HISN 102B: Western Civilization since the French Revolution
Nashua Community College, Spring 2009
Professor: Robyn H. Griswold, M.A., M.Ed.
Contact Information: 882-6923 ext. 1443;
Office Location: Room 99B
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 1:00-3:00 pm; Thursdays, 10:00 am-12:00 pm; and Fridays, 10:00-11:00 am
Class Meetings: Wednesdays, 10:00-11:50 am; Fridays, 11:00-11:50 am
Class Location: Room A5
Rationale:
Why should a person living in 21st century America spend time learning about events that happened hundreds of years ago on another continent? Quite simply, society today is the product of past. Furthermore, the United States does not exist in isolation. From the very beginning of our nation’s history, developments in the United States have been inextricably linked to events occurring in Europe and beyond. In order for citizens to understand the challenges facing today’s world and to develop solutions, it is first necessary to have a good understanding of the people and events that have shaped our world. To put it another way – we must have knowledge of the past in order to create a better future.
In this course, we will explore developments in European history from the early modern era through the 20th century. This is an exciting period to study because it was a time of intense change. Much of our attention will be focused on a series of “revolutions” that introduced new ideas and technology that forever transformed our world. Change was not without its challenges, however. We’ll also consider how the origins of many of today’s problems can be traced back to this time period. Throughout the course we will study historical developments in the context of our overall theme – understanding how the past has shaped the present.
Course Description:
This course will provide students with an overview of European history from early modern times to the atomic age. Particular attention will be given to the French Revolution, the rise of the industrial era, the growth of nationalism, imperialism, the Russian Revolution, and the World Wars. Personalities such as those of Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin are studied. The course also introduces the student to the historical method.
The instructor will employ a wide variety of instructional methodologies in order to appeal to multiple learning styles. These methodologies will include: large and small group discussions, use of technology, lecture, video, cooperative learning activities, assignments (long and short term), and individual/group presentations designed to help students develop their understanding of Western Civilization.
Essential Questions:
· What is a “revolution?”
· When it comes to bringing long-term, positive change to a society, do the “ends justify the means?”
· Is change always a good thing?
· How can a study of the past prepare us to confront the challenges facing today’s society?
Course Goals:
· to help students understand the political, economic and social developments that transformed Europe during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
· to present students with a variety of practical strategies designed to improve reading comprehension of historical sources.
· to introduce students to the basics of historical research and writing.
· to encourage students to recognize the relevance of history and to see how knowledge of the past increases our understanding of the present and future.
Course Competencies:
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Analyze the forces which control the interactions of modern states.
2. Analyze the impact of religion on the actions of modern nation states.
3. Identify the forces which lead to the extension of Western civilization.
4. Identify the forces behind colonization.
5. Analyze the forces leading to international wars.
Required Readings:
Textbook and other resources…
· Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: Brief Discovery Edition Volume II, 4th edition (Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007). ISBN-10: 0495099759
· Supplemental readings, handouts, and Internet selections as assigned.
Course Expectations:
Participation
Successful students will be active participants in class meetings. Attendance at all classes is expected. Patterns of excessive absence or tardiness will negatively impact a student’s participation grade. (See grading section for additional information.)
Absences and Make-up Policy
Please send me an email if you must be absent from class. It is important that you keep me updated as to your status. Please be advised that students who miss the equivalent of two weeks of classes (in our case, four classes) may be withdrawn from the course and assigned a grade of “AF.” (See Social Sciences Department Attendance policy below.)
**Please note: except for unusual circumstances, it is not possible to make-up participation points.**
If you must be absent from class, you are still responsible for all of the information presented in that class and all assignments for that date must still be turned in. To avoid a late penalty (see department policy below), send in any assignments with a classmate or email them to me prior to the start of class.
In some unusual circumstances, it may be impossible for you to take an exam on the scheduled date. If this happens, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor as soon as possible and arrange for a make-up exam. You may do this by sending an email or leaving a message on my voice mail. If a student has not made-up the exam within one week of the original exam date, the student will receive a zero.
