HIST H108 (section C258) Prof. Michael Snodgrass
Fall 2001 Cavanaugh 503S 278-7761
LE-104 Office hours: M
M/W
Cav 540 M/W
PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD TO 1800
Course objectives:
While the media recently discovered the issue of ‘globalization,’ world history is in fact one of ever more intensive stages of contact and exchange between different global communities. This course introduces students to the political, economic, cultural and technological factors that made those encounters possible from the 1200s to c.l830. Lectures, readings, and exams will focus on two interrelated themes: 1) the rise and decline of regional and then global empires and 2) the patterns of interaction among and between the peoples of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, including military conquest, religious missions, trade, and human migrations.
Perspectives on the World introduces students to the common features and key distinctions between the histories and cultures of world regions. Consistent with IUPUI’s Principles of Undergraduate Learning, this course is also designed to develop student skills of critical and comparative analysis, improve writing proficiency, and enhance one’s capacity to organize and express his or her thoughts. Students will sharpen these skills through a variety of assignments: analyzing historical documents, writing short papers, engaging in classroom discussions, and preparing for quizzes and examinations.
This syllabus, class announcements, lecture outlines, assignments, and grades will be posted to Oncourse (go to https://oncourse.iupui.edu/). Students unfamiliar with the Oncourse system may find a “Getting Help” guide at the website or see the professor for assistance.
Required readings (available
at Indy’s College Bookstore,
1) Richard Bulliet, et. al., The Earth and Its Peoples: Vol. B, 1200 to 1870 (2nd ed.)
(* a copy of this textbook is on 2-hour reserve at the University Library)
2) Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (original l542)
3) Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano (original 1791)
5) Online documents (listed below in course schedule) are accessible through
a) the website addresses listed on this syllabus or
b) direct links via the syllabus posted to the Oncourse system or
c) direct links via this course’s syllabus posted at the History Department website:
http://www.iupui.edu/~history/schedmain.html
(* Students are advised to print all online documents immediately to avoid difficulties accessing them on the evening before reading assignments are due.)
Course requirements and grading (based upon 1,000 total points):
class=Section2>
Two non-comprehensive exams = 500 points
One two-page review of De las Casas book = 100 points (assignment to be distributed in class)
One 3-4 page essay based on Equiano book = 300 points (assignment to be distributed in class)
One map assignment = 25 points
Three quizzes = 75 points (four pop quizzes are given; lowest of scores will be dropped; quizzes consist of multiple choice, matching, and short essay responses to questions covering all the readings assigned for that day only, be they textbook chapters or online documents)
No extra credit assignments are offered for this class under any circumstances
Final grade scores: A+ (1,000-980), A (979-930), A- (929-900), B+ (899-880), B (879-830), B- (829-800), C+ (799-780), C (779-730), C- (729-700), D (699-600), F (599 or less).
Remember...
* The attendance policy: one’s presence is recorded but will not be rewarded. It is expected of all students in all IUPUI classes. Moreover, history tells us that persistent absenteeism results in lower grades. That is especially the case for this class since students will take four unannounced quizzes during the course of the semester AND since no makeup exams or quizzes are given except in documented cases of emergency, in accordance with IUPUI policy.
* All late assignments will be penalized as follows: one grade (B to C) for assignments not turned in on due date, and two full grades (B to D) for assignments turned in more than one week late. ASSIGNMENTS MORE THAN TWO WEEKS LATE ARE NOT ACCEPTED.
* Be sure to save all papers on your hard drive and a diskette and to retain graded assignments until final grades are posted. Check Oncourse to ensure your grades are recorded correctly.
* Plagiarism and cheating will
be punished in accordance with university policy, as outlined in the Indiana University Academic Handbook
(p.123) and the IUPUI Campus Bulletin,
2000-2002 (p.36). The following is
from the
class=Section3>
“Plagiarism is the use of the work of others without properly crediting the actual source of the ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs, entire articles, music or pictures. Using other students’ work (with or without their permission) is still plagiarism if you don’t indicate who initially did the work. Plagiarism, a form of cheating, is a serious offense and will be severely punished. When an instructor suspects plagiarism, he/she will inform the student of the charge; the student has the right to respond to the allegations. Students whose work appears to be plagiarized may be asked to produce earlier drafts of work or all the books/articles used in a paper or speech. Students should, for this reason and as a protection in cases of lost papers, retain rough drafts, notes, computer files and other work products for three weeks after the end of each semester. The penalties for plagiarism include reprimands, being failed for a particular take-home exam, paper, project or the entire course, disciplinary probation, or dismissal. Faculty, after consulting with their chair and/or the School of Liberal Arts Dean of Students must notify students in writing of their decision. Students have the right to appeal such decisions by submitting petitions to the Academic Affairs Committee. Petitions can be obtained in CA 401. For further information, see ‘Code of Student Ethics,’ available in CA 401.”
COURSE SCHEDULE
The Rise and Fall of the Mongol Empire
Jan. 12 Empires in World History
Jan. 14 Conquest, commerce, and empire in
The Earth and Its Peoples, chapter 13
Jan. 19 ** Martin Luther King, Jr. Day **
Jan. 21 Consequences and Decline of Mongol Rule in
The Earth and Its Peoples, chapter 14
Map assignment due
The Islamic World to l500
Jan. 26 Conquest, commerce and the spread of Islam
Jan. 28 Islamic Empires in
The Earth and Its Peoples, chapter 15
Native American Civilizations
Feb. 2 The Aztec Empire of
The Earth and Its Peoples, 298-311
A Spanish conquistador describes
the Aztec capital (today’s
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1520cortes.html
Feb. 4 The Inca Empire of
The Earth and Its Peoples, 312-320
Feb. 9 Countryside and city in pre-industrial
The Earth and Its Peoples, 394-411
Feb. 11 The Reconquest of
The Earth and Its Peoples, 411-15
A first-hand account of the
Jews’ expulsion from
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/1492-jews-spain1.html
Feb. 16 The Maritime Revolution
The Earth and Its Peoples, pp. 418-31
Feb. 18 ** No Class **
Feb. 23
The Earth and Its Peoples, 431-35
A captain’s
log of Portuguese encounters and plundering along eastern coast of
Feb. 25 Examination #1
Colonialism in the Americas
Mar. 1 Conquest and colonization
The Earth and Its Peoples, pp. 435-39
Mar. 3 Spaniards and Indians
De las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Writing exercise due today
Mar. 8 Spanish America
The Earth and Its Peoples, pp. 472-84
The Spanish Crown’s official policy towards Native Americans:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1542newlawsindies.html
Mar. 10 British and French America
The Earth and Its Peoples, pp. 485-94
Mar. 15 ** Spring Break Week **
Mar. 22 Colonizing the Caribbean
The Earth and Its Peoples, chapter 20
Mar. 24 The Slave Trade
Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano
Essay due today
Mar. 29 Slave Life in the Americas
Eastern Empires and Challenges from the West
Mar. 31 Ottoman and Persian Empires
The Earth and Its Peoples, 522-35
Apr. 5 India’s Mughal Empire
The Earth and Its Peoples, 535-43
Apr. 7 Missionaries, Merchants, and Cultural Exchange
The Earth and Its Peoples, chapter 18 + 546-49
Apr. 12 From Mughal to British Rule in India
The Earth and Its Peoples, 657-663
British colonial policy on education of Indian subjects:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1833macaulay-india.html
Indian elite discusses merits/shortcomings of British rule in India (l870s):
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1871britishrule.html
Apr. 14 Imperial China and the Opium War
The Earth and Its Peoples, 554-562
China’s Emperor rejects trade with Britain (l793):
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1793qianlong.html
China protests against influx of British opium merchants (l839):
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1839lin2.html
Apr. 19 Peter the Great’s Russian Empire
The Earth and Its Peoples, 551-54
The Age of Revolution in the Atlantic World
Apr. 21 Seeds of Democracy
The Earth and Its Peoples, 573-79
The (English) Bill of Rights (1689):
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1689billofrights.html
Apr. 26 Independence in the Americas
The Earth and Its Peoples, 579-84, 621-26
Apr. 28 The French Revolution
The Earth and Its Peoples, 584-96
Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789):
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/rightsof.htm
May 3 The World in c. 1830
OR
Examination #2 (TBA after student referendum)