History 102: Western Civilization II
Spring 2012
Hybrid Class

Prof. James Baer
Office: Bisdorf 252
Office Hours for Spring 2012: Mon-Wed: 10:30AM-12:00NOON
and Tues-Thu. 10:00AM-11:00AM or by appointment
Office Telephone: (703) 933-3978   Secretary (703) 933-3974
Email: jbaer@nvcc.edu
Web Page: www.nvcc.edu/home/jbaer  

 

Hybrid Class: This section will meet once each week in class for lecture and discussion. The other hour and one-half will consist of special activities and assignments completed by students. Many of these activities will require knowledge of Blackboard and the use of a computer. This class will be useful for students who can work well on their own, do not need special assistance from the instructor and are comfortable with computers.

 


Course Description:

The purpose of this course is to trace the development of modern Europe from the 16th century to the present. The objectives of this course are as follows:

 

     1. To understand the development of the modern state.


     2. To learn about the effects of the Industrial Revolution on society and the lives of individuals.


     3. To trace the relationships between European imperialism and racism.


     4. To understand how contemporary issues are rooted in events of the past.

The required texts for this course are WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS, by Coffin and Stacey, and CANDIDE, by Voltaire. Grades will be based on the list of assignment below. All assignments must be typed. Any make up work must be done within a week of the due date, unless student has obtained prior permission from the instructor. Students are expected to do their own work, attend class, and participate in class activities and discussions. Students must be careful not to plagiarize when using internet sources, and any assignments with material taken directly from the internet will be given an grade of F. Click for more information on plagiarism. Attendance will be taken and will count as ten percent of the grade.

Grades:

4 Discussion Board Postings 2% each= 8%

Writing Assignments Candide and Nazi Posters, 10% each=20%

Obituary, Letter and newspaper article 3% each=9%

Grid of revolutions: 5%

Slides on Trench Warfare: 8%

Midterm: 20%

Final: 20%

Attendance: 10%

Extra Credit Assignment (optional)

Special Needs and Accommodations: Please speak to the instructor at the beginning of the semester about any special problems or needs. If you are asking for special accommodations based on a disability you should provide a disability data sheet, which you can get from a counselor for special needs.

 

Study Guides:

(Study Guide 1)
STUDY GUIDE 2
(STUDYGUIDE 3)
(STUDY GUIDE 4)
(STUDY GUIDE 5)
|(STUDY GUIDE 6)

Class Schedule and Assignments:

 

Wed. Jan. 25: Class: Introduction to class and discussion of early modern Europe.

 

Mon. Jan. 30:  Activity. Read textbook, CH 14 and 15. Go to the official website for Versailles : (http://www.chateauversailles.fr/en/100_Plan_du_Domaine_de_Versailles.php) and look at all the pages for the Chateau, the Park and Trianon. Assignment for next class:  In a posting to the Blackboard Discussion Board answer the following question with specific examples and references to specific illustrations from the web site: How did the magnificence of Versailles give King Louis XIV control over his nobles and greater power over the state? Your answer should be 200 words, and you should respond to at least one other student’s posting by Wednesday at 12:00 noon. 

 

Wed. Feb. 1. Discussion Board posting on Versailles due (2% of grade). Class: England and France in the 17th Century (Study Guide 1)

 

Mon. Feb. 6: Read Ch 16 in textbook about the Scientific Revolution. Galileo the Galileo project webpage: http://galileo.rice.edu/  Pick one of the following scientists/thinkers of the period and write a 200 word obituary where you list the accomplishments, the significance and some personal information about the person: Nicholas Copernicus; Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Blaise Pascal, Francis Bacon, René Descartes, Maria Winkelmann-Kirch, Margaret Cavendish or Maria Merian. Due by 12:00 noon on Wednesday.

 

Wed. Feb. 8: Obituary on scientist due (5% of grade). Class: The Scientific Revolution. STUDY GUIDE 2

Mon. Feb. 13: Read  Ch 17: The Enlightenment. Then Read “Candide” and write essay answering questions (online edition of book: http://www.online-literature.com/voltaire/candide/  In a 1,000 word (4 page) paper you are to write about the following questions. However, please DO NOT just answer each question separately. And please DO NOT summarize the story. Instead, please prepare a thoughtful analysis of how this work represents the nature of Enlightenment thought. DO NOT COPY FROM ANY INTERNET SOURCE. THIS ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ENTIRELY IN YOUR OWN WORDS, OR THE GRADE WILL BE F AND NO REWRITE ALLOWED.

1 What institutions are being satirized by Voltaire in this book? What are some of the criticisms that he makes against these institutions? How do such criticisms show the way Enlightenment authors reacted to their society in eighteenth century Europe?

2. What kinds of people are being satirized by Voltaire? Give some examples of how the main characters represent different groups in society.

3. What is the significance of Candide’s travels? To Lisbon? To the Americas? Does he have good luck or bad luck? What is the significance of his adventures?

4. What do you think is the main idea of this book?

This assignment is due by 12:00 noon on Wednesday.

Wed. Feb. 15: Candide assignment due (5% of grade). Class: The Enlightenment in the 18th century.

Mon. Feb. 20: Read Ch 18 in the text. Then, read the web pages about Napoleon Bonaparte http://www.napoleonbonaparte.nl/html/body_guide.html
.  Then post to the Discussion Board your answer of 200 words to the following:  Describe the relationship between Bonaparte and the French revolution: To what extent did he fulfill the goals of the Revolution? Which goals? To what extent did he destroy the revolution? What examples can you give? When do you think the French Revolution REALLY ended: with the rise of Napoleon of only with his defeat at Waterloo? This assignment must be completed by 12:00 noon on Wednesday.

Wed. Feb. 22
Discussion Board posting on Napoleon due (2% of grade). Class: The French Revolution and Napoleon.  (STUDYGUIDE 3)

 

Mon. Feb. 27: Read Ch 19. The Industrial Revolution. Factory Rules http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson7.html Read ONE of the documents listed on this page and write a letter of 250 words as if it were written by a woman worker at this time (or dictated by her since few could read or write). Discuss your working life, circumstances, wages, and comment on life as a working woman. Email me this assignment by Wednesday at noon.

 

Wed. Feb 27: Letter on Industrial Revolution due (5% of grade). Class: The Industrial Revolution 

 

Wed. Mar. 7: NO CLASS, Spring BREAK

 

Mon. Mar. 12:  Study for Midterm Exam.

Wed. Mar. 14: Midterm Exam covering Ch 14-19
(No late assignments from the first half will be accepted for any reason after Midterm Exam)

 

Mon. Mar. 19: Read Ch 20 in text. Rebuilding Europe 1820-1840s. Take special note of the last few pages of Ch. 20 on the French Revolution of 1848 and then the beginning of Ch. 21 on the other Revolutions in 1848. Then, using the following table, compare the events of the 1848 Revolutions in Europe

 

France

German Territories

Austria, Hungary

Italy

Causes

 

 

Economic problems;

Political reform

 

 

 

Initial

Success

 

 

 

 

 

Problems encountered by revolutionaries

 

 

 

 

Reaction of government to rebellions

 

 

 

 

Final

Outcome of Revolution

 

 

 

 

 

Successful?

Unsuccessful?

 

 

 

 


EMAIL ME THIS GRID BY NOON WED.

 

Wed. Mar. 21: Revolutions Grid due by 12:00 noon  (5% of grade). Class: Europe in the first half of the 19th century. STUDY GUIDE 4

 

Mon. Mar. 26. Read Ch. 21 in text, excluding the United States, Canada and the Eastern Question. Post on the Discussion Board 200 words indicating whether you think Bismarck or Cavour exhibited greater skills in uniting Germany and Italy, giving specific examples of what each one did. Then, respond to at least one other student’s posting with your comments. Assignment due by Wednesday at 12:00 noon.

 

Wed. Mar. 28: Bismarck/Cavour assignment due on Discussion Board by 12:00 noon (2% of grade). Europe at Mid Century: The Crimean War; Unification of Italy and Germany

 

Mon. April 2: Imperialism:  “The Opium War” Write a 200-word newspaper article on the events surrounding the war and the war itself. Begin with a short headline, then an opening paragraph that gives the reader a sense of the issues. Follow up with short paragraphs that describe what happened. As with any newspaper article, this posting must have rigid limits. There can be no fewer than 190 words and no more than 210 words. This is due at 12:00 noon on Wednesday. Read. Ch 22 in text.

Wed. April 4: Opium War article due (5% of grade). European Imperialism and Middle Class Europe

Mon. April 9: Society in the 19th Century. Read Ch 23 in Text. Then, read the following article about Darwin and the concept of Natural Selection. Then post on the Discussion Board your thoughts in 200 words about how that concept challenged middle class society in the 19th century and why Darwin’s theories are still controversial today. Then, comments on at least two other students' posting. http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=111
Due by noon on Wednesday.

Wed. April 11: WW I and the Russian Revolution  (STUDY GUIDE 5)

 

Mon. April 16: Read Ch 24 in the text. Then read the following web pages http://www.worldwar1.com/ about WW I and the importance of Trench Warfare. Put together a Powerpoint (or Google Apps) presentation with ten slides that gives a thorough understanding of the importance of trenches in WW I. Your slides should be a mixture of visuals and text with a statement at the beginning of your main point. Email me your presentation by noon on Wednesday

 

Wed. April 18: Presentation on Trenches due by 12:00 noon (8% of grade) Topic: Europe Between Wars

 

Mon. April 23:  Read Ch. 25 in the text.  Then go to http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/posters2.htm  Pick two posters and write a two-page, typed (500 words) essay with information answering the following questions. Describe or tell me which posters you have chosen. How do these posters use symbols, people or objects to glorify Germany and the Nazi Party? What kind of information do these posters contain and how is that information presented in such a way to further Nazi goals? How was art used for politics in these posters? Please do not just answer these questions separately. Instead, think about these questions and write a short essay that explains the use and importance of propaganda in Nazi Germany through these posters. Essay due in Class (or before class) on Wednesday

 

Wed. April 25: Essay due in Class (or before class) on Wed Topic: World War II and Cold War (STUDY GUIDE 6) 

(No late assignments from the first half will be accepted for any reason after today)


Mon. April 30: Study for Final Exam

 

FINAL EXAM: Wednesday May 2 from 12:30-1:55PM

 

 

WEB LINKS:
Montesquieu: The Spirit of Laws
 John Wesley's Letters
 Rousseau: On the Origin of Inequality
 Rousseau: Social Contract
 USA: Paine, Common Sense
 World War I - Trenches on the Web
Nazi War Propaganda
World War II resources                                    
Stalingrad: Photo Archive                        
 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution                  
Joint Resolution on Iraq

 

James Baer's home page