Weekly Assignments
It is impossible to cover the entire curriculum in 3 hours per week of face-to-face meetings. As a result, it is the student’s responsibility to devote adequate time for the study of history outside of class. Students should expect to spend between 4-6 per week engaged in independent study (completing reading assignments, preparing study guides, working on writing assignments and/or projects, etc.).
Each week, students will complete a study guide. The purpose of this activity is to enhance student comprehension of textbook content. The instructor will use information from these study guides to develop the objective portions of the mid-term and final exams.
Study guides will be reviewed by the instructor, checked for completeness and then returned to students. Late study guides will be accepted, but they will only receive half-credit. Please note: late study guides from the first half of the course will not be accepted after the mid-term exam.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used to supplement our face-to-face meetings. All students will need to be familiar with the use of Blackboard as a distance-learning tool. It will be your responsibility to check in on Blackboard at least once a week to stay updated on course happenings.
Throughout the semester, we will be utilizing Blackboard in a variety of ways:
· You will find weekly announcements posted on our course “home page.” Copies of all assignments, the syllabus, most handouts and links to helpful websites will be posted on Blackboard.
· Weekly identification terms will be posted on Blackboard.
· All course communications will take place via Blackboard and your NCC email account. (See Student email policy below.)
· The Blackboard grade book will be used to post individual information about grades after midterms and again after finals. I encourage you to carefully review all of the entries. If you have any questions, please contact me right away.
Classroom Etiquette
In order to create a positive learning environment, all students must display an attitude and behaviors that facilitate open inquiry and thoughtful discussion. Students who disrupt the learning process (i.e. text messaging, speaking on cell-phones, using inappropriate or harassing language, etc.) will receive a “friendly reminder.” If the behavior continues, he/she will be asked to leave class for the rest of the period.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is a serious violation of a student’s academic integrity and the trust between a student and his or her teachers. Plagiarism is the act of a person presenting another person’s work as if it were his or her own original work. Such acts of plagiarism include but are not limited to:
1. A student submitting as his or her own work an entire essay or other assignment written by another person.
2. A student taking word for word a section or sections of another person’s work without proper acknowledgment of the source and that the material is quoted.
3. A student using statistics or other such facts or insights as if these were the result of the student’s efforts and thus lacking proper acknowledgment of the original source.
4. The paraphrasing of another person’s unique work with no acknowledgment of the original source.
5. Copying another student’s work on a quiz or test.
The academic sanctions which will be imposed upon a student who is found to have plagiarized an academic assignment (including but not limited to an essay, an exam, a class presentation or any written work submitted for a school publication) are placement of the student on probation; a loss of the total credit on the assignment and placement of a letter in the student’s file noting this violation. Other sanctions that may result from any further incidents of plagiarism include: expulsion from the course; suspension or dismissal from a department program; expulsion from the College.
ALL SOURCES NEED TO BE PROPERLY CITED. We will discuss appropriate citation format in class since I insist that you credit all references to and/or adaptations of ideas that are not your own. Failure to properly credit your sources will result in reduced or zero credit for work submitted. When in doubt about citing a source(s), ask me in class or send an email. I will be happy to answer your questions.
Grading:
Participation Grade
The participation grade will be calculated in the following way:
Students who arrive to class on time, complete all class work assignments, and contribute positively to the discussion (both individually and in groups) will receive 3 points for the day. Students who are tardy (or who leave class early) are unable to complete all class work assignments and fully contribute to the class discussion. As a result, students arriving tardy (or leaving class early) will receive 2 points for the day. Students who are absent from class miss all class work assignments and make no contributions to discussion. Therefore, they will receive no participation points for the day. At the end of the term, the instructor will add up each student’s participation points. This number will be divided by the total number of possible participation points to calculate the student’s participation grade. For example: If a student took part in 28 out of 30 class meetings, his/her final participation grade would be 84 (28 x 3) divided by 90 (30 x 3) or 93%.
