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Western Civilization Since 1650  (42.126)

M. Hickey  Old Science Hall Office 130  389-4161 hickey@bloomu.edu

Office Hours:  M, W, 4:00-5:00; T, Th 2-3:30.

Final Exam Schedule: 

 

 

Navigation links for this syllabus

Brief Description      Mid-Term Exams   Final Exam    Required Texts      Absence policy

Weekly Schedule     Wessley study guide answer key

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NEW LINK------------Final Exam Question

Questions for Exam III

Explanation of grading standards on exam II

Grade Keys for Exam II

Second Mid-Term Essay Question

First Mid-Term Exam Essay Questions

Explanation of the grading standards on exam 1

________

On Plagiarism vs Quoting    On Disruptive Behavior            

Link to Hickey's European and Jewish History Resources Page

 

Brief Description:   This course is a survey of "Western Civilization" since the mid-1600s, although we will concentrate primarily on European societies.  

Here is a short list of some of the themes and topics we will follow this semester:   

 

Most of our class sessions will be lectures.  It is a VERY good idea to take careful notes during lectures. 

The Final Grade in this course is based upon:  Three Mid-Term Exams (20 percent each); and a Final Exam (40 Percent).  In grading all of your exams, my primary concern will be your accuracy, clarity, and logic (although I also will take into consideration "technical" matters, such as grammar).  Your grade for the course will also depend upon your attendance (see below).

Regarding Cheating and Plagiarism:  I will enforce university policy on cheating and plagiarism.  Please read the linked statement regarding plagiarism

Regarding Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom:  I will enforce university policy on classroom conduct.  Please read the linked statement regarding disruptive behavior in the classroom.

 

Absence Policy:  I will consider as "excused" absences only those medical, family, or activity related events (etc.) that the student has discussed with me in advance and/or that are documented by the university administration.  All other absences will be treated as "unexcused." 

Your grade FOR THE ENTIRE COURSE will fall in direct ratio to the percentage of classes that you miss (unexcused absences).  If, for instance, you have three unexcused absences (= 10 percent of course sessions), then your grade in the course will fall by 10 percent (etc).

Required Texts

Judith Coffin, et al., Western Civilizations:  Their History and Their Culture, Vol. 2, 14th Edition (New York: Norton, 2002). 

Stephen Wessley, Study Guide for Coffin (et al), Western Civilizations Volume 2 14th Edition (New York: Norton, 2002).

Brophy, et al., Perspectives from the Past, Vol. 2 (New York:  Norton, 2002).

Emile Zola, L'Assommoir; the Dram Shop (New York:  Penguin, 2001).

  
ON-LINE TUTOR WEBSITE:   Norton, the publisher of the Coffin textbook, provides an "on-line tutor" program for the course text.   It is called the "Western Civilizations Online Tutor," by  Steven Kreis of Wake Technical College. The website for the on-line tutor is www.wwnorton.com/wciv.  To use this website, your computer must have a "flash player" version 5 and use Explorer version 5 (or higher) or Netscape version 4.7 (or higher).  The publisher's website provides free downloads of upgrades for these programs.  I encourage you to use this on-line tutor program, but it is not required for the course.

 

Mid-Term Exams:  (3 @ 20 percent each)  You will have three mid-term exams.  Each examine will include questions in the multiple choice, short answer, and essay format.  You can expect to have multiple choice questions on the course textbook, short answer questions on documents assigned from the Brophy document reader, and essays on the lectures and the readings. 

The first midterm will take place in the 4th week of class; the second will take place in the 8th week of class; and the third will take place in the 12th week of class.  We will determine the exact day of each exam (Tuesday or Thursday) later in the semester.   I will not schedule "make-up" exams unless I receive notification from the University administration that your absence is excused for the day of the exam.

In grading the exams, my primary concern will be your accuracy, clarity, and logic (although I will also take into consideration "technical" matters such as grammar).

The best way to prepare for exams is to complete all of the assigned readings and to take careful notes during lectures.  Use the Wessley study guide to study for the exam sections on the textbook.  

 

Final Exam:  (40 percent)  You will take an in-class final exam, which will be mixed format (like the midterm exams).  The final exam will be comprehensive, and will cover all of the readings and lectures for the entire semester. 

I will not schedule "make-up" exams unless I receive notification from the University administration that your absence is excused for the day of the exam. In grading your essays my primary concern will be your accuracy, clarity, and logic (although I will also take into consideration "technical" matters such as grammar).

