Professor:

Office:

Office hours:

Phone:

E-mail:

Web page:

Paul Steege

STAUG 428

M 10-11:30am, W 1-2:30pm, or by appointment

9-6963

paul.steege@villanova.edu

http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/paul.steege/

Course

Objectives:

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the issue of globalization seems very current.  International terrorism, transnational corporations, and global climate change regularly seize the world’s headlines, suggesting perhaps how global events can immediately impact each of us, but also hinting at the ways in which the forces that most dramatically shape the world (and our place in it) seem very much beyond the reach of individual people.  What place is there for the individual in the midst of these global forces?  In a world of mass production and mass consumption, does the individual play a role other than as part of a mass?  These questions are not new.  This course will explore the place of the individual in the history of the modern world, asking whether “ordinary” individuals are merely objects of historical development or actors, who actively shape the course of that history.

I have two principal goals for the students in this course:  1) to learn to think critically about the past and be able to formulate a coherent argument about history (to think about how and why things happen); and 2) to amass a basic understanding of major events in modern world history and gain a sense of the interconnectedness of historical processes and current developments around the world.

Remember.  History is not simply a collection of events, cataloged for future reference.  It is an argument about the past made in the context of the present.  How that argument is made says as much about historians (and society) today as it does about the past it explores.

Required

Materials:

(A) Achebe, Chinua.  Things fall apart.  New York:  Anchor Books, 1994.

(B) Bentley, Jerry H. and Herbert F. Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters: A global perspective on the past, Vol. C: From 1750 to the present.  2^nd ed.  Boston:  McGraw Hill, 2002.

While we will not read the entire textbook, this book will serve to provide background and a foundation for much of our work in the course.  Pay particular attention to the timelines, maps, pictures, and documents (many of which we will discuss in some detail).  I encourage you to read unassigned chapters, which will help provide additional context.  You are welcome to include that material in your written work for the course.

(L) Levi, Primo.  Survival in Auschwitz: The Nazi Assault on Humanity.  Trans. Stuart Wolf.  New York:  Touchstone, 1996.

The above books are available for purchase at the Villanova University Shop.  In the syllabus, these texts are indicated by the letter abbreviation given above.  Additional readings will be available on-line or on reserve in Falvey Memorial Library.

Course

Organization:

In this class, we will use two films, The Red Violin and Run Lola Run, to set up the basic questions with which to interrogate our historical subject matter.  All students will view these films during the first two weeks of class, and we will return regularly (in discussion, in-class exercises, and even exams) to the questions provoked by these two films.  While these two films are in and of themselves interesting, we will use them primarily as a way to help us think about the basic themes of the course.

The course itself will use a mixture of lecture and discussion and, I hope, be driven largely by regular student involvement.  Come prepared to participate (i.e., do the readings). At the end of each week, I will post on the course web site a list of discussion questions for the following week’s readings.  These should serve to provoke and stimulate your engagement with the texts and will also serve as a basis for occasional in-class exercises.
Please note:  readings listed with the weekly subject heading are to be completed by the first class session each week.  For the purposes of both lectures and in-class exercises, all students will be presumed to have completed the reading.  Readings assigned for a particular class session need only be completed by that class session.  In many instances, these readings will include documents or images, which you have read as part of the assigned readings for the week.  DO NOT assume that this means that you can afford not to re-examine them!

At the beginning of each class session, students will have the opportunity to pose questions about readings and/or previous classes.  Come prepared to raise points that interest, disturb, or provoke you.

During the course, I will at times distribute critical information via e-mail using your official Villanova e-mail address.  You are responsible for checking that account regularly.  If you use an outside e-mail address, be sure to set the preferences on your Villanova account to automatically forward messages to your preferred address.  Check the online syllabus regularly for any updates.

