Spring, 2003

MWF 9:00-9:50 am

This course will examine the major events of the past two centuries. We will begin with the French Revolution of 1789 and follow the course of history up to the past few decades. Along the way, we will explore major intellectual, social, economic, political and artistic movements that have had a profound effect on our world today. Some of the "isms" and "tions" that we will examine include nationalism, the industrial revolution, Marxism and communism, Darwinism and racism, romanticism, imperialism, and fascism. In addition, we will examine in depth the causes and effects of the major wars of the period, including World Wars I and II, and the Cold War.

1. To introduce you to the discipline of history and the assumptions and methods that historians bring to the past, namely by analyzing important primary and secondary sources.
2. To familiarize you with past political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural movements of the modern western world.
3. To understand how events and ideas in the western world are infinitely connected to the non-Western world.
4. To bring critical awareness to historical phenomena that still affect our world today.
5. To develop awareness of your own place in the modern world and understand how the events of the past two centuries have directly or indirectly affected you.

Instructor: Allison Thomason

Office: 1214 Peck Hall

Office Hours: M,W, F 10:00-11:00, W 12:00-1:00, or by appointment

Phone: 650-3685 (my office); 650-2414 (department office)

Email: althoma@siue.edu

Teaching Assistant: Stephen J. Walsh

Office: 0204-5 Peck Hall

Office Hours:

Phone: 650-3231 or -5462

Email: s_j_w50@hotmail.com

Expectations of Students, Classroom Conduct, and Attendance Policy:

1. You are first and foremost expected to arrive on time, attend class alertly, conduct yourself with respect for your fellow students and myself, and participate in class discussions.
2. Consistent lateness to class, disrespectful treatment of or behavior towards others (e.g. whispering, distracting note-passing), and early departures will seriously affect your grade and can result in involuntary withdrawal from the course (for policies on Academic conduct, see the Student Conduct Code: www.siue.edu/POLICIES/3c2.html).
3. Lectures and readings may not cover the same material in the same manner, but you are responsible for the information contained in BOTH for your exams. If you have to miss a class, make sure that you get the notes from someone.
4. More than three absences will cause your attendance grade to drop and will ultimately have an effect on your final grade.
5. I have an absence-blind policy. This means that if you have to miss a class or two, I won’t ask you why you were not in class, nor do you need to tell me, but of course it will show up in the attendance records. If you miss more than three classes, then your attendance grade will be severely downgraded. If you have to miss a large chunk of classes, PLEASE COME SEE ME either after class, during office hours, or make an appointment with me so that we can discuss your situation.
6. In addition, I hope that you will contribute to the group and class discussions, and ask questions in class. This will not only help your attendance and participation grade, but it will also help you to become more engaged in the class, and therefore more prepared for exams and more understanding of history.

1. Hunt, L., et. al., The Making of the West, Volume Two: Peoples and Cultures, Bedford St. Martin's, 2001---Textbook Rental (Hunt)

2. Weber, E., The Western Tradition, Volume Two, Fifth Edition. D.C. Heath, 1995—Textbook Rental (Weber)
3. Hegi, U., Stones from the River, Simon and Schuster, 1997 —Purchase at University Bookstore
4. Supplemental Handouts which will be given in class.

There will be a midterm and a final exam consisting of both short answer and essay questions. In addition, there will be one map quiz. The written assignment, which will be handed out later in the semester will deal with the fictional novel that we will read, Stones from the River. The paper must be at least 5 typed pages, double-spaced, no more than 12-point font, and 1-inch margins.

Attendance and Participation: approx. 15% 100 points

Map Quiz 10% 50 points

Midterm Exam: 25% 150 points

Final Exam: 25% 150 points

Written Assignment 25% 150 points

TOTAL: 100% 600 points

Make-up Policy:

Make-up quizzes and exams will only be given in cases of unforeseen medical or family emergencies. You will need to contact me prior to the exam time if you would like to request an excuse from an exam. Make-up exams must be taken within one week of the original exam date and the exam time will be scheduled at the discretion of the graduate assistant and myself (in consultation with you). If you do not show up for a quiz or an exam and I did not excuse you ahead of time, you will receive a zero (0) on the exam.

Plagiarism and Use of Internet:

Plagiarism is the use of someone else's ideas or writing without giving credit to that individual. Plagiarism can take several forms. It can consist of paraphrase or word-by-word transcription; the uncited source can be a published work, from a website or discussion group on the internet, or the unpublished work of another student or acquaintance. It is every student's responsibility to know what plagiarism is and to avoid committing it. If you are in doubt, it is better to document a source than not to. The penalty for this offense, which is quite serious, is outlined in the Student Conduct Code (http://www.siue.edu/POLICIES/3c2.html).

