Hist 102: The Modern Era

History 102: The Modern Era

For terms and outlines, click here

Spring 2009, MWF 9:30, LS 013.
Professor David Stone
Office: EH 318
Email: stone@ksu.edu
Phone: 532-6730

Read this syllabus carefully. Most of your questions about the class are answered here. If you don't find your answer here, please feel free to ask us for clarification. You can also catch us before and after class or contact us by email to arrange a time to meet.

OBJECTIVES: This course will cover the development of Western civilization, focusing on Europe, over the last 500 years. I have structured the course and the assignments so that you will:

1) learn the historical content of this period by becoming familiar with the most important people, ideas, and events of European history.

2) gain some historical perspective by understanding the changing ways Europeans have thought about themselves and their world.

3) understand the most important trends and forces shaping Western civilization.

4) experience how historians work and how history is produced by writing papers based on primary sources.

GRADE BREAKDOWN:

First paper thesis:      10 points
First paper:              100 points
Second paper thesis:   10 points
Second paper:       100 points
Midterm Exam:       100 points
Final Exam:           150 points
Map quiz 1:           20 points
Map quiz 2:           20 points
Attendance:           15 points
                               ----------
Total points possible:   525 points

Although 525 points are possible, your grade will be calculated out of 500 points. That is, 450 points will earn an A, 400 points a B, and so on. It is possible but not guaranteed that I will curve grades at the end of the semester. If I do curve, it will be only in your favor, not against you. I also take into account improvement (or the opposite) over the course of the semester. Grades on assignments will be posted to K-State Online as soon as they are ready.

REQUIREMENTS:

1) READING. I expect you to keep up with the reading. The best way to learn the material is to read it before class, hear me talk about it in class, write it in your notes, and review your notes later. The more ways you get the information into your head, the better off you are.

2) ATTENDANCE. Coming to class is important to doing well. If you miss class, YOU are responsible for getting the material you miss. Do NOT come to me or the GTA for notes or terms when you miss class. I do not get into the business of determining excused and unexcused absences.

3) PARTICIPATION. I welcome your questions in class, after class, and during office hours. Please feel free to contact me if you do not understand something or wish to learn more.

4) WRITING. You will write two short (1000 word) papers during the semester based on the primary sources in Rogers's Aspects of Western Civilization volume. Topics will be distributed over the class email list at least two weeks before the papers are due. You need to email me your proposed thesis a week before the papers are due. I expect papers to be handed in on time, and late papers will be marked down 10% for each day they are late. I also expect them to be written in clear, grammatical English. Papers which don't meet this standard may be returned for an immediate rewrite.

These papers are intended to give you an introduction to working with primary sources. They will probably not be like other papers you have written in the past, as they are intended to teach you some of the skills needed to work with primary sources. Because they are so different, pay careful attention to the paper assignments when I distribute them.

5) EXAMS. We will have a midterm and a final, consisting of paragraph-length identifications of important individuals, concepts, and events, along with essay questions over the lectures and readings. The identifications on the exams will be drawn solely from the list of terms I write on the board at the beginning of each class. The final will cover only material after the midterm. You will need to bring to the exams your own blue books (blue-covered booklets on sale in the bookstore for writing exam answers).

6) There will be 2 map quizzes, one at the beginning and one at the end of the semester.

7) TEXTS TO PURCHASE. These are both available in the Union and at Varney's. Feel free to buy them online if you can find them more cheaply, but be sure you've got the right volume and right edition. The ISBN is the number to check.

Hunt, Martin, et al., The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, Vol. II: Since 1500 (3rd edition: ISBN 0-312-45296-9)
Rogers, Aspects of Western Civilization, vol. II (6th edition: ISBN 0-13-205049-8)

8) EMAIL ACCOUNT. All of you will be automatically subscribed to the class email list through your Kansas State email address. If you usually use another address, you need to subscribe to the listserv yourself through your usual account. Sometimes, your outside email account may reject these email messages; it is your responsibility to correct this or to use your K-State account. Important course information will be distributed via email and only by email.

SCHEDULE. NOTE: the readings listed with a particular day are to be read BY THE START OF CLASS THAT DAY

PART I: The Old Regime

January 16. Introduction to Class / The Late Medieval World. Reading: Rogers, pp. 3-12; Making of the West, pp. 426-429

January 19. NO CLASS.
January 21. The Reformation. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 429-440, 451-465; Rogers, pp. 13-32.
January 23. Absolutism. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 441-448,483-497; Rogers, pp. 52-68.

