World Civilizations Since 1500

Tuesday and Thursday - 9:00AM - Good 320 - Spring 2004

Dr. Douglas Stiffler Office Hours: Monday and Friday 10:00-10:30

Email: stiffler@juniata.edu Tuesday 10:30-11:30

Office: I.H. Brumbaugh 103

Course Description:

This course aims to introduce some of the main themes in world history since 1500. The world since 1500 has been increasingly interconnected, with warfare, trade, and diplomacy conducted on a global scale. We will seek to understand the ways in which new developments in trade, new technologies of warfare, and new ideas have transformed conceptions of the world order. Through reading primary source documents on such themes as the Enlightenment and the international slave trade, we will try to understand how elites and commoners in various centers of interaction conceived of themselves and the other. How were civilization and barbarism defined in East Asia, and in the newly aggressive maritime nations of Western Europe? How did colonialism and industrialization effect the development of ideologies in the nineteenth century, and how were these ideologies interpreted by peoples on the periphery of world economic and political power? We will seek to understand the political upheavals, violence, and crises of belief in the twentieth century. The main aim of the course will be to draw connections: to recognize how developments in one part of the world have impacted lives in distant areas of an interconnected world.

Required Texts:

McKay, Hill, Buckler, and Ebrey, A History of World Societies, Volume II, Since 1500 (Fifth Edition) (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000)

Schlesinger, Blackwell, Meyer, et al., Global Passages: Sources in World History, Volume II: Since 1500

Voltaire, Candide

Adam Hochschild, King Leopold’s Ghost

Course Grading:

8 Reading Responses 16%

10 Map Quizzes 10%

2 Short Papers 20%

3 Hour Exams 30%

Final Examination 20%

Participation/Attendance 4%

100%

Reading responses will be graded on a check or check minus basis, with a check representing full credit. I stress good writing, and will give check minuses for work that is poorly-edited. That generally means more than five grammatical, spelling, or other errors. You may correct and re-submit such work for full credit, however, provided that you do so within one week of getting the paper back. To receive credit, be sure to attach the corrected copy to the revised version.

All written assignments must be handed in the day they are due. Late written assignments are subject to a one grade-level reduction. In the case of the Reading Responses, the penalty for late submission is reduction to a check minus after one day and reduction to half-credit after two days. Late written work will not be accepted if more than a week has elapsed from the due date.

Regular attendance and participation in class discussions is extremely important. Absences will only be excused if they are approved in advance by me (i.e. in the case of athletic participation) or in cases of documented illness. Three unexcused absences will result in a reduction of one grade-level (e.g. 10%) in the final grade. Each additional unexcused absence after this will reduce the final grade by 5%.

All written work must be completed by the individual student. Any instance of plagiarism will be treated very seriously. You are responsible for familiarity with Juniata College's policies on academic honesty. Please see the Pathfinder on the College's homepage for these policies.

You may withdraw from the class at any time permitted by the Registrar's office. To withdraw with a WP you must have completed course-work at a passing level and you must inform the professor immediately of your intent to withdraw. Failure to do this will result in your receiving a WF.