HIST 201 SP08

HIST 201.01 HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE MODERN WORLD to 1450
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Spring 2008 Dr. Linda Jones Hall MWF 12:00-1:10 Kent 213
Office 204 Kent Hall Phone 240-895-4434 or ext. 4434
Office hours: M 10:40-11:30; W 1:20-2:20 or by appointment
Email ljhall@smcm.edu
webpage http://www.smcm.edu/ljhall/ljhall.html

Course Description
A thematic and topical study of the political, social, economic, and cultural developments that established the early Western heritage and contributed to its influence on non-European peoples and cultures around the world. Representative topics will be explored within a chronological format: the emergence of civilizations; ancient cultures; the making of Europe; interactions with Asia; and the medieval world.

Course Goals
To understand the present, one must understand the past in terms of cultural constructs, religious beliefs, politi¬cal struggles, and economic forces. Learning to interpret the past analytically enhances one's comprehension of transformations throughout the world today. The deep historical roots of politi¬cal and social organization in many societies demand close study. Thus in this course we will not only discuss “events” such as wars and political revolutions, but we will look at cultural ideals and religious motivation as well.

Required books; Texts are available at the SMCM bookstore.
TEXT = John P. MacKay, Bennett D. Hill, John Buckler, and Patricia Buckley Ebrey. A History of World Societies: Vol. I: To 1715. 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
ISBN 0-618-30196-8
READER = Peter N. Stearns, Stephen S. Gosch, Erwin P. Grieshaber. Documents in World History. Vol. 1. the Great Traditions from Ancient Times to 1500. 3rd ed., 2003. Addison, Wesley Longman. ISBN 0-321-10053-0
AENEID = Virgil. The Aeneid. Translated by Robert Fitzgerald. Vintage Books. Reissue edition, 1990. ISBN 0679729526. [any version of the Aeneid is acceptable]
MUQADDIMAH = Ibn Khaldun. Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History. Translated by Franz Rosenthal and N. J. Dowood. Princeton University Press, 1969. ISBN 0691017549.
ANALYSIS = David Hackett Fischer. Historians' Fallacies: Towards a Logic of Historical Thought. Harpercollins, 1970. ISBN 0061315451.

Kate Turabian. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Revised by John Grossman and Alice Bennett. 6th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. ISBN 022816273.

Course expectations: In this course there will be a presentation of historical background, alternated with student discussion of assigned readings. As available, selected videos will be shown to acquaint students with the geographical settings and the cultural expressions of a particular society through art, material culture, literature, and religion. Read assignments before class so that you can fully understand the presentations and be prepared to discuss the topic of the day. The different methods of reading and analyzing primary sources, secondary sources and textbooks will be utilized.

Exams will give the student the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of broader themes from the course readings and lectures, and these will last about one hour. The mid-term exam and the final exam will include short answer questions and essay questions.

Two papers of 1200 words each are assigned. This is your opportunity to react intellectually to the ideas presented in this course. These papers must be the student’s own work in every respect. You must use five primary source quotations from our readings in each paper. You may wish to supplement these readings from online versions of these or related primary source texts. WHATEVER SOURCE YOU USE FOR YOUR QUOTES AND RESEARCH MUST BE CITED. For primary texts, give the author, the title of the work, and the section number. Indicate the translator, date and place of publication, page number[s], and URL (if from an online source).

