CORE 131
Western Civilization to 1914

Syllabus
Spring 2009

sokratesWestCiv


History Department
King's College
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711


 

Prof. Pavlac
e-mail: bapavlacATkings.edu
Tel: (570) 208-5900, ext. # 5748
Fax: (570) 208-5988 
Office: Hafey-Marian 307
Office Hours: MWF 9-9:50;MW 1:30-3:30 
and by appointment


Purpose | General Requirements | Exams | Maps | Written Assignments

 Grades | Grading Policy | Topics | Academic Honesty | Sources

 Presentation | WebCT | CLASS SCHEDULE | General History Links


I. Description:

Where did our culture come from? This course on Western Civilization can help answer that question. We will survey the main stages of Western Civilization, with an emphasis on concepts, forces, ideas, events and people that have shaped our society up through the 19th century. In other words, we will examine, through lectures and discussion of readings, how our ancestors and the creators of our culture handled nature, ordered government, structured society, produced wealth, expressed ideas in word and form, and conceived the ultimate meaning of life, the universe and everything.  


II. Purpose:

A. Mission Statement:

This Core Curriculum requirement is a course in the Civilization category.

This class is an important part of your education!  Civilization courses are designed to explore in some depth the complex dimensions of our world and the cumulative experience of the past, to provide an understanding of how yesterday influences today and the outlook for tomorrow. We study the major developments of Western peoples until the 20th century because most of the problems and institutions of contemporary society have distinguishable roots in the historical past. Moreover, because of the physical and material expansion of the West in the modern period, many of these forms  (capitalist industrial manufacturing, the nation-state system, etc.) have become global in nature.

We offer this course as part of your general education requirements because it is important for educated citizens to be familiar with the main stages of Western Civilization and recognize it as an expanding force which produced important forms of political, social, and economic organization. You should understand that most of the structures within which we order our lives are products of this evolution. Historians believe that past human behavior can be studied scientifically and that social scientists can improve our understanding of people in the present.

Further, whatever your major or career goals may be, throughout your lives you will be deluged with information, opinion, and interpretations about events which you should be able to evaluate critically. Answering questions and solving problems by critical analysis -- not just memorization of data -- is a basic goal of education. Information is just the raw material in this process and, though rational analysis must be based on factual data, memorizing tidbits of information is not an end in itself. Our real goal is to develop concepts which give order and meaning to the raw material of our recorded past. Doing this requires comprehension beyond minimal factual details of past events. Major emphasis will be on patterns, themes, and concepts against which the factual data must be understood.

We hope that upon successful completion of this course you will have improved your understanding of world civilizations and become a more perceptive judge of the data, opinions, interpretations and explanations continuously offered to you. This process, indeed, should last your whole life, since (paraphrasing the observation of the distinguished professional historian Carl L. Becker from 1931) "Ultimately, every person is their own historian."

B. Objectives for the student:

  1. To be familiar with the main stages of civilization as an expanding force that has produced important forms of political, social, economic and cultural organization which are our common heritage.
  2. To identify major events, persons and ideas that contributed to the development of Western (including American) and non-Western attitudes and institutions.
  3. To develop concepts which give meaning and order to the raw material of our recorded past.
  4. To identify and analyze significant problems and situations as they relate to the continuing issues of contemporary life.

C. Goals for the student:

  1. To improve understanding of the major events which have influenced the modern world.
  2. To be an intelligent consumer and evaluator of information about world events.
  3. To develop a global perspective which recognizes the political, economic and cultural interdependence of all nations.
  4. To understand the influence of the past on contemporary events and problems or, in other words, to develop Historical Mindedness.

D. General Learning Outcomes for the student:

In addition to the more content-related objectives described above, this course has some general liberal-learning goals of developing academic skills. It is expected that successful completion of this course will help you improve your ability:

  1. To manage information, which involves sorting data, ranking data for significance, synthesizing facts, concepts and principles.
  2. To understand and use organizing principles or key concepts against which miscellaneous data can be evaluated.
  3. To differentiate between facts, opinions and inferences.
  4. To frame questions so as to more clearly clarify a problem topic or issue.
  5. To compare and contrast the relative merits of opposing arguments and interpretations, moving between the main points of each position.
  6. To organize your thoughts and communicate them clearly and concisely in written form.
  7. To obtain practice in selecting and presenting information and arguments within a restricted environment, especially the limitations of time in exams.