Class topics are subject to change, Exam dates and Assignment due dates are fixed and will not change. Readings are all REQUIRED unless otherwise noted. All reading assignments should be completed by the day under which they are placed in the syllabus.

You will understand my lectures and contribute more if you read the sections that we will be discussing before you come to class. After hearing the lecture, you might also choose to go BACK OVER the reading to familiarize yourself even more with the topics, names, and dates.

Week 1: Monday: Orientation

Reading: Get a head start on next week’s reading

Week 2: Monday: NO CLASS, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

(Jan. 20-24) Wednesday: The Old Regime

Reading: Hunt: 732-740

Weber: Rousseau=s The Social Contract, pp. 224-32

Friday: The French Revolution, continued

Reading: Hunt: 740-748

Week 3: Monday: The French Revolution, continued

(Jan. 27-31) Reading: Weber: Declaration of the Rights of Man, p. 294-6

Handout: de Gouges, Declaration of the Rights of Women

Wednesday: Aftermath of the French Revolution

Reading: Hunt: 748-757

Friday: Video and MAP QUIZ

Reading: Hunt: 757-761

Week 4: Monday: Napoleon and France after 1815

(Feb. 3-7) Reading: Hunt: 763-781

Wednesday: DISCUSSION: How do we define nationality?

Reading: Weber: Mazzini, On the Duties of Man, 391-94

Week 5: Monday: Capitalism and the Industrial Revolution

(Feb. 10-14) Reading: Hunt: 803-816

Wednesday: Capitalism and the Industrial Revolution, continued

Friday: Critiques of Capitalism: Socialism and Marxism

Friday: Darwinism and Racism

Reading: Hunt: 908-919

Week 7: Monday: Artistic Movements of the 19^th century

(Feb. 24-28) Reading: Hunt: 792-794

Weber: on Romanticism, pp. 339-47

Wednesday: Imperialism and Colonialism

Reading: Hunt: 900-908, 960-967

You should have begun reading Stones from the River by now

Week 8: Monday: Imperialism and Colonialism: a case study

(Mar. 3-7) Reading: Handout on Indian suttee

Wednesday: Bismarck and German Unification

Reading: Hunt: 858-862

Weber: Bismarck’s writings: pp. 478-9

Friday: World War I: Causes

Reading: Hunt: 967-971

Week 9: SPRING BREAK

(Mar. 10-14)

Week 10: Monday: World War I: Progress

(Mar. 17-21) Reading: Hunt: 971-988

Wednesday: World War I; Resolution

Friday: Russian Revolution

Week 11: Monday: Russian Revolution, continued

(Mar. 24-28) Reading: Handout: Excerpt from Radzinsky, The Last Czar

Wednesday: The Soviet Union, Stalin

Reading: Hunt: 1013-1015

Reading: Hunt: 1015-1018, 10281033

Weber: Mussolini, "Fascism", pp 586-593

Week 12: Monday: Adolph Hitler and the NAZIs

(Mar. 31-Apr. 4) Reading: Hunt: 1033-1037

Weber: Hitler, Mein Kampf, pp. 597-601

Wednesday: World War II: Causes and Progress

Reading: Hunt: 1043-1050

Friday: World War II: Progress

Week 13: Monday: World War II: Resolution

(April 7-11) Reading: Hunt: 1063-1073

Wednesday: Video: "Genocide"

Reading: Hunt: 1097-1100

Friday: Video: "Genocide", continued

Reading: Handout: on the Holocaust

Week 14 Monday: DISCUSSION of Video

(April 14-18) Wednesday: Recovery of Europe

Reading: Hunt: 1073-1081

Friday: DISCUSSION of Stones from the River

Reading: FINISH READING Stones from the River

Week 15 Monday: The Cold War: Korea, Kennedy and Kruschev

(April 21-25) Reading: Hunt: 1092-1093, 1102-1107

Wednesday: The Cold War: Prague spring and Vietnam

Reading: Hunt: 1129-1139

Week 16: Monday: Video, continued and DISCUSSION of VIDEO

(April 28-May 2) Wednesday: Collapse of the Soviet Union

Reading: Hunt: 1166-1176

Friday: Loose Ends and Summary

Reading: Hunt: 1176-1189

Week 17: FINAL EXAM: Thursday, May 8, 8:00-9:40 am