Spring 2008 West Civ since 1650 syllabus

42.126 Western Civilization Since 1650 Spring 2008

Professor: M. Hickey Office: OSH 130 x-4161 mhickey@bloomu.edu

Office hours: T-Th, 2:00-3:30 Wed. 4:00-6:00

Navigation links for this syllabus

Basic course information:

Brief course introduction
Required texts
Course grade components and grade scale
Policies regarding absences and late papers
Mandatory paper form
On reading documents and preparing for discussion
On using endnotes
On plagiarism (quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing correctly to avoid plagiarism)
On disruptive behavior

Explanations of graded course assignments:

Class participation
Quizzes
Mid-term exam
Term Paper
Final exam

Weekly Schedule of Lecture Topics and Assignments

___________

other links

Link to study questions on Fagan

Brief introduction to the course: This course is a survey (an overview) of Western Civilization since the mid-1600s with a primary concentration on European history.

Among the topics we will examine this semester:

the development of the centralizing state and the birth of the modern notion of the nation state, which expanded the claims of the state over people's lives
the development of modern science and its application to thinking about society (i.e., the Enlightenment)
the development capitalism and in particular of industrial capitalism, which transformed people's daily lives, created new kinds of social classes and social conflicts, and has led towards further globalization of human culture
the development of modern concepts of politics and government, and in particular the concept of rights
conflicts over how and by whom rights are defined and who "gets" them
the development of intellectual and social movements that have shaped people's understanding the world and guided their efforts to change it (e.g., Liberalism, Conservativism, Nationalism, Anarchism, Socialism, Communism, Fascism)
the development of new methods by which states and other political/social actors mobilize, control, or eliminate mass populations (e.g., propaganda, total war, genocide, ethnic cleansing)

There is a very heavy emphasis in this class on reading, analysis of reading, and writing about what you have read.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Improve your analytical skills as a reader and as a listener
Improve your communication skills, and in particular your writing skills
Develop skills in contextualizing and analyzing historical documents
Gain a usable survey-level knowledge of the history of Western Civilization
Apply the methods of historical study to problems of contemporary life

COURSE METHODS:

Lectures and class discussions on assigned topics (attendance and participation required!)
Readings in course textbook, web-linked documents, and a supplementary text
Five mixed-format quizzes on reading assignments
An in-class mid-term exam (on all assigned readings and lectures to the mid-term);
A 5-page term paper on the supplementary text
An in-class final exam (on all assigned readings and lectures since the mid-term).

Required texts:

The following books are required for this course:

Marvin Perry, et. al., Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics and Society, Volume II, From the 1600s Eight Edition (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007).

Brian Fagan, The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850 (New York: Basic Books, 2000). Link to study questions on Fagan.

In addition, there are required documents for reading each week, which you will find linked to the Weekly Schedule of Lecture Topics and Assignments.

Grade Components and Grade Scale

Your Grade in this course is based upon:

Class Participation and Attendance (10 percent)
Quizzes (20 percent)
Mid-term Exam (20 percent)
Term Paper (20 percent)
Final Paper (30 Percent).

The grade on your quizzes, exams, and papers will be based upon the accuracy, clarity, and logic of your answers, which must make use of our assigned readings evidence, as well as use of proper form and grammar.

Course grade scale: A = >92; A- = 91.9-90; B+ =89-88; B = 87.9-82; B- = 81.9-80; C+ = 79-78; C =77.9-72; C- = 71.9-70; D+ = 69-68; D = 67.9-60; E = <60

Please be sure to read the following policies regarding this course:

Policy on absences, missed quizzes and exams, and late papers: I will consider absences "excused" only in cases of medical, family, or university/work-related events about which you have informed me in writing in advance, or in cases that are documented in writing by the university administration.

Your class participation grade will fall by 5 percent for every unexcused absence.

If as a result of an unexcused absence you miss a quiz or an exam, you will fail that assignment. I will not give make-up quizzes or make-up exams for un-excused absences.

