Download HT100 TURNING POINTS IN WORLD HISTORY

HT100
TURNING POINTS IN WORLD HISTORY
This sample unit outline is provided by CHC for prospective and current
students to assist with unit selection.
Elements of this outline which may change with subsequent offerings of
the unit include Content, Required Texts, Recommended Readings and
details of the Assessment Tasks.
Students who are currently enrolled in this unit should obtain the outline
for the relevant semester from the unit lecturer.
Unit Name
Turning Points in World History
Unit Code
HT100
Awards
Bachelor of Education (Middle Years) - History minor
Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - History teaching area
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - History major/minor
This unit is able to be undertaken towards other CHC awards according to course
rules and the meeting of prerequisite requirements, as applicable.
Core/Elective
Elective
Pre/co-requisites
Nil
Mode
Internal
In order to understand the contemporary world, it is necessary to understand the
major periods and events which have shaped world history. This unit provides an
overview of the major periods and developments in world history with a view to
providing a base for future historical studies. It will also focus on decisive
moments in history which have played an important role in shaping both western
civilisation and the world at large, examination of which will provide a basis for
exploring the major periods in world history from the end of the Roman Empire
through to the early twenty-first century. By using a close examination of key
events as a basis for exploring wider cultural and historical shifts, students will
gain understanding of both contingency and continuity in history and a greater
understanding of the complexity of historical development and analysis.
Learning Outcomes:
SA
M
Unit Rationale
33 hours
44 hours
63 hours
140 hours
PL
E
Delivery/Contact hrs Class contact
Engagement with unit materials
Assignment preparation
Total
On completion of this unit, students will have provided evidence that they have:
1. Discussed key events which have shaped world history.
2. Identified important themes and issues in a variety of historical periods.
3. Evaluated the culture of Western Europe and its contribution to shaping the values and ideals governing
modern human life and society.
4. Applied appropriate methods of historical analysis and argument to specific topics.
5. Understood the interplay of contingency and continuity in shaping world history.
6. Observed the conventions governing written discourse on historical subjects.
7. Written at an appropriate tertiary standard (with special attention to correct grammar, punctuation,
spelling, vocabulary, usage, sentence structure, logical relations, style, referencing and presentation).
Content:
Week
Topic
Introduction: ‘Doing’ History; The Roman Age: Republic and Empire (The Conversion of
Constantine)
2
The Middle Ages: The Development and Defence of Western Europe (The Defeat of Muslim
Expansion in Europe); The Origins of the English Parliament: Magna Carta
3
The Coming of the Renaissance (The Fall of Constantinople 1453); The ‘Flowering of
Civilisation’
4
Developments and Discoveries: Gutenberg and the Printing Press; The Voyages of Discovery:
Columbus’ Discovery of the New World
5
Reformation Europe (Luther’s 95 Theses)
6
Changing paradigms: Challenge and Confrontation; Galileo Faces the Inquisition
7
Enlightenment and Revolution (The American War of Independence and the French Revolution)
8
Industry Rampant; The Invention of the Steam Engine; Darwin and The Origin of Species
9
The Age of Empire: European Imperial Expansion and the First ‘Cold War’
10
World War I: The Modern World Begins
11
The Rise of Totalitarianism and the collapse of Communism
SA
Set Text Requirements:
M
PL
E
1
Wells, R 1989, History Through the Eyes of Faith: Western Civilization and the Kingdom of God, Harper &
Row, San Francisco.
Recommended Readings:
Bideleux, R & Jeffries, I 2007, A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis and Change, 2
York.
nd
edn, Abingdon, New
Cook, C 1998, Dictionary of Historical Terms: A Guide to Over 2000 Names, Events, Phrases from World
rd
History, 3 edn, Gramercy, New York.
Crossley, PK 2008, What is Global History, Polity, Cambridge, UK.
Fisher, H 1960, A History of Europe, Fontana/Collins, Glasgow.
Frazee, CA (ed.) 1999, World History: Original and Secondary Readings: Volume 1: From the Stone age
to 1500, Greenhaven, San Diego, CA.
Frazee, CA (ed.) 1999, World History: Original and Secondary Readings: Volume 2: From A.D. 1500 to
the Prsent, Greenhaven, San Diego, CA.
th
Joll, J 1990, Europe Since 1870: An International History, 4 edn, Penguin, London.
Noll, M 2000, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, 2
Rapids, MI.
nd
edn, Baker, Grand
Roberts, J 1985, The Triumph of the West, Little Brown, Boston.
th
Schaeffer, F 2005, How Should We Then Live? 50 anniversary edn, Crossway, Wheaton, IL.
Speeches That Changed the World: The Stories and the Transcripts of the Moments That Made History,
2005, Murdoch Books, Millers Point, NSW.
th
Spielvogel, JJ 2006, Western Civilisation, 6 edn, Thomson Learning Australia, Southbank, VIC.
Sweet, W (ed.) 2004, The Philosophy of History: A Re-examination, Ashgate, Burlington, VT.
Assessment:
Assessment Item
Topic/s
Group Seminar
(30 minutes)
Students’ topics are to be chosen
from the weekly topics, in
consultation with the Lecturer.
Paper
(2500 words)
Student paper on one of the
following topics:
Learning Outcomes
assessed
Week Due
Weighting
1-4, 6
Weeks
4-6
25%
1-6
Week 10
50%
Week 11
25%
Site Visit Report
(1000 words)
SA
M
PL
E
- Was conflict among, or within,
the medieval civilizations
inevitable?
- How does the study of the
natural world influence religious
belief and the understanding of
truth?
- How do technology and
urbanization influence the
relationship between humans
and nature?
- Show how, during the period of
‘Revolutions’, what it is that
leads people to challenge
conventional ideas and
practices.
- Are nation states inherently
adversarial?
- Evaluate whether World War II
was a continuation of World War
I or a separate conflict in its own
right.
- Using the Cold War era as your
historical context, show how
ideology shapes public policy?
Undertake a Site Visit and submit
a report of the findings. The site
concerned must be ‘historical’ in
some way, and the report is to
contain the following sections (as
applicable):
4-6
- A description of the site
- An account of the historical
context to which it refers
- A selection of resources
- A personal response
Unit Overview:
As an introduction to World History, this unit allows students to explore and to understand the major
periods, events, and developments that have shaped world civilisations and cultures to the present day. It
also broadens their concept of what ‘History’ and its developments are, as well as giving them increasing
ability to analyse historical events and developments.