III. General Requirements

A. Academic Honesty (click here for more information).

Be aware of the academic honesty policy concerning cheating and plagiarism, and your moral, ethical and legal obligation only to submit work completed by you yourself.  For more information see <Help stop Plagiarism!>.  

B. Reading:

Reading is still the best way to learn history.  We will read both a broad survey of history and specific sources in order to better understand the past.

First, for a broad survey, you will need to purchase a textbook, as explained by the professor in class.  The text provides you with important factual and background information to be read and worked on before class and to be used for review and reference afterwards.

Before class, you will read the text according to the schedule, below. I all of your classes, you should prudently mark up, underline, highlight and otherwise annotate your texts as you study.  For this class, you are required to do so.
You are required to critique the textbook as you study.  While you are reading use one or more highlighters or pens to mark up portions of the text.  You might consider different colors for (a) historical facts, terms, dates, (b) important points or details, or (c) key explanatory phrases and sentences.
Circle any words that are misspelled.  With a pen , underline with a squiggled line any sentences or phrases that you consider to be poorly written , whether through grammatical error or unclarity.  You might use other marks as used by the professor in his assessment of you assignments, found here.
Write comments in the margins about the following points;

Bring the textbook to class.  Ask questions about it.  We will discuss it.  After class, regularly through the semester, you should review your class notes and compare them with the text's versions of the material.  

You are to turn in your textbooks at each exam to evaluate how well you have marked it up.  After the final, if you would like to pick up and keep your text, write "KEEP" on the front cover.  Then return at the beginning of the next semester and get your book from the professor in his office. 

Second, you will as read modern versions of primary sources.  Before class, you will read them according to the schedule, below.  Print out the source, mark it up as you read, bring it to class for discussion.

As you read and mark it, you may want to answer the following questions:

For more on sources, see <http://staff.kings.edu/bapavlac/sources.html>.

The instructor will give quizzes to test your reading and comprehension and for review.  The quizzes will be open book and will usually require you to respond to either of three problems: 

  1. In one short paragraph, sum up the answer to the BIG Question of the day. 
  2. For each of three people or events you choose from that day's reading, write one sentence describing why they are important in history.  
  3. Write one short paragraph, describe how one of the sources required for today illustrates problems people faced in the time in which the source was written.

C. Class Participation & Attendance:

Participation and attendance are necessary because lecture and discussion provide the essentials for achieving class goals and objectives. Thus a portion of your grade (about 10%) will depend on your in-class performance and presence, aside from graded quizzes, exams and papers.  You are required to attend each class, arrive on time, remain attentive, maintain proper classroom decorum, respond to questions and participate in discussion and small-group activities. You are encouraged to take notes and ask questions.

Several minor written assignments (a paragraph to one page in length) will also be required as reflections and reactions to class discussion and projects (10 points each).

The professor will regularly take attendance. Absences due to college activities, emergency or extended illness may be excused by the appropriate college official. You should consult with the professor about making up missed work in advance or as soon as possible after your return.  Other absences are unexcused and will lower the class participation and quiz portions of your grade. After any absence, you are responsible for requesting hand-outs and already returned assignments from the professor or borrowing notes from other students. If you miss an exam, contact the instructor as soon as possible. You may take a missed exam only at the discretion of the instructor. Whether absences are excused or not, you may not get a higher grade than the percentage of classes attended.

A student who arrives at class late, after attendance is taken, must personally request that the absence be turned into a tardy mark. Students who need to leave a class session early, except for medical emergency, should notify the instructor before class begins.

All students who have a learning disability, physical handicap and/or any other possible impediment to class participation and requirements should schedule an appointment with the instructor within the first two weeks of classes to discuss available accommodations.  Only with the instructor's permission may class be recorded, only to be used for your own study and the recordings must be erased after the exams.

If at some point during the semester you must discontinue the course, due to poor performance, illness or some other cause, be sure to follow proper procedures for withdrawal. 