The paper assignment is due in class on the day indicated in the syllabus. After that date, I will deduct 10 percent from the grade for every business day that passes until you turn in the paper. If you turn in the paper that day without attending class, I will automatically treat it as one day late. The only circumstance under which I will allow a paper to be late is if you have an excused absence (see above).

Mandatory paper form

Your term paper must be written in 12 point Times Roman font, DOUBLE SPACED, with one inch margins.
Type your name in the top right hand corner of the first page.
Make sure that your initials are in the top right hand corner of every subsequent page.
All pages must be numbered at the bottom center of the page.
Staple papers in the top left hand corner.
Single-indent the first sentence of each paragraph.
Do not "double-skip" between paragraphs.
All quotations must be placed in quotation marks, except in the case of bloc quotations.
All quotations, paraphrases, and direct summaries must be accompanied by endnotes in proper form. See the linked pages On Plagiarism (Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing correctly to avoid plagiarism) and On using endnotes.

Warning #1: If your paper does not follow the proper form, I will give it back to you un-graded. You then will have 48 hours to correct it. If you do not correct the form, you will receive no credit for the assignment. You will have only one chance to revise.

Warning #2: If I find more than 5 obvious errors in grammar or spelling on any one page of your paper, I will stop reading the paper and give it back to you un-graded. You then will have 48 hours to correct the spelling and grammar errors in the paper. You will have only one chance to revise.

Warning #3: I will not tolerate plagiarism in any form.

If a student is found to have plagiarized all or part of any quiz, he or she will fail that assignment if it is the first offense. If there is a repeat offense, you will fail the course and I will file a formal charge against them with the University, as per the University's Academic Integrity Policy (PRP 3512).
If a student is found to have plagiarized all or part of any exam or term paper assignment, he or she will fail the entire course and I will file a formal charge against them with the University, as per the University's Academic Integrity Policy (PRP 3512).
Please be sure that you have read the University's Academic Integrity Policy PRP 3512 (http://www.bloomu.edu/current/prps/3512.php).
Also, be sure that you have read my explanation of how to avoid plagiarism: On Plagiarism vs Quoting.

On reading the web-linked documents and preparing for class discussions:

Almost every week this semester you will be asked to read 1-2 primary sources.

A primary source is any document from the past that was created during the time period under study. So, the diary of an upper-class women who lived during England's "Glorious Revolution" would be a primary source on life in England in the late 1600s. Work rules posted at a factory in Paris in 1844 would be a primary source on life in France in the 1840s. A photograph taken by a soldier during a battle in World War One would be a primary source on the experience of soldiers during that war. A law issued by the German government in 1935 would be a primary source on the policies of Nazi Germany. (You get the idea.)

All of our primary sources this semester are posted at Internet sites. They are all "real" documents that have been transcribed to the web without changes to the texts or images (except for some abridgement, which is always noted). For document that we not in English, I have sought out decent translations.

When you read each document or view each image, you must take notes. Your notes should answer the following questions:

When and where was this document written?
Who wrote this document?
Who was the author's intended audience?
What was the context (the background) for the writing of the document?
If the context is not clear from the text of the document, then: make note of the time, place and the identity of the creator; look in your textbook to see what you can learn about the context (that time/place/person).
What does the document say at its "surface level"? In other words, what is the most meaning of the document and what is "happening" in the document?
What specific evidence in the document supports your interpretation of its "surface" meaning?
Go deeper than the surface level and think about what you know about the context: what main point or points was the author of the document making?
What specific evidence in the document supports your interpretation of its "deeper" meaning?
What does the document show us about the specific event it records or about the time and place it records?

GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:

Class participation (10 percent):

The most basic component of participation is being present in class. Therefore, I will deduct points from your participation grade for each unexcused absence. (See above, Policies regarding absences and late papers.)

