Download HSA 111, Origins of the Modern World

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HSA 111-07, Origins of the Modern World
Fall 2008
Charles H. Parker, Dept. of History
Office: 213 Humanities Building
Contact Information: 977-2913; [email protected]
Office Hours: TR, 2:00-4:00 and by appt.
Required Texts:
Apuleius, The Golden Ass
Marco Polo, The Travels of Marco Polo
Kevin Reilly, Worlds of History, vol. 2
A world history textbook (Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, vol. 1, Brief
Edition is available for purchase at the SLU bookstore)
Course Description
“Ten Episodes that Shaped World History”
“Origins of the Modern World to 1500” is a historical examination of ten developments
that have shaped world societies throughout history from the earliest civilizations to
1500. We will examine factors that led to these episodes, how they affected societies at
the time, and how they reverberated through the ages, perhaps even down to the world in
which we live. This study of history is not simply a recitation of the major events, dates,
and people throughout the distant past, but our approach is to understand the world using
a historical perspective.
The format of the course is centered around lectures, student reports, class discussions of
readings, and viewing visual materials. I will lecture occasionally to provide context for an
episode; we will read and discuss sources and interpretations to explore all its ramifications.
We will do group work, as well as individual assignments. We will also undertake some
activities outside class, such as a field trip to Cahokia Mounds, Illinois at the end of October.
The study of history is more than books, lectures, and classes, as exciting as these things are.
An engagement with history involves active participation in the world. And in keeping with
Saint Louis University’s Jesuit mission, we will participate as a class in a service project.
The primary goal of this course is to help you develop as sophisticated readers and creative
interpreters of history rather than to make sure you have exposure to all the facts. All of our
exercises and activities will reflect this purpose.
Course Policies
Class Attendance: There is a marked correspondence between doing well in history
courses and attending the class faithfully. A student who misses class will have a hard time
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understanding the material, analyzing documents, and developing critical abilities. Class
attendance and participation will make up 15% of your final grade. Absences may be
excused in the case of a documented medical, family, or personal emergency. This excuse
must be turned into me within a week of your return to class or to a normal schedule. As the
instructor, I reserve the right to determine whether an absence is excused. If you have a
serious illness or personal emergency that compels you to miss a significant number of
classes, you should notify me as soon as possible. You might consider taking the course at
another more opportune time.
Class Participation: It is critical that students participate in discussion periods. We all learn
from one another, so speak up, speak out, and speak often. The class participation grade is
based on both attendance and class discussion.
Academic Honesty: The instructor strictly enforces the college’s policy on academic
honesty. It states, "Students are expected to be honest in their academic work. The
University reserves the right to penalize any student whose academic conduct is, in its
judgment, detrimental to the University. Such conduct shall include cases of plagiarism,
collusion, cheating, giving or receiving or offering or soliciting information on
examinations, or the use of previously prepared material in examinations or quizzes.
Violations should be reported to your course instructor, who will investigate and
adjudicate them according the Policy on Academic Honesty of the College of Arts and
Sciences. If the charges are found to be true, the student may be liable for academic or
disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion from the University."Promoting
Academic Honesty (College of Arts and Sciences Handbook, Saint Louis University).
ADA Statement: “Saint Louis University opens its programs and educational services to
all qualified candidates without regard to their disability. All programs and services
provided for students are done in a manner that does not discriminate based on disability.
Inaccessible programs will be made accessible either directly or through relocation.
Individuals requiring accommodations for student programs should contact the Director
of Student Life.” (College of Arts and Sciences Handbook, Saint Louis University).
Late Assignments or Exams : Students are not allowed to hand in assignments late unless
the student has made previous arrangements with instructor. Extensions will only be given
in documented cases of personal or medical necessity and the instructor reserves the right to
determine what constitutes such cases. Otherwise, late assignments will not be accepted and
the student will receive the grade of 0.
Miscellaneous: Make sure you silence and put away all cell phones and electronic devices
once class begins. Students may use laptops during class, but only for class related purposes.
Course Grades
This course focuses on historical analysis and interpretation of the past. Therefore, exercises
consist of an analytical writing assignment, take-home mid-term and final exams, an
editorial writing assignment, and regular writing assignments on our weblog. The
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breakdown of participation in class discussions and of writing assignments follows below.
An A+=1000-970, A=969-935, A-=934-900, B+=899 -870, B=869-835, B-= 834-800,
C+=799-770, C=769-735, C-= 734-700, D+=699-670, D=669-635, D-=634-600, F=599 to 0
points.
