History 212-01 (CRN 11288)
Tue and Thu 12:45-2:50pm
Music 114
Office: Faculty Towers 201A
Instructor: Dr. Schmoll
Office Hours: Tue and Thu 10-12:30
…OR MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!!!
Email: bschmoll@csub.edu
Office Phone: 654-6549
Course Description:
This course is the third part of the CSUB History Department’s
World History survey series. We will cover the history of the world from 1700
to present, surveying the main civilizations across the globe. The focus will
be on how the processes of modernization, industrialization, imperialism,
expanding global trade, industrialized warfare, national and social
revolutions, nuclear proliferation, Cold War polarization, de-colonization, and
international debt have transformed the world’s civilizations. Students will
often be challenged to compare these civilizations and to analyze how they
interacted. There is, in short, a great deal to cover and only ten weeks to
cover it.
As you look over the weekly schedule, you will also notice that
there is a THEME OF THE WEEK listed before each week. This does not mean that
the themes listed will be absent in other weeks. What it means is that we will
focus our study of world history on that theme during that week. In general, we
will discuss the theme of the week on Tuesday and the reading on Thursday.
Hence, plan to read the chapter for each Thursday class.
Course Learning Objectives:
By the end of the course students will be able:
1.To identify and define
the most important events, people and processes of the transformation of the
world over the last 250 years.
2.To evaluate historical
documents critically and to describe how these documents might be used in
understanding and writing history.
3.To write a basic
five-paragraph essay using historical evidence to support an argument.
4.To think more
critically about history, how it is constructed, written and interpreted.
Required
Reading:
Robert Strayer, Ways of the World: A Brief Global History
with Sources, Volume 2 (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013; Second
Edition) ISBN-10: 0312583494; ISBN-13: 9780312583491
OR
Loose-leaf Version of Ways of the World: A Brief Global
History with Sources, Volume 2; ISBN-10: 1457647281; ISBN-13: 9781457647284
We
will also have regular readings on the blog. Those will be announced in class.
COURSE
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:
The Midterm and Final:
We will go over the midterm and final
exams later, but one consideration as you move through this course is this:
both exams value your thinking on paper. You will be asked to recall
information, to relate detail that you learned by paying close attention to
reading and to class, but more than that you will be asked to make a
contribution, to add your own unique perspective to the story. WHAT DOES IT
MEAN WHEN I ASK YOU TO ARGUE SOMETHING? Start to answer that question from day
one…even as we read this together in class right now. Every lecture you hear
will contain a set of assertions that are not found in the text. These lectures
are my attempt to create an original argument; they model for you how to make
an argument in history. After all, who cares if you can recall a bunch of
historical data? Well, I care. But the history of “what” is what turns many of
us against history. You will be asked to take a stance, to use the information
you learn in an argumentative context. The past is an argument that we make
together here in class in the present.
The Paper:
This essay is around 3-4 pages, typed, double-spaced. You will
turn it into turnitin.com and bring a paper copy to class. Late papers will be graded down one flu grade per day late. This assignment is
due on Febryary 26. Answer one of the following:
1.
PONDER GLOBAL MUSIC…Choose one of
the following bands or individuals: The Beatles, Bob Marley, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Cesária
Évora, or Antonio Carlos Jobim. Discuss
the world historical impact of this musical sensation. How was this individual
or group important in countries other than their own? How does this artist or
group represent a world historical theme? (For
example, what was the impact of The Beatles in Japan? Place the singer or group
into the context of the history.)
2.
PONDER GLOBAL LEADERSHIP…What makes
a leader great? Vaclav Havel, Ho Chi Minh, Kwame
Nkrumah, Rigoberta
Menchú, and Mohandas K. Gandhi were all
leaders (not necessarily heads of state) in various parts of the world in the
20th century. Choose at least two and discuss their rise to power
and leadership style. What connects the two leaders you have chosen?
3.
PONDER GLOBAL
DECOLONIZATION…Examine post-World War
Two decolonization in the context of two countries. You must choose one from
Column A and one from Column B. You may compare and contrast the
experience of decolonization in two countries. You must make and prove a
claim regarding the meaning of decolonization. Use the two countries to make a
bold claim.
Crash Course Videos: Many weeks, I will post a crash
course video on the blog. All you have to do is go there and watch them and write a two to three sentence response. That will be typed and due on Thursdays.
The Blog: If you have questions or comments about this class, or if you
want to see the course reader or the syllabus online, just go to history212winter205.blogspot.com
You need to sign in to this blog this week.
You will also have short readings on the blog. I will announce
these in class.
Attendance: Just to be clear, to succeed on tests and papers you really
should be in class. That’s just common sense, right? To pass this class, you
may not miss more than two classes. If you miss that third class meeting, you
are missing 15% of the quarter. You cannot do that and pass.
