Professor Charles Evans
Office hours (room LR308): MR (0915-0930, 1045-1130) and by appointment
Office phone: 703.450.2520
Division phone: 703.450.2505
E-mail: cevans@nvcc.edu
Home page: novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/default.htm
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES: This course
reviews the general history of the West from around 1600 ce to the present
and allows students to reach a basic understanding of the characteristic
features of the West's historical development. The course also helps
students to develop an understanding of the academic discipline of history
and supports the general educational goals of historians and the
college. Grading in the course is based on
written assignments and on classwork that demonstrates
critical thinking. It is expected that students possess
college-level writing skills.
BOOKS: The text for the course is
Perry, Western Civilization (Volume 2) which comes shrink-wrapped
with Rand-McNally, Historical Atlas of the World. There are a number
of short paperbacks required: Dickens, Hard Times; Remarque,
All Quiet on the Western Front; Achebe, Things Fall Apart and
Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. (Any
editions are acceptable.)
COURSE WEBSITE: The
website for this course is
novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/campus/his102/syllabus.html. All
of the class materials and assignments are available on that site. Please note that some
of the assignments are linked to the ELI version of HIS 102,
novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/his102/Index.html.
ACCOMMODATION: If there is any student
in this class who has the need for some form of classroom accommodation, please feel free to
discuss this with me or one of the college's counselors.
PLAGIARISM: Any student caught plagiarizing
or cheating in this course will be subject to appropriate disciplinary
action. Please read and understand my plagiarism policy.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
| Week 1
|
22 August, Monday: Course Introduction
25 August, Thursday: Navigating the Web
What to do before class:
- Check out these interesting websites:
- Review the sample document and Hammurabi
analyses
What we will do in class:
- Students will find a computer on campus either in
the computer lab or the library and demonstrate to me that they are able to
access their official student email.
- Detailed review of the course syllabus
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 2
|
29 August, Monday: What is history?
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Discuss Guizot and
conceptions of civilization in small groups (10 points)
- Write your first history papers in a small group (25 points)
- Questions and comments
1 September, Thursday: Louis XIV (video:
La prise du pouvoir, if available)
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 16
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Please
note that many of the links on this syllabus are to the
assignments listed in the
ELI version of HIS 102. You
may print out whatever information you feel is necessary.
- Check out these interesting websites:
What we will do in class:
- Discuss Louis XIV and his conception of absolutism
- Watch excerpt from La prise du pouvoir
- Group work to answer the questions on the
movie study sheet (20 points)
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 3
|
5 September, Monday: NO CLASS
8 September, Thursday: Glorious Revolution
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Discuss the English Revolution
- Group work on the
English paragraph (25 points)
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 4 |
12 September, Monday: Peter the Great
What to do before class:
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Check the specific writing requirements of this
course as explained in
Charlie's History Writing Center
- Extra Credit: Do an
online auction search for relics of Russian history
- Extra Credit: Watch Barry Lyndon
and write a one-page
paper (Was the movie an accurate depiction of eighteenth-century European life?) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
15 September, Thursday: American Revolution
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 17 and 18
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Read the the American Declaration of Independence
- Review the American
paragraph assignment
- Extra Credit: Answer the American Declaration of
Independence study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
- Extra Credit: In a one-page paper,
explain who fired the first shot of the American Revolution for a maximum of 25
points. Email
your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
|
| Week 5 |
19 September, Monday: The Enlightenment
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 17 and 18
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Extra Credit: Watch Amadeus
and write a one-page paper (What aspects of the European Enlightenment did the movie
illustrate?) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me before the start of class.
- Extra Credit: Read Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations
(free copy at art-bin.com/art/oweala.html)
and explain how his conception of capitalism does or does not match the characteristics of
present-day capitalism
for a maximum of 100 points. Email
your paper to me before the start of class.
- Extra Credit: Explain the principle points of
Immanuel Kant's idealist philosophy as expounded in his
Critique of Pure Reason
(free copy at www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/cpr/toc.html) for
a maximum of 100 points. Email
your paper to me before the start of class.
