HIS 204 TWENTIETH CENTURY WORLD

 

Kenneth J. Orosz                                                                                                                                                                                         Office Hours: T 3:00-4:00

Spring 2013                                                                                                                                                                                                                       W 10:00-12:00

Class Meetings: Upton Hall 230                                                                                                                                                                    Office: Classroom Bldg C230

             TR 1:40-2:55                                                                                                                                                                                   Phone: 878-3203

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   E-mail: oroszkj@buffalostate.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

             This course surveys world history from 1914 to the present. Although we will of necessity be looking at regional political and social changes, emphasis will also be placed on global interactions in the arenas of culture, technology, ideas, and demography.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

             Academic misconduct (including cheating and plagiarism) will not be tolerated. Buffalo State College policies on academic misconduct, including the possible use of textual similarity detection software, are outlined on page 39 of the college catalog. Please note that the minimum penalty for cases of academic misconduct will be an F on the assignment.

             Reading assignments are to be completed by the dates given. In addition to graded discussions, there will also be a midterm and a final examination. Students are required to provide their own blank examination booklets (available in the bookstore) for each exam. Please note that in order to earn more than a B on the essay portion of the exams you must make use of the relevant assigned readings and historical documents. In addition students will write two 5 page reviews of assigned texts (Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago and Achebe’s A Man of the People). All papers and reviews must conform to the History Style Sheet. Detailed instructions on the writing assignments, including the style sheet, can be found in Angel or by clicking the syllabi and course materials links at http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/oroszkj Help manuals for Angel can be found at www.buffalostate.edu/angel.

             Please note that in order to pass this course you must make a good faith attempt to complete all components and requirements. LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT PRIOR ARRANGEMENT. Incompletes will be granted at the sole discretion of the instructor and require a written application outlining the rationale behind granting the incomplete, a list of outstanding assignments and a timetable for their completion. This application must be signed and, if granted, will constitute a formal contract for the completion of the course.

             Grades will be computed as follows 

                          Midterm                        25%                 Final                 25%

                          Pasternak Review         15%                  Discussion        20%

                          Achebe Review            15%

 

DISCUSSION:

             In addition to periodic classroom discussions, there will also be online discussions conducted through Angel. Log into Angel and open the page for this course. Click on the Lessons tab and open the folder for your discussion group. Click on the link for the relevant discussion forum and then click on the + sign next to “Post Title” on the left side of the screen to reveal all messages and replies. The subject lines of unread postings will be in bold. Check the “mark as read” box once you’ve read each message. After reading all new posts, hit the reply button in the lower left of the last post to add your message to the discussion. Don’t forget to click the submit button in the lower left of your screen when done or your message will be lost,

             You will need to log into Angel several times during each scheduled week of online discussions to read new postings from your group and add your own postings. Please note that discussions will be open for one week only; once they are locked, you will still be able to read the various messages in the discussion, but you will not be able to add any further comments. Keep in mind that this is a discussion and as such requires active, thoughtful and detailed participation. While this is a discussion, I expect you to be respectful of others’ opinions, comments, and responses. Your comments must also be legible and understandable. This means full sentences, minimal abbreviations and no emoticons.

 

BOOKS

             The following books are required reading and are available in the bookstore.

Chinua Achebe, A Man of the People                                                ISBN  0 385 08616 4

James Barr, A Line in the Sand                                                                    0 393 34425 8

Findley and Rothney, Twentieth Century World                                             0 547 21850 8   **** (5th, 6th or 7th edition)

Philip Gourevitch, We Wish to Inform You                                                    0 312 24335 9

Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Extremes                                                         0 679 73005 2

Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago                                                                   0 307 39095 0 

 

SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS:

             Supplemental readings (indicated in italics on the syllabus) can be accessed in one of 3 ways: 1) if it is a website, there will be a link to it from the electronic version of the syllabus available in Angel or on my web page at http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/oroszkj 2) Journal articles listed below can be accessed via the library’s Academic Search Premier or JSTOR databases; 3) highlighted readings are available in Angel under the Lessons tab.

 

             Michael Crowder, "The Impact of Two World Wars on Africa" History Today 34, no. 1 (January 1984) : 11-19

             Neil Evans, "Red Summers of 1917-1919" History Today 51, no. 2 (February 2001) : 28-34

             Clive Foss, “Cuba’s African Adventures,” History Today 60, no. 3 (March 2010): 10-16

             Roger Howard, “Britain, Persia and Petroleum,” History Today 58, no. 5 (May 2008): 44-50.