Reading: How should
you read our book? How many of you love reading? I
did not read a book until I was 18, so if you have not yet started your journey
on this ever widening path, it’s never too late. In any course, there’s no
substitute for reading. Theorist Jim Moffett says that “all real writing
happens from plentitude,” meaning that you can only really write well about
someone once you know about it. Reading is one way to know—not the only, by any
means! I want you to have experiences with great texts. For these ten weeks,
diving wholeheartedly into the course reading is vital. Remember to read in a
particular way. As reading expert and UCSB professor Sheridan Blau has argued,
“reading is as much a process of text production as writing is.” Reading
involves revision? Does that sound silly? As you read, think about the
different ways that you understand what you read. Most importantly, when you
read, think about the words of E.D. Hirsch, who says that we look at what a
text says (reading), what it means (interpretation), and why it matters
(criticism). Hey, but if you are in a history course, aren’t you supposed to be
reading for exactly the number of miles of trenches that were dug in World War
One, how many railroad workers died from 1890 to 1917, or what the causes of
the Great Depression were? Anyway, the answer is yes and no. There are two
types of reading that you’ll do in college. As the literary goddess theorist
Louise Rosenblatt explains, there is aesthetic reading, where you are reading
to have an experience with the text, and there is efferent reading, where you
are reading to take away information from the text. You do both types all the
time. Think about a phone book. You have probably never heard someone say of a
phone book, “don’t tell me about it, I want to read it for myself.” Reading a
phone book is purely efferent. In this course you will practice both types of
reading. I have chosen texts that you can enjoy (aesthetic) and that you can
learn from(efferent). I want to see and appreciate the detail in our reading,
but in this course I’ll give you that detail in class lectures. In the reading,
it’s much more important that you read texts that will live with you forever
and to inspire you to think more thoroughly about your world. As you read, you
should be working hard to create meaning for yourself. As Rosenblatt asserts,
“taking someone else’s interpretation as your own is like having someone else
eat your dinner for you.”
How fast should you be reading?
With our text, I expect you to move through fairly quickly. I will model this
for you in class, but basically, you should be looking for a key piece of
information from ach section. Take notes on it, but do not take such copious
notes that you slow your reading to a snail’s pace. Instead, let your note
taking help the reading go faster. Again, I will model this in class. The text
will guide our in class discussion, and you will have it with you. So be sure
you have read it for each Thursday class.
Being Prompt:
Get to class on time. Why does that matter? First, it sends the
wrong message to your principal grader(that’s me). As much as we in the
humanities would like you to believe that these courses are objective (at what
time of day did the Battle of the Marne begin?), that is not entirely the case.
If you send your principal grader the message that you don’t mind missing the
first few minutes and disturbing others in the class, don’t expect to be given
the benefit of the doubt when the tests and papers roll around. Does that sound
mean? It’s not meant to, but just remember, your actions send signals. Being
late also means that someone who already has everything out and is ready and is
involved in the discussion has to stop, move everything over, get out of the chair
to let you by, pick up the pencil you drop, let you borrow paper, run to the
bathroom because you spilled the coffee, and so on. It’s rude. There’s an old
saying: better two hours early than two minutes late. Old sayings are good.
So,
what are the consequences of persistent tardiness? What do you think they
should be? Remember that 10% participation? You are eligible for that grade if
you are on time. And no, I’m not the jackass who watches for you to be late
that one time and stands at the door and points in your face. If you are late a
few (that means three) times, you will lose the entire 10% participation grade.
One time tardiness is not a problem precisely because it is not persistent.
It’s an accident. But if you are late several times, you will not be able to
receive a participation grade above 50%.
The Unforgivable Curse:
Speaking of one time issues, there is something that is so
severe, so awful, that if it happens one time, just one time, no warning, no
“oh hey I noticed this and if you could stop it that’d be super,” you will
automatically lose all 10 percent of the Participation grade. Any guesses?
C’mon, you must have some idea. No, it’s not your telephone ringing. If that
happens, it’ll just be slightly funny and we’ll move on. It’s a mistake and not
intentional, and the increased heart rate and extra sweat on your brow from you
diving headfirst into an overstuffed book bag to find a buried phone that is
now playing that new Cristina Aguilera ringtone is punishment enough for you.
So, what is it, this unforgivable crime? Texting. If you take out your phone
one time to send or receive messages you will automatically lose 10% of your
course grade. That means, if you receive a final grade of 85%, it will drop to
75%. If you receive a final grade of 75%, it will become a 65%. Why is that?