Beyond your being in the room, my expectations regarding your participation are that you:

complete the reading assignments for each week before our first class session that week (the exception being the first week of class)
take notes on all assigned readings so that you are able to ask and answer questions in an informed manner
take notes on the course lectures and discussions
ask questions about anything that is unclear to you (I will explain as many times and ways as necessary to answer your question)
ask questions about anything about which you would like more information (I will answer if there is time and if I am able. If there is not time, I will discuss the answer with you outside of class. If I do not know the answer, I will say so and will try to find an answer.)
volunteer to answer questions that I ask to the class in general, but do so in an informed manner
answer questions in an informed manner if I ask you directly about course readings and lectures
participate in small group discussions and activities in an informed manner

What does "in an informed manner" mean? It means that your participation must reflect your having actually done the readings, that it must reflect your having given serious thought to the readings and to the content of lectures.

Your grade will be based upon the quality of your participation in class (on how your participation has added to the class, rather than on how many times you spoke).

Quizzes (20 percent): You will have five quizzes on assigned readings from Perry, Western Civilization and on assigned documents that you will find linked to the weekly syllabus.

I will not give you advanced notice of the quizzes. The best way to prepare is to:

complete the readings on schedule
answer all of the "Review Questions" at the end of every chapter in the Perry textbook to ensure that you understood the readings. If you do not know the answer to a question, then you need to re-read that section of the chapter.
take careful notes on the assigned documents linked to the weekly syllabus
take careful notes on class lectures
take careful notes on class discussions
always bring your notes on readings, lectures, and discussions with you to class (to review)

Some quizzes may be multiple choice format, some may be short answer, some may be short essays. Some might be in-class assignments, and some might be take home assignments. Some might require that you turn in you notes on that week's reading assignments.

Your grade on each quiz will be based upon the percentage of correct answers you provide on that quiz. Your course quiz grade will be the average of all of your quiz scores.

Midterm Exam (20 percent):

You will have an in-class midterm exam on Thursday of Week V. The exam will include a multiple choice section and an essay section, and it will cover all of the readings and lectures from weeks I-IV.

The best way to study for the exam is to:

do all of the assigned readings
write out answers to the study questions at the end of each chapter in the textbook
take careful notes both when you read the documents
take careful notes in all class sessions
review your notes before the exam.

You will write the essay portion of your exam in a Blue Book.

You must purchase your Blue Book before class meets on Tuesday of Week V. The Blue Books cost about 25 cents and are available at the University Store.
On the cover of the Blue Book, you must write your last name, first name, and the time that your section.
In class on Tuesday of Week V you must give me the Blue Book on which you have written your name, etc.
I will give you back your Blue Book before the exam begins on Thursday of Week V.
You must write your essay in class in either a #2 pencil or a blue or black pen.

The multiple choice portion of the exam will count for 30 percent of the grade and the essay will count for 70 percent.

I will grade the multiple choice portion by giving you points for each correct answer. I will grade the essay by giving you points based upon:

the logic of your essay (do you present an argument that makes sense, with evidence that supports your major contentions?)
the clarity of your answer (is your essay coherent and well organized and are the connections between ideas and evidence presented clearly?)
your use of factual evidence from the readings and lectures (do you present specific examples that support of your argument)
Although on an in-class exam I will not deduct points for minor spelling and grammar errors, I will deduct points for major grammar errors (as those undermine the clarity of your essay).

Term Paper (20 percent) : You will write a paper that uses as its only source Fagan's The Little Ice Age. The paper will be due on Thursday of Week X.

You will find study questions on the Fagan book linked to this syllabus. These are to help guide you through the book. Plan on finishing the book by the end of week VIII, so that you have enough time to write your paper, revise it, and revise it again before the due date. (Don't turn in a first draft!)

In your paper you must answer one (and only one) of the following questions:

According to Fagan, was there any connection between food shortages and popular unrest (riots, protests, revolutionary uprisings) in Europe in the period 1650-1850? Be sure to give specific examples from the 1600s-1800s, and be sure to explain whether or not the weather was the only factor causing these food shortages.
According to Fagan, how did climate change force people to alter their methods of agriculture during the Little Ice Age and what were the results? Be sure to explain where (what countries), when, and how people adapted agriculture in response to changing climate. Give specific examples of from at least two different centuries.
According to Fagan, what was the long term pattern of climate change during the Little Ice Age and how has that pattern been altered since the 1850s. Explain if climate changes during the Little Ice Age and since has been rapid or slow, constant or irregular, peaceful or violent. Give specific examples for the 1600s-1900s.

