HIS-120 Syllabus Fall 2008

BOOKS

Required readings for the course are set out in the syllabus. Many are from internet sources
and occasional handouts. However, there are eight books available in The Book Mark:

David S. Mason, Revolutionary Europe 1789-1989
Lynn Hunt, The French Revolution and Human Rights
Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr Moreau
Ernst Jünger, Storm and Steel
Mary Louise Roberts, Society Without Sexes
John Lukacs, Five Days in London, May 1940

While these books are available in other places, including internet stores, remember
that only The Book Mark allows for returns if you drop the class.

WELCOME TO HIS-120!			The execution of King Louis XVI

September 5	The 18th Century and the Idea of Rights Reading: Mason, 13-23; Hunt, 1-12, 35-70
September 8	The French Revolution Reading: Mason, 25-32
September 10	RIghts and the Revolution Reading: Hunt, 13-31, 71-101, 119-39
September 12	The Revolution Outside of France Reading: Hunt, 101-18
September 15	Abolishing the Slave Trade		No reading assignment
There will be an optional practice open notebook midterm on Tuesday, September 16, that will cover the material to this point. Time and place to be arranged.
September 17	Industrial Revolution: Causes & Landmarks		Mason, 41-6
September 19	Industrial Revolution: Effects		Gaskell, author's preface & chaps. 1-14
September 22	Industrial Revolution: Effects		Mason, 46-51
September 24	Intrepreting Industrialization		Gaskell, chaps. 15-38 Click here for summary of 19-34
September 26	Casper David Friedrich, Two Men Watching the Moon (c. 1830) Metropolitan Mus. of Art	Romanticism
September 29		A Romantic Case Study: Reading: Shelley, v-70 (= author's introduction through vol. 2, chap. 2 if you are not using the Dover Thrift edition)
October 1		A Romantic Case Study: Reading: finish Shelley
October 3		Conservatism & Nationalism Reading: Mason, 32-39, 53-65
October 6	The Great Reform Act: Britain 1832	No reading assignment
October 8	Nobel Conference -- no class meeting
October 10	Socialism & Revolution	Mason, 67-78; readings from Marx, The German Ideology and Manifesto of the Communist Party (PDF)
October 13	Liberalism	Mill (all)
October 15	MIDTERM EXAM (6:00-9:30 pm) Click here for the study guide
October 17	Realism & Materialism		excerpt from Self-Help (Moodle)
*FALL READING BREAK*
October 22	New Approaches to Science		Mason, 79-91
October 24	Dr. Carlson at conference -- no class meeting
October 27	Urban Society & the Middle Classes		No reading assignment
October 29	National Unification: Italy & Germany		Mason, 93-103
October 31	Imperialism		Mason, 105-15; click here for additional sources
November 3	Gender & Sexuality in the fin de siecle		No reading assignment
November 5	The Age of Anxiety		Wells (all)
November 7	World War I: Causes Reading: Mason, 117-22
November 10	New Kind of War Reading: Junger, 5-50, 67-110, 121-40
November 12	The War at Home Reading: Mason, 126-30
November 14	The Soldier's Perspective Reading: Junger, 180-289
November 17	World War I: Political Legacies
November 19	Postwar Social Change		Roberts, 19-32, 37-45, 63-87, 93-119
November 21	High Culture and Mass Culture between the Wars		No reading assignment
November 24	Postwar Social Change		Roberts, 120-47, 153-211
*November 26/28 THANKSGIVING BREAK*
December 1	Gate to Auschwitz in 1945		Hitler and the Germans Reading: Mason, 149-54
December 3			World War II Reading: Mason, 154-8; Lukacs, chaps. 1-3
December 5			World War II Reading: Lukacs, chaps. 4-7
December 8			The Holocaust Reading: Mason, 158-61
December 10	The Cold War		Mason, 163-77
December 12	1989, The European Union, and the Future		Mason, 179-216
LAST EXAM Dec. 17 10:30-12:30 Click here for study guide			20th century British writer Virginia Woolf

