Ralph Fasanella,  Dress Shop (1972)

 

                                                         HIST 110.13 -- WORLD HISTORY

                       

                                                         M, Tu 11:15-12:05; Th 12:15-1:05  

 

                                                         Dr. Robert M. Zecker

                                                         318 Nicholson Tower

                                                         867-3009

                                                         rzecker@stfx.ca

                                                         Office Hours: M-Th 9-12, 1-4

                                                         Class times excepted

                                                         (or by appointment)

                                                                                                            

Course Description

    Welcome to History 110. This is a six-credit survey course that examines global developments and trends in world history from about 1300 C.E. to the present. The course investigates and compares the world's major regions, their traditions, interactions, exchanges, and contributions. It uses a variety of methods--lectures, discussions, readings, documentaries. Critical dimensions of human experience are examined, such as political organization, economic activity, social life, religion, and culture. Students can use the course to develop a global perspective, to become better-informed members of the global community, and to explore issues of global concern. These include ethno-cultural interactions, imperialism, colonization, wars, national independence movements, popular uprisings, relations between “developed” and “undeveloped” countries, and the implications of globalization. Our approach will respect the experience of all peoples and will avoid viewing them exclusively through the lens of any particular society.

Course Objectives:

1. Describe important events, personalities, traditions, trends, and institutions that shaped world history;
2. Examine the causes, effects, and significance of crucial political, economic, educational, and religious developments;
3. Evaluate key historical developments in world history;
4. Develop and apply the skills of historical scholarship-- purposeful and critical reading, gathering and weighing of evidence, interpretation of evidence, effective organization and presentation of ideas, etc.
5. Identify and evaluate key approaches to global history.
6. Compare regional developments across the globe.
7. Trace interconnections between regions of the globe.
8. Develop a global perspective on key past and present developments.

Course Policies:

  1. Please review St.F.X.'s academic regulations found in the calendar.
  2. Class attendance: essential and part of the participation component of your grade.
  3. Readings: all listed readings are required and should be done before the class for which they are assigned. Handouts will be provided by me ahead of time.
  4.  Engaged attendance, i.e., participation in discussions, asking questions, etc., can only help your participation grade. There are no wrong questions or comments. Remember, Socrates said “the smartest person in the world is the person who knows (s)he knows nothing.” 
  5. Disabilities: please tell me about any disability that will affect your course performance.
  6. Extended illnesses: please notify me, and, where appropriate, supply a doctor's note.
  7. Assignment due dates: please observe, for late assignments will be penalized (two points/day). Extensions must be requested, at the latest, three days before the due date and for legitimate reasons. No assignments will be accepted beyond a grace period of seven days following the due date.
  8. Please be sure to keep your own personal copy of all assignments you submit. And update and back up everything you do on a computer!!
     

Evaluation:

Written work:      1st Term Essay        10%
                            2nd Term Essay       10%
                            
Quizzes/Exams:    October Quiz (First term midterm): 15%
                            Christmas Exam        20%
                            February Quiz (Second term Midterm): 15%
                            Final Exam                25%

Participation: 5%

Text

  •  Robert Tignor, et. al., Worlds Together, Worlds Apart

** In addition, there will be several handouts, and readings from Andrea & Overfield, The Human Record; five copies of this book are on reserve at MacDonald Library. **

 

 

First Term Syllabus
 

·  Important Dates: 

  • Mid-term quiz: Thursday, 17 October
  • Last Class: Thursday, 29 November.
  • Christmas Exam (tentative date): As per university exam schedule

First-Term Essay Assignment: Thursday, 3 October.

First-Term Essay Due Thursday, 7 November.

 

**********************************************************************

 

Week One: Introduction; Historical Knowledge: How We Know What We Think We Know

Thur., 5 Sept.

** Read Handout, from Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the Twentieth Century, by Mon., 9 Sept. **

 

Week Two: Cross-Pollinations and Traditions Under Siege. The World (or Most of it) in 1300.

Mon., 9 Sept.

Tues., 10 Sept.

Thur., 12 Sept.

Worlds, 3-26.

 

Week Three: Mongols, Invaders and Plagues; Oh My! The Down-Side to Cultural Contact

Worlds, 26-41

Mon., 16 Sept.