- Extra Credit: What did Voltaire mean, in terms of
the European Enlightenment, when he wrote "let us cultivate our garden" at the end of
Candide
(free copy at www.literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide/)
for a maximum of 100 points. Email
your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
22 September, Thursday: French Revolution
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 19 and 20
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Read the the Declaration of the Rights of Man
- Write the French
paragraph
and bring it to class. Do not send it to the e-mail address. Do not try and
participate in the online discussion of the ELI course.
- Extra Credit: Answer the French Declaration of
the Rights of Man study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 15 points
- Extra Credit: Write a one-page paper (maybe
two pages if they are exceptional) that provides a detailed comparison of the
US Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of
Man and email to me before the start of class for a maximum of 25 points
- Extra Credit: In a one-page paper
assess Robespierre's
justification of the use of terror (Would Thomas Jefferson have approved?)
during the French Revolution (see www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/robespierre-terror.html) and email to me
before the start of class for a maximum of 25 points
What we will do in class:
|
| Week 6 |
26 September, Monday: Library Research
Assignment for class:
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Presentation on library resources by Ms. Jennifer
Reynolds for this and other
history assignments (will be in the library, room 249J); see the library's
history research page.
- Questions and comments
29 September, Thursday: Romanticism
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 22
- Read some examples of Romantic poems
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Write the
article abstract paper and
email to me before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
- Extra Credit: Answer the Romanticism
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
- Extra Credit: Read Samuel Taylor Coleridge's
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
and in a one-page paper note some of the main characteristics of the Romantic movement
that were apparent in the poem for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
|
| Week 7 |
3 October, Monday: Industrial Revolution
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 21
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Review the short background
information on Dickens
- Read Charles Dickens' Hard Times in its entirety
- Extra Credit: Answer the Dickens
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
- Extra Credit: Read Emile Zola's
Germinal (free at
www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/ez/germinal.html)
and explain how his conception of the Industrial Revolution differed
from that of Dickens for a maximum of 50 points (Consider watching the 1993 movie version
also.). Email
your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
6 October, Thursday: Exam Preview
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 24
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Review the short
background information on Marx
- Read the Communist Manifesto
Selections
- Extra Credit: Answer the Marx
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 15 points
- Write the
Dickens paper and and
email to me before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
- Review the requirements of the midterm exam
- Extra Credit: Explain what Marx meant when he stated that
he "had stood Hegel on his head" (Or something to that extent) in a one-page paper
for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on Marxism
- Discuss the midterm exam
- Group work to brainstorm ideas for the essay on the midterm exam (20 points)
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 8 |
10 October, Monday: NO CLASS
13 October, Thursday: Midterm Exam
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Complete the midterm exam. You will not
need to follow the ELI procedures explained on the linked page. You will bring the completed test essay to class, and
take the remaining parts of the exam in class. (150 points)
|
| Week 9 |
17 October, Monday: Exam Review and Discussion of the Dickens papers (video:
Art of the Western World, Impressionism, if available)
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Watch excerpt from Art of the Western World, Impressionism
- Discuss the midterm exam
- Discuss the Dickens paper
- Review
Charlie's History Writing Center
- Hand out the blank map (with items) and explain assignment for Thursday
- Review the Impressionism
study sheet. Extra Credit: Why
did Impressionism originate in nineteenth-century France? Email to me your one-page answer to
this question before the start of the next class for a maximum of 25 points.
- Extra Credit: Was there an "Impressionism" movement in
music and literature? Email to me your one-page answer to
this question before the start of the next class for a maximum of 25 points.
20 October, Thursday: Nationalism
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 23 and 25
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Write the Bismarck paragraph
and bring it to class.
- Complete your blank map and bring with you to class
- Extra Credit: Answer the Bismarck
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
- Extra Credit: Compare and contrast
German and Italian unification process in a short paper for a maximum of
25 points. Email your paper to me before the start of class.