D. Exams:

You will take various types of exams:

To study for the exams you should regularly, at least once a week, review your class notes, and refer to the study questions linked below. You should also compare and contrast these notes with your textbook and with the issues and trends emphasized in the class description.  To avoid common exam errors, check this page.  

Study Questions for Exam 1Study Questions for Exam 2Study Questions for Final Exam


D. Major Written Assignments:

CONTRIBUTORS TO CIVILIZATION
You are to write two five-to-seven page essays, each of which presents the life of an important person who contributed to Western Civilization. (25+75 points each)

Purpose:
Biography remains a popular and useful way to understand history. People’s lives, especially those who play a major, positive role in change, illustrate the possibilities and constraints which affect humanity. You will manage information, evaluate different historical opinions, analyze arguments, organize your thoughts and present them in a clear written form in order to better understand an historical process.

Procedure:
1. Choose any two important figures who significantly and contributed to the improvement of Western Civilization. Your first subject must have lived before A.D. 1500 and the second must have lived between A.D. 1500 and 1900. No figures from the New World (the Americas) are permitted. This person may have been involved in fields such as science, politics, economics, social change, culture or religion.
You will submit your choice on the date listed in the schedule, in the proper presentation format (no points). The professor may require you to choose another person.

2. Carefully research the person. Note how the person made positive contributions to civilization.

3. Refer to at least one printed (not electronic from the internet or CD-ROM) tertiary source (encyclopedia, handbooks, dictionaries, but not the textbook); three printed secondary sources (scholarly, biographical, detailed works, books and/or journal articles written by professional historians and which closely examine the person); and one primary source (which you may access via electronic or printed republished versions). If you have any doubts about the appropriateness of your sources, please see the professor early.
You must turn in, in proper presentation format, after a cover page,
(1) one page with a thesis written as one full complete sentence followed by an outline (at least three main points and a supporting detail or two for each) of your key points;
(2) a page with a pre-bibliography of your sources, in proper format; with
(3) a photocopy for each source in order as listed in the pre-bibliography. Each source you should turn in one photocopied page: of tertiary sources the first page of the article; of secondary sources the title page of a book or first page of an article; for primary sources the first page of a book, website, or the source itself.
Due as listed in the schedule (25 points)This assignment will be evaluated both on the quality of references and the accuracy of bibliographic formatting.

4. Write a careful essay whose thesis argues how the person changed history for the better. The quality and use of your research from historical books will substantially influence the evaluation of your essay – be sure to use them in the body of your paper. The professor is largely interested in the historical role of the person, so childhood and personal life material is probably less relevant to your paper than adult and public activities and achievements. Do not write a standard biography. Most major points should be devoted to specifics about positive contributions, showing significant influence or impact on history. At least one paragraph should cover weaknesses, flaws, or possible criticisms about the person which you need to rationalize, justify or excuse. Be sure to place the person in historical context, focusing on how things used to be before the positive things brought about by this person, the historical process of change, challenges faced by this person, and/or how this person’s life still affects us today. Support all your assertions with proper reasoning and/or details drawn from your sources, properly cited.

5. Rest, review, and revise repeatedly. You might use the Writing Center.  Include a revised bibliography as the last page (do not include the thesis page or outlines from previous assignments. Then write a final draft to be turned as listed in the schedule (75 points). 

For more on evaluation of your papers see <http://staff.kings.edu/bapavlac/grading.html#writt> and to avoid common errors in written assignments, check this page: <http://staff.kings.edu/bapavlac/grading.html#error>.   

About quotations in your writing assignments, see more information here <http://staff.kings.edu/bapavlac/presentation.html#quote>.

Be sure to conform to the instructor's presentation guidelines, and use Turabian/Chicago Manual of Style format (see Corgan Library <http://www.kings.edu/frames/tb_frames/library.html> and click on "Citing Sources" Or go to the Corgan Library Study Guide #11  for bibliography and citations.  

E. Deadlines:

Completing assignments on time is an important aspect of your course work.  You yourself must hand in each written assignment at the beginning of class on the dates assigned on your paper syllabus.

The grade of any paper you turn in late will lose at least 10% after the beginning of the first class, 20% after the second, and 35% after the third. No late papers will be accepted after the last day of classes.  If you miss any quizzes and/or class projects, you may only make them up if you have a legitimate excuse and with the explicit permission of the instructor, who may require any equivalent assignment. 


