Modern Western Civilization

HIST 110

Section 10 (2:00-3:15)

Fall Semester 2004

Dr. Steven Isaac                                                                       

Office: Wynne 105A

Office Phone: 395-2225

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 2:00–3:00, Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 – 2:00,

            plus I am available by appointment.

E-mail: isaacsw@longwood.edu

Required Texts: Sherman & Salisbury, The West in the World

                        Voltaire, Candide

                        Eksteins, The Rites of Spring

Course Description

            Welcome to Modern Western Civilization. In the next fifteen weeks we are going to cover nearly 400 years of humankind’s story, years which saw an unprecedented expansion in both breadth and pace of activity. Naturally, this implies that much material will receive only slight attention, and an even more atrocious amount of information will be ignored completely. With that minimal apology out of the way, I still hope that students will find the class challenging, informative, even occasionally entertaining. We will be looking at the procession of events, grand and minuscule, personal and impersonal, which have wrought the world that we currently enjoy. With our focus somewhat determined by the course title, we will concentrate on European affairs, but as that particular community expanded globally, so also will the lecture material. To that extent, you are at the mercy of the instructor’s editorial whims.

            On the other hand, feel free to ask questions and to challenge the material presented. The goal of this class is not just to inform students of the course of Western history, but also to demonstrate the myriad ways in which that narrative has been understood. With so many debates still ongoing, another course goal is for students to present their own their thoughts. Hopefully, this will take place in class, but at the least, it should occur on the exams.

            Let me re-emphasize the sentiment above: you will have to grapple with the information presented in this class, not merely memorize it. I will be asking you many questions throughout the semester; be ready to answer them. Oftentimes, there is not a decisively correct answer, and I will simply be seeking to learn which conclusions you have reached. Obviously, then, your participation in class matters and will depend in no small way on preparing for our lectures/conversations.

Grading and Assignments

            There will be three exams, of a form to be discussed later, which will be weighted so as to give the student the benefit of experience. Thus, the first is worth 15%, the second 22%, and the final 25% of the course grade. No test is cumulative.

            Altogether, the three exams constitute 62% of your grade; the other 38% percent comes from five quizzes, a book review, and a document analysis. At five points in the semester (three scheduled, two surprise), I will give a small quiz of the multiple choice and true/false variety designed to make certain that you have not become a zombie. The lowest of those five grades will be jettisoned in the final computation of grades so that the remaining four will be worth 10% of the final grade. The Document Analysis will be worth 10%, leaving the Book Review as the Book Review remaining 13% of your grade. And the last 5%? That’s the participation grade. And, since I do not curve grades, you would be well advised to participate.

Course Goals

As outlined by the University’s Catalog:

Upon completion of the course, students will have gained an appropriate increase in:

1. An understanding and appreciation of history and historical inquiry through the use of research, critical thinking, and problem solving.

2. A sense of how historical knowledge has been affected by new findings and approaches.

3. An appreciation for how history poses ethical dilemmas and challenges, both for men and women who lived in thepast, and for those pondering its significance now.

4. An appreciation for how knowledge of history helps clarufy the consequences of collective action, both in the past andin the present.

5. A sense of history as combining a variety of disciplines, approaches, and perspectives.

6. An awareness of the diverse modes of gathering, analyzing and interpreting information.

7. An ability to express oneself clearly and concisely on paper, by means of a subsantive written assignment orseries of written assignments.

8. An understanding of how history relates to other disciplines and modes of inquiry.

9. An awareness of how historical inquiry can contribute to understanding the issues and dilemmas that face thecontemporary citizen.

10. An understanding of the historical development of Western civilization in its formative stages.

11. A sense of how to relate the development of Western civilization to other regions of the world.

12. An understanding of how historical cultural developments influence the present day.

As elaborated by your instructor:

            The goals (or should I say fruits?) of a history course are as numerous as the books which historians produce. At the broadest level, though, historical study encourages and hones critical analysis of the questions which most concern us. And these issues are themselves countless, but in the most generic terms, they most often center on the relations of people with one another, with themselves, and or with more abstract things. We will be asking “why?” rather a lot. Why did they think that? Why did they assume such a thing? Why does the past appear simultaneously alien and similar? Even as we ask these questions, others lie implicitly underneath: why do I think what I think? What are my prejudices and assumptions?
                    Naturally, neither you nor I can know how increasingly agile your thinking has become unless you express yourself. Thus, we encounter an overarching goal: development of your writing skills. Both of your exams will consist almost wholly of short paragraphs and one large essay. The book review due in late November will of course be the fullest opportunity both to stretch and demonstrate your ability to express your conclusions about historical events and historical scholarship. I will post on my web site a selection of texts (all available either at Ramaker Library or through me), from which you may choose. The review should be three pages long (standard fonts and sizes). Therein, you will need to: a) present the author’s argument/thesis; b) summarize the evidence used; and c) evaluate whether the author’s argument is convincing. Do not hesitate to disagree with a scholar if you think he/she has overlooked important issues or evidence, misinterpreted information, or missed any further opportunities to persuade you. For further guidelines, visit www.longwood.edu/staff/isaacsw/RvwGuide.html .

Attendance, Tardiness, Disruptions

Your professor assumes that all students are responsible citizen-leaders until such a time or point is reached that he is forced by an individual student to change that opinion. So, you are responsible for attending class, being on time, and not disrupting class. In simple terms, this means I will not check roll unless excessive absenteeism compels me to do so. I do expect you to be on time, but if you cannot do so, consider how to be least disruptive, either by sitting at the back of class or possibly not coming (especially after 10 minutes!). Once in class, the person who has the floor, has the floor. So refrain from your own conversations. And far from least: turn off your cellphones! If you have a call that is so important that it must be taken during my class, you had better clear it with me first. Otherwise, I promise to savage your participation grade in this course.

Schedule of Assignments

            You are expected to come to class having read the assigned material for that day. Below, “S&S” refers to the Sherman and Salisbury textbook.

Honor Code

All provisions of the Longwood Honor Code apply to this course.