Section Overview / Theme

Catalog (Template) Description

Historical inquiry into cultural continuity and change from 1500 CE to the present. Topics will vary by section. (At least 50% of course will emphasize European topics, with room for global interactions.) 3 Credits.

The Professor’s Point of View

This section of Historical Inquiry II seeks to put a new spin on the old, traditional Western Civilization history course. For more than a century, that course has been trying to succeed at achieving several impossibilities: introducing students to college-level historical study and getting them excited about that study, keeping them excited while stuffing an impossible amount of content and cultural literacy inside their minds, and also getting them to apply sharp analysis while trying to juggle all the new information. Little wonder that we so rarely felt like either of us, students or professors, had really succeeded…

And so, we venture now into a brave new world. While the catalog description indicates our broad parameters (geographically and chronologically), it also announces our new freedom—the license to go where the professor’s expertise can give students the most bang for their proverbial buck. In this section of HIST 151, this means military history. Not so much in terms of battle narrative (but yes, some of that will show up), but more so in line with the course sub-title. We’re going to look at human society and how the “shadow” of war has so often influenced events and decisions, even when that shadow was all there was. In other words, how fears about war have shaped human history as much (more?) than actual combat.

It is my genuine hope that together, we will all learn something about how the modern world came to be, about how we think (individually and communally), and not least of all, how outside voices are constantly trying to get us to see things their way (rightfully or not).

Section Goals/Objectives

The goals (or should I say fruits?) of a history course are as numerous as the books which historians produce. Some have already been hinted at above. 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 mostly center on the relations of people with one another, with themselves, with their god(s), and (in this course) with the truth. 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? How does my culture sway my conclusions?

We will be asking the above questions all within the context of Longwood's Civitae Core Curriculum objectives (see below under the official verbiage).  In light of the outcomes envisioned by the Civitae pillar (Historical and Contemporary Insights), this course section has its own specific desired outcomes for students. Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

• Demonstrate a basic understanding of historical method as it pertains to identifying and interpreting evidence from primary sources and using that evidence to construct evidence-based arguments.
• Describe the role and context of military institutions in the development of modern nation-states, including the role of private vs. public force, and monopolies thereof.

Grading & Assignments

EXAMS:  There will be three exams, whose form will be discussed in detail as they approach. Their basic structure, however, will be mostly essay and argument. The exams are weighted so as to give students the benefit of experience. Thus, the first mid-term is worth 15%, the second mid-term 20% and the Final, 25% of the course grade. While the Final is not cumulative per se, it will presume that students actually remember material from the early half of the course. Failure to take the Final will result in failing the course.

QUIZZES:  At six fixed dates—and two surprise ones—in the semester, 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—in other words, to ensure that you're doing the assigned readings. Thus, each quiz will focus only on the reading assigned for the day when the quiz occurs. The lowest of these eight grades will be jettisoned in the final computation of grades so that the remaining seven will be worth 15% of the final grade.

PAPERS:  There will be two reviews. The first will be of a scholarly article, the second of either an article again or a scholarly monograph. These will be worth 20% each of the course grade. For full details on the nature of this assignment, and the canon of available choices, see the on-line guidelines linked immediately below or in Canvas. (The list of approved articles is still under construction.) For the book review (if we go that route): if your interests lie more in the earlier or later parts of the course's subject matter, look to either the 1st half list or the 2nd half list for books approved for review. Further instructions about how to do this assignment are available here.

NOTE:  In formal writing assignments, there will be little tolerance for grammatical errors and all other transgressions which a simple proofreading should catch. Remove these yourself so I won’t have to remove hard-earned points. Remember, the spell-checker is not your friend! For further guidance, consult my General Policies, plus the Writing and Plagiarism Guides. Also, beware my list of Homonym Crimes. These are multiple, automatic grade deductions, and they can add up severely. Students who demonstrate a clear disregard for good advice and the basic requirements of the assignment will have their work returned to be redone, minus a letter-grade. Plagiarism (as I apparently cannot emphasize enough) is an automatic failure for the entire course.

IN-CLASS WORK:  I have a number of activities and assignments scattered throughout the course (in no small part so you don’t have to listen to me drone on forever). They will account for 5% of the course grade, so don’t treat them lightly. In a sense, this works partially as a participation grade.

AND THE REST... Be certain to read my “General Policies” page as well for further information on how your performance in the course will be assessed (late work, absences, etc.).

GRADE CALCULATION:  Because of the complexity of how I weight grades, plus the omitted pop quiz, I do not use Canvas’ grade function for HIST 151. If you want to keep track of your grade, it is easy enough since I return all your work. Simply plug your grades into the linked worksheet, and it will give you an idea of your progress. Be wary, though, of relying on this too much. The great majority of the points to earn in this class arrive in the final weeks, making early calculations susceptible to large swings.

Schedule of Lectures/Assignments

You will need to read at the times indicated below for the maximum benefit during our lectures and discussions. Readings are to be done before you come to class. The information provided by that text will do much to color in the background of the points I will be stressing either by lecture or posing questions to you. If the indicated readings are not one of our 4 required books, or active links to the Web, then look for them in the course Canvas site.