Assignments

and Grading:

2 in-class midterms:  40% of total grade (20% each):  You will be asked to write short essays in which you elaborate the significance of 5 of 8 identification terms.  The eight terms on the exam will be drawn from a longer list distributed about one week ahead of time.  A successful answer will not just identify the term and date it correctly but also make and support an argument about its broader historical significance.  I will discuss the exam with you in greater depth a few weeks into the course and post further guidelines on the course web sites.

Click here for further guidelines.

1 in-class final exam:  25% of final grade:  Approximately one week before the end of the term, students will receive a list of questions.  For the final, I will select three (3) of these questions and ask you to write detailed, well-organized, and clearly supported essays on two (2) of them.  The questions will require that you integrate ideas, issues, and material from various sections of the course.  The exam will be cumulative.  Please make note of the examination date:  Wednesday, December 18, 1:30-4pm.  UNDER NO CONDITIONS WILL STUDENTS BE PERMITTED TO RESCHEDULE THEIR FINAL EXAM TO ACCOMMODATE TRAVEL PLANS!

Note:  Any student who misses an exam without making prior arrangements will receive a failing grade (zero) for that exam.  Students should alert me to any conflicts with a scheduled exam as soon as possible to make arrangements to take the exam before the scheduled date (I reserve the right to determine whether the conflict is reasonable).  Should an emergency require you to miss an exam, you must contact me before the class period in which the exam is to be given.

3 contemporary history analyses (3-4 pages):  15% of final grade

This assignment asks you to choose one current newspaper or magazine article and write a 3-4 page, word-processed essay, which explores its connection to the material being covered in the course.  These essays can be turned in any time before the due dates as listed below:

Essay 1: by September 25; Essay 2: by November 6; Essay 3: by December 4.

Each essay should explore a topic linked to that segment of the course which immediately precedes the due date.  Please attach the article you examined along with the essay.

Each essay should formulate a clear and precise argument about the ways, in which the article you select engages or reflects the history we are studying.  You must use footnotes to cite the sources on which you draw (some guidelines will be available on the course web site, and we will discuss them extensively early in the semester).  In addition to the article itself, your essay should draw on assigned readings for the course and may incorporate additional outside sources.  Remember.  Style counts.

Note:  YOU MAY NOT USE ON-LINE SOURCES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.

An ‘A’ essay effectively connects a relevant article to the course content.  By asserting your own argument with clearly documented sources, an ‘A’ essay may evaluate the article or the course material based on additional sources.

A ‘B’ essay may connect a relevant article to the course content, but may not clearly assert your own argument or effectively deploy evidence to support it.

A ‘C’ essay may make a brief connection between a relevant article and the course, but will not make a clear argument.  It tends to summarize rather than to analyze the article.  A ‘C’ essay may lack clear and correct citations.  Note:  Failure to cite your sources accurately will mean that your essay will not receive a grade higher than ‘C.’

A ‘D’ essay does not employ a relevant article, does not cite sources, and may make only a brief connection to the course.

An ‘F’ essay does not meet any of the criteria of the assignment.

Remember.  Do not just summarize the article.  Discuss how it raises issues that connect to the course and its themes.  Please consult the course web site for further guidelines and suggestions.

2 review essays (3-4 pages):  10% of final grade
Review of one (1) of the films AND one (1) of the two novels read in the course (Things fall apart or Survival in Auschwitz).  Film reviews are all due on Monday, September 9.  The novel review is due on the date on which the book will be discussed in class (EITHER Mon., October 21 OR Wed., November 13).

This essay should explore how the film or novel reflects (or fails to reflect) particular issues explored in the course.  In writing your essay, you should draw on the textbook readings and focus on a particular, narrow topic.  Do not simply provide a plot summary!  Focus on a particular issue, analyze it, link it to the readings, and discuss its importance.  State your argument explicitly and precisely.  While you may use additional sources, this is not required.  However, YOU MAY NOT USE ON-LINE SOURCES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.  You must use footnotes to cite your sources.

CAUTION:  I am not asking you to tell me whether you “liked” the work but to analyze its significance with respect to the class and its themes.