The phone ringing is an accident. Texting is on purpose and is rude. It, in
fact, is beyond rude. It wreaks of the worst of our current society. It
bespeaks the absolutely vile desire we all have to never separate from our
technological tether for even a moment. It sends your fellow classmates and
your teacher the signal that you have better things to do. Checking your phone
during class is like listening to a friend’s story and right in the middle
turning away and talking to someone else. Oh, and guess what, this room is
designed to give your teacher a perfect view of you with a phone beneath the
table; is that text message really worth 10% of the quarter grade? Plus, the
way our brains work, you need to fully immerse yourself, to tune your brain
into an optimal, flowing machine (see Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s incredible book
Flow) that can grasp and can let itself go. Students now tend to see school as
a stopover on their way to a career. Brothers and sisters, that’s deadly! I
wish that I could pay for you all to quit your jobs and just focus on the mind.
I can’t yet do that, but if I could I would, because it’d be worth every penny.
Devoting time to the mind and to thinking deeply about your world will change who
you are and how you approach your future, your family, your job, and your
everything. Is that overstated? I believe it to be true. So, until my stock
choices really take off so that I can pay all of your bills, promise me one
thing: when you are in class or preparing for class, you have to be fully here.
Oh crap, now it’s going to sound like a hippy professor from the 1960s: “I
mean, like, be here man, just be here.” Maybe the hippies were on to something.
Devote yourself fully to your classes by unplugging from the outside world for
a while.
Participation: You do not need to be the person who speaks out the most, asks
the most questions, or comes up with the most brilliant historical arguments to
receive full credit in participation. If you are in class and on time, discuss
the issues that we raise, avoid the temptation to nod off, to leave early, or
to text people during class (the three easiest ways to lose credit), and in
general act like you care, then you will receive a good participation grade!
Just being here does not
guarantee a 100% participation grade, since you must be regularly actively
involved for that to be possible.
In fact, to get a 90%
participation grade or higher, you must attend all classes, contribute
thoughtful comments to the larger class discussion every day, participate
actively with those around you, and avoid the obvious: no sleeping, no texting,
no using this course to study for other courses, no being late.
To get an 85%, you can miss one
class and must contribute at least one comment per week to the large class
discussion, participate actively with those around you, and avoid the obvious:
no sleeping, no texting, no using this course to study for other courses, no
being late.
To get an 80%, you can miss one
class and must participate actively with those around you, and avoid the
obvious: no sleeping, no texting, no using this course to study for other
courses, no being late.
To get a 75%, you can miss two
classes and must participate actively with those around you, and avoid the
obvious: no sleeping, no texting, no using this course to study for other
courses, no being late.
Show up tardy more than once or
fail to participate in the dialogue and the participation grade will begin to
diminish quickly.
Academic Integrity
The principles of truth and integrity are recognized as
fundamental to a community of teachers and scholars. The University expects
that both faculty and students will honor these principles and in so doing will
protect the integrity of all academic work and student grades. Students are
expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized assistance and
without giving unauthorized assistance. Faculty have the responsibility of
exercising care in the planning and supervision of academic work so that honest
effort will be encouraged and positively reinforced.
http://www.csub.edu/studentconduct/documents/academicintegrity.pdf
GRADING SCALE:
Participation:
10%
In class book assignment:
5% pass/no pass
Paper:
20%
Crash Course Responses:
5% pass/no pass
Midterm
Examination:
30%
Final
Examination:
30%
COURSE SCHEDULE:
WEEK 1: THEME OF THE WEEK…Empires in Collision
1/6 Tue
Introduction/Syllabus/Political Transformations: Empires and Encounters
1/8 Thu Political
Transformations: Empires and Encounters Read Chapter 13
WEEK 2: THEME OF
THE WEEK… Human Movement
1/13 Tue Migration in World History
1/15
Thu Read Chapter 14
WEEK 3: THEME OF
THE WEEK… Empires of Faith
1/20
Tue Belief and Action
1/22 Thu
Read Chapter 15
WEEK 4: THEME OF
THE WEEK… Disease in History
1/27 Tue
Germs and Genes/In class book
assignment Due
1/29
Thu Read Chapter 16
WEEK 5: THEME OF
THE WEEK…midterm this week.
2/3
Tue The Industrial Revolution… Read
Chapter 17
2/5
Thu MIDTERM EXAMINATION
WEEK 6: THEME OF
THE WEEK… Technology and Industrialization
2/10 Tue From James Watt to Reggie Watts...
2/12 Thu Read
Chapters 18 and 19…
WEEK 7: THEME OF
THE WEEK…War
2/17
Tue The Great War as a World Event
2/19
Thu Read Chapter 20
WEEK 8: THEME OF
THE WEEK… Revolts and Revolutions
2/24
Tue International
Revolution
2/26
Thu Read Chapter 21/Paper
Due
WEEK 9: THEME OF
THE WEEK…New Nationalisms
3/3 Tue The Power of a Nation.
3/5 Thu
Read Chapter 22
WEEK 10: THEME OF
THE WEEK…ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION
3/10 Tue
Economic Walls Fall/ Read Chapter 23
3/12 Thu MULTIPLE
CHOICE TEST PORTION
FINAL
EXAM
Thursday,
Mar. 19 2:00pm-4:30pm
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