Class Attendance and Participation
First Writing Assignment
Mid-Term
Cahokia Mounds Project
Oral History Project
Final
150 points
150 points
250 points
100 points
100 points
250 points
Total Possible
1000 points
Important Dates in the Course
First Day of Class: August 26
Paper #1 Due: September 25
Mid-Term Project Due: October 14
Oral History Project Due: November 18
Last Day of Class: December 4
Final Project Due: December 16
Schedule of Topics
Week 1, August 26: Course Introduction; no class August 28
Week 2, Sept. 2 & 4: The Formation of Agriculture and its Implications (7,000-500 BCE)
Week 3, Sept. 9 & 11: The Formation of Agriculture and its Implications (7,000-500 BCE)
Week 4, Sept. 16 &18: The Rise of Huge Empires (500 BCE-500 CE)
Week 5, Sept. 23 & 25: The Rise of Huge Empires (500 BCE-500 CE). First Paper Due.
Week 6, Sept. 30 & Oct. 2: The Emergence of Great Schools of Thought (500 BCE-100
CE)
Week 7, Oct. 7 & 9: The Revenge of the Barbarians: Invaders and Empires (300 CE-900
CE)
Week 8, Oct. 14 & 16: Getting Saved: Salvation in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism (300
CE-900 CE). Mid-Term Project Due.
Week 9, Oct. 23: No class Oct. 21: Getting Saved: Salvation in Christianity, Islam,
Buddhism (300 CE-900 CE)
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Week 10, Oct. 28 & Oct. 30: Reordering the Planet: Humans and the Environment (10001200 CE)
Week 11, Nov. 4 & Nov. 6: Clashing Cultures: Nomads vs. Farmers (1000-1200 CE)
Week 12, Nov. 11 & Nov. 13: The Mongols Remake Eurasia: The Conquests of Chinggis
Khan and Timurlane (1200-1400)
Week 13, Nov. 18 & 20: Plagues and People: Disease and the Environment (1300-1400).
Oral History Report Due.
Week 14, Nov. 25: Coming Together: Recovery and Expansion (1400-1500); No class
Nov. 27
Week 15, Dec. 2 & Dec. 4: No Class
Description of Assignments
First Writing Assignment: You will receive a detailed description of this assignment and
the grading criteria a couple of weeks before it comes due. But to give you some idea
about it, I can tell you that it is an analytical assignment of The Golden Ass that does not
entail any outside research. It will be 4-5 pages long (double spaced) and the components
that I will evaluate are, 1) clarity of thesis and central argument, 2) use of text and
context to substantiate the argument, 3) coherence of paragraph organization (to carry the
argument), 4) clarity and creativity in writing.
Mid-Term: The mid-term will be a writing assignment based around a selection of
questions, which incorporates the readings, discussions, and historical narrative we
covered in the first half of the course. The questions will be interpretive and analytical.
That is, I will ask you a question or two that will require you to develop an interpretive
argument based on our class work and readings. You will not be required to use other
sources that we have not worked with in class, though you will be allowed to, provided
you clear them with me first. There is no extra credit for using outside source. It should
roughly be around six pages (double spaced) in length.
Cahokia Mounds Project: After we visit Cahokia Mounds, I will ask you to critique the
center’s presentation of this historical period. This assignment will be no more than three
double spaced pages.
Oral History Project:
Students will be paired together to conduct oral history interviews with retired Jesuit
fathers at Jesuit Hall. The purpose of the assignment is two fold: 1) to perform an act of
service by spending time with a retired member of the Jesuit community and 2) to
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experiment with the historical of oral history, often used by scholars to reconstruct the
history of a society in which a minimal level of documents have survived. After spending
two hours with a Jesuit subject (in 30 minute increments), the student team will submit a
2-3 page oral history.
Final: The final will be identical in format, length, and scope as the mid-term. It will be
due on the final exam date for our class, December 16.
Reports: This class is taught in a seminar format, which means that it is collaborative and
relies on student engagement and participation to go through the material, to discuss all
the pertinent issues, and present information to the class. So from time to time, I will
assign people to give oral reports (nothing written) around a particular question or certain
figure, or to summarize a chapter in one of our texts, or analyze a source, or to give a
constructive peer evaluation. Thus, these reports grow out of the nature of the course, but
they are also designed to give you the opportunity to develop your ability to give analyses
orally. Shortly after a presentation, I will send you an email with a constructive
evaluation and a grade. The grade will be based on the clarity, creativity, and depth of
analysis in the report.