|
|
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
- This course will study the political, economic,
social, and cultural development of the World from the outbreak of the
First World War to the Present. It will investigate such problems as the
effects of World War I, the Russian Revolution, the Rise of Totalitarianism,
the Great Depression, the swan song of Imperialism, World War II, de-colonization,
the Cold War, national liberation wars and super-power rivalry, the demise
of Communism, and the realignment of the post-cold-war world. It will also
attempt to assess the impact of these and other subjects upon today's world.
PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE:
- To acquaint students with the political, social,
economic and cultural history of the world since 1914.
- To sharpen the students' skills in historical
interpretation, research and writing.
CLASS SCHEDULE AND PROCEDURE:
- 1) The class schedule will consist of two 80-minute
sessions each week. Each session is allotted to lectures by the instructor,
while a portion of each session might be devoted to questions and discussion.
- 2) Lectures both supplement and complement reading
assignments, as well as introduce problems to be brought up in assignments.
- 3) Brief outlines of lectures , maps and other supplementary materials will be distributed
to students on the web.
STUDENT REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION
OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE:
- 1) Attendance: Students are expected
to regularly attend lectures and participate actively in classroom discussions.
Attendance will be taken regularly. Each student will receive 1 to 5 points
per attendance on random days for a possible of 50 points. Since there
is no penalty for absences, there will be no excused absences.
- 2) Reading
Assignments : Readings from the text and the
web sources are given on a weekly basis.
- 3) Movie
Review Essays : Four movie review essays will be assigned
during the session. These essays will be based upon viewing films and reading
web sources related to them. Students are expected to give their impressions
iof the film and answer each question on the movie review form in at least
one FULL paragraph per question. The lowest of the four movie review essay
scores will be dropped. Each review will be worth 50 points for a total
of 150 points toward the course grade. Each review will be due by E-MAIL
to his_ncp@shsu.edu by 12:00 PM on
the day stated in the syllabus. Only those who can show that they have
no possible access to a computer will be allowed to turn in a hard copies
of the essay. Since the lowest of the five essay scores will be dropped,
no essays will be accepted after this deadline, nor makeup papers accepted.
- 4) Film Series
: Four films dealing with Personalities of the 20th Century will
be presented during the semester. Attendance or proof of viewing (rental
receipt) and a one-paragraph review and rating will be worth 10 points
per movie. Students are required to view and review three of the four films.
Since one of the four film viewings will be dropped from regular credit,
no late film review/ratings are accepted.
- 5) Examinations:
Four exams will be presented during the semester. Each examination will
include:
- a) an objective section consisting of multiple choice based mostly
upon quotations taken from the web readings. Questions will be worth
2 point each.
- b) An identification essay section in which students are called upon
to indentify and analyze the historical significance five out of ten
items in at least one FULL paragraph each.
- c) The lowest of the four exam scores will be dropped. Each examination
will count 100 points toward the course grade (50 points for the objective
section, 50 points for the essay section). In total the three examinations
will count 300 points toward the course grade. Since the lowest of the
four exams will be dropped, no makeup exams will be given. No dropping
of the fourth and final exam will be accepted.
- 6) Make-ups: No makeup assignments
will be given. No exceptions will be made. Do not ask.
- 9) Evaluation of student performance will be made upon: a) attendance
[10%]; c) film series reviews [30%]; d) the multiple choice section of
the exams [30%]; and e) the identifcation sections of the exams [30%]..
- 10) Grade scale: 450-500=A; 400-449=B; 350-399=C; 300-349=D;
0-349=F..
REQUIRED READINGS:
1) Daniel
R. Brower. The World in the Twentieth Century: From Empires to Nations.
ed. 5. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2002.
(Brower)
2) Web Readings.
Aside from the above text, public domain secondary sources in Twentieth
Century History are included in the Web Readings Page with links from this
Syllabus Page, the Exam Study Sheet Page, the Essay Page, and the Lecture
Outline Page. These secondary web readings include excerpts from U. S. Government
country studies and from works published many years ago. While some of these
older sources' information, interpretations, and language may be considered
antiquated, obsolete and "politically incorrect" by some, they
nonetheless constitute valuable milestones to see how far and in what direction
historiography has gone in the last seventy years. Also included are primary
sources on the web. The four Essays will be based upon questions given on
selected primary and secondary source readings on the web. The complete
list of web readings for this course is found at Web Readings in Twentieth
Century World History found on the following URL within the Pappas Web Page:
http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/369Read.html
PROJECTED
CLASS SCHEDULE:
- Week 1: ENTERING THIS CENTURY. (1/16)
- Week 2: TOTAL WAR. (1/21-23)
- Week 3: GUERRE APRE LA GUERRE. (1/28-30)
- Week 4: CENTRAL EUROPE IN CRISES. (2/4-6)
- Week 5: THE WOES OF THE VICTORS. (2/11-13)
- Week 6: BEYOND EUROPE. (2/18-20)
- Week 7: THE UNITED STATES. (2/25-27)
- Week 8: THE ROAD TO GLOBAL WAR. (3/4-3/6)
- Week 9: WORLD WAR II AND THE RISE OF THE SUPER
POWERS. (3/11-13)
- WEEK 10: A BIPOLAR WORLD. (3/25-27)
- Week 11: THE RISE OF THE THIRD WORLD. (4/1-3)
- Week 12: CONTRASTING FORMS OF STATE, SOCIETY
AND DEVELOPMENT, I. (4/8-10)
- Week 13: CONTRASTING FORMS OF STATE, SOCIETY
AND DEVELOPMENT, II. (4/15-17)
- Week 14: THE RISE OF THE NEW EAST. (4/22-24)
- Week 15: THE WORLD AT THE END OF THE MILLENIUM.
(4/29-5/1)
- Week 16: CONCLUSION. (5/6-5/8)
- 28) LOOSE ENDS AND STUDY SESSION FOR THE FINAL
EXAM.
copyright 2000 Sam Houston
State University. All rights reserved. |