- Extra Credit: Explain the
historical significance of Giuseppe Garibaldi in a short paper for a
maximum of 25 points (Why no movie about him yet?). Email your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
- Surprise Quiz
- Some remarks on nationalism and nation unification
- Group work on the
Bismarck paragraph (25 points)
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 10 |
24 October, Monday: Imperialism
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 26 and 27
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Review the short background
information on Achebe
- Read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart in its entirety
- Extra Credit: Answer the Achebe
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 20 points
- Extra Credit: Explain the outcomes of the
Berlin Conference of 1884 in a one-page paper for a maximum of 25
points. Email your paper to me before the start of class.
- Extra Credit: Read Lenin's
Imperialism and
explain his main revisions to Marx's theory of socialism in a short paper (1-3 pages)
for a maximum of 100
points. Email your paper to me before the start of class.
- Extra Credit: What was the extent of
and justification for
American imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century? Answer that question
in a short paper (1-2 pages)
for a maximum of 50 points (Use some of the resources available at
www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook34.html.). Email
your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
27 October, Thursday: CLASS PROGRESS CONSULTATIONS (Required if I did not
list your name in class on Monday)
What to do before class:
- Write the
Achebe paper and and
email to me before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
- Total your course points so far
- Sign up to meet with me for five minutes to discuss your
course progress
- Extra Credit: Watch Breaker Morant
and write a one-page
paper assessing the historical accuracy of the movie for a maximum of 25
points. Email your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
- Five-minute consultations (5 points)
- Bring a specific game plan of assignments so that you
will pass the course
|
| Week 11 |
31 October, Monday: Extra Credit Class Presentations
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
3 November, Thursday: Extra Credit Class Presentations
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
|
| Week 12 |
7 November, Monday: The Great War (video:
All Quiet on the Western Front)
What to do before class:
- Write the
Remarque paper and and
email to me before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
What we will do in class:
- Watch All Quiet on the Western Front
- Extra Credit: Review the movie
study sheet and
email the answers to me before the start of the next class. Your answer to question 1 should
be at least a page in length. (50 points)
10 November, Thursday: The Great War (conclusion of the video:
All Quiet on the Western Front); Russian Revolution
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 29
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Read the
Declaration of the Rights of the
Russian People.
- Extra Credit: Answer the Russian Declaration of
the Rights of the Russian People
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
- Extra Credit: Write a one-page paper (maybe
two pages if they are exceptional) that provides a detailed comparison of the
US Declaration of Independence and the Russian Declaration of the Rights of
the Russian People and email to me before the start of class for a maximum of 25 points
- Extra Credit: Read John Reed's
Ten Days That Shook the World
(free at www.bartleby.com/79/)
and explain Reed's explanation of why the Bolsheviks were able to seize power
successfully for a maximum of 50 points. Email your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on the Russian Revolution
- Watch the conclusion to All Quiet on the Western Front
- Group work to answer the following
question: Summarize some of the differences between the movie and
film (from both an artistic point-of-view and from an analysis of
historical reality? (25 points)
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 13 |
14 November, Monday: Kafka (video:
Kafka, if available)
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 30 and 31
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Write the
website evaluation paper and
email to me before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
- Extra Credit: Who was more prescient in their views of
modern society, Franz Kafka or José Ortega y Gasset? Write a short paper of one or two
pages for a maximum of 100 points. Email your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on Kafka
- Watch Kafka
- Extra Credit: Review the Kafka
study sheet and
email the answers to me before the start of the next class for a maximum of 20 points.
17 November, Thursday: Fascism (video: Triumph of the
Will, if available)
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 30 and 31
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Read the excerpt from
Hitler's Mein Kampf
- Review the Hitler
paragraph assignment
- Extra Credit: Answer the Hitler
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 20 points
- Extra Credit: Write a one-page paper (maybe
two pages if they are exceptional) that provides a detailed comparison of
Hitler's ideas on national socialism and Benito Mussolini's
What Is fascism?
and email to me before the start of class for a maximum of 25 points
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on fascism
- Group work on the
Hitler paragraph (25 points)
- Watch excerpt from Triumph des Willens
- Extra Credit: Review the movie
study sheet and
email the answers to me before the start of the next class for a maximum of 30 points.
|
| Week 14 |
21 November, Monday: World War II (video: Genocide, if available)
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 32
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Write
the special project
paper and email the completed paper to me
before the start of class to avoid grade
penalty. Paper is NOT OPTIONAL. (50-100 points)
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on World War II
- Watch Genocide
- Extra Credit: Review the Genocide
study sheet and
email the answers to me before the start of the next class for a maximum of 20 points.
