History 102, Sec BMWF 2:30-3:20
Spring 2008Cardwell 102
Western Civilization: Europe in the Modern Era
Professor Brent ManerGTA: Ms. Janeal Schmidt
Office: 315 Eisenhower HallOffice: Eisenhower Hall 303
Office hours: Wed. 3:30-5:00Office hours: Mon. 3:30-5:00
Tel. 532-0381Email:
Email:
**Please send an email if you would like to see either of us at a time other than our listed
office hours. We are willing and eager to help you be successful in this course.**
Course Goals
“History 102: The Modern Era” introduces students to the history of Europe from the eighteenth century (the 1700s) to the present. It explains the transformation of a world of kings and queens, artisans and peasants into the democratic, (post-) industrial world we know today. I have three goals for students enrolled in History 102:
Goal #1. Students should gain a solid knowledge of the important people, places, and events related to modern European history. When you are finished with this course, you should be able to talk intelligently about key figures, like Louis the XIV, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Otto von Bismarck. You should also be able to explain the significance of major turning points in European history, like the French Revolution, the industrialization of the European economy, and the two World Wars.
In order to achieve this goal, you must study textbook assignments, and you should use the list of key terms that I will post to K-State Online as a guide. “Studying” the textbook is more than reading—you should take notes about the key terms, memorize this information, and review it regularly. This preparation is important for your performance in the course. You will have a much better understanding of the lectures and primary source readings if you study the textbook. You will also need this information for the multiple-choice section of each exam.
Goal #2. Students should learn to interpret primary sources. Primary sources, as small pieces of the past, take us closer to the events and ideas we will be studying. Students should be able to spell out the historical context of documents, diaries, and pieces of literature.
In order to achieve this goal, you must study the sources assigned from Lualdi, ed., Sources of The Making of the West. These short readings are difficult because they were not written for you--the historical figures who composed them had different vocabularies, expectations, and worldviews from you. When you read a source, you should review the textbook pages and class lectures that are relevant. This background will help you understand the small pieces of the past contained in Lualdi’s collection.
We will practice the interpretation of primary sources in class. I will integrate many of them into my lectures, and you should be prepared to discuss them on the days they are assigned. They may be the topic of in-class quizzes. You will also use this skill in two writing assignments devoted to primary sources. I will post descriptions of these assignments to K-State Online.
Goal #3. Students should learn about the factors that have contributed to large-scale political, social, economic, and cultural transformations in European history. In order to track broad changes over time, we will follow two themes this semester. First, we will study “the power of the state.” We will investigate the political underpinnings of absolutist kingdoms, nineteenth-century movements of reform, and twentieth-century dictatorships and democracies. During the first part of the course, we’ll see that the state remained “above” the people, set off as the affair of the rulings classes. From the French Revolution to the present, European politics slowly moved towards the inclusion of more voices, and the state became a more representative body. We will see that this move towards today’s open and democratic societies was not a straight or smooth path—Italian fascism, German National Socialism, and Soviet communism were modern political movements that recast the power of the people in ways that obliterated the freedom of the individual.
A second theme we will encounter in the course is “life in the city.” This theme will bring us closer to the daily lives of individuals who experienced the political changes outlined above. We will see how economic and technological developments reshaped cities, and how new ideologies produced a new language to explain the experiences of social groups concentrated in urban areas. We will touch on “life in the city” throughout the course, but it will be our special focus in February, when we read Père Goriot by the French novelist Balzac.
In order to make this class a success, you will need to keep up with readings and attend lectures faithfully. As we move through the course, you should pose questions to yourself. For example, when we cover industrialization in the nineteenth century, you should wonder what a worker’s life was like in earlier times and become curious about how that life changed in the twentieth century. When we discuss the right to vote for women and workers, you should reflect on traditional impediments to these reforms. I will emphasize some of these aspects of change over time in my lectures, but most of this work needs to be done on your own as you think about the course material. You will be tested on these larger ideas in the essay section of each exam.
Required Readings
You will need to purchase four books for this course. They are available at Varney’s and the Union Bookstore.