             Alan Knight, "The Mexican Revolution" History Today 30, no. 5 (May 1980) : 28-35

             Jeremy Noakes, "The Rise of the Nazis" History Today 33, no. 1 (January 1983) : 8-14.

             Francis Robinson, " Indian National Congress" History Today 32, no. 10(October 1982): 32-40

             Richard Sims, "Japanese Fascism" History Today 32, no. 1 (January 1982): 10-14

             Elizabeth Stephens, “America, Israel and the 6 Day War” History Today 57, no. 6 (June 2007): 12-19

 

CLASS SCHEDULE

January 29        Introduction

   Read:              Hobsbawm Ch 1

January 31        Gathering Storm

   Read:              Findley Ch 1-2;

 

February 5        WW I and its Aftermath

   Read:              Findley Ch 3-4; Conditions in the Trenches;    India and the Western Front;

                          Lions Led by Donkeys;     Fourteen Points;   Versailles and Peacemaking;

                          Angel Discussion One

February 7        Bolshevik Revolution and Stalinism

   Read:              Pasternak novel;   Hobsbawm Ch 2;    Russian Civil War;

                          Collectivization;    Gulags;     Letter to a Bolshevik

 

February 12      Red Scares, Depression and Crisis

   Read:              Findley Ch 5;    Evans, “Red Summers;”

                          Depression in Europe Part 1;   Part 2;   Part 3

February 14      Inter-war colonialism: Africa

   Read:              Findley Ch 8;  Hobsbawm Ch 3, 5

 

February 19      No class

February 21      Inter-war colonialism: Middle East

   Read:              Barr Parts 1-2;  Howard, “Britain, Persia and Petroleum;”      Middle East in WW I;

                          Pasternak Review due

 

February 26      Nationalism and Fascism in Europe

   Read:              Findley Ch 6;   Noakes, “Rise of the Nazis;”   What is Fascism?

                          Angel Discussion Two

February 28      Nationalism and Fascism in Asia

   Read:              Findley Ch 9; Hobsbawm Ch 4-6; Sims, “Japanese Fascism”

 

March 5            Latin America to 1945

   Read:              Findley Ch 7;  Knight, Mexican Revolution;”  Intervention in Nicaragua

March 7            World War II

   Read:              Findley Ch 10;  Hobsbawm Ch 5;  Rape of Nanking;    Africa and WW II;

 

March 12          Maoist China

   Read:              Hobsbawm Ch 8;  Peasant Movement;

March 14          Cold War and European Reconstruction

   Read:              Findley Ch 11;  Truman Doctrine;     Common Market;     Berlin Wall

                          Kennedy and Cuban Missile Crisis;

 

March 19          Midterm

March 21          Korean and Vietnam Wars

   Read:              Hobsbawm Ch 18;   Korean War Overview;     UN Report;     Vietnam Wars

 

March 26          No class

March 28          No Class

 

April 2              Suez Crisis and Non-Aligned Bloc

   Read:              Hobsbawm Ch 7;  Robinson, “Indian National Congress;”   Suez Crisis;

                          Angel Discussion Three

April 4              Castro’s Cuba

   Read:              Hobsbawm Ch 12-14; Foss, “Cuba’s African Adventures;”

 

April 9              Decolonization in Africa

   Read:              Crowder, “The Impact of World Wars on Africa;”   African Development;

April 11            Detente and Cold War Africa

   Read:              Achebe novel;  Findley Ch 14;  Cold War in Africa;

 

April 16            South Africa and the End of Apartheid

   Read:              Hobsbawm Ch 9-10;  Apartheid Part 1;  Part 2;  Part 3;   Part 4;   Part 5;

April 18            Politics, Culture and Society in the Post Industrial West

  Read:               Findley Ch 12; Hobsbawm Ch 11, 17


April 23            Latin America and the Late Cold War Era
   Read:              Findley Ch 13; Hobsbawm Ch 14                         
April 25            Asian Resurgence
   Read:              Findley Ch 16

 

April 30            Crisis of Communism: Velvet Revolutions and Tiananmen Square

   Read:              Findley Ch 17; Hobsbawm Ch 16, 19;

                          Achebe Review due

May 2               Collapse of the Soviet Union

   Read:              Findley Ch 15; Reform, Coup and Collapse;

 

May 7               Development and Crisis in the Middle East

   Read:              Barr Part 3-4; Stephens, “America, Israel and 6 Day War”

May 9               War, Genocide and Terrorism at century’s end 

   Read:              Findley Ch 18; Gourevitch book; Rwandan Genocide;

