SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Queen Anne School Mr. Kravetz
A HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD
SYLLABUS
Text: No textbook has been assigned for this course. Students periodically will be assigned to research topics before they are discussed in class.
Course Description
This course is a survey of world history from the beginning of the modern era to the present. We will focus on historical events, using them as case studies to understand a series of issues relating to (a) the political and economic development of Europe, (b) the spread of European ideologies and technology throughout the other regions of the world, and (c) how each of those regions has reacted to and been influenced by that spread in light of its own history and culture. We will also undertake an analysis of the significant political, social, and economic theories that arose during this period and examine their applicability to our society of today. This class thus will examine the roots of today’s world and address many of the issues that currently affect the United States and the rest of the world. The course includes readings from the text as supplemented by other secondary and primary sources. Classes will involve both lectures and class discussions, and the course will involve a significant amount of independent research and writing.
Class Requirements
This course will require that the student learn in some detail the significant events that have occurred throughout the world from approximately 1800 to the present, understand the causes and impacts of those events, and recognize how those events have shaped today’s world. Success in this course will depend on the following factors:
C Reading - Primary and Secondary Sources: The textbook for this course will provide the bulk of the required reading, but other secondary and primary source materials will be distributed, as well. Students will be expected to have read, and considered, the required material prior to class.
C Note Taking: It will be extremely important to take careful and complete notes during class. It will be difficult to do well in this course without such notes. I also recommend that you take brief notes when you read the written materials that are assigned during the year.
C Writing: Written assignments, to be completed in class or as homework, will be assigned. The proper form of an essay, as well as the accurate, clear, and concise presentation of the subject matter, will be required.
C Quizzes, Tests and Exams: Tests and quizzes throughout the term may include multiple choice questions, short identifications, and short essay questions. The final exam may include these types of questions as well as a longer essay question.
C Research Papers: Various research topics will be assigned during the course. Each student will conduct research with regard to the selected topic and write a research essay using the MLA format.
C Class Participation: Thoughtful participation in class discussions will make the course more meaningful and enjoyable for us all. Regular and useful participation by a student therefore will enhance that student’s grade.
Grading Policy
Grades in this course will be computed on the basis of (a) Test Results,
(b) Research Papers, which will count as two test grades, and (c) Quizzes and
Homework, which will be combined into one or more test grades.
Meaningful Class Participation will enhance the earned grade
Written Assignments
C All assignments must be typed. Hard copies must be submitted; except as noted below, e-mail and diskettes will not be accepted.
C All research assignments are to be turned in. Points will be deducted for late submissions, except in the case of illness. If a student is absent due to illness two or more days before an assignment is due, he or she will be given additional time equal to the number of days he or she was ill. Absence only on the day that the assignment is due will not excuse lateness. In those instances, e-mail is to be used.
C Late homework assignments will not be accepted, except in the case of illness. In cases of illness, the policy discussed above will be followed.
C Assignments given while a student was out ill will be made up. The student will have the number of days he or she was ill to make it up.
C Assignments are to be handed in at the beginning of class unless they are to be used during the class, in which case they will be handed in at the end of class.
C Unless the directions state otherwise, all assignments are to be done on an individual basis.
C MLA format must be followed on all written assignments.
Class Rules
Daily note taking is required.
No food or drink in the classroom.
There will be no private discussions or other talking in class (except in response to a question or as part of a class discussion).
Students are expected to be on time for class. Excessive tardiness will affect the student’s grade.
Students will show respect and civility to fellow students.
Dishonesty will not be tolerated.
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
Course Goals
In addition to learning the factual content necessary for an understanding of modern world history, this course will focus on developing and improving the following skills:
C Reading: The ability to read for comprehension and evaluation.
C Thinking: The willingness to explore historical events and social/economic/political trends, to understand broad concepts, and to connect the past and present.
C Writing: The ability to express ideas and facts in a clear and concise manner using correct grammar and sentence syntax. The ability to use the MLA format correctly.
C Note Taking: The ability to listen, comprehend, and quickly write facts and ideas presented in class in a form that will enable the student to later study and understand the material.
Sequence of the Course
The following outline of the course identifies each of the basic issues to be considered in the course and the historical developments within which those concepts will be examined.
Introduction
What in the World is Going On?
The Vocabulary We Need
Unit One: The Economic, Political, and Ideological Development of Europe from the French Revolution to the Unification of Germany (1789-1871)
Events and Ideas
The Ancien Regime and the Enlightenment
The French Revolution and Napoleon (1789-1814)
The Congress of Vienna (1814-1815)
Echoes of the French Revolution in Haiti and South America (1791-1804, 1810-1826)
Echoes of the French Revolution in Europe (1820-1848)
The Industrial Revolution and social change (1800-1850)
Romanticism and Nationalism
The Unification of Italy (1859-1870); the Unification of Germany (1866-1871)
The Disintegration of Old Empires: Ottoman and Austrian (1820-1877)
Reform in England; Co-option in Germany; Resistance to Reform in Russia
The U.S. seen as a detached part of Western Europe
Issues
How do new groups with access to wealth seek political power?
How do new groups without wealth or political power seek both wealth and power?
How do older groups with wealth and power respond to the demands of new groups?
How do political ideologies reflect and further a group’s economic and political interests?
How do concepts of religion, morality, or “values” influence these other questions? (Should they and, if so, to what extent?)
What happens when people who want change get what they want? (What’s the difference between a 19th Century liberal and a 20th Century liberal?)
What is nationalism? What is its relationship to religion? To ethnicity?
The U.S. Today: Are the ideas and issues of the past reflected today in the U.S.?
Unit Two: European Imperialism and Other Cultures (1820-1905)
Events and Ideas
Imperialism: The Expansion of European Power, Technology, and Ideas
Reasons: Industrialism; Nationalism, and Race
Abilities: Technologies of transportation, communications, and weaponry
Model #1: Imperialism in India and Southeast Asia
Model #2: Imperialism in China and Japan
China’s Response
Japan’s Response
Model #3: Imperialism in Africa
Model #4: Imperialism in Central America
Issues
How a small section of the globe conquered the rest of the world
The various ways that power was exercised
Ancient cultures confront new technologies and new ideas
Strategies of resistance
Are all cultures equal?
The U.S. Today: Is there such a thing as cultural imperialism?
Unit Three: Europe Self-Destructs (1914-1945)
Events and Ideas
World War I and the Treaty of Versailles
The Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalin
The 1920s, the Great Depression, and the rise of Mussolini and Hitler
World War II in Europe and the Pacific
Issues
Can wars be avoided?
Is there a place for idealism in international politics?
Is there a point where economic and social stability are more important than freedom?
The U.S. Today:
Why didn’t it happen in the U.S.?
Are we presently following in Europe’s footsteps?
Unit Four: The End of Colonialism and the Cold War (1946-1991)
Events and Ideas
Peripheral Powers Move to Center Stage; the Cold War
The Position of the U.S.
The Position of the USSR
The Chinese Civil War and Mao Zedung
India becomes independent
National Liberation in Africa and Asia in the context of the Cold War
Russia controls its sphere of influence
The U.S. controls its sphere of influence
The End of the Cold War, and of the USSR
Issues
Is the U.S. different than other countries? Should it be?
Should human rights guide U.S. foreign policy?
Is there a point where the “defense of freedom” leads to a loss of liberty?
Is one system of government better than another?
Is it our business to intervene?
Unit Five: Where We Are Today; Relations to the Past; Globalization
Overviews of Europe, Africa, Asia, South America
Current International Issues:
China
The Middle East (Iraq; Israel/Palestine)
Iran and Korea
India
The U.S. in the World