- Extra Credit: Explain the extent of Genocide
that occurred in the Pacific Theatre during World War II for a maximum of 50 points. Email
your paper to me before the start of the next class.
24 November, Thursday: NO CLASS
|
| Week 15 |
28 November, Monday: Cold War
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 33
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Review the short
background
information on Solzhenitsyn
- Read Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in its
entirety
- Extra Credit: Answer the Solzhenitsyn
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 15 points
- Extra Credit: Read George Kennan's
"The Sources of Soviet Conduct". In
a short paper, given the benefit of hindsight, assess the accuracy of Kennan's
remarks almost fifty years later for a maximum of 50 points. Email your paper to me before the start of class.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on the Cold War
- Group work on a draft Solzhenitsyn paper (25 points)
1 December, Thursday: Exam Preview
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Discuss the final exam and the entire course
- Group work to brainstorm ideas for the essay on the final exam (20 points)
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 16 |
5 December, Monday: STUDY DAY, NO CLASS
8 December, Thursday: Final Exam
What to do before class:
- Study for the final exam
- Write the essay for the final exam. You
will bring your completed essay with you to class.
What we will do in class:
- Complete the final exam. You will not
need to follow the ELI procedures explained on the linked page. You will bring the completed test essay to class, and
take the remaining parts of the exam in class. Please bring a completed course evaluation with you
to the exam. (250 points)
|
ATTENDANCE: Optional.
GRADES:
-
200 points, four book papers (one-page papers)
-
50 points, article abstract (one-page paper)
-
50 points, website evaluation (one-page paper)
-
150 points, midterm exam
-
250 points, final exam
-
250 points, everything else (short paragraphs, classwork,
surprise quizzes and group work)
-
50 points, special project (two-page paper)
-
1000 points total (plus possible extra credit)
Final course grade is based on the following scale:
-
1000-900: A
-
899-800: B
-
799-700: C
-
699-600: D
-
599-000: F
HOW TO EARN POINTS:
- Point values for specific assignments are indicated on
the tentative syllabus above
- Point values for specific class activities are also
on the syllabus
HOW TO EARN MORE POINTS:
- Attendance at each class is worth five (5) points.
- Bring to class a relevant question that deals with the
course content/assignment for the day (textbook, reading, etc.) is worth 1 point. Your question should be written on
a slip of paper with your name. Maximum of three questions per class per person.
- Find any course typo, spelling error or broken link is worth one (1) point. You should
email to me any of these mistakes for extra credit.
- Take a rough draft of a paper assignment to the
campus writing center for help is worth three (3) points; make sure that the writing center
notifies me.
- Resubmit a graded paper after making the corrections that
I noted is worth three (3) points; paper must be resubmitted the class immediately after
I return the graded paper to you.
- Give an extra-credit class presentation on one of the designated
days. Each report, devoted to a specific historical figure, usually lasts ten to
fifteen minutes. Students must schedule the report with me at least one week
in advance. Possible fifty (50) points.
- Create a website dealing with any specific topic within the
boundaries of this course. Topic must be approved by me first. Some of the style requirements for
this website can be found on my Web Module Creation page, which is for
my HIS 135 course. Also check my New Web Design Center. Possible point total negotiable.
PLEASE NOTE THAT PROPER GRAMMAR, SPELLING
AND STYLE ARE AN INHERENT, AND NECESSARY, PART OF EACH ASSIGNMENT IN THIS
COURSE.
You may wish to review
my Writing
Style Rules and History Paper
Guidelines. Please also check the Sample
Writing Style Mistakes. After receiving a graded paper, you can check for an
Explanation of Comments on
Assignments. This is all part of Charlie's History Writing Center.
NOTE THAT ANY ASSIGNMENT NOT HANDED IN
ON TIME WILL BE REDUCED BY FIVE POINTS PER CALENDAR DAY.
REMEMBER that technical support
information for college students is available at www.nvcc.edu/ithd/.
|