Date	Topic	Reading Assignment
16 Jan	Introduction: Go over course syllabus	Study the professor's policies.
18 Jan	Overview of Pre-Modern Politics	Machiavelli: xv-xix, 1-21
21 Jan	MLK Day
23 Jan	War & Morality Reading Quiz	Machiavelli, 21-53
25 Jan	Failure: Explanations & Scapegoats	Machiavelli, 53-80
28 Jan	Intro: the Military Revolution Debate	Parker: Rev. Revisited, 6-44
30 Jan	Amplifying State Functions	Parker: Supplying War, 45-81
1 Feb	Naval Developments	Parker: Victory at Sea, 82-114
4 Feb	The Thirty Years War: Fighting for God?	Overview of The Thirty Years War
6 Feb	The Thirty Years War: Triumph of the Nation-State	♦  Simplicius, chs. 1-8, in Canvas ♦  Heberle Memoirs, in Canvas or the German History Institute
8 Feb	Global Impact Reading Quiz	Parker: Military Rev. Abroad, 115-145
11 Feb	Absolutism: Louis XIV / Cromwell	♦  “Louis XIV: Patron of Science and Technology” (in Canvas or @ Purdue) ♦  Small bio of Cromwell; Analysis of New Model Army
13 Feb	Rev. Debate	Parker: Afterword, 155-176
15 Feb	EXAM
18 Feb	Spanish Fade	♦  Overview of The Price Revolution ♦  Mau: “Lessons of the Spanish Empire” at SSRN or in Canvas
20 Feb	Rise of Russia (Looking West)	Analyses of Peter the Great: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/petergreat.asp
22 Feb	Rise of Prussia Reading Quiz	Documents re early Prussia: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/hre-prussia.asp
25 Feb	Rise of Private/Public Risk (Looking East) Fìrst Article Review Due	♦  Quick Primer on Joint-Stock Companies (in England) ♦  “The Original Corporate Raiders”
27 Feb	Revolutions in the New World	Comparative Strategies Guerrila Wafare: Not so Much? Brief Military Narrative and Analysis
1 Mar	Revolutions in the Old World	The Levée en Masse Ça Ira: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/caira.asp
4-8 Mar	SPRING BREAK
11 Mar	Napoleon Reading Quiz	The Limits of Genius? At His Peak: Ulm and Austerlitz
13 Mar	Clausewitz as Pivot	♦  A Short Biographical Sketch ♦  Excerpts from On War : Bk IV: Chs. 8-11 (Scroll down Contents to the links)
15 Mar	Greece, Russia, Turkey	The Greek War of Independence
18 Mar	Germany’s Arrival	♦  “Watch on the Rhine”: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1870wachtrhein.asp ♦  Bismarck’s Memoirs: http://history.hanover.edu/texts/bis.html
20 Mar	EXAM
22 Mar	Imperialism Anew (Africa / Asia / The Great Game)	Barnhart: “Status Competition...” via DOI or Canvas
25 Mar	Lessons not Learned: US Civil War and Boer War	♦  A survey of new military technology ♦  Anomalies of the Boer War
27 Mar	Police	♦  “The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829” ♦  “The Peterloo Massacre”: a picture to study
29 Mar	The Second Industrial Revolution Arms Races	A small article to read A small video to watch
1 Apr	Diplomacy Reading Quiz	Eksteins, Prologue & Ch. I
3 Apr	1914	Eksteins, Ch. II
5 Apr	(LU Medieval Conference)	Eksteins, Ch. III
8 Apr	1915-16	Eksteins, Ch. IV
10 Apr	1917-18	Eksteins, Ch. V
12 Apr	“The Peace to End All Peace”	Eksteins, Ch. VII
15 Apr	Legislating against War	Eksteins, Ch. IX
17 Apr	Cultural Effects	Eksteins, Ch. X
19 Apr	Weather Cancellation
22 Apr	Fascism’s Pushback Reading Quiz	“Fench Press Reactions to Hitler...”
24-26 Apr	(Poitiers Conference) Second Article Review Due by 5pm on 26 Apr
29 Apr	The End of Isolationism?	Reading TBD
	Final Exam	See LU Exam Schedule for time / date

Academic Honesty

Sadly, every year a few students attempt to submit work which is not their own. This act is, of course, the crime of plagiarism. Do not test your luck in this arena. The eventual odds are against you, and the penalties are unpleasant. Any student who submits plagiarized work will automatically fail the entire course. Previous students have found that I do not negotiate this point. If you're not sure what constitutes academic dishonesty, consult the student handbook, ask your instructors, or see my links to the problem.

All other forms of cheating will be penalized to the fullest extent of university policies.

Required Textbooks

We have three major readings for this course. They are all required, and yes, I actually expect students to read them (along with all the other assignments).

• Machiavelli, The Prince
• Parker, The Military Revolution
• Eksteins, The Rites of Spring

Contacting Dr. Isaac

• Office: Ruffner 226A
• Telephone: 395-2225
• e-mail: isaacsw@longwood.edu
• Office Hours:  MW 11:00–noon ; TR 1:00-2:00
• Feel free to drop in at anytime; if I can’t see you during the set office hours, I will gladly set up an appointment at your convenience. I am available most afternoons as well if you just want to come by.

Official Verbiage

Catalog Description
HIST 151. Historical Inquiry I. Historical inquiry into cultural continuity and change from prehistory to 1500 CE. Topics will vary by section. 3 credits. WI

Note: Satisfactory completion (earning a C- or better) of this course and each of its requirements is required of all history majors in order to graduate.

Core Foundation Objectives
This course fulfills the Historical and Contemporary Insights pillar of the Foundations requirements. In this course students will:
• Engage in creative inquiry and cultivate curiosity.
• Develop foundational knowledge and skills in the discipline (e.g. how to communicate, study, read, etc.)

Historical and Contemporary Insights Course Outcomes
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
• Describe and analyze historical and cultural continuity and change over one or more periods of time.
• Identify and interpret evidence from primary sources (such as historical documents, works of art and literature, material artifacts, or oral traditions and interviews) and/or scholarly sources.
• Construct evidence-based arguments that connect specific historical and cultural changes to regional, national, and/or global processes.
• Create and deliver writing appropriate to audience, purpose, and context (Writing Infused).