· What is the role of the individual in history? Do the choices and decisions made by individual people matter in shaping the course of history, or is historical direction determined by forces at work that are largely beyond human control? These questions are particularly meaningful for many of the major events of this period, and can also help us to think of our own ability to shape the events that will be history. · During this time, vastly more individuals achieved a position to affect events because one of the most striking developments was the steady increase in concern about what we have come to call human rights. Primary among those were the right to be free citizens and the right to vote. This concern with rights was accompanied by new attitudes towards social problems such as hunger and poverty. · These new attitudes are one of many ways in which the legacy of the past can be seen in the present. In addition to the growth of human rights, this is also the period in which industrialization, cities, and middle-class culture came to define Western society. This period also has left us significant cultural and intellectual legacies, such as the music of Beethoven and the theories of Charles Darwin, which still shape our cultural discourses. By the end of the semester, you should be able to make an informed argument in answer to the first question, trace the main lines of the development of human rights, and identify the historical origins of many aspects of present-day culture. This course fulfills one of the college's Liberal Arts area requirements (HIPHI) because it introduces students to a central aspect of the humanities: thinking historically. The History Department has asserted in our mission statement (printed in the college catalog) that we desire above all that our students learn to think historically. What does that mean? Thinking historically includes: understanding change and continuity over time; appreciating the importance of historical context; knowing how to interpret and critique primary and secondary sources; being able to construct arguments based on historical evidence; understanding the varieties of approaches employed by historians; developing an appreciation for the histories of different regions, societies and time periods; developing an understanding of the past as the past and of its importance in the present. The themes and topics of this course have been chosen with these goals in mind. By the end of the semester, you should feel not only that you understand better what it means to be an historian but also that you can yourself begin to use the historian's skills and approaches.
British women's suffrage leader Emmeline Pankhurst arrested.		Fundamental to a liberal arts education as understood by Gustavus Adolphus College is a commitment to encourage students to be critical thinkers who can communicate their ideas effectively in written and spoken language. In this course, you will be challenged to continue the life-long process of growing as a critical thinker and communicator. By the end of the semester, you should feel that your mind has been stretched--that you have been challenged to think critically about ideas, sources, etc. You should also feel that you have had the opportunity to improve both your writing and your speaking (formal and informal). The assigned readings, the discussions, and the graded elements of the course have all been selected and designed with these objectives in mind.
Graded Requirements: As with much in life, the first thing you need to do is show up. Attendance is expected at all class meetings. (My attendance policy is set out below.) But just showing up isn't enough! Informed participation in class discussions is essential to the process of active learning, which means doing the reading for each class meeting is crucial. You will submit several brief “Three Minute Papers” (MP3s) which will be written during class time. The MP3s, along with your participation in class (its quality, not its frequency) will be worth 20% of your final grade. (In order to help you prepare for discussion and for the MP3s, I will often provide questions and issues to consider while reading.) There will be two exams: a midterm and a final. The midterm exam will be a night exam to allow for less time pressure. (I will accommodate work schedules, evening labs, and other unavoidable conflicts.) These exams will collectively be worth 40%. You will also write three papers, which will be worth 40% total.
Attendance Policy: Everyone is allowed three absences--the equivalent of one week of class--without any negative consequences. You do not have to explain the reason for your absences to me, though I do appreciate the courtesy of advance warning (even ten minutes before class by phone or e-mail) so that I don't wait for you before beginning the day's activities. If you will miss more than three classes, to avoid a grade penalty you must document that the absences are required by illness or personal/family emergency, or participation in a college-sponsored activity. Please, don't be offended when I ask for documentation. (The supervising faculty member is required by college policy to provide you with a letter for your instructors spelling out the dates, times and details of necessary absences for such activities.) Make-up exams are possible in cases of excused absences; late papers are not accepted since you can simply write on a later paper topic. Additional Policies: 1. Be familiar with the college's expectations concerning academic honesty, printed in the current academic catalog. Violations will result in appropriate consequences, which may include filing a report with the Dean's office and a failing grade. 2. If you have a diagnosed learning disability or any health situation (physical or mental) that might have an impact on your ability to complete your assignments, it is your responsibility to let me know about it at the beginning of the semester. I will make every reasonable accommodation. 3. Cell phones should be turned off during class. If you are expecting an urgent call, set the phone to alert you silently, and let me know that you may have to leave during class to take the call.		Eugene Delacroix, The Massacre at Chios, 1824. The Louvre, Paris 4. If you borrow course materials from me or the library, you are expected to return them unmarked and undamaged. You will not receive a grade for HIS-120 until all borrowed materials have been returned, or damaged materials replaced. 5. Late arrival is sometimes unavoidable, and I would ordinarily prefer that you come late than not at all. However, late arrival is distracting and should be avoided. If it becomes a pattern, you may be locked out of the class. 6. Finally, failure to take both exams, submit all required papers, and/or a pattern of failure to complete reading assignments, attend class, or engage in informed participation will result in an F for the course. If you have a problem, please see me before it becomes a crisis. I’m a very reasonable person and I’m on your side!