Tues., 17 Sept.

Thur., 19 Sept.

 

Week Four: Traditions in Recovery: Eurasia Responds to the Black Death

Mon., Sept. 23

Tues., 24 Sept.

Thur., 26 Sept.

Worlds, 42-48; 66-68

** Read handout, from Bocaccio, The Decameron **

** Read handout, from Peter Barnes, Red Noses **

 

Week Five: New Trade, New Challenges

Ming Dynasty: “When China Ruled the Seas” 

Rise of the Ottomans: Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

Worlds, 48-66

** Andrea & Overfield, The Human Record, pp. 103-114 (on reserve) **

** Andrea & Overfield, The Human Record, pp. 118-123 (on reserve) **

Mon., 30 Sept.

Tues., 1 Oct.

Thur., 3 Oct.

 

Week Six: 

Mon., 7 Oct.

European Renaissance

Worlds, 68-80

** Read handout from Pico della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man, 5-29 **

** Read handout from Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince, 90-114 **

Tues., 8 Oct.

China and India: You’re Trading with the Big Boys Now

Worlds, 80-86

Thur., 10 Oct.

European Expansion and the Incipient Atlantic Trade

Worlds, 86-95, 102-106

** Andrea & Overfield, The Human Record, pp. P-7-P20; 65-82 (on reserve) **

 

Week Seven: The Fall of America’s First Empires: Aztecs, Incas

Mon., 14 Oct.: NO CLASSES! THANKSGIVING DAY!

Tues., 15 Oct.: Class, and review for midterm! Bring questions for me.

Worlds, 95-102

** Read handout from Juan Gines de Sepulveda, Bartolome de las Casas, Tlaxcalan Municipal Council, in The Human Record pp. 19-26; 82-85 (on reserve) **

Thur., 17 Oct.: MIDTERM

 

Week Eight: Europe Transformed: Reformation, Counter-Reformation; Asia on the March

Mon., 21 Oct.

Tues., 22 Oct.

Thur., 24 Oct.

Worlds, 106-117

** Read from Martin Luther, the Council of Trent, Lucas Cranach, in The Human Record, and Erasmus, pp. 3-18 **

(Yes, I am assigning Luther at a university called Saint Francis Xavier!)

 

Week Nine: Mercantilism and the Growth of the Colonial System

Mon., 28 Oct.

Tues., 29 Oct.

Worlds, 118-131

The Slave Trade and its Effects on Africa (the Americas and Europe, too)

Thur., 31 Oct.

Worlds, 131-136

** Read in The Human Record, pp. 44-64 (on reserve) **

** Read from Olaudah Equiano, Slave Narrative, in The Human Record (on reserve), pp. 205-210 **

 

Week Ten: Tradition Under Change, 1600-1800

Mon., 4 Nov.: Asia. Worlds, 136-148, 163-179

** Read Mehmed Pasha, etc., in The Human Record, pp. 218-236 (on reserve) **

Tues., 5 Nov.

Thur., 7 Nov.

Europe: Absolutism and Its Discontents Worlds, 148-161

** Read handout from Thomas Hobbes, The Leviathan, 183-188 **

** Read handout from John Locke, The Second Treatise of Government, 44-73 **

 

Week Eleven

Worlds, 179-195

Mon., 11 Nov.: The Enlightenment and the Less Enlightened Attitude Toward Others

** Read Michel de Montaigne, On Cannibals, pp. 38-41 in The Human Record (on reserve) **

** Read in The Human Record, 174-182 (on reserve) **

Tues., 12 Nov.: Race and other scientific oddities

Thur., 14 Nov.: ATTENDING THE ASA. Video screening, “TBA” (almost certainly NOT something starring Tom Cruise.)

 

Week Twelve: Asia, Oceania and the Other Others

Mon., 18 Nov.

“The World Turned Upside Down”: George Washington, Marat Sade, Napoleon  

Worlds, 196-208

** Read Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, etc., in The Human Record, pp. 186-198 (on reserve) **

Tues., 19 Nov.

Thur., 21 Nov. Week Thirteen:

Mon., 25 Nov.: South American Stirrings 

Worlds, 208-213

** Read Simon Bolivar, from The Human Record, pp. 199-202 (on reserve) **

Tues., 26 Nov.: Slavery Under Assault, The Stirrings of the Industrial Revolution

Worlds, 213-223

** Read from Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, in The Human Record, pp. 169-173 (on reserve) **

Thur., 28 Nov.: SOME CONCLUDING REMARKS. Review for First Semester’s Final Exam. Bring me your questions!

 

 

 

    The Garfield Hilltops, 1919 baseball champs. Mathias Zecher, second from left, top row, was a fierce competitor, and a mighty hitter. Other players, in there somewhere, Yokkie Sabo and John D. Vaslyk.

 

 

                                              HIST 110.13 -- WORLD HISTORY

                       

                                                                                                            M, Tu 11:15-12:05

                                                                                                            Th 12:15-1:05  

 

                                                                                                            Dr. Robert M. Zecker

                                                                                                            318 Nicholson Tower

                                                                                                            867-3009

                                                                                                            rzecker@stfx.ca

                                                                                              Office Hours: M-Th 9-12, 1-4

                                                                                                    Class times excepted

                                                                                                    (or by appointment)

                                                                                                             

Course Description

    Welcome to History 110. This is a six-credit survey course that examines global developments and trends in world history from about 1300 C.E. to the present. The course investigates and compares the world's major regions, their traditions, interactions, exchanges, and contributions. It uses a variety of methods--lectures, discussions, readings, documentaries. Critical dimensions of human experience are examined, such as political organization, economic activity, social life, religion, and culture. Students can use the course to develop a global perspective, to become better-informed members of the global community, and to explore issues of global concern. These include ethno-cultural interactions, imperialism, colonization, wars, national independence movements, popular uprisings, relations between “developed” and “undeveloped” countries, and the implications of globalization. Our approach will respect the experience of all peoples and will avoid viewing them exclusively through the lens of any particular society.

Course Objectives:

1. Describe important events, personalities, traditions, trends, and institutions that shaped world history;
2. Examine the causes, effects, and significance of crucial political, economic, educational, and religious developments;
3. Evaluate key historical developments in world history;
4. Develop and apply the skills of historical scholarship-- purposeful and critical reading, gathering and weighing of evidence, interpretation of evidence, effective organization and presentation of ideas, etc.
5. Identify and evaluate key approaches to global history.
6. Compare regional developments across the globe.
7. Trace interconnections between regions of the globe.
8. Develop a global perspective on key past and present developments.

Course Policies:

  1. Please review St.F.X.'s academic regulations found in the calendar.
  2. Class attendance: essential and part of the participation component of your grade.
  3. Readings: all listed readings are required and should be done before the class for which they are assigned. Handouts will be provided by me ahead of time.
  4.  Engaged attendance, i.e., participation in discussions, asking questions, etc., can only help your participation grade. There are no wrong questions or comments. Remember, Socrates said “the smartest person in the world is the person who knows (s)he knows nothing.” 
  5. Disabilities: please tell me about any disability that will affect your course performance.
  6. Extended illnesses: please notify me, and, where appropriate, supply a doctor's note.
  7. Assignment due dates: please observe, for late assignments will be penalized (two points/day). Extensions must be requested, at the latest, three days before the due date and for legitimate reasons. No assignments will be accepted beyond a grace period of seven days following the due date.
  8. Please be sure to keep your own personal copy of all assignments you submit. And update and back up everything you do on a computer!!
     

Evaluation:

Written work:      1st Term Essay        10%
                            2nd Term Essay       10%
                            
Quizzes/Exams:    October Quiz (First term midterm): 15%
                            Christmas Exam        20%
                            February Quiz (Second term Midterm): 15%
                            Final Exam                25%

Participation: 5%

Text

  •  Robert Tignor, et. al., Worlds Together, Worlds Apart

** In addition, there will be several handouts, and readings from Andrea & Overfield, The Human Record; five copies of this book are on reserve at MacDonald Library. **

 

 

SECOND Term Syllabus
 

·  Important Dates: 

  • Mid-term quiz: Thursday, 20 February
  • Last Class: Tuesday, 8 April
  • Exam (tentative date): As per university exam schedule

Term Essay Assignment: Thursday, 6 February.

Term Essay Due Thursday, 13 March.

 

**********************************************************************

 

Week ONE: Asia, Oceania and the Other Others

Intro Class: Mon., 6 Jan.

Tues., 7 Jan.: “The World Turned Upside Down”: George Washington, Marat Sade, Napoleon  

Worlds, 196-208

Thu., 9 Jan.: ** Read Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, etc., in The Human Record, pp. 186-198 (on reserve) **

 

Week TWO:

Mon., 13 Jan.: South American Stirrings 

Worlds, 208-213

** Read Simon Bolivar, from The Human Record, pp. 199-202 (on reserve) **

Tues., 14 Jan.: Slavery Under Assault, The Stirrings of the Industrial Revolution

Worlds, 213-223

Thu., 16 Jan.: ** Read from Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, in The Human Record, pp. 169-173 (on reserve) **

 

Week THREE:

Mon., 20 Jan.: Changes in Eurasia, Circa 1800

Worlds, 223-237

Tues., 21 Jan.: Islam on the March

Worlds, 237-246

** The Human Record, on reserve, pp. 228-236 **

Thu., 23 Jan.: China and Change

Worlds, 246-250

 

WEEK FOUR:

 

Mon., 27 Jan.: Utopias

Worlds, 251-257

Tues., 28 Jan.: Rebellions against the Europeans

Thu., 30 Jan.:

Worlds, 257-269

 

WEEK FIVE:

Industrial Revolution and Its Discontents

** The Human Record (on reserve), 267-290 **

Mon., 3 Feb.: Industrial Workers

Tues., 4 Feb.: The Middle Class and Refinement

Thu., 6 Feb.: Marx

 

WEEK SIX: Nations and Empires

 

Mon., 10 Feb.: TheU.S., the Americas, and Canada. Worlds, 270-279

Tues., 11 Feb.: European Nationalism, Worlds, 280-285

** The Human Record (on reserve), 290-302 ** 

Thu., 13 Feb.: Imperialism: Worlds, 286-297

 

WEEK SEVEN:

 

Mon., 17 Feb.: Imperial Also-Rans (China, Japan, Russia), Worlds 297-307

Tues., 18 Feb.: Also Also-Rans: The Ottomans, the Habsburgs.

Thu., 20 Feb.: MIDTERM EXAM

 

*** MID-SEMESTER BREAK: 24 Feb.-2 March. ***

 

WEEK EIGHT: Western Pressures on Africa, Asia, and India, late 19th and early 20th century

 

Mon., 3 March: ** The Human Record (on reserve), 311-343 **

Tues., 4 March: Worlds, 308-314 

Thu., 6 March: East Asia Confronts Western Europe (Late 19th, Early 20th Century): ** The Human Record (on reserve), 344-375 **

 

WEEK NINE:

 

The Disintegration of Imperial China

Mon., 10 March: Worlds, 314-317, 336-344

 

Crisis of Modernity in Europe:

Tues., 11 March: Worlds, 317-332

 

What Is This Thing Called “Race”? The Nation Confronts “The Other”:

Thu., 13 March: Worlds, 333-336

 

WEEK TEN: The Long World War: 1910-1945

 

Mon., 17 March: Worlds, 347-363

Tues., 18 March: ** The Human Record (on reserve), 380-398 **

Thu., 20 March: Fascism, Stalinism

Worlds, 363-372, 382-397; ** The Human Record (on reserve), 398-421 **

 

WEEK ELEVEN: Anti-Colonialism, The Cold War, the Third World “Third Way”

Worlds, 372-381; 397-423

** The Human Record (on reserve), 422-452 **

Mon., 24 March

Tues., 25 March

Thu., 27 March

 

WEEK TWELVE:

Globalization and Its Discontents

Worlds, 425-462

Mon., 31 March:

Tues., 1 April:  

Thu., 3 April:

 

WEEK THIRTEEN:

 

Mon., 7 April: A Word (OR Three) About 9-11 and “Blowback” (The U.S. and the World in the 21st Century) 

Tues., 8 April: SOME CONCLUDING REMARKS. Review for First Semester’s Final Exam. Bring me your questions!