Grade Breakdown and Scale
Your grade will be based on the following:
10% -- Participation
20% -- Weekly Assignments
10% -- French Revolution Essay
20% -- Mid-term Exam
20% -- Primary Source Analysis Project
20% -- Final Exam
Grades will be assigned according to the following scale…
A = 100 – 94
A- = 93 - 90
B+ = 89 – 87
B = 86 - 84
B- = 83 - 80
C+ = 79 – 77
C = 76 – 74
C- = 73 – 70
D+ = 69 – 67
D = 66 – 64
D- = 63—60
F = 59 or Below
Course Calendar
Part I: The French Revolution and the “Birth” of Modern Europe
Week / Month / Day / Topic / Assignment Due1 / JAN / 14 / Introductions/Course Overview
· Review of syllabus and course requirements
· What is history and why study it?
Discussion of “revolution” and the process of change
16 / Europe in the 18th century: What was life like in the ancien regime?
Examination of Primary and Secondary Sources / Syllabus Acknowledgement Form
2 / 21 / Prelude to the French Revolution:
Developments in 16th and 17th century Europe
Practicing the Historical Method of Inquiry: Document Based Question on Literacy in France / Spielvogel, Chapter 16
Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
23 / Background to the French Revolution (continued) / Map of Europe
3 / 28 / The Enlightenment / Spielvogel, Chapter 17
Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
30 / Peer Editing Activity / Rough Draft of Essay DUE
4 / FEB / 4 / The French Revolution / Spielvogel, Chapter 18
Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
6 / French Revolution (continued)
Discussion of Primary Source Analysis Project / Final Draft DUE
Part II: 19th Century Europe and the Battle of Conflicting Ideologies
5 / 11 / Napoleon and his Challenge to the Ancien Regime / Spielvogel, Chapter 19Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
13 / The Murder of Napoleon: An Exercise in Critical Thinking
6 / 18 / Conflicting Ideologies and the Transformation of Europe (1815-1871)
Congress of Vienna Role Play / Spielvogel, Chapter 21, 22
Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
FEB / 20 / European Revolutions – Jigsaw Activity / Project Topic DUE
7 / 25 / The Industrial Revolution / Spielvogel, Chapters 20, 23
Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
27 / Industrial Revolution (continued)
8 / MAR / 4 / MIDTERM EXAM (Chapters 16-23)
Part III: The Spread of Western Civilization and the Threat of Extremism
6 / Tracing the Roots of Modern Globalism: “New” Imperialism / Spielvogel, Chapter 24Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
**SPRING BREAK MAR 9-14**
9 / 18 / The Legacy of Imperialism
Film Clip from Gandhi / Spielvogel, Chapter 25
Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
20 / The Turning Point: World War I
10 / 25 / World War I (continued)
Examining the Treaty of Versailles / Project Check DUE (10% of final project grade)
27 / The Russian Revolution: Change by any Means Necessary
11 / APR / 1 / Video: 10 Days that Shook the World / Spielvogel, Chapter 26
Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
3 / A Temporary Respite: “Europe Between the Wars, 1919-1939”
Activity:
12 / 8 / The Threat of Extreme Nationalism: World War II / Spielvogel, Chapter 27
Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
10 / World War II Peace Settlements
Part IV: “A New Western World” – Europe since 1945
13 / 15 / The Iron Curtain Rises: Europe during the Cold War / Spielvogel, Chapters 28, 29Completed Study Guide on Assigned Reading
17 / Cold War (continued)
14 / APR / 22 / Recent Developments…The Fall of Communism, Growth of European Unity, Turmoil in Eastern Europe
Final Take-Home Essay Assigned / Project DUE
24 / Reflections/Course Wrap-up
15 / 29 / Objective Portion of Final Exam
(Chapters 24-29) / Final Take-Home Essay DUE
Please Note: