Western Civilization II: 1500 to the Present

Transcription

1 History Instructor: David Ciarlo Spring, 2013 Office: Hellems 330 TTh 12:30-1:45 room: Humn 1B50 Office Hours: TTh 2-3 Teaching Assistants: Noha Naqeeb (for last name A-L) Office Hours: TTh 11:30-12:30 in Hellems 359 Western Civilization II: 1500 to the Present Peter Evans (for last name M-Z) Office Hours: WF 12-1 in Hellems 359 What is the history of "Western Civilization"? Some approach it as a sort of march-of-progress (with a few backward slips) beginning with the philosophy of the Greeks and the engineering of the Romans, and ascending, step-by-step, up through the scholasticism of the medieval monastery, the constitutional monarchy of English parliamentarianism, the scientific revolution, the rights of man (as set down by French philosophes) during the Enlightenment, the free-market system, the industrial revolution, and the globalization of the present day all of which culminate in those twin triumphs of Capitalism and Democracy. Western civilization, in this view, has led rest of the world into an ever-brightening future. Others are more skeptical, focusing instead upon the coercion behind every innovation. "Western" values were forced upon other cultures by means of the conquistador's sword, the slave-shackle, the gunboat, the machine gun, and the ruthless centralization of capital. The "superiority" of the West, in this view, is a not a superiority of ideas, but of firepower and finance, both of which were honed over centuries of warfare and ruthless exploitation. And the elaborate philosophical reflections and participatory political systems found in the West only emerged to prettify or to justify its brutality they were but a velvet glove covering a mailed fist. Which view is the correct one? This history course sees the two faces of Western Civilization as inseparable from each other. Values cannot be so cleanly separated from the desire to promote those values, even to the point of cruel coercion. Ideas and philosophical reflections cannot be so neatly separated from the systems of exploitation in which they arose. To understand the history of Western Civilization, one has to come to terms with both the inspiration of ideals and the violence of systems. This course will seek to explore this dichotomous face of Western Civilization from a number of different angles. We will grapple with such topics as the origins of the French Revolution and the roots of overseas imperialism, and the innovations of the industrial economy and the oppressions of rigid social class structures. We will read both primary and secondary sources to gain a multiplicity of views. The class will offer formal lectures, but also informal discussions and collective analysis of visual sources. While we cannot possibly cover all topics in a single semester, the goal is to come away with an informed, sophisticated understanding of the larger arc of the history of Western Civilization. Books for Purchase: Lynn Hunt, et al, The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures A Concise History (Third Edition) ISBN: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (Broadview 3 rd Edition, edited by Macdonald and Scherf, 2012, orig. 1818) ISBN: Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto ISBN: Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front (Ballantine edition: 1987, orig. 1929) ISBN:

2 Other Readings: There will be a number of other short readings each week, posted on the D2L website. These will include primary sources and texts, and will rarely be longer than 20 pages (most will be around 5). The D2L course site is (learn.colorado.edu) Requirements: - There will be an in-class midterm and final exam (bluebook-style) both of which will center around one central essay question, but also require the identification of historical terms and images. These exams essays and IDs will draw from lectures and readings, including the textbook. - There will be two 4-5 page papers: due Feb. 14 and Apr 4. - There will be five quizzes, 2 in-class (on readings), 3 taken electronically (via D2L) - Attendance is a crucial part of the class, and (because we all need motivation!) attendance will factored in as the equivalent of one quiz grade. Grading Breakdown First 4-5 page Paper (due Feb. 14) 20% Mid-Term 15% Second 4-5 page Paper (due Apr. 4) 20% Quizzes (five, plus attendance; lowest dropped) 20% Final Exam 25% Please note: plagiarism of any kind that is taking another's words and/or ideas from a book, another student, or from the internet without complete citation will not be tolerated regardless of the circumstances, and will be referred to the Honor Code Committee for disciplinary action. The penalty for cutting-and-pasting from Wikipedia or submitting a paper from an online paper mill is an "F" for the class grade, in addition to any penalties administered by the Honor Code Committee Attendance policy: Attendance will evaluated as the equivalent to one ten-point quiz, with 1 letter grade lost for every 2 absences (excused or otherwise) after the first. i.e. zero or 1 absence = 10 (A); two or three absences = 9 (A-); four or five = 8 (B-); six or seven = 7 (C-); etc. ) Laptop policy: to avoid distractions (and especially, avoid distracting others) laptops should be avoided. However, students desiring to use them regardless must then sign the laptop-usage policy which has (as described therein) the potential for a negative effect upon attendance quiz grade. Course Outline: Week 1: Jan. 15 (Tues.) Introduction to the course: What is "Western Civilization," anyway? Jan. 17 (Thurs.) The Voyages of Discovery and the Spanish Conquest of the New World start reading Lynn Hunt, et al, Making of the West: skim pp for background; read pp Week 2: Jan. 22 (Tues.) New Horizons in Europe & Wars of Religion Making of the West, Chapter 12 ( )