 

May 14             Final Exam 1:40-3:30

  



Guidelines for Writing Assignments

        While your papers will be graded primarily on content, grammatical accuracy, style, presentation and organization will also be taken into account.  All papers are required to adhere to the History Style Sheet which is available in Angel and on my web site under Course Materials.  Failure to follow the style sheet will result in significant penalties; these consist of at least the loss of a full letter grade for each category of violation (i.e. use of contractions will cost you a letter grade, reducing an A paper to a B).  This includes paper length, non-standard fonts, margins and line spacing.   Please note that a short paper is not necessarily a bad paper; I am primarily interested in what you have to say, how well you say it and if you have developed your thesis and argument sufficiently.
        As you write your papers feel free to paraphrase or quote suitable passages that illustrate your points.  However, if you quote or paraphrase, you must cite the relevant passage.  You must also cite detailed information (e.g. statistics) or items that are not common knowledge.  The only exception to this rule is material gleaned from my lectures; you may assume that this is public knowledge and requires no citation.  Proper citation formats can be found in the History Style Sheet which is available in Angel and on my web site.  Please note that in addition to enforcing Buffalo State College's policies on academic misconduct, including the possible use of textual detection software,  the minimum penalty for plagiarism is an F on the assignment.1   For more information on plagiarism,  how to footnote, or how to write a research paper consult the relevant sections of Benjamin’s A Student’s Guide to History.   If you are still unclear about when or how to cite please come see me during my office hours.  That is why I am there.
        Since much of what is out on the internet is of dubious quality, the use of web pages as source material is strictly forbidden unless authorized by me in writing.  The only exceptions to this rule are the individual  web sites that I have assigned as required reading material.  On a similar note, the use of encyclopedias is also forbidden.  While they may be useful reference tools or for providing an overview of a particular topic, encyclopedias have no place in college level work.   Articles in historical encyclopedias (i.e. The Encyclopedia of European Social History) may be acceptable, but must first be cleared by me in writing.
        I am obviously a firm believer in written assignments since they help develop your organizational, analytical and communication skills, all of which are things you will need in the workplace.  Consequently, I expect you to treat all graded assignments (in this or any other class) as preparations for your future career.  Turning in business reports that are filled with grammatical errors, failures in logic, poor argumentation and lack of evidence portrays a degree of incompetence, even if it is undeserved, and will probably get you fired.  Get in the habit now of proofreading your work to catch typos, misspellings and nonsensical statements.  Read your papers aloud to see how they sound.  Better still, have a friend or roommate read your work since they are more likely to notice any problems.  Most of you will be writing your papers on wordprocessors. No matter what program you use, they all have spell checkers. It is silly and self-defeating not to make use of them.
        While I do not allow rewrites once papers have been graded, I will read and comment on rough drafts if I am given enough time.  Alternatively, you may want to consult either the campus writing center or some of the history tutors for help or advice.   Keep your notes and copies of your paper to facilitate rewrites and to safeguard against loss, computer errors, random destruction by pets and similar catastrophes.  Finally, and most importantly, if you are having any problems in this course come see me.

Book Reviews
        All students will write 2 five page (1500 word) reviews of Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago and Achebe’s A Man of the People.  Since these are reviews and not “book reports” I am not interested in plot summaries.  Similarly, I am not interested in whether you liked the book or found it interesting.  Your review should analyze and critique the author’s portrayal of some of the historical events or themes covered in this course.  Plot details may be used as evidence to support your analysis.  Use the following questions as a guide when reading and thinking about the review; they are, however, by no means all inclusive, nor do you need to answer each one.  How does the novel portray historical events or themes covered in class?  For example, how does it depict the role of political ideology or cultural in society?  What insights do the novels provide on historical issues like the Great Depression, the Cold War or decolonization?   How accurate are these depictions?  Have they added to your understanding of world history?  You will need to be selective in choosing which elements to include in your reviews since both works are very complex and illustrate many historical trends.  You will also need to incorporate and cite historical evidence drawn from other class materials in order to support your points.
        As you will discover, 5 pages provides barely enough room to introduce a topic, let alone go into much detail.  Hence, your papers should have a narrowly defined thesis and must be very selective in both their use and presentation of supporting evidence or examples. Since these papers are so short keep quotations to a minimum so that you will have more room to develop your own thoughts and arguments.  There is ample material on which to base your papers in my lectures and your textbooks; outside materials, although always welcome, are not required.


1Buffalo State College, Undergraduate Catalog 2012-2013, 39.