January 26. Constitutionalism. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 497-508; Rogers, pp. 33-51.
January 28. Life and Death in the Old Regime. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 465-469. FIRST MAP QUIZ TODAY
January 30. The Old Regime and the World. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 419-426, 470, 520-529.

February 2. The Scientific Revolution. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 471-480; Rogers, Chap. 3, pp. 69-85.
February 4. The Enlightenment, pt. I. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 545-550, 556-567; Rogers, pp. 86-103.
February 6. The Enlightenment, pt. II. Reading: Rogers, pp. 104-118.

February 9. The Enlightened Eighteenth Century. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 536-545, 573-584.

Part II: Revolution and the End of the Old Regime

February 11. The Revolutionary Era. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 587-600; Rogers, pp. 121-139.
February 13. Love, Sex, and / or Marriage under the Old Regime. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 509-516.

February 16. The Radical Revolution. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 600-615; Rogers, pp. 139-152.
February 18. Napoleon. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 619-635; Rogers, pp. 153-167.
February 20. The Conservative System. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 636-640, 644-649.
THESIS FOR FIRST PAPER EMAILED TO PROFESSOR STONE BY 5:00PM, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20.

Part III: The Road to Modern Europe

February 23. Agricultural and Industrial Revolution. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 529-536, 567-573, 653-670.
February 25. Romanticism. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 640-643; Rogers, pp. 168-172.
February 27. Liberalism and Nationalism. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 670-675; Rogers, pp. 173-185, 204-210.

FIRST PAPER DUE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, IN CLASS.

March 2. Famine and Revolution. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 678-686.
March 4. Socialism and Communism. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 675-678, 712-715; Rogers, pp. 186-204, 211-222.
March 6. MIDTERM EXAM.

March 9. The Rise of Nation-States. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 689-705; Rogers, pp. 246-250.
March 11. Birth of Modern Thought. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 715-721, 763-770; Rogers, pp. 223-230, 263-269.
March 13. Social Change and the Second Industrial Revolution. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 705-710, 725-733, 740-750.

SPRING BREAK

March 23. Political Change. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 750-759, 776-783; Rogers, pp. 250-263.
March 25. Imperialism and Racism. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 710-713, 733-740, 783-790; Rogers, pp. 230-235, 238-245.

Part IV: The Bloody Twentieth Century

March 27. The Road to World War I. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 790-795; Rogers, pp. 273-288.

March 30. World War I. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 799-809; Rogers, pp. 289-303.
April 1. The End of World War I. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 810-816; Rogers, pp. 308-324.
April 3. The Versailles Settlement. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 816-821; Rogers, pp. 303-307.

April 6. The Hopeful 1920s. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 821-827, 833-835; Rogers, pp. 352-357.
April 8. The Great Depression. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 839-844, 852-856.
April 10. The Soviet Experiment. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 831-833, 844-847; Rogers, pp. 324-348.

April 13. Modernism and the Arts. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 771-776, 827-831.
April 15. Rise of Hitler. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 847-852; Rogers, pp. 358-386.
April 17. The Road to World War II. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 856-861; Rogers, pp. 387-397.
THESIS FOR SECOND PAPER EMAILED TO INSTRUCTOR BY 5:00 PM FRIDAY, APRIL 17.

April 20. World War II. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 862-875; Rogers, pp. 399-401, 430-436, 440-443.
April 22. The Holocaust. Reading: Rogers, pp. 407-429.

Part V: The Post-War World

April 24. The Cold War. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 880-888; Rogers, pp. 444-454; 462-475.
SECOND PAPER DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 24, IN CLASS

April 27. European Unity. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 888-897, 902-911.
April 29. European Society and Western Crisis. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 916-939. SECOND MAP QUIZ TODAY.
May 1. European Revival and Renewed Cold War. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 939-942.

May 4. The Fall of Communism. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 942-948, 951-955; Rogers, pp. 475-484, 489-493.
May 6. Post-Cold War Europe. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 956-969, 974-982.
May 8. Islam and the West. Reading: Making of the West, pp. 897-902, 969-973; Rogers, pp. 235-237, 456-462, 493-502.

FINAL EXAM: Friday, May 15, 11:50 AM, LS 013

SUCCEEDING IN THIS COURSE

Although the precise figures fluctuate, every semester I teach this course approximately 10-15% of the people taking it earn an F. The vast majority of the people who fail the class do so because of easily avoidable mistakes. If you want to do well in this course, there are three simple things you need to do.

1) Come to class. If you skip class, you miss my lectures, you miss information about class assignments, and you miss my telling you what's important for you to know. Getting the notes from a friend is a poor substitute for being here yourself.

