Perspectives:
World to 1800
H108 (V647)
Professor
Didier Gondola Office
Hours: MTR:
MTR:
8:00-10:15A Email:
gondola@iupui.edu
Please read this syllabus carefully and refer to it as often as necessary
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/DEPARTMENTS; then HISTORY; then SCHEDULE OF CLASSES;
then H108.
Course Description
This
course is a survey of World history from circa 1300 to 1800. Students who enroll in this course should
have a background in the knowledge of World Civilizations from the origins to
circa 1300. 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 and video displaying will be
incorporated.
A.
Regular
class attendance and class participation in discussion sections (20%).
B.
One
3-5-page essay on Islam: Empire
of Faith (180 minutes, tape 1 and 2) (10%).
C.
Two
in-class exams (there will be no final exam).
The first 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 5-8-page double-spaced, typewritten (preferably using a
word-processing program). Papers that are turned in without being stapled
and numbered will incur a grade cut.
Nota Bene: There are no make-ups in this class and
assignments must be turned in on the day they are due. Any late assignment will not be graded. This policy will be strictly enforced.
Schedule of Exams and Paper
First
Exam: June 10.
Second
exam: June 22.
Essay:
due on May 24
Paper:
due on June 17.
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.
Bulliet, Crossley,
Hendrick, Hirsch, Johnson, Northrup. The Earth and Its Peoples. A Global History. From 1200
to 1870.
Andrea/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)
The
classroom is a learning community in which we all need to collaborate in order
to meet our goals. We can only create a positive learning environment through
positive speech and positive behavior.
Rude, sarcastic, obscene, disrespectful, insensitive speech and behavior
will negatively impact the classroom learning community and impede the process
of learning. Positive speech and
behavior create and nurture a safe learning environment where the instructor
and the students respect one another and freely share knowledge. All students enrolled in this course have a
responsibility to create and maintain a safe and positive environment conducive
to learning and intellectual growth. A
learning-friendly and safe environment is one that is free of distractions,
engages and nurtures all participants in the learning process, does not
inhibit, frustrate, demean or dehumanize any individual or group. Students who
use rude and inflammatory language, who distract other students, who engage in
inappropriate behavior, and thus obstruct the learning process, will be asked
to leave as a first preventive step.
Examples of uncivil classroom
behaviors:
L
Tardiness
L
Leaving
class early
L
Packing
before dismissal time
L
Eating
L
Chewing
gum
L
Sleeping
L
Vulgarity
L
Sarcastic
remarks or gestures
L
Insensitive
comments concerning race, ethnicity, or gender
L
Interrupting
other students or instructor
L
Not
listening to other students
L
Private
conversations unrelated to the class
L
Not
paying attention
L
Use
of computer for purposes not related to the class
L
Cell
phone and pager disruptions
L
Reading
materials (e.g. newspapers) unrelated to class
L
Cheating
on exams or quizzes
L
Demanding
make-up exams, extensions, grade changes or special favors
L
Inappropriate
emails to instructor or other students
Examples of Civil behaviors:
J
Arrive
on time and remain for the duration of the class
J
Refrain
from conducting private conversations in class
J
Use
appropriate language
J
Show
respect to instructor and other students
J
Listen
effectively and respond thoughtfully and sensitively
J
Come
to class prepared
The Principles of
Undergraduate Learning are the essential ingredients of the undergraduate
educational experience at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.
These principles form a conceptual framework for all students’ general
education but necessarily permeate the curriculum in the major field of study
as well. More specific expectations for IUPUI’s
graduates are determined by the faculty in a student’s major field of study.
Together, these expectations speak to what graduates of IUPUI will know and
what they will be able to do upon completion of their degree.
Core Communication and Quantitative Skills
[Definition:] The
ability of students to write, read, speak and listen, perform quantitative
analysis, and use information resources and technology--the foundation skills
necessary for all IUPUI students to succeed.
[Outcomes:] This set of
skills is demonstrated, respectively, by the ability (a) to express ideas and
facts to others effectively in a variety of written formats, (b) to comprehend,
interpret, and analyze texts, (c) to communicate orally in one-on-one and group
settings, (d) to solve problems that are quantitative in nature, and (e) to
make efficient use of information resources and technology for personal and
professional needs.
Critical Thinking
[Definition:] The ability of students to analyze carefully and logically
information and ideas from multiple perspectives.
[Outcomes:] This skill
is demonstrated by the ability of students (a) to analyze complex issues and
make informed decisions, (b) to synthesize information in order to arrive at
reasoned conclusions, (c) to evaluate the logic, validity, and relevance of
data, (d) to solve challenging problems, and (e) to use knowledge and
understanding in order to generate and explore new questions.
Integration and Application of Knowledge
[Definition:] The ability of students to use information and concepts from
studies in multiple disciplines in their intellectual, professional, and
community lives.
[Outcomes:] This skill
is demonstrated by the ability of students to apply knowledge (a) to enhance
their personal lives, (b) to meet professional standards and competencies, and
(c) to further the goals of society.
Intellectual Depth, Breadth, and Adaptiveness
[Definition:] The ability of students to examine and organize disciplinary ways
of knowing and to apply them to specific issues and problems.
[Outcomes:] (a)
Intellectual depth describes the demonstration of substantial knowledge and
understanding of at least one field of study; (b) intellectual breadth is
demonstrated by the ability to compare and contrast approaches to knowledge in
different disciplines; (c) adaptiveness is
demonstrated by the ability to modify one’s approach to an issue or problem
based on the contexts and requirements of particular situations.
Understanding Society and Culture
[Definition:] The ability of students to recognize their own cultural traditions
and to understand and appreciate the diversity of the human experience, both
within the
[Outcomes:] This skill
is demonstrated by the ability (a) to compare and contrast the range of
diversity and universality in human history, societies, and ways of life; (b)
to analyze and understand the interconnectedness of global and local concerns;
and (c) to operate with civility in a complex social world.
Values and Ethics
[Definition:] The ability of students to make judgments with respect to
individual conduct, citizenship, and aesthetics.
[Outcomes:] A sense of values and ethics is
demonstrated by the ability of students (a) to make informed and principled choices
regarding conflicting situations in their personal and public lives and to
foresee the consequences of these choices; and (b) to recognize the importance
of aesthetics in their personal lives and to society.
1
May
13 (Th): Introduction: Why World History?
The Rise of
Prologue: Primary
Sources and how to Read Them (Andrea/Overfield
P1-P18)
2
May
17 (M): The Mongol Expansion
Prologue: Primary
Sources and how to Read Them (Andrea/Overfield
P1-P18)
May 18 (T): NO CLASS
Watch Islam: Empire of Faith
(Volume one)
3
May
20 (Th): NO
CLASS
May 24 (M): The Ottoman and Mughal
Empires
ESSAY DUE (Islam: Empire of
Faith)
A
European Diplomat’s Impressions of Suleiman I (Andrea/Overfield,
43-47)
Women and Islamic Law in
the
A Self-Porttrait
of Jahangir (Andrea/Overfield,
52-56)
4
May
25 (T): African Cultures and
Civilizations (Kongo and
Letters to the King of
May 27 (Th): The Atlantic Slave Trade and the African
Diaspora
5
June
1 (T): The Haitian Revolution
June 3 (Th): The Impact of the Haitian Revolution on the
Atlantic World
Hunt: “Toussaint’s
Image in AnteBellum America” (Hand-out)
June 7 (M):
Africans in
6
June
8 (T): Colonial Economies and
Societies in
Land and Labor in
June 10 (Th): FIRST EXAMINATION
Chapter
21:
June 14
(M):
7
June
15 (T):
Social and Economic Changes in Tokugawa
June 17 (Th): Why did the Industrial Revol.
take place in
PAPER
DUE
Middle Class and Working
Class in Industrial
8
June
21 (M): The impact of the Industrial
Revolution
June 22 (T): SECOND
EXAMINATION
__________________________________________________________________
NOTES: