H114 Introduction to Western Civilization (2)

 

Class No: 3884

Instructor: John Lary                           Class Times: 2:30- 3:45

Office: CA 509 D                                Lecture Room: 217 Cavanaugh

Email: jlary@indiana.edu                      Office Hours: 12:30- 2:00 or 4:00-5:00 Tuesday and Thursday or by appointment

 

 

Course Description and Goals:

This course is the second part of an introduction to the intellectual and cultural traditions of Western Civilization. We shall examine this tradition by looking at social and political institutions, artistic creations, philosophical arguments, and much more. The course will cover a broad sweep of time (roughly 1640’s- 1980’s) and a vast range of territory (from Europe to colonial Africa and Asia.) The purposes of this class is however NOT to just assemble a grocery list of key facts in the history of western civilization. What we want to do instead is to begin to see patterns and tensions within the specific traditions of the West. The main purpose of this course is therefore threefold:

1)      to introduce you to the western intellectual traditions

2)      to help you acquire the analytical and synthesizing skills historians use to study the past

3)      to improve your writing skills

 

Assigned Texts:

T.F.X. Noble et al., Western Civilization: The Continuing Experiment, Vol. 2,  Dolphin Edition (2006)

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from the Underground

Heda Kovaly, Under a Cruel Star

 

Books can be purchased at the IUPUI bookstore.  The Dostoyevsky and Kovaly texts are slightly late but they have should be here by the second or third week of the semester.  The other texts are already in the bookstore.  In addition, please note that all books have been placed on one-day reserve at the University Library circulation desk. 

 

Course Grade:

Attendance (15%)

Book review (20%)

Midterm exam (25%)

Final exam (25%)

Quizzes- best 4 out of 5 (20%)

 

Grading Scale for final grades:

93-99.9 A
90-92.9 A-
88-89.9 B+
82-87.9 B
80-81.9 B-
78-79.9 C+
72-77.9 C
70-71.9 C-
68-69.9 D+
62-67.9 D
60-61.9 D-
0-59.9 F

 

Incompletes:

Incompletes are only available in cases where the student is physically incapable of completing the work.

 

Evaluation of Class Attendance and Quizzes:

This course is primarily lecture-based, but students are encouraged to ask questions and express their ideas. The general rule is the more participation, the better.  In order to do well in the class, students are recommended to do the reading before class, have good attendance, and above all bring curiosity with you to class.

In order to keep an accurate record of attendance, a sign-up sheet will be handed out at the beginning of each class.  It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that their name is on the sign-up sheet.  Students are allowed a total of four absences for the entire semester without it affecting their attendance grade.  Each additional absence will result in 2 points being taken from their attendance grade (and hence from their final grade).  There is no need to explain to the instructor why class was missed except in the case of a grave emergency.  Should a grave emergency arise, please contact your instructor at jlary@indiana.edu and let him know the specifics of the situation as soon as possible.

Unannounced short quizzes will be held throughout the semester and will test your knowledge of class materials up to that point.  The quizzes will be based on materials from lectures, the textbook and the three additional texts.  The format is short answer/identification and should require no more than 10 minutes of class time.  Should a student be absent on the day of a quiz, they will not be allowed to take a make-up quiz later. Instead, all students are allowed to drop the lowest of their five quiz grades (whether this was caused by a low mark or due to an absence). I will hand out in advance a sample quiz so that you will have some understanding of its format prior to taking them.  

 

Administrative Withdrawal:

If you miss more than half our class meetings within the first four weeks of the semester without contacting me, you will be administratively withdrawn from this section.  Our class meets twice per week; thus if you miss more than four classes in the first four weeks, you will be withdrawn.  Administrative withdrawal may have academic, financial, and financial aid implications.  Administrative withdrawal will take place after the full refund period, and if you are administratively withdrawn from the course you will not be eligible for a tuition refund.  If you have questions about the administrative withdrawal policy at any point during the semester, please contact me.

 

Exams:

A midterm exam will take place at the end of the 7th week.  A final exam will be held on the last class of the semester.  The mid-term and the final exam will test your knowledge of materials from class lectures as well as from your assigned readings (the textbook and three other texts). The format will consist not only of short answer/identification questions but also of short essay questions which will test your ability to synthesize materials and clarify key points. I will hand out a sample midterm, and final in advance for you to become familiar with this structure as well.   

 

Book review:

As an additional writing exercise, students will write a short (3-4 page, 12-pt font, double-spaced) book review on one (your choice) of the three books you have read for the class. The review is due Thursday, Nov. 17.  Students will be given a question to which they should respond to the best of their ability. Late papers will be accepted but will lose a letter grade per class tardy.

 

Plagiarism:

 To take a sentence or a paragraph from another source is morally wrong, and easy to trace. Students who plagiarize will receive an F for the assignment. Please talk with the instructor beforehand if you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism. 

 

Office Hours:

One of the benefits of being a teacher, as I see it, is having the opportunity to talk with students about their ideas.  I would like to encourage you to talk with me one-on-one about the specifics of your work or any concerns you may have.  I hold office hours between 12:30- 2:00 and 4:00-5:00 each Tuesday and Thursday. Should your work or family schedule not allow you to meet with me during these office hours, contact me via email at jlary@indiana.edu.  I check my email approximately twice a day.  However, please don’t expect an immediate turnaround.  In most circumstances, I will get back to you within 24 hours.  (For better or worse, I do not yet own a cell-phone).    

One last thing worth considering is that it is always a good idea to discuss assignments well in advance of due dates.  In short, please don’t wait until the end of the semester to discuss any concerns you may have.  The earlier you and I talk, the earlier we will be able to fix any problem you may have.       

 

 

 

Schedule of Classes                                                               Days of the week

  1. Course Introduction                                       (R, Aug. 25)                                        
  2. Europe in the Age of Louis XIV, ca. 1640-1715

Readings: Noble, Ch. 16                                                     (T, Aug. 30 + R, Sept. 1)                                            

  1. The Scientific Revolution                                         

Readings: Noble, Ch. 17 and Shelley, Frankenstein           (T, Sept. 6 + R, Sept. 8)

 

  1. The Enlightenment, ca. 1715-1789                           

Readings: Noble, Ch. 18                                                     (T, Sept. 13 + R, Sept. 15)

 

  1. A Revolutionary Age, 1789-1848                 

Readings: Noble, Ch. 19 and 21                                         (T, Sept. 20 + R, Sept. 22)

 

6.  Industrial Revolution, 1750-1850

Readings: Noble, Ch. 20                                                     (T, Sept. 27 + R, Sept. 29)

 

7.  Nationalism, 1850-1880

Readings: Noble, Ch. 22                                                     (T, Oct. 4)

MID-TERM                                                                       (R, Oct. 6)

 

8 Age of Optimism, 1850-1880

Readings: Noble, Ch. 23                                                     (T, Oct. 11 + R, Oct. 13)

                             

9. From Optimism to Anxiety, 1880-1914

Readings: Noble, Ch. 24 and Dostoyevsky, Notes (T, Oct. 18 + R, Oct. 20)

 

10. World War I and Russian Revolution, 1914-1919

Readings: Noble, Ch. 25                                                     (T, Oct. 25 + R, Oct. 27)

 

11.  The Illusion of Stability, 1919-1930

Readings: Noble, Ch. 26                                                     (T, Nov. 1 + R, Nov. 3)

 

12.  The Tortured Decade, 1930-1939

Readings: Noble, 27                                                           (T, Nov. 8 + R, Nov. 10)

 

13.  World War II, 1939-1945

Readings: Noble, 28 and Kovaly, Under a Cruel Star        (T, Nov. 15 + R, Nov. 17)

All Book Reviews Due.                                                      (R, Nov. 17)

 

14.  Cold War and Decolonization, 1949-1989              

Readings: Noble, 29                                                           (T, Nov. 22)

Thanksgiving NO CLASS                                      (R, Nov. 24)

 

15.  The West Since 1989                                                (T, Nov. 29 + R, Dec. 1)

Readings: Noble, 30                                  

 

16.  Conclusion and Review                                            (T, Dec. 6 + R, Dec. 8)

 

Final Exam- (R, Dec. 15- 3:30- 5:30)