2) Do the reading. Doing the reading ahead of time helps you get more out of my lectures. The more times and the more ways you cover material, the better you learn it.

3) Take studying seriously. Every semester many students fail the first exam because they don't take seriously what I say you need to do: learn the key terms from each class. Make flash cards, study with friends, do whatever you need to do--just don't assume you'll learn those key terms by osmosis.

Lastly, I enclose below the comments of a student who went from an F on the midterm to earn an A in the class. I emailed her for specific advice she would give other students. This is her reply:

   "I don't know exactly how to explain my improvement. I honestly think it was all based on the fact that having taken the midterm, I knew what to expect for the final. I also was unhappy with my midterm grade and knew that I wanted to do better. I found myself more motivated to study for the final. There were a few differences that I did notice the second half of the semester. I set aside more time for the readings before going to class. I had a understanding of what we were going to be learning in lecture. In terms of studying for the final, I took the time to make note cards for all the terms. By studying note cards, I knew the terms better and in more detail then previously. Overall, I had more self-motivation to work ahead of time. I hope this gives you at least a small idea of what to tell future students."

POLICIES:

INCOMPLETES. The KSU policy on incompletes states (http://courses.ksu.edu/catalog/undergraduate/grades/):

   "The grade of Incomplete (I) is given in regular courses . . . upon request of the student for personal emergencies that are verifiable. The faculty member has the responsibility to provide written notification to the student of work required to remove the incomplete. The student has the responsibility to take the initiative in completing the work, and is expected to make up the incomplete during the first semester (enrolled) at the university after receiving the grade of I. If the student does not make up the incomplete during the first semester in residence at the university after receiving it, a grade may be given by the faculty member without further consultation with the student."

Please note that an incomplete is NOT awarded simply for failure to complete the coursework, but for verifiable personal emergencies.

ACADEMIC HONESTY, CHEATING, AND PLAGIARISM

I expect students to work honestly, and the vast majority of students do. Every semester, however, I catch one or two students cheating, and my policy on cheating is to assign a grade of F for the course and turn in the student involved to the Honor System.

From the Honor System website (http://www.ksu.edu/honor):
   "Kansas State University has an Undergraduate Honor System based on personal integrity which is presumed to be sufficient assurance in academic matters one's work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. Undergraduate students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Undergraduate Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Undergraduate Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning. A component vital to the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by undergraduate students. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: 'On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work.' A grade of XF can result from a breach of academic honesty. An XF would be failure of the course with the X on the transcript indicating failure as a result of a breach of academic honesty."

There are two main types of academic dishonesty that concern me in this course. The first is cheating on quizzes and exams. While this happens relatively rarely given the type of exams I give, any cheating of this sort (crib sheets, copying from a neighbor) is grounds for failing the course and a referral to the Honor System.

The more common type of academic dishonesty, in my experience, is plagiarism on papers.

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work as your own. This can involve turning in a paper written by someone else, taking a paper from the internet, or not properly giving credit to sources. For another definition, see the Honor System's discussion at http://www.ksu.edu/honor/examples.htm

WHY IS PLAGIARISM WRONG?

Plagiarism combines lying and stealing. Plagiarizing is lying, because it falsely claims credit for work actually done by someone else. It is stealing, because it takes the product of someone else's labor. Plagiarism also makes the exchange of ideas impossible. How can you trust what someone tells you if you can't check it yourself? You need to be able to examine evidence for yourself to be sure that an argument makes sense, but you can't do that if the sources aren't available.

HOW DO I AVOID PLAGIARISM?

Avoiding plagiarism is simple. You need to do two things. First, if you take an idea, concept, or fact from someone else, you must give credit to your source. That's usually done through a footnote, endnote, or parenthetical reference. HOW exactly you give credit isn't so important; what's important is actually doing it. Second, if you use someone else's exact words, you have to indicate that. Otherwise, you're taking credit for the hard work someone else put in to writing well. You should indicate your use of someone else's words by quotation marks (or a blocked quote for longer quotations) around the passages you've taken, and some sort of reference to the source.

Plagiarism is disregarding either one of these rules: taking information without giving credit, or taking someone else's language without showing that and giving credit.

WHAT ABOUT THE INTERNET?

Information on the internet is no different than information in books and other printed sources. If you take ideas or exact words from the internet without giving credit, you have lied about your own work, stolen someone else's work, and committed plagiarism.

Identifying your sources is even more important with internet sources. While getting a book published involves getting an editor and a publisher to agree that your work is worthwhile, any idiot can put absolutely anything on the net. Wouldn't you like to know if your information about Hitler, for example, comes from the American Nazi Party?