HIST H108 (29439) Prof. Michael Snodgrass
Spring 2011 Cavanaugh 503S 278-7761
BS 3015 Office hours: Tue., 3:00-5:00
M/W 1:30-2:45 E-mail:
PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD TO 1800
While the media often presents globalization as a recent development, history is in fact marked by ever more intensive stages of contact and exchange between different world cultures and communities. This course introduces students to the political, economic, cultural and technological factors that made those encounters possible from the 1200s to the early 1800s. Lectures and readings focus on two interrelated themes: 1) the rise, decline, and legacies of regional and then global empires and 2) the patterns of interaction between the peoples of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, ranging from conquest and colonialism to the exchange of goods, religious beliefs, and political ideologies.
Consistent with IUPUI’s Principles of Undergraduate Learning, H108 is designed to develop student skills of critical and comparative analysis, improve writing proficiency, and enhance one’s capacity to organize and express his or her thoughts. Students will sharpen these skills through a variety of assignments: analyzing historical documents, writing essays, engaging in classroom discussions, and preparing for quizzes and examinations. This syllabus, class announcements, lecture outlines, assignments, and grades will be posted to the Oncourse system. The outlines include study questions related to relevant reading assignments; the questions will be discussed in class and appear on quizzes.
Required readings (available at IUPUI bookstore & Indy’s College Bookstore, 601 W. 11th St.)
1) David Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, 1200-1700
2) Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
3) Lizzie Collingham, Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors
4) Laurent Dubois, Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution
4) Online documents: (listed below in course schedule) are at Oncourse under Resources tab
Course requirements and grading (based upon 1,000 total points):
Two exams = 400 points; one essay = 250 points; four quizzes = 200 points; two-part map assignment = 50 points; class participation = 100 points.
Assignments:
Exams involve multiple choice questions, matching, essays, and identification terms.
Essay Each student will submit one essay on either the Las Casas or the Dubois book. It is your choice. Due dates are Mar. 10 or Apr. 21. Assignments will be posted to Oncourse under the Assignments tab. Students are encouraged to submit first drafts for comments one week before due date (but there will be no option to revise and resubmit graded essays).
Quizzes Four quizzes will involve multiple choice questions, matching, and short essays. They cover material from both readings and previous lectures, as indicated in the course schedule below. Quiz dates: Jan. 25, Feb. 10, Feb. 22, Apr. 7.
Map assignment Students submit part one of the map assignment in class on Jan. 18 (25 points). An unannounced geography quiz on the same map happens later in the semester (25 points).
Class participation Participation grades are not simply a reward for attendance. The grade of A will go to students who eagerly participate and demonstrate consistent preparation; steady attendance but only occasional participation earns a B; consistent attendance but otherwise lackluster presence (ie no comments or note taking) in the classroom earns a C; poor attendance results in a grade of D or lower.
Final grade scores: A+ (1,000-980), A (979-930), A- (929-900), B+ (899-880), B (879-830), B- (829-800), C+ (799-780), C (779-730), C- (729-700), D (699-600), F (599 or less).
Remember...
...that all late assignments are penalized as follows: one grade (B to C) for assignments not turned in on due date. NO ASSIGNMENTS ACCEPTED ONE WEEK AFTER DUE DATE.
...that students will not read newspapers, do crosswords puzzles, text messages, or use laptop computers in the classroom. Only those students who formally petition to use a laptop to take notes may do so, but they must submit those notes for review when asked. Please be advised that those who are observed using the Internet during class lose this privilege immediately. Students who violate these rules will see their final grade penalized by 20 points for each offense.
...that all students are expected to take notes as a means of remaining focused and preparing for exams. Failure to do so will affect one’s class participation grade.
...the attendance policy: history tells us that persistent absenteeism results in lower grades. That is especially the case for this class since NO MAKEUP QUIZZES are given except in documented emergencies, in accordance with IUPUI policy.
...to save all papers on your hard drive and to retain graded assignments. (Do this for all classes at IUPUI.)
...to check the Oncourse grade book to ensure your grades are recorded correctly.
...that plagiarism and cheating will be punished in accordance with IUPUI’s Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (see the IUPUI Campus Bulletin, 2008-2010, p.35). For example, any student found to have submitted work taken from an Internet site will receive zero points for the assignment (and not just an F grade) and be subjected to full disciplinary procedures as administered by officials in whichever school the student may be enrolled.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Imperial Encounters and Cultural Exchange in Eurasia, 1200-1857
Jan. 11Empires in World History
Jan. 13The Mongol Empire
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 1-24
Jan. 18China: From Mongol Rule to Ming Dynasty
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 161-174
Map assignment due
Jan. 20Conquest, Commerce and the Spread of Islam
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 129-145
Jan. 25The Safavid (Iran) and Mughal (India) Empires
Readings: Collingham, Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, Chapters 1 & 2
Quiz #1 (covers lectures/readings for Jan. 13, 18, 20, 25)
Jan. 27The Ottoman Empire
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 42-53
Feb. 1Documentary screening: “Islam: Empire of Faith”
Feb. 3Merchants and Monarchs in Pre-industrial Europe
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 24-42
Feb. 8The Reconquest of Iberia
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 53-62
A first-hand account of the Jews’ expulsion from Spain (l492):
Feb. 10Portugal’s Maritime Revolution
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 63-77
Quiz #2 (covers lectures/readings for Feb. 3, 8, 10)
Feb. 15Europe’s Commercial Encounters with Africa and Asia
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 145-160
Collingham, Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, Chapter 3
A captain’s log of Portuguese encounters along eastern coast of Africa (c.l500):
Background on African History at “Wonders of the African World” (
Feb. 17Missionaries, Merchants, and Cultural Exchange
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 174-189
Collingham, Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, Chapters 4-5
Feb. 22From Mughal to British Rule in India
Readings: Collingham, Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, Chapters 6-8
Quiz #3 (covers lectures/readings for Feb. 15, 17, 22)
Feb. 24Documentary Screening: “The Wrong Empire”
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 191-198
Mar. 1Examination #1
The Making of the Atlantic World, 1492-1888
Mar. 3The Aztec and Inca Empires
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 112-121
A Spanish conquistador describes the Aztec capital (today’s Mexico City):
Mar. 8Conquests and Colonization
Mar. 10Spaniards and Indians
Readings: Las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Essay due today
Mar. 22Spanish America
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 121-128
Mar. 24British America
Mar. 29French America
Mar. 31Sugar and Slaves
Readings: Dubois, Avengers of the New World, pp. 1-35
Apr. 5Africa and the Slave Trade
Readings: Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction, pp. 77-95
Apr. 7Masters and Slaves
Readings: Dubois, Avengers of the New World, pp. 36-59
Quiz #4 (covers readings/lectures for Mar. 31, Apr. 5, 7)
Apr. 12Seeds of Democracy
The (English) Bill of Rights (1689):
US Declaration of Independence (1776) :
John Locke’s influence on American revolutionary thinkers:
Apr. 14The French Revolution
Readings: Dubois, Avengers of the New World, pp. 60-170
Background on French Revolution at “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution”:
Apr. 19NO CLASS TODAY: Complete the Dubois book, prepare essays
Apr. 21The Haitian Revolution
Readings: Dubois, Avengers of the New World, pp. 171-306
Essay due today
Apr. 26 Independence in Spanish America and Brazil
Apr. 28Liberty, Freedom, and Colonial Legacies in the Americas
May 5, 2011Final Exam (10:30-12:30 in regular classroom)