I will post further guidelines on the on-line syllabus as well as several questions that may help provide some additional framework for you essays.  The grading schema for these essays roughly approximates that for the contemporary history analysis.

Paper revisions:  You MUST submit a revised version of your film review essay (due Wed., September 18).  You MAY submit a revised version of one additional essay (book review or contemporary history analysis), which will be due one week from the date on which the first draft is returned.  In both cases, the revised paper will count for the final grade on the assignment.  Students are strongly encouraged to speak to me about their papers before submitting the revisions.

In-class exercises:  10% of final grade:  On at least 10 class sessions during the semester, I will ask students to take 5-10 minutes to write a brief response, based on the week’s readings.  These exercises are designed a) to provide a foundation for that day’s lecture/discussion; b) to provide some additional incentive for concentrated reading; and c) to help provide an ongoing link to the course’s basic themes.  I will drop one or perhaps two low scores in calculating a final grade for this section of the course.  These exercises cannot be made up, regardless of the reason for absence.

Class attendance and participation:  I will take attendance.  Attending class and completing assigned readings are quite simply the best ways to succeed in this course.  Moreover, your participation in class discussions is expected.  Regular, engaged participation in class discussion will have a positive influence on borderline grades.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY POLICY:
“Freshman class and laboratory attendance is compulsory except as noted below: approved  athletic participation, approved field trips, certified serious illness, death in the immediate family, or approved placement activities…A freshman will receive a grade of XF (failure) whenever s/he has been absent unexcused once more than double the number of weekly meetings for the course.”
In other words, more than 4 (four) unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for first year students in this course.

Academic

Integrity:

Plagiarism or cheating on any coursework will not be tolerated.  Any case of academic fraud (copying of another student’s work, illicit use of notes on an exam, undocumented use of an outside source, etc.) will automatically result in a failing grade for the course and the submission of an academic integrity report to the university.  If you have any questions about documenting sources or what constitutes academic fraud, please speak to me or consult the student handbook.  We will discuss this in detail during the first weeks of the course.

Citations:  All citations must be made as footnotes according to the guidelines of The Chicago Manual of Style.  No other style will be accepted.

Disabilities:

Students with disabilities who may need academic accommodations are encouraged to discuss options with me after class or during my office hours during the first two weeks of class.  More information about documenting or addressing learning disabilities is available from Nancy Mott, Director of the Office of Learning Services (tel. x9-5636 or e-mail nancy.mott@villanova.edu) or from that office’s web site.

One final note:  This syllabus makes every effort to be thorough and complete.  However, it remains a flexible document.  Based on the course of our discussions, it may be necessary to alter the schedule and/or assignments slightly.  Please bear that in mind.  At any point, if you have any questions about any aspect of the course, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Class/Reading Schedule

Read all assignments before the class for which they are scheduled.  BRING YOUR COPY OF THE ASSIGNED READING TO CLASS!  Please check online syllabus regularly for any changes.

Week 1: Setting the Stage
Film:  The Red Violin (screening schedule to be announced)

Mon., Aug. 26

Introduction:  thinking about why world history matters

Wed., Aug. 28

The early modern world: capitalism and the state

Film Screening:  8pm in Tolentine 310A

Week 2: Asking Historical Questions
Film:  Run Lola Run (screening schedule to be announced)

Mon., Sept. 2

NO CLASS—LABOR DAY

Wed., Sept. 4

Using and documenting sources
Reading:  AHA statement on plagiarism
PLEASE PRINT OUT a copy of the plagiarism worksheet at Purdue's Online Writing Lab and bring to class.  You do NOT need to prepare the workshop ahead of time.