1. Asa Briggs and Patricia Clavin, Modern Europe, 1789-Present, 2nd ed. (Longman, 2003) ISBN-13: 978-0582772601
2. Katherine Lualdi (ed.), Sources of The Making of the West, Vol. II: Since 1500 (Bedford / St. Martin’s Press, 2001). ISBN: 0-312-18384-4
3. Balzac, Père Goriot Oxford World’s Classics (Oxford University Press, 1999). ISBN: 0-19-283569-6
4. Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (Touchstone, 1995). ISBN: 0-684-82680-1
Assignments and Exams (See K-State Online more details about class assignments.)
Two papers are required in this course. The first is due Friday, March 7, and the second on Friday, April 18. Each paper should be ~1,000 words in length (+/- 100 words). Papers can only be turned in during our class meetings. If your paper is not done on the due date, bring it to the next class meeting. Seven points will be deducted from a paper that comes in during the class session after the due date. (Fourteen points for a paper coming two sessions later, twenty-one for three sessions, and so on.)
There are three exams for this class. The first one will be given Friday, Feb. 15. The second one will occur Friday, April4. The third will use our final exam slot—Monday, May 12, from 4:10 to 6 pm. Each exam will consist of forty multiple-choice questions and one essay question. The exams will cover readings and lecture material. (You can find lecture outlines and a list of key terms from the textbook on K-State Online.)
There will be a map quiz on Wednesday, Jan. 30. (See the practice map at the end of the syllabus and instructions on K-State Online.)
Three homework assignments are due on Wednesday, Feb. 20; Friday, Feb. 29; and Wednesday, April 23. These assignments must be turned in at our class meeting--they will serve as a check on attendance. Again, see K-State Online for specifics about the assignments.
Grade DistributionGradeRanges
First primary source paper (75 pts.)450-500 pts. = A
Second primary source paper (75 pts.)400-449 pts. = B
First exam (100 pts.)350-399 pts. = C
Second exam (100 pts.)300-399 pts. = D
Third exam (100 pts.) < 300 pts. = F
Map quiz, reading quizzes, and homework (50 pts.)
History 102B on K-State Online
Our class will use K-State Online (KSO) ( to deliver important announcements and class information. You are required to use K-State Online for this course. There is no cost to subscribe, and it is easy to use once you have a user-id. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with this system and to use it regularly to keep up with course information. Please contact us if you need help using KSO. In addition to KSO, you may, of course, email us directly and confidentially.
Let me emphasize that information on KSO is for your benefit. It will help you navigate this large lecture course! You will find lecture outlines and an up-to-date grade book at our site. You will also find specific assignment sheets for the papers and homework on KSO.
One last tip: K-State Online works best with Internet Explorer as your browser.
Important Notices
1. If you have any condition, such as a physical or learning disability, which will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as I have outlined it or which will require academic accommodation, please notify me during the first two weeks of the course.
2. I will punish all forms of cheating. Dishonest behavior on minor assignments, like quizzes and homework, will result in a lowering of the final course grade by a full letter grade. Cheating on major assignments (papers or exams) will result in an “XF” (see below), regardless of performance on other graded work. I report cases of academic dishonesty to the KSU Honor System, and the University maintains a record of Honor System violations.
