HISTORY 002- THE WESTERN WORLD SINCE c. 1500

SPRING 2005

Instructor / Uma Asher
Office address / 413A Weaver (413A, not 413)
Office hours / Monday 2:30 to 4 pm and by appointment
Office phone / 3-7318 (during office hours only, please)
E-mail /
Website / (ANGEL)

W

hat historical events made it possible for you to add sugar to your tea or coffee every morning? How did democracy develop? How come, although the word “slave” comes from “Slav”, the people traded across the Atlantic were African and not Slavic? Why was Eastern Europe less developed than Western Europe long before it became communist?

This course examines the increasingly intricate relationships – within Europe, and between Europe and the rest of the world – since the early sixteenth century. We will focus on the everyday life of Europeans in Europe and elsewhere. For instance, how did the “discovery” of the Americas affect Europeans who were not merchants or sponsors of expeditions? What happened to peasants when feudalism disappeared? How has technology affected life in the last two centuries? We will consider Europe and the US as increasingly important parts of a shrinking world, and see how the world affected Europeans’ ideas about freedom and equality, trade and slavery, race and religion.

We will keep revisiting the meaning of “western”. Who has a western heritage? How did they get it? And what defines something that has always been changing? Besides provoking you to imagine how people perceived “current” events at various points in history, this course aims to exercise your abilities to argue convincingly and write well, and to draw the connections between history and what you eat/ buy/ are majoring in/ do in your spare time.

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Course materials (all required)

  • Hunt et al, The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Volume 2, second edition. © Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005. ISBN 0-312-41761-6.
  • Lualdi, Katherine J. Sources of The Making of the West. Volume 2, second edition. © Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005. ISBN 0-312-41221-5
  • Additional readingsmay be posted online, placed on reserve, or handed out in class,from time to time. You will be given ample notice and instructions to access these materials.
  • Films:These are also required material. If the length permits an in-class screening, I will do that (you would be responsible for making up a missed in-class screening). If a film is too long to watch in class, I will arrange for a screening at a different time, and a class period may be canceled to make up for extra screening time. In either case, any films that count as required material will be available on reserve for viewing in Pattee Library, so you can make up anything you miss.

Course Requirements

  • Reading: You are expected to keep up with assigned readings/viewings. The reading schedule is below, and also on ANGEL. Updates or alterations, if any, will be communicated to you on e-mail, and will also be posted to ANGEL. Please do the reading before coming to class.
  • E-mail: I expect you to check your e-mail daily. I sometimes use e-mail for important announcements (schedule changes, study guides, etc.). It is your responsibility to ensure I have your correct e-mail address. You can also e-mail me if you have any questions, suggestions, or comments. You can e-mail me a rough draft of a midterm paper for comments/ feedback. But please do not submit midterm papers or other assignments by e-mail.
  • ANGEL: Important course material, study guides, announcements, exam questions will be posted here regularly. You must log on to ANGEL at least two or three times a week.

Grading Policy

Your final grade is out of 450 points, based on four quizzes, two midterms, and a final exam. Here is how I will assign your final grade:

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A = 94-100%

A- = 90-93%

B+ = 86-89%

B = 83-85%

B- = 80-82%

C+ = 76-79%

C = 70-75%

D = 60-69%

F = <60%

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  • Pop quizzes (4 X 25 points). There will be four pop quizzes, consisting of true/false questions, multiple choice, or map questions, or a combination of these. There is no way to make up a missed quiz. However, if you miss or do badly on one quiz, it should not be a problem, because I will give you five quizzes and count the four best scores. Quizzes are not cumulative.
  • Midterms (2 X 100 points).These will consist of five-page essays (100 points each). You will be given the topic,along with instructions on how to write the paper, at least a week in advance. Final submissions must be printed out and stapled. I do not accept e-mailed submissions.
  • Final exam (150 points). This will follow the format of the quizzes, but will be much longer.
  • Attendance. I don’t take attendance because I trust you to decide the best use of your time. However, my persistence in giving pop quizzes is intended to nudge you to attend. There can be no such thing as a make-up pop quiz, but I’ll give five quizzes and drop the lowest score. So if you miss one quiz, you only have to make sure you take the rest.
  • Participation.There is no separate grade for this, but there are more important reasons to participate: class meetings are an opportunity to think, absorb, question, develop your speaking and arguing skills, and have fun.

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Academic Integrity Policy

If you have questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, it is your responsibility to ask for clarifications in good time. The mildest consequence of dishonesty is a guaranteed F on the assignment in question. Dishonesty can result in an F on the entire course, or much worse. PennState’s Code of Conduct states that “all students should act with personal integrity, respect other students’ dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts. Academic integrity includes a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception. Such acts of dishonesty violate the fundamental ethical principles of the University community and compromise the worth of work completed by others.” (More information:

Special learning needs

I will make every effort to accommodate students with disabilities. Feel free to contact me at any time during the semester in this regard. You may also contact the Office for Disability Services (116 Boucke, 863-1807) and the UndergraduateWritingCenter (219 Boucke, 863-3240).Most classes include students whose first language is not English. If you are one and want to practice your English language skills, or if you are a native speaker of English and want to help someone practice, please sign up for the Conversation Partners Program of the International Hospitality Council (404A Boucke, 863-3927).

Tentative Schedule (chapter assignments refer to Hunt et al)

WEEK 1 – Chapter 15
Mon / 1/10 / Introduction; explorations across the seas
Wed / 1/12 / Religious reformation
Fri / 1/14 / Lualdi 15.1, 15.4, 15.5
WEEK 2 – Chapter 16
Mon / 1/17 / Religion and politics
Wed / 1/19 / Economic crisis; “natural laws” of politics
Fri / 1/21 / Lualdi 16.1, 16.3, 16.5
WEEK 3 – Chapter 17
Mon / 1/24 / Absolutism and Constitutionalism
Wed / 1/26 / Scientific Revolution
Fri / 1/28 / Lualdi 16.2, 17.1
WEEK 4 – Chapter 18
Mon / 1/31 / World trade and colonization
Wed / 2/2 / Atlantic slave trade and early abolitionism
Fri / 2/4 / Lualdi 18.1
WEEK 5 – Chapters 19-20
Mon / 2/7 / The Enlightenment – new ideas and politics
Wed / 2/9 / Revolutions in Europe
Fri / 2/11 / Lualdi 19.3, 20.1
WEEK 6– Chapter 20-21 (First paper due Friday 2/18, 5pm)
Mon / 2/14 / French Revolution
Wed / 2/16 / Legacy of Napoleon, and conservatism
Fri / 2/18 / Lualdi 20.3, 20.4, 20.5
WEEK 7 – Chapter 22
Mon / 2/28 / Industrialization in Britain
Wed / 3/2 / Revolutions of 1848
Fri / 3/4 / Lualdi 22.1, 22.2
WEEK 8
Mon / 3/7 / SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES
Wed / 3/9 / SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES
Fri / 3/11 / SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES
WEEK 9 – Chapter 23
Mon / 3/14 / Liberalism, nationalism, Marxism
Wed / 3/16 / New nations: Italy and Germany
Fri / 3/18 / Lualdi 23.2, 23.4
WEEK 10–Chapter 24
Mon / 3/21 / Industry and empire
Wed / 3/23 / New imperialism and Orientalism
Fri / 3/25 / Lualdi 24.1
WEEK 11 – Chapter 25 (Second paper due, Friday 4/1, 5pm)
Mon / 3/28 / Tensions in mass politics
Wed / 3/30 / International alliances
Fri / 4/1 / Lualdi 25.2, 25.3, 25.4
WEEK 12 – Chapters 26-27
Mon / 4/4 / The Great War
Wed / 4/6 / A fragile peace; the Depression
Fri / 4/8 / Lualdi 26.1, 26.2, 26.3, 26.4
WEEK 13 – Chapters 27-28
Mon / 4/11 / Totalitarianism
Wed / 4/13 / Another world war
Fri / 4/15 / Lualdi 27.1, 27.2, 27.5
WEEK 14 – Chapters 28-30
Mon / 4/18 / The “Cold” War and international relations
Wed / 4/20 / The world after the “Cold” War
Fri / 4/22 / TBA
WEEK 15 - Film
Mon / 4/25 / One Day in September (film: 92 minutes)
Wed / 4/27 / Discussion of One Day in September
Fri / 4/29 / No class (to make up for extra screening time on Monday)
EXAM WEEK
May 2-6 / Final exam schedule will be announced in mid-February.

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