IV. Grading Policy:

You earn your grade through work done for this course.  It is your responsibility to understand why you have achieved a certain grade, and what steps you can take to maintain or improve your grade.  You are encouraged to consult with the professor during office hours or by appointment both before and after exams and written assignments.  Click here for more information on the parameters of evaluation and grading.

Your final grade will be based on a percentage (above 90%=A, 89-80%=B, etc.) of the sum of the assignments. Different assignments will be worth certain point values.   The following is the weight given to your various learning tasks:

75 for the first exam;
100 for the second exam; and 125 for the final exam;
10 each (30 total) for three map quizzes;
10 each for any in-class quizzes or class project statements;
15 points for each textbook evaluation at each exam;
25 each (50 total) for your written assignment thesis statements, outlines, and pre-bibliographies;
75 each of for your written assignments;
75 for your class attendance & participation.

For your protection, in case of errors of recording, you should keep copies of all exams and assignments until you have received official notice of your final grade.  Any and all materials done for this course may become the property of the professor, who may use them for assessment, evaluative, scholarly, or research purposes.  Although the syllabus presents the basic content and requirements of the course the professor reserves the right to change anything (e.g. assignments, and topics, due dates) at his discretion.  


V.  Map Locations

Unless you know where things are, you cannot understand how they are related to each other.  Therefore portions of exams and quizzes of this course require knowledge about historical geography:  how peoples and countries develop significant spatial relations over time. Each exam will have a map portion, but you will also take a map quiz by computer using WebCT.

You are responsible at all times for the general topography of Europe, but as we move through history some geographic locations become newly significant.  For each exam, covering each part of the course, the new locations are listed, but you are still responsible for the earlier ones. 

For study and practise, you can find a map at <http://departments.kings.edu/history/europemap.html>.  Also go to WebCT <http://courses.kings.edu/> for study paths, self-tests and the quizzes, and a list of all the specific locations you must know.

For help with computer issues on WebCT, contact Ms. Bonnie Scutch at (570) 208-5900, telephone extension 5814 or email at webct@kings.edu.

You may take the quizzes any time after they are posted, before their respective due dates and times (usually before 9 am).  If you miss taking one, you cannot take a replacement. 


VI. Class Topics and WebSOURCES:

The sources required for each class are in the right hand column in boldface along the left edge of that column.  Those links [in small type] within [brackets] are not required, but may be valuable for further information. 

PART I The Study of History and the formation of the Ancient West

date

Big Questions

Pages to Read

Links to Websources

M, Jan 12

What's this course about?

   

W, Jan 14

How do historians study, divide up, and understand our past?

Chap. 1

What is History?

[The Historical MethodSources used for History]

F, Jan 16

What important cultural survival techniques did our ancestors invent? Chap. 2.1-2.2

[Oetzi at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology]

M, Jan 19

What often-ignored problems did civilization create?

Syllabus Quiz Due on WebCT

Chap. 2.3

[Becoming HumanCaves of Lascaux;
European Prehistoric Art; Lucy FAQ]

W, Jan 21

What did various Middle Eastern civilizations contribute to the foundations of Western Culture? Chap. 2.4, Chap. 3 Code of Hammurabi

10 Commandments

[JerusalemEgypt's Golden empire
Ancient Egypt; Ancient Near East]

F, Jan 23

How did the Greeks and later Hellenistic rulers succeed and fail in politics? Chap. 4.1-4.3

Pericles' Funeral Oration

Revolution 

[the Ancient City of Athens Melian DialoguePlutarch on Alexander;  The History of Hellas]

M, Jan 26

Library Visit    

W, Jan 28

What Græco-Roman culture unified the Mediterranean, Western Europe and the Middle East? Chap. 4.4 Apology of Socrates (from "Strange, indeed...[to] die many times."

[Seven Wonders; Ancient Greece Museum
Death of Socrates]

F, Jan 30

How did Rome grow from a city-state to an empire unifying the Mediterranean? Chap. 5

Augustus

[The battle of Trasimeno; The Illustrated History of the Roman Empire];
Rome Republic to Empire; The Roman Empire;  Into the Roman World
Caesar's Assassination]

M, Feb 2

How did the new religion of Christianity begin?