Academic dishonesty is a very serious offense.
Definition of Plagiarism from To The Point and the College Catalog:
Plagiarism is the act of appropriating and using the words, ideas, symbols, images, or other works of original expression of others as one's own without giving credit to the person who created the work. If students have any questions regarding the definition of plagiarism, they should consult their instructor for general principles regarding the use of others' work. Among sources commonly used for documenting use of others' work are the style manuals published by the American Psychological Association, the Council of Biology Editors, the Modern Language Association, and Turabian's Manual for Writers of Term Papers. The final authority concerning methods of documentation is the course instructor. Specific instances of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following:
a) Word-for-word copying of sentences or paragraphs from one or more sources that are the work or data of other persons (including books, articles, theses, unpublished works, working papers, seminar and conference papers, lecture notes or tapes, graphs, images, charts, data, electronically based materials, etc.), without clearly identifying their origin by appropriate referencing.
b) Closely paraphrasing ideas or information (in whatever form) without appropriate acknowledgement by reference to the original work or works.
c) Presenting material obtained from the Internet as if it were the student's own work.
d) Minor alterations such as adding, subtracting, or rearranging words, or paraphrasing sections of a source without appropriate acknowledgement of the original work or works.
3. Falsification
Falsification involves misrepresentation in an academic exercise.
Misrepresentation includes, but is not limited to:
a) Falsely attributing data or judgments to scholarly sources.
b) Falsely reporting the results of calculations or the output of computer programs, or materials from other electronic sources.
c) Presenting copied, falsified, or improperly obtained data as if it were the result of laboratory work, field trips, or other investigatory work.
4. Resubmission of work
No student may turn in work for evaluation in more than one course without the permission of the instructors of both courses.

Penalties for plagiarism can include, but are not limited to, a zero on the work in question, an F in the course, and referral to the Office of the Provost. ALL sources which you use (books, articles, internet) must be cited properly.

Participation will be noted by 50 points for attendance, discussion, and timely completion of assignments. The College allows two absences; thereafter deductions will be made for unexcused absences. The grade for any written assignment will be reduced by 10% for every business day it is late, unless the student has an exceptional emergency, such as illness, death in the family, etc.

Written exercises are responses to reading assignments and should be about one page each. They are due as stated below, usually the day the last passage has been assigned. They are worth 25 points each.

1) Response to a reading on the Ancient Near East (Reader, pp.9-46) Due 1/25
2) Response to a reading on classical India (Reader, pp. 80-114) Due 1/30
3) Response to a reading on classical China (Reader, pp. 49-79, 150-179) Due 2/4
4) Response to a reading on Greece (Reader, pp. 115-127) Due 2/8
5) Response to the Aeneid Due 2/15
6) Response to reading on the Legacy of Rome (Reader, pp. 141-149, 180-186, 228-239) Due 2/22
7) Response to reading about Africa or Islam (Reader, pp. 187-207, 262-281, 296-298, 310-315 top) Due 3/5
8) Response to the Muqaddimah Due 3/26
9) Response about Medieval Asia (Reader, pp. 208-227, 306-315, 320-6, 335-361) Due 4/4
10) Response about Medieval Europe (Reader, pp. 240-261, 299-305, 315-316, 327-334) Due 4/11

Evaluation points
10 written exercises worth 25 points each = 250 points
1 midterm exam and one exam at 200 points each = 400 points
2 papers at 150 points each = 300 points
Participation, attendance, and timeliness = 50 points
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1000 points

Grade scale Ultimately, the student’s grade is based on the professor’s assessment of the student’s work. 94-100 = A, 93-90 = A-, 87-89 = B+, 84-86 = B, 80-83 = B-, 77-79 = C+, 74-76 = C, 70-73 = C-, 67-69 = D+, 64-66 = D, 63-60 = D-, below 60 = F

SCHEDULE FOR HIST 201.01, SPRING 2008, PROF. LINDA JONES HALL

Week 1 EARLY CIVILIZATIONS OF THE GREAT RIVER VALLEYS
Mon. Jan 14 Introduction: how we know about the past TEXT, CH 1, 3-6 READER 1-5
Wed. Jan 16 The Ancient Near East; Mesopotamia TEXT 6-12, 34-35
Fri. Jan 18 Egypt and the Nile River Valley TEXT 12-22

Week 2 THE ANCIENT FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN WORLD
Mon. Jan 21 NO CLASS; MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY OBSERVED
Wed. Jan 23 Phoenicia, Israel, Assyria, Persia TEXT, CH 1, 20-33
Fri. Jan 25 Early civilizations READER 9-46, #1 response due