 

Weekly schedule:

 

A Note on reading assignments:

Coffin refers to Western Civilizations.  For each week, I indicate the reading assignments that should be finished by Tuesday (the exception, of course, is our first class session).  Be sure to read the chapter introductions and the "document boxes" as well as the chapter text.  At the end of each chapter, you should be able to answer that chapter's study questions

Wessley refers to Study Guide for Coffin (et al).  For most students, the best way to check to see if you have understood the textbook is to answer the questions in this study guide.  Also, each chapter in Wessley includes a few documents, some of which I might expect you to use in writing your exams.

Brophy refers to Perspectives from the Past.  It is best to first read Coffin each week, and then to do the readings in Brophy.  When you read Brophy each week, be sure to begin with the chapter introductions.  Before you read each assigned document, be sure that you read that document's introduction.  When you finish reading each assigned document, be sure that you can answer the review questions.  Although all of the documents in each chapter are important, I indicate the documents that I particularly want you to read consider each week as "key" documents.

These documents are often very difficult to read--they are written in the style and vocabulary of their time, and have not been "altered" to make them "easy."  Often they are on difficult topics, like philosophy or economic theory.  You will have to work at them.

 

This is a provisional schedule--I may find it necessary to change the dates of some assignments during the semester, and I may at times run a bit ahead or behind the syllabus.

 

Week I :  Introduction to the course; Life in Early Modern Europe

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 16; Wessley, Chapter 16.   

Brophy, intro to Ch. 16, key documents:

 

Week II:  Life and Politics in Early Modern Europe

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 17; Wessley, Chapter 17.

Brophy, Chapter 17, key documents:

Read ahead in Brophy, Chapter 18, key documents

Week III:  Science and the Enlightenment

Readings:  Coffin, Chapters 18 and 19; Wessley, Chapters 18 and 19.

Brophy, Chapter 19, key documents

Also, from Brophy Chapter 21

 

Week IV:  The French Revolution (I will give a short intro to the topic on Tuesday--the outline applies to next week's lecture)

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 20; Wessley, Chapter 20.

Brophy, Chapter 20, key documents: 

MIDTERM EXAM ONE THIS WEEK-- THURSDAY

 

Week V:  Lecture Thursday is on The French Revolution

See week IV reading assignments

Read the following for next week

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 21; Wessley, Chapter 21.

Brophy, Chapter 21, key documents  (These are on the industrial revolution)

From Brophy, Chapter 22: 

Week VI:  Lecture Tuesday is on the The French Revolution.  Lecture Thursday is on The Industrial Revolution and Social Change

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 22; Wessley, Chapter 22.

Brophy, Chapter 22, key documents

Week VII:   Social Change and Politics in the Early 1800s

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 23; Wessley, Chapter 23.

Brophy, Chapter 21, key documents

Brophy, Chapter 22, key documents

Brophy, Chapter 23, key documents

                                                                               

Week VIII:  The Revolutions of 1848

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 24; Wessley, Chapter 24.

Begin reading the Zola novel (it takes place in the late 1840s and early 1850s)

MIDTERM EXAM TWO THIS WEEK

 

Week IX:  The Revolutions of 1848 (see last week's readings)/ Mass Politics and State Authority in Europe, 1850-1914   

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 25; Wessley, Chapter 25.

Brophy, chapter 23, key documents

Brophy, chapter 24, key documents

 

Week X:  Mass Politics and State Authority in Europe, 1850-1914   

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 26; Wessley, Chapter 26.   READINGS ALSO COVER LECTURE ON IMPERIALISM

Brophy, chapter 25, key documents

Brophy, Chapter 26, key documents

 

Week XI:  end of lecture on politics in 1850-1914/ IMPERIALISM

Readings:  FOR NEXT WEEK'S LECTURE ON WWI Coffin, Chapter 27; Wessley, Chapter 27.

Brophy, chapter 27, key documents

 

Week XII:  World War One/ The Russian Revolution  [I will not have a chance to present this lecture in class, but you are REQUIRED to read the linked lecture notes!  If you have any questions about these lecture notes, be sure to ask me!

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 28; Wessley, Chapter 28.

Brophy, chapter 28

 

 

Week XIII:  The rise of Fascism and Nazism in Central Europe  

MID-TERM EXAM THREE ON TUESDAY!!!

Readings:  Coffin, Chapter 29; Wessley, Chapter 29..  

Brophy, chapter 29, key documents

 

Week XIV:  Nazi Rule and World War Two

Readings:  Brophy, chapter 29, key documents

 

Week XV:  The Cold War Era

Readings:  Coffin, Chapters 30 and 31; Wessley, Chapters 30 and 31.

Brophy, chapter 30, key documents

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Week XVI:  Final Exam

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