Film Screening:  8pm in Tolentine 310A

Week 3:  Locating Political Revolution
Review Questions

Mon., Sept. 9

Discussion: a preliminary examination of the issues
Reading: (B) pp. 802-5
Film Review due

Wed., Sept. 11

Revolutionary ideas and revolutionary violence
Reading:  (B) pp. 807-30
Documents: (B) pp. 815, 829
Images: (B) pp. 817, 822

Week 4:  The Industrial Revolution
Reading:  (B) pp. 841-69
Review Questions

Mon., Sept. 16

Transforming work: industrialization
Document: (B) p. 855

Wed., Sept. 18

The socialist alternative
Document: (B) p. 864

Week 5:  Coping with the Transforming World I
Reading:  (B) pp. 871-900
Review Questions

Mon., Sept. 23

Independence, the nation, and the nation-state

Wed., Sept. 25

Freedom:  more than political independence
Reading: (B) pp. 830-7
Image: (B) p. 893
Document: (B) p. 895
Last date to hand in first contemporary history analysis!!

Week 6:  Coping with the Transforming World II

Reading:  (B) pp. 903-30
Review Questions

Mon., Sept. 30

Between East and West: the European challenge
Document: (B) pp. 910, 919

Wed., Oct. 2

1^st Midterm Exam

Week 7:  Imperialism: A European Success Story?

Reading:  (B) pp. 933-63
Review Questions

Mon., Oct. 7

The idea of imperialism
Documents: (B) pp. 937, 945
Images: (B) p. 947, 959

Wed., Oct. 9

The violence of imperialism
Image: (B) p. 961

Oct. 14-18

FALL BREAK

Week 8:  Legacies of Imperialism

Reading:  (A) entire book
Review Questions

Mon., Oct. 21

Discussion:  Achebe
Review due:  Things fall apart

Wed., Oct. 23

The fin de siècle

Week 9:  Unsettling the World
Reading:  (B) Chapters 35-6
Review Questions

Mon., Oct. 28

The rationalization of slaughter:  World War I
Images: (B) p. 984, 985

Wed., Oct. 30

Week 10:  Revisiting Total War

Reading:  (B) Chapter 37 (to p. 1060)

Mon., Nov. 4

Looking for radical solutions
Documents: (B) p. 991, 1024

Wed., Nov. 6

SPECIAL LECTURE

Dr. Daniel Richter, "Facing East toward Colonial Pennsylvania: A History from Indian Country," 4pm in SAC Room 300

Last date to hand in second contemporary history analysis!!

Week 11:  Putting the World Back Together: The Aftermath of War

Mon., Nov. 11

A war of annihilation and the path to the “Final Solution”
Reading:  Heinrich Böll, “Stranger, bear word to the Spartans…”
Image: (B) p. 1047
Document: (B) p. 1050
Document: (B) p. 1058

Wed., Nov. 13

Discussion: Levi
Reading:  (L) entire book
Review due:  Survival in Auschwitz

Week 12:  Reordering the World: Decolonization
Reading:  (B) pp. 1060-90
Review Questions

Mon., Nov. 18

From World War to Cold War

Wed., Nov. 20

Multiple paths to decolonization
Reading: Chapter 39
Image: (B) p. 1098

Week 13:

Mon., Nov. 25

2^nd Midterm Exam

Nov. 27-29

THANKSGIVING BREAK

Week 14:  Culture and Identity
Review Questions

Mon., Dec. 2
 

The case of Afghanistan

Reading: Thomas Gouttierre, "Roses and Clay" [on reserve in Falvey Library]

Wed., Dec. 4

Special Lecture:  Dr. Joshua Sanborn, Lafayette College
"Unsettling the Empire: migration, murder, and the Russian Collapse, 1914-1917"
SAC 300

Week 15:  Rethinking Globalization

Reading:  (B) Chapter 40
Review Questions

Mon., Dec. 9

1989
Images:  Berlin and Beijing

Wed., Dec. 11

Opportunity and rage: coping with the twenty-first century
Final discussion: the individual in a global community
Revision Due:  Primo Levi Review Essay

Wed., Dec. 18

Final Exam, 1:30-4pm