Your answer must be presented in a typed paper that follows the mandatory paper form for this class. Your paper must be at least 4 complete pages long, not counting the endnotes. (See the link On using endnotes)

Your paper should have:

an introduction (which sets up and then states your thesis, in other words, your main answer to the question)
at least 3 1/2 pages of body paragraphs (each of which presents and explain the evidence that supports your thesis)
and a conclusion (which re-states your thesis and sums up your evidence)

In grading your term paper, I will give you points based upon:

the accuracy of your answer (have you stated Fagan's position correctly?)
the logic of your answer (do you present an argument that makes sense, with evidence that supports your major contentions?)
the clarity of your answer (is your essay coherent and well organized and are the connections between ideas and evidence presented clearly?)
your use of factual evidence from Fagan book (do you present specific examples that support of your argument)
Correct use of endnote form (See link on using endnotes.)
Correct spelling and grammar

Again, you must follow the mandatory paper form. I will not grade your paper if it is not in proper form and I will not grade your paper if I find more than five serious spelling or grammar errors on any one page.

To prevent accidental plagiarism, read the link that explains how to quote, paraphrase, and summarize correctly.

Final Exam (30 percent): At our final exam session during Week XVI, you will have an in-class final exam. The exam will include a multiple choice section and an essay section. It will cover all of the readings and lectures since the midterm exam.

The best way to study for the exam is to:

do all of the assigned readings
write out answers to the study questions at the end of each chapter in the textbook
take careful notes when you read the documents
take careful notes in all class sessions
review your notes before the exam.

You will write the essay portion of your exam in a Blue Book.

You must purchase your Blue Book before class meets on Thursday of Week XIV. The Blue Books cost about 25 cents and are available at the University Store.
On the cover of the Blue Book, you must write your last name, first name, and the time that your section
In class on Thursday of Week XIV you must give me the Blue Book on which you have written your name, etc.
I will give you back your Blue Book before the final exam begins on the exam day
You must write your essay in class in either a #2 pencil or a blue or black pen.

The multiple choice portion of the exam will count for 30 percent of the exam grade and the essay will count for 70 percent.

I will grade the multiple choice portion by giving you points for each correct answer. I will grade the essay by giving you points based upon:

the logic of your essay (do you present an argument that makes sense, with evidence that supports your major contentions?)
the clarity of your answer (is your essay coherent and well organized and are the connections between ideas and evidence presented clearly?)
your use of factual evidence from the readings and lectures (do you present specific examples that support of your argument).
Although on an in-class exam I will not deduct points for minor spelling and grammar errors, I will deduct points for major grammar errors (as those undermine the clarity of your essay).

Weekly schedule:

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.

Perry refers to Marvin Perry, et al., Western Civilization, volume 2. Be sure to answer the Review Questions at the end of each chapter.
Fagan refers to Brian Fagan, The Little Ice Age. Link to study questions on Fagan.
All other reading assignments are documents linked to this syllabus. Take notes on the documents based upon the directions above on reading documents and preparing for discussions.

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

Readings:

Begin Perry, Chapter 16
Read Fagan to page 45 (to the end of chapter 2).
Notice that the Fagan reading assignments do not always cover the same time period we are discussing in class. I have divided up the Fagan readings to get you to the end of the book on time to write your term paper.

Week II : Life and Politics in Early Modern Europe

Readings:

Finish Perry, Chapter 16, begin Chapter 17
Read Fagan, pages 45-78 (Chapters 3 and 4)
Documents: British Parliament, "The English Bill of Rights, 1689" (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/england.htm)

Is a quiz possible? Don't get caught unprepared!

Week III: Science and the Enlightenment

Readings: