HIS 231 WORLD CIVILIZATIONS II
Kenneth J. Orosz Office Hours: T 3:00-4:00
Spring 2019 W 10:00-12:00
Class Meetings: Class A303 Office: Classroom Bldg C213
TR 10:50-12:05 Phone: 878-3203
E-mail: oroszkj@buffalostate.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is a survey of global development from the Reformation (about 1500) to the eve of World War I. 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, technological innovation, ecological change and belief systems.
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 46 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order to earn more than a B on the essay portion of the exams you must make use of the relevant assigned readings and historical documents.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 papers on assigned topics. All papers must conform to the History Style Sheet. Detailed instructions on the writing assignments, including the style sheet, can be found in Blackboard or by clicking the syllabi and course materials links at http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/oroszkj. Go to https://rite.buffalostate.edu/blackboard-student.html for Blackboard help.
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%
First Paper 15% Discussion 20%
Second Paper 15%
DISCUSSION:
In addition to periodic classroom discussions, there will also be online discussions conducted through Blackboard. Log into Blackboard and open the page for this course. Click on the Content tab, open the Discussions folder, and click on the link for your discussion group. Once your group opens, click on the Group Discussions Link under Group Tools. Double click on the link for the relevant discussion forum and then the name of the thread to open it. After you have read the questions, click on the reply button and type your response in the text box. Don’t forget to click the submit button in the lower right of your screen or your message will be lost.
You will need to log into Blackboard several times during each scheduled week of online discussions to read new postings from your group and add your own postings. To read and respond to posts, either open the thread and scroll through all entries or click on the “unread” button in the upper right corner to navigate straight to any new posts. 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. You must remain 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.
Smith et al, World in the Making: A Global History,
vol.
II
ISBN 978-0-190-84924-5
Ward and Gainty, Sources of World Societies, vol. II, 2nd
ed
978-0-312-56972-3 Look for
used copies online
D. E. Mungello, Great Encounter of China and the West, 4th
ed.
978-1-442-21976-2
David Northurp, Africa’s Discovery of Europe, 3rd
ed.
978-0-199-94121-6
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 Blackboard 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 Complete or JSTOR databases; 3) highlighted readings are available in Blackboard under the Content tab.
Michael Broers, “Napoleon and Europe: The Empire Behind the Lines,” History Today 48 no. 1 (January 1998): 20-26.
Mathieu Deflem, “Warfare, Political Leadership and State Formation: The Case of the Zulu Kingdom,” Ethnology 38, no. 4 (Fall 1999) : 371-391.
Paul Doolan, “The Dutch in Japan,” History Today 50 no. 4 (April 2000): 36-42.
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, “Columbus - Hero or Villain?” History Today 42 no. 5 (May 1992): 4-9.
Catherine Henderson, “Catherine the Great - Enlightened Empress,” History Review, 51 (March 2005): 14-19.
Bruce Lenman “The East India Company and Emperor Aurangzeb,” History Today 37 no. 2 (February 1987): 23-29.
L. R. Lewitter, “Peter the Great and the Making of the Modern World,” History Today 34 no. 2 (February 1985): 16-23.
John Lynch, "Simon Bolivar and the Spanish Americas," History Today 33, no. 7 (July 1983) : 5-11
Anthony McFarlane, “Independence and Revolution in the Americas,” History Today 34 no. 3 (March 1984): 40-49.
Francis Robinson, “Mughal Dynasties,” History Today 57 no. 6 (June 2007): 22-29.
Victoria Schofield, “World in 1492," History Today 42 no. 5 (May 1992): 24-29.
CLASS SCHEDULE
January 29 Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism
Read: World Religions; Ward & Gainty Introduction
January 31 Protestant Reformation
Read: Smith pp. 691-706: 95 Theses; Women and Reformation;
“Witches, Workers and Queens;” “Nuns, Wives and Mothers”
February 5 Absolutism vs. Constitutionalism in Europe
Read: Smith pp. 709-717, 723-727; Ward & Gainty p. 31-46; Court of Louis XIV;
English Bill of Rights; Glorious Revolution
February 7 Tsarist Russia
Read: Lewitter, “Peter the Great;” Rise of Peter the Great; “Peter the Great of Russia;”
Blackboard discussion begins
February 12 Ottoman Empire
Read: Smith pp. 679-691, 648-664; Ottoman Empire; “Women of the Ottoman Empire;”
February 14 Safavid Persia and Mughal India
Read: Ward & Gainty pp. 99-114 and 117; Robinson, “Mughal Dynasties;” Safavid Empire;
“Women of the Mughal Empire,” “Elizabeth and Akbar;” Mughal Empire;
February 19 No Class
February 21 Mali, Kongo and the Swahili City States
Read: Smith pp. 605-627, 634-637, 641-648; Northrup Ch 1-2; Ward & Gainty pp. 79-83;
Mali; Songhai; Africanus on Africa; “Sundiata: Founder of Malian Empire”
February 26 European Voyages of Discovery
Read: Smith pp. 514-517, 567-579; Ward & Gainty pp. 6-13; Northrup Ch 3-4;
Schofield, “World in 1492;” Fernandez-Armesto, “Columbus: Hero or Villain;”
February 28 Conquest and the American Exchange
Read: Smith pp. 580-603; Aztec Description of Conquistadors;
First paper due
March 5 Colonial Society in the Americas
Read: Smith pp. 759-793; Northrup Ch 5-6; Ward & Gainty pp. 13-30
March 7 African Slave Trade
Read: Smith pp. 627-634; Ward & Gainty pp. 85-98; Aboard a Slave Ship;
Slavery and World Economy part 1; part 2
Blackboard discussion begins
March 12 Manchu China and Tokugawa Japan
Read: Smith pp. 721-723, 728-752; Mungello Ch 1-2; Ward & Gainty pp. 1-5; 118-140; Chinese Trade; Neo-confucian Regimes;
Chinese Rites Controversy; Macartney Mission
March 14 European Expansion in Asia
Read: Smith pp. 664-675; 752-756; Mungello Ch 3-5; Ward & Gainty pp.114-117;
Doolan, “Dutch in Japan;” Lenman, “East India Company;” East India Company;
March 19 Midterm
March 21 Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
Read: Smith pp. 706-709, 803-807, 832-835; Ward & Gainty pp. 51-78;
Scientific Revolution; Enlightenment Overview
March 26 No Class
March 28 No Class
April 2 Enlightened Absolutism
Read: Smith pp. 807-810; Ward & Gainty pp. 46-50; Henderson, “Catherine the Great;”
Russia’s Eurasian Society; Frederick the Great; Catherine the Great;
April 4 French Revolution and Napoleon
Read: Smith pp. 810-822; Ward & Gainty pp. 142-155; Broers, “Napoleon and Europe;”
Execution Louis XVI; Political Culture & Female Sociability
April 9 Revolutions in the Americas
Read: Smith pp. 823-829; Ward & Gainty pp. 140-142, 155-158;
Lynch, “Simon Bolivar;” McFarlane, “Independence & Revolution in Americas;”
Revolution or Rebellion? Toussaint l’Ouverture
Blackboard discussion begins
April 11 Industrial Revolution
Read: Smith pp. 839-855, 862-872; Ward & Gainty pp. 160-178; Women and Work
Human Cost of Industrialization; London Pollution; Women Miners;
April 16 Age of Ideologies
Read: Smith pp. 829-832; Ward & Gainty pp. 180-197; Communist Manifesto Ch 1-4
April 18 Nation Building in the Americas
Read: Smith pp. 875-881, 886-888; Ward & Gainty pp. 243-266; Monroe Doctrine;
April 23 Nation Building in Europe
Read: Smith pp. 881-886; Everyday Life and Popular Culture
April 25 Nationalism in the East: Ottomans and China
Read: Smith pp. 855-861; Ward & Gainty pp. 198-205 and 217-236;
Emergence of Modern China Part 1; Part 2; Part 3
April 30 Nationalism in Africa: Mfecane and Southern Africa
Read: Deflem, “Warfare, Political Leadership;” “Frontier in South African History”
Second Paper due
May 2 Colonization and Expansion: Africa and Asia
Read: Smith pp. 888-911; Ward & Gainty pp. 206-216; Benefits of British Rule;
Blackboard discussion begins
May 7 The New Imperialism
Read: “America in Hawaii;” Ward & Gainty pp. 236-242; Black Man’s Burden
May 9 Prelude to WW I
Read: Smith pp. 915-933
May 16 Final Exam 9:40-11:30
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 Blackboard 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 Blackboard and on my web site. 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 - especially Wikipedia - 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.
Paper Instructions
All students will write two 5 page (1500 words) papers on topics to be assigned. 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 their use and presentation of supporting evidence or examples. Since these papers are so short, keep quotations to a minimum so that you have enough room to develop your own thoughts and arguments. To strengthen your argument(s) your papers should draw upon and cite specific historical examples as well as corroborating evidence. There is ample material on which to base your papers in my lectures and your assigned readings; outside research, although always welcome, is not required.
First Paper Topic (due February 28)
What was the effect of religious controversies and structures on women’s roles in society? What political roles did women fill in the early modern world and how did they navigate the pitfalls inherent in the halls of power?
Second Paper Topic (due April 30)
Using one western and at least one non-western example, explore how the various ideas and ideologies which emerged from the Enlightenment and its aftermath shaped the process of global state building in the long 19th century (i.e. 1789-1914).