#1 Paper Choice Due

Chap. 6.1-6.2 Matthew 18

Pliny on the Christians

[See also persecutions;   From Jesus to Christ;  The Roman World of JesusPatron Saints]

W, Feb 4

How did the Roman Empire fall in the West, yet last another 1000 years in the East?

1st Map Quiz due on WebCT

Chap. 6.3 contra>Roman Imperialism

pro>Roman Imperialism

[Some (Sometimes Silly) Explanations for the Fall of Rome; Sack of Rome; Jihad]

F, Feb 6

Review Chaps. 1-6  

M, Feb 9

FIRST EXAM-- Bring your Textbook!   Study Questions for Exam 1

PART IIa The Medieval West

date

Big Questions/Assignments Due

Pages to Read

Links to Websources

W, Feb 11

How did the new civilization emerging in Western Europe at the begin of the Middle Ages combine the heritage of Romans and Germans?  Chap. 7.1 Conversion of Clovis  (You don't have to consider "The Incident of the Vase at Soissons," although it is interesting). 

[ordeals, Lindesfarne Gospel (click on Pinnacles of Anglo-Sazon Art), Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (just on Alfred see year 878)]

F, Feb 13

How did the Franks and the Carolingian family succeed briefly in uniting a Western European empire, but ultimately fail? Chap. 7.2 Charlemagne

[Charlemagne's capitulary , Vikings]

M, Feb 16

 How did the feudal politics and manorial economics help the West recover at the end of the Early Middle Ages?

#1 Paper thesis/outline/pre-bibliography Due

Chap. 7.3 Homage and Fealty

[Annals of Xanten]

W, Feb 18

How did more centralized governments form in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages?  Chap. 7.4 William the Conqueror  

[Domesday Bookfirst crusade
Bayeux Tapestry;
Chaos in England, Paris at the time of Philip Augustus]

F, Feb 20

How did the reforms of monks lead to a reform of the wider Church and the creation of the medieval papacy?  

 

Chap. 7.5 Life of St. Bernard (You only have to consider the first life, not the one beginning "From the Acta Sanctorum of Arnold...," although it is interesting).

[Urban riot, Life in a medieval monastery--
(check out the map "click here" box at top right)
Tour of Durham Cathedral]

M, Feb 23

How did the popes fight with kings and other religious movements?  

#1 Paper Due

Chap. 7.6 Dictatus Papæ

[Fourth Lateran Council]

W, Feb 25

How did the revival of trade & towns change the West during the High and Late Middle Ages?

Chap. 7.7 Black Death   

[Conversion of Peter Waldo; Francis of AssisiLuttrel Psalter (click on Glimpse of Medieval Life);
simulated guild hall]


PART IIb Early Modern Europe

date

Big Questions

Pages to Read

Links to Websources

F, Feb 27

 How did late-medieval and early-modern monarchs concentrate still more government power? Chap. 8.1

Trial of Joan of Arc

Break

     

M, Mar 9

How did the Renaissance promote the West's transition into modernity? Chap. 8.2 The Prince, Chapter 18 

 [Florence;  A Critique of the Renaissance Salem]

W, Mar 11

How did the Western Latin Church begin to split apart during the Reformation? Chap. 8.3 Luther Against the Peasants

[WormsReformation Picture GalleryReformation Guide]

F, Mar 13

How did early-modern reforms in religion culminate in wars over religion?

#2 Paper Choice Due

Chap. 8.4 Pope Pius V's Bull Against Elizabeth

[Index of Forbidden Books]

M, Mar 16

What new geopolitics did the "Voyages of Discovery" and colonial imperialism by Europeans create?

2nd Map Quiz Due on WebCT

Chap. 8.5

B.de las Casas

[slaveship; Food and ColumbusColumbus letterSpices (Duyfken Voyage Recreation) Australia]

W, Mar 18

Review Chaps. 7-8.5  

F, Mar 20

Second Exam-- Bring your Textbook!   Study Questions for Exam 2

PART III The Modern World

date

Big Questions

Pages to Read

Links to Websources

M, Mar 23

How did the First Scientific Revolution overthrow conceptions about how the world works? Chap. 9.1 Galileo 

[See also Sci-Rev-WeblinksANSPRACHE VON JOHANNES PAUL II. ...]

W, Mar 25

What improvements did Enlightenment thinkers propose for human society? Chap. 9.2 Voltaire

[Progress]

F, Mar 27

How did absolutism gain ascendancy in Early Modern Europe?

#2 Paper thesis/outline/Pre-bibliography Due

Chap. 9.3 Louis XIV's court

Frederick II on government  

[Peter the GreatMaria Theresa;  Catherine the Great]

M, Mar 30

How did democratic forms of government spread in the West? Chap. 9.4

Declaration of Independence 

[Petition of Right; Execution of Charles I]

W, Apr 1

How did the revolutionaries in France execute political changes?   Chap. 9.5

Declaration of the Rights of Man

["What is the Third Estate?"; La Marseillaise LeveeExecution of Louis XVI]

F, Apr 3

How did war alter the French Revolution and cause Napoleon's rise and fall? Chap. 9.6

Catechism on Napoleon 

[Napoleon's "state of the empire"Waterloo]

M, Apr 6

How did competing ideologies offer alternatives in the 19th Century?

#2 Paper Due

Chap. 10.1 Carlsbad Resolutions

[Malthus; Proclamations of Revolution in France1848; Syllabus of Errors]

W, Apr 8

How did inventions and capitalism produce the Industrial Revolution? Chap. 10.2-10.3 Loss of Wool Spinning

[industrialization interactive; Victorian Webpoetry]

Break

     

W, Apr 15

How did Socialists address problems manufactured by the Industrial Revolutions? Chap. 10.4 Gotha Program (1875) 

[Communist manifesto; women miners in coal pits]

F, Apr 17

How did naturalistic science generate new and unsettling knowledge in the 19th Century? Chap. 10.5 Sigmund Freud on Civilization

Darwin on the Descent of Man

[John Paul II on Evolution]

M, Apr 20

How did the Europeans come to dominate Asia and Africa?  Chap. 11.1

Germans as Huns

[pro> Imperialism, 1884 contra>Imperialism, 1902Profits from imperialism?]

W, Apr 22

How did the United States of America become a world power? Chap. 11.2

Latin America

[San Juan HillBeveridge, March of the Flag]

F, Apr 24

How did various nationalisms unify and divide Western nations?

3rd Map Quiz Due on WebCT

Chap. 11.3

Mazzini's On the Duties of Man

[Germany; Militarism]

 

M, Apr 27

How did nationalism spur the decline of the Ottoman Empire? Chap. 11.4

Young Turks

[Plight of Muslims] 

W, Apr 29

Review Chaps. 9.1-11.4, 15  

tba

FINAL EXAM (should take one hour and fifteen minutes)-- Bring your Textbook!   Study Questions for Final Exam

All topics are tentative; the instructor may change them at his discretion.   


Some general sites that have valuable information, if you want to learn more on many subjects in Western Civilization:  

Hyperhistory <http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html> has many maps, timelines, and brief historical overviews.

Richard Hooker, World Cultures, <http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/110/110RES.HTM> has various learning modules, atlases and other resources.

Stephen Kreis, The History Guide <http://www.historyguide.org/index.html> contains lots of lectures on Western Civilization.

World History at Frank Smitha.com <http://www.fsmitha.com/index.html> contains timelines, maps, descriptions, some opinions.  

History of Costume <http://www.siue.edu/COSTUMES/history.html>.

History at Bedford St. Martin's: <http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/history/> contains maps, textbook supplementary material, useful information about studying history and links to other sites.  

Articles, books, and links at <http://historicaltextarchive.com/>. 

Paul Halsall, Internet History Sourcebooks Project <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/>.


Purpose | General Requirements | Exams | Maps | Written Assignments

 Grades | Grading Policy | Topics | Academic Honesty | Sources

 Presentation | WebCT | Class Schedule | General History Links


Although this syllabus presents the basic content of this course, the professor reserves the right to change anything (e.g. requirement, topics, assignments, due dates, grading policy, etc.) at his discretion.

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