Week 3 Classical India and China
Mon Jan 28 Ancient India TEXT, CH 2, 37-61
Wed Jan 30 India READER, 80-114, #2 response due
Fri. Feb 1 Rise of China TEXT, CH 3, 63-87; TEXT CH 6, 161-189

Week 4 Mon. Feb 4 China READER, 49-79, 150-179, #3 response due
Wed. Feb 6 SPREAD OF THE ANCIENT FOUNDATIONS
The Greek Experience TEXT, CH 4, 89-123
Fri. Feb 8 TEXT, CH 4, 89-123; READER, 115-127; Response # 4 due

Week 5 The World of Rome
Mon. Feb 11 TEXT CH 5, 125-159
Wed Feb 13 Imperial uses of literature AENEID, Books I and II
Fri. Feb 15 Desire, ethnicity, and destiny AENEID, Books IV and VI; Response #5 due

Week 6 M Legacy of Rome in the West and the East
Mon Feb 18 TEXT CH 7, 191-217
Wed Feb 20 READER 141-149, 180-186, 228-239; Response #6 due
Fri. Feb 22 FIRST TEST over material to date

Week 7 The Post-classical period
Mon Feb 25 FIRST PAPER due--choose from readings of weeks 1-6
Wed Feb 27 ISLAM, AFRICA AND ASIA- NONWESTERN TRADITIONS
African societies TEXT, CH 9, 259-287
Fri. Feb 29 African societies TEXT, CH 9, 259-287

Week 8 The Islamic World
Mon. Mar 3 TEXT, CH 8, 219-257
Wed Mar 5 Africa and Islam READER 187-207, 262-281, 296-298, 310-315 top; Response #7 due; Introduce The Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun MUQADDIMAH, vii-9
Fri. Mar 7 Excellence of history MUQADDIMAH, vii-89

Spring break - March 8-16; Take the Muqaddimah on your journey!!!!

Week 9 The Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun
Mon. Mar 17 Bedouins and bureaucrats MUQADDIMAH, 91-183
Wed Mar 19 Holding power MUQADDIMAH, 183-261
Fri. Mar 21 Of crafts and cities MUQADDIMAH, 263-332

Week 10 The Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun
Mon Mar 24 Science and Instruction MUQADDIMAH, 333-459
Wed Mar 26; Response #8 due
MEDIEVAL ASIA Southern and Central Asia (Mongols) TEXT, CH 10, 289-319
Fri. Mar 28 Mongols

Week 11 MEDIEVAL ASIA AND EUROPE
Mon Mar 31 East Asia (China, Korea, and Japan) TEXT, CH 11, 321-344
Wed Apr 2 Japan
Fri. Apr 4 Medieval Asia READER, 208-227, 306-315, 320-326, 335-361;
Response #9 due

Week 12 Mon Apr 7 Europe in the Middle Ages TEXT, CH 12, 347-359, 384-385
Wed Apr 9 Medieval Origins of the Modern State TEXT, CH 12, 359-383
Fri. Apr 11 READER 240-261, 299-305, 315-317, 327-334, Response #10 due

Week 13 MODERN ANALYSIS AND THINKING HISTORICALLY
Mon. Apr 14 SECOND PAPER due--choose from readings of weeks 7-12
Introduction to the book on ANALYSIS
Wed Apr 16 ANALYSIS, Inquiry I, II, III
Fri Apr 18 ANALYSIS, Explanation IV, V, VI

Week 14 Mon Apr 21 ANALYSIS, Explanation, VII, VIII, IX
Wed Apr 23 ANALYSIS, Argument, X, XI, and conclusion
Fri. Apr 25 Thinking historically again
Last day for all classes and final review

Weeks 15-16 Mon—Tues, April 28-29 SMP presentations
Wed April 30 Reading Day
Exams Thurs—Tues, May 1-6
Exam for this class Monday May 5, 2:00-4:15 pm in regular classroom
Emphasis on material since midterm exam