Plagiarism on papers (turning in another student’s work and/or use of printed or internet sources without citation) is a serious problem on our campus. Cutting and pasting text from the Internet is not research—it is plagiarism! If you are unsure about these practices, please see me for clarification. The Honor System Web site also includesexamples of violations. (
From the Provost’s Office web site: Kansas State has an Undergraduate Honor System based on personal integrity which is presumed to be sufficient assurance in academic matters that 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. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. For more information, visit the Honor System home web page. (
Class Schedule, Lecture Topics, and Reading Assignments
F Jan 18Introduction to the course
M Jan 21No Class—MLK Day
W Jan 23Absolutism in France (Sources: Saint-Simon, 45-48)
F Jan 25The other twenty million in France (Sources: Menetra, 79-80)
M Jan 28Absolutism in Prussia and Russia (Sources: Fabritius, 50-53)
W Jan 30Slavery and Mercantilism (Sources: Equiano, 59-62)(Map quiz)
F Feb 1The Ideas of the Enlightenment (Sources: Geoffrin and d’Alembert, 76-78)
Textbook assignment for this week: Ch. 1, pp. 1-28
M Feb 4 Enlightenment and State (Sources: Frederick II, 85-86; Jefferson, 87-88)
W Feb 6The Ideas of 1789 (Sources: Sieyes, 89-93 and National Assembly, 95-97)
F Feb 8The Radical Revolution
Textbook assignment for this week: Ch. 1, pp. 28-38 and Ch. 2, pp. 39-75
M Feb 11Napoleon and his Empire
W Feb 13Restoration Politics (Sources: Macaulay, 109-112)
F Feb 15 First Exam
Assignment for this week: Balzac, Pere Goriot, “Introduction,” “Chronology,” and Chs. 1 & 2, pp. vii-xviii, xxii-xxiv, and 1-149.
M Feb 18 Revolutions of 1848
Monday evening: Eisenhower Lecture by Professor Browning: Forum Hall, Union
W Feb 20 Paris as the setting of Pere Goriot (Homework due)
F Feb 22Discussion of Pere Goriot, Chs. 1 & 2
Assignment for this week: Balzac, Pere Goriot, Chs. 3 & 4, pp. 150-263.
M Feb 25 Romanticism (Sources: Mazzini, 116-117)
W Feb 27Labor and the Middle Class (Sources: Factory Rules, 119-122 and Ellis, 122-125)
F Feb 29 Discussion of Pere Goriot, Chs. 3 & 4 (Homework due)
Textbook assignment for this week: Ch. 3, pp. 76-114
M March 3Marx and Engels (Sources: Engels, 125-130)
W March 5 Napoleon III to the ThirdRepublic
F March 7Italian Unification (Paper due)
Textbook assignment for this week: Ch. 4, pp. 115-143
M March 10German Unification (Sources: Ihering, 133-136)
W March 12Big Industry and the Working Class (Sources: Bondfield, 161-164)
F March 14No class—reward for attending Browning’s evening lecture
Spring Break: March 17-21
Textbook assignment for this week: Ch. 5, pp. 144-1167
M March 24Imperialism around the World (Sources: Sattianadan, 138-142)
W March 26Imperialism at Home (Sources: Ferry, 149-153; Williams, 157-161)
F March 28The Origins and Course of World War I
Textbook assignment for this week: Ch. 6, pp. 168-199
M March 31 WWI Experiences(Sources: Franke, Sassoon, 186-189 and Doriat, 189-191)
W April 2 War and Revolutions
F April 4Second Exam
Textbook assignment for this week: Ch. 7, pp. 200-234
M April 7Interwar Europe
W April 9The “New Woman” (Sources: Pankhurst, 177-180 and de Beauvoir, 231-234)
F April 11Modern Art and Architecture
Textbook assignment for this week: Ch. 8, pp. 235-261 and Ch. 9, pp. 262-302
M April 14Fascism and Nazism (Sources: Mussolini, 193-198)
W April 16Nazism, cont. (Sources: Goebbels, 202-205)
F April 18World War II (Paper Due)
Reading assignment for this week: Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (entire book)
M April 21 The Holocaust
W April 23Discussion of Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (Homework due)
F April 25 The Cold War (Sources: Cominform, 221-225 and Paper 68, 225-228)
Textbook assignment for the rest of this week: Ch. 10, pp. 304-333 and Ch. 11, pp. 333-362
M April 28Western Europe: the 1950s and 1960s (Sources: Student Protest, 242-244)
W April 30Life in Eastern Europe
F May 2Decolonization
Textbook assignment for this week: Ch. 12, pp. 363-393
M May 5Western Europe: the 1970s and 1980s
W May 71989: A Liberal Victory? (Sources: Glasnost, 249-254)
F May 9 US-European relations since 1989
The third exam is on Monday,May 12, from 4:10 to 6 pm in Cardwell 102 (our classroom).
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