3 Jan. 24 (Thurs.) The Rise of the State: Absolutism, Constitutional Monarchy, Bureaucracy start reading Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Week 3: Jan. 29 (Tues.) Mercantilism & Colonies Making of the West, Chapter 13 First Quiz (on-line, via D2L) due before class Jan. 31 (Thurs.) New World Slavery & the Atlantic System Making of the West, Week 4: Feb. 5 (Tues.) New World of Scientific Thought (the Scientific "Revolution") Making of the West, reread ; read Feb. 7 (Thurs.) Romanticism Making of the West, (jump ahead to) Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Second Quiz (in-class) on Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Week 5: Feb. 12 (Tues.) Enlightenment & The Corruptions of the Ancien Regime Making of the West, Chapter 15 Feb. 14 (Thurs.) The French Revolution & the Napoleonic Wars Making of the West, Chapter 16 *First Paper Due at beginning of class Week 6: Feb. 19 (Tues.) Industrialization Making of the West, Chapter 17 Feb. 21 (Thurs.) Social Consequences of Industrialization: Liberalism & Socialism Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto Third Quiz (on-line, via D2L) due before class Week 7: Feb. 26 (Tues.) Revolutions of 1848 and the New Nations: Italy; Germany Making of the West, Feb. 28 (Thurs.) Mid-term Exam (in-class) Week 8: Mar. 5 (Tues.) New Nations; Second Industrial Revolution & Exhibitions Making of the West, Mar. 7 (Thurs.) Feminism & New Era of Mass Politics (and Mass Consumption) Making of the West, Week 9: Mar. 12 (Tues.) The New Imperialism I: The Scramble for Africa Making of the West,

4 Mar. 14 (Thurs.) The New Imperialism II: in the colonies George Orwell "Shooting an Elephant" start reading Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front Week 10: Mar. 19 (Tues.) Origins of World War Making of the West, Mar. 21 (Thurs.) The First World War Making of the West, Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front Spring Break (!) (March 25 29) Week 11: Apr. 2 (Tues.) Revolution in Russia: The Rise of State Socialism Apr. 4 (Thurs.) Avant-Garde Europe and the Rise of Fascism in Italy Making of the West, *Second paper due at beginning of class Week 12: Apr. 9 (Tues.) Rise of Nazism Making of the West, Apr. 11 (Thurs.) The Gathering Storm: Europe in the 1930s Fourth Quiz (on-line via D2L), due before class Week 13: Apr. 16 (Tues.) The Second World War Making of the West, Apr. 18 (Thurs.) The Holocaust Week 14: Apr. 23 (Tues.) The Cold War and Decolonization Making of the West, Apr. 25 (Thurs.) State Socialism in the East; The European Union in the West excerpts from Slavekna Drakulic, How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed Fifth Quiz (in-class) on Drakulic Week 15: Apr. 30 (Tues.) The Fall of Communism Making of the West, ; Chapter 23 May 2 (Thurs.) Globalization Making of the West, Chapter 24 Final Exam is Tuesday, May 7, at 1:30 p.m.

5 Class & Campus Policies Disability Services: If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities; their telephone nuber is (303) Religious Observance: I will make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. If you have a religious obligation that falls on the day of a quiz or an exam, please see me as early as possible during the semester. See full details at Classroom Behavior: We are all in this together. I will strive to treat all students with understanding, dignity and respect; I will also strive to guide classroom discussion in a way that encourages students to express opinions, while emphasizing that we all recognize and understand that sensitivity is especially important with respect to certain topics, particularly those dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, creed, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationality. Please come talk to me or one of the TAs if you have any concerns whatsoever in this area. Campus policies are at: and at Note: Because this is a large class, and the potential for disrupting other students' concentration is high, please do not come in to class late or leave early; converse with neighbors; text; or use your computer for anything other than taking notes (see especially separate laptop-usage policy). Please DO feel free to ask questions! And feel free to share observations with the class. Discrimination and Harassment: The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on Discrimination and Harassment apply to all students, staff and (yes) even faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at or the Office of Judicial Affairs at Information about the ODH, the above referenced policies and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at Honor Code: All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; ). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on the Honor Code can be found at and at Note: Your papers will be submitted to a plagiarism website to ensure against cheating. Please be aware that you will receive an F for the course if you are caught cheating in addition to any penalties assessed by the Honor Code Council.