 100 points each: 200 points

2) Two 3-5 page essays on the sources, 50 points each: 100 points

3) Final examination: 200 points

Total for course: 500 points

Extra Credit:

Participation 50 points

Term Paper 50 points

The two in-class mid-term examinations will consist of the following: 20 multiple choice questions, each worth 1 point; 5 short answer questions, each worth 8 points; one essay question worth 40 points. Please note well that the textbook, the sources, and lectures will be represented in each part of the exam. Students are required to bring blue books to the exam for the short answer and essay questions. The final will consist of two parts: 1) a 10-12 page take-home essay (see the “Guide to Writing the Final Essay” below), worth 100 points, due on the day of the final; and 2) an in-class exam, consisting of 10 short answer questions, each worth 5 points; and 50 multiple choice questions, each worth 1 point. For the two essays, please see the “Guide to Writing the Source Essays” below. You are welcome to turn in as many such essays as you wish, and the top two scores will count. For example, you could write four essays and I would count only the two highest grades towards your final grade. You may also re-write your essays for higher grades.

The extra credit consists of two parts. The first opportunity for extra credit is class participation. This class is integrated with Oncourse (see below), in which there will be periodic discussion forums and chat rooms, etc. Your active participation in these components of the course will be evaluated and graded, with a total of 50 points maximum to be added to your final score in the course as such. However, to receive the extra credit points, you must receive a higher grade for the participation component of the course than you receive for the coursre as such. The extra credit will count toward your final grade if and only if the grade you receive on the extra credit assignment is higher than the grade you would receive in the course without the extra credit. For example: if you end up with 360 points for the course, which is a C, and receive 39 points for the participation, which is a C, the extra credit will not count toward your final grade and you will receive a C in the course; if you have 360 points and receive 41 points for participation, which is a B, the extra-credit will count and you will thus have 401 points, which is a B for the course. The same applies for the extra credit term paper, which will apply based on the total points you receive for the course plus the participation points. If, for example, you receive 390 points for the course, which is a C, and 40 points, which is a B, for the participation, your total would be 430 points, which would be a B in the course; if then you turned in an extra credit term paper, and received 45 points for that, which is an A, you would have 475 points for the course, which is an A; if, however, you only received 43 points for the term paper, which is a B, the points would not count toward your final grade and you would receive a B in the course. Again, if you have any questions concerning this policy, please ask me. My reasoning for setting up the extra creadit as I have is to offer rewards and stimulus for learning and hard work; it is not designed as a way to get a better grade for the course than the one you earn (e.g.: a student should not, in my opinion, receive an A or a B in a course, in which she/he did C or D work). In addition, if you are interested in doing the term paper, you must contact me and have my approval for your topic. No extra credit term paper will be accepted without prior consultation with me and my approval. Please see me as early in the semester as possible if you are interested in doing the extra-credit term paper.

Oncourse

This course uses oncourse for much of its administration. If you do not know how to use oncourse, you are strongly urged to contact the University Information Technology Services to learn how, and please notify me as well. The essay assignments, as well as the final essay, are to be turned in via oncourse. In addition, there will be periodic chat rooms available, and on-going discussion forums. This course will use course mail for all communications and announcements (as well as in class). I will be discussing the use of oncourse for this course during the course of the semester, of course!

Attendance

I expect each and every student to attend each and every lecture. More than three absences will result in a loss of 25 points; more than six absences will result in a loss of an additional 50 points. Excused absences must be cleared with me. Only the most extraordinary of circumstances will excuse more than three absences.

Policy on Cheating

Please note that I will not tolerate cheating, and will punish any student caught cheating with the full severity allowed me by IUPUI regulations, namely, any student caught cheating on any assignment will be suspended permanently from the course and automatically assigned an ‘F’ as a final grade, and further disciplinary measures will be considered. I view cheating any of the following: 1) Plagiarism of any kind, by which I mean: copying all or part of another student’s paper; handing in papers written for you by someone else; failure to properly footnote direct quotations, paraphrased passages, or opinions of other scholars (including authors of Cliff Notes and other such study aids) in essays written outside of class. Plagiarism also consists of using material from the WWW without using quotation marks and proper citation. Plagiarism is easy to detect. Do not do it! If you have any questions whether you are plagiarizing material, please ask me about it before hand! Once a paper is turned in, it is too late and the paper, if plagiarized, is subject to the penalties mentioned above; 2) collaborating on any in-class exam; 3) copying the answers of any other student during an in-class exam. In short, DO NOT CHEAT AND DO NOT PLAGIARISE! YOU WILL BE CAUGHT AND PUNISHED!

Schedule of Lectures and Assignments

Th Aug. 26: Introduction

Assignments: King, xiii-xxii

Week 1

T Aug. 31: The Contemporary World: History and the Now

Th Sept. 2: From Mesopotamia to Modernity

Assignments: King chs. 15 and 16

Week 2

T Sept. 7: The Crumbling of Christendom and the Emergence of Early Modern Europe

Th Sept. 9: The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment

Assignments: King chs. 17 and 18; Sources ch. 13 and 14

Week 3

T Sept. 14: The Absolute State

Th Sept. 16: Revolutions and the end of the ancien régime

Assignments: King chs. 19 and 20; Sources ch. 15 and 16

Week 4

T Sept. 21: Man and Machine: The Industrial Revolution

Th Sept. 23: Karl Marx: The Father of Modern Europe

Assignments: King chs. 21 and 22; Sources chs. 17 and 18

Essay #1 Due Thursday, Sept. 23, in class

Week 5

T Sept. 28: Nineteenth-Century -Isms: Romanticism, Victorianism, Historicism, and Nationalism

Th Sept. 30: Nietzsche: Prophet or Antichrist?

Assignments: King chs. 23 and 25; Sources chs. 19 and 20

Week 6

T Oct. 5: Freud’s Cigar

Th Oct. 7: A Brave New World

Assignments: King ch. 24; Sources ch. 21

Week 7

T Oct. 12: Mid-Term Exam

Th Oct. 14: WWI

Assignments: King ch. 26, ps. 921-937; Sources ch. 22

Week 8

T Oct. 19: The Final Fall of Rome: The Russian Revolution

Th Oct. 21: The Great Depression and the Rise of Hitler

Assignments: King chs. 27 and 28; Sources ch. 23

Week 9

T Oct. 26: WWII

Th Oct. 28: Nazism and the Death Camps

Assignments: King ch. 29

Week 10

T Nov. 2: The Reconstruction of Europe

Th Nov. 4: Wall? What Wall?: The Cold War

Assignments: King ch. 30; Sources ch. 24

Week 11

T Nov. 9: The Sixties

Th Nov. 11: Postmodernism

Essay #2 Due Thursday, Nov. 11, in class

Week 12

T Nov. 16: Winds of Change: The Crumbling of the Eastern Block

Th Nov. 18: The EU and the “New World Order”

Assignments: Sources ch. 25

Week 13

T Nov. 23: Mid-term Exam

Th Nov. 25: Thanksgiving

Assignments: Hardt and Negri, Empire (ps. xi-204)

Week 14

T Nov. 30: Empire

Th Dec. 2: Empire

Assignments: Hardt and Negri, Empire (ps. 205-350)

Week 15

T Dec. 7: Empire

Th Dec. 9: So What?

Assignments: Hardt and Negri, Empire (ps. 351-413); King epilogue; Sources ch. 15

END OF CLASSES

FINAL EXAM: TUESDAY, December 14, 10:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M.

Important Dates

Thursday, September 23: First Essay Due

Tuesday, October 12: First Mid-Term Exam

Thursday, November 11: Second Essay Due

Tuesday, November 23: Second Mid-Term Exam

Tuesday, December 14: FINAL EXAM: 10:30 A.M. -12:30 P.M.

Final Essays Due at 10:30 on December 14

Guide to Writing the Essays

As stated above on the syllabus, two 3-5 page essays are required for this course. You may write as many essays as you would like, and the top two grades will count toward your final grade. You may also re-write your essays and the higher grade will count. The essays should be typed/printed, double-spaced, in standard font (e.g.: CG Times, Times New Roman). They should be well written, without grammatical errors. The point of the essays is to analyze the sources and to argue a case in answering a question, supported with evidence from the sources themselves and the historical context. Prove your case, do not just state it. You may use the text book and your lecture notes for your answer as well as the sources themselves. If you have any questions about this assignment, please do not hesitate to see me! Sample essay assignments are given here below. You may choose one of these, or developed an essay on your own. Good luck!

1. Compare and contrast John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government with Rousseau’s The Social Contract. What does each work tell us about European society and what do we learn from the comparison? How would have Rousseau responded to Locke?

2. In the Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels made the following comment:

“Society suddenly finds itself put back into a state of momentary barbarism; it appears as if a famine, a universal war of devastation had cut off the supply of every means of subsistence; industry and commerce seem to be destroyed. And why? Because there is too much civilization, too much means of subsistence, too much industry, too much commerce.”

Comment on this passage, explaining why Marx and Engels viewed their present time as one of momentary barbarism.

3. What was Gorbachev’s view of the “new society”? How did he see it developing? Was Gorbachev a visionary? Why or why not?

Guide to Writing the Final Essay

As stated above on the syllabus, part of the final is a take-home essay. The essay for the final is given here below. You are strongly encouraged to work on this essay throughout the semester. The essay must be typed/printed, double-spaced in standard font (e.g.: CG TIMES, TIMES NEW ROMAN). Your essay will be graded on form as well as content. It must be well written, without spelling or grammatical errors. The essay should be approximately 5-7 pages, though no maximum limit is given. The essay should be answered based on the course material, namely, the lectures, the textbook, and the source readings. Your essay should have a strong argument, supported with evidence, namely, detail and reference to the sources. There is no right or wrong answer on this essay. The essay will be graded based on how well you analyze the course material and apply it to the question below. Be sure to argue your case, and to base your argument on the course material, and particularly on the sources. When quoting from the textbook, the readings, or from the lectures, please give references/citations in parenthesis. If you have any questions about this assignment, please do not hesitate to see me! Good luck!

Final Essay:

According Hardt and Negri, Western Civilization is presently in a period of emerging Empire. Yet this Empire is very different from the forms of nationalism and imperialism of the modern era. What is Hardt and Negri’s vision of the “post-modern” Empire? What is their vision for the future of Western Civilization? Based on the material presented in this course, evaluate Hardt and Negri’s argument and vision. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? Give historical evidence for your answer, with supporting documentation from the sources and from the historical development of Western Civilization.