HIST 122: Western Civilization II

Spring 2006
Course Description and Schedule

Churchill-Haines170, TTh 12:30-1:45
3 credits
 

Catalog description: SURVEYS THE DEVELOPMENT OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION FROM THE REFORMATION ERA TO THE PRESENT.. No prerequisites; no unusual technology skills required.

This is the second of a two-part survey of Western Civilization and introduces students to some of the leading figures, ideas, and events of the modern world. It also exposes students to the concerns and methods of historical inquiry through lectures, analysis and discussion of selected texts, and writing of short papers.  The goal of this course is for the student not only to acquire historical information but also to learn through example (lectures, textbook) and practice (discussions, essay examinations, papers) a historical/critical method of thought and expression.

Students must read all assignments, attend every lecture, take notes, participate in discussions, and secure this syllabus and all handouts--which contain chronological and geographical background to the lectures and readings--from the instructor's web page. In addition, each student writes five mini-themes of one to two pages. Students who expect to miss more than three meetings should see the instructor within the first week. A set of study questions, also available on-line, will assist the student preparing for examinations.

There will be a midterm exam 23 Feb, covering parts one and two of the course; another 6 Apr, covering parts three and four; and a final exam 9 May, covering parts five and six. Exams consist of one long and a choice of two out of three short essay questions; the final exam includes a comprehensive essay question. Each student will write a mini-theme on a choice of suggested topics for each reading, due on the assigned date during discussion of the topics.  The first and second midterms count 50 points each, the final 75, and the mini-themes 100 points (20 points each), for a total of 275 possible points.

Students who wish to arrange another method of evaluation should see the instructor within the first two weeks. By all means consult the Top 10 Ways to Lower Your Grade in Humanities.

See the end of the syllabus for additional information concerning cheating, ADA policy, and outcomes of learning.

Required Books

• Jackson J. Spielvogel. Western Civilization: A Brief History. 3d ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2005. 0534627218
• Voltaire. Candide. trans Lowell Bair.  Toronto: Bantam, 1981. 01553211668
• Georg Büchner. Danton's Death, Leonce and Lena, Woyzeck. Trans Victor Price. Oxford: Oxford Univ Press, 1986. 0192818279
• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Viking Penguin, 1967. 0140444785
• Strates Myriveles, Life in the Tomb,  trans Peter Bien.  Hanover and London: University Press of New England, 1987.  087451391X.  Republished River Vale, New Jersey: Cosmos Publishing, 2004.  1932455051
• Marjane Satrapi.  Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood.  New York: Pantheon, 2004.  037571457X

Recommended Book

Kate L Turabian. A Manual for Writers. 6^th ed. Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 1996.  0226816273

The Mini-themes

A. Voltaire's Candide (2 Feb)

1. "On Human Nature." Descibe the arguments about the nature of man that various characters present. Which do you think is Voltaire's view of the nature of man?
2. "Voltaire and the Church." How do the institutional churches and their representatives appear in the book? Does Voltaire have a predominantly positive or negative view of Christianity in its various forms?
3. "Life in Voltaire's Europe." Being careful to think through Voltaire's exaggerations and satires, try to describe very generally what it was like to live in Europe in the middle of the eighteenth century. What aspects of this life appeal to you? What aspects do you find especially repugnant?

B. Büchner's Death of Danton (14 Feb)

1. "The Rhetoric of Revolution." Büchner took many of his speeches directly from records of the Revolution. Analyze some of the images the revolutionaries used to describe and justify their actions, particularly the bloodiest ones.
2. "The People and the Revolution." Explain why the people of Paris supported the Revolution, particularly at the bloodiest stage, which is the setting for the book. Pay particular attention to the words of the anonymous citizens.
3. "The Revolutionaries and the Revolution." Explain why the leaders of the Revolution (here the Jacobins) acted as they did. Were their motives selfish or selfless? Be sure to contrast Robespierre and Danton.

C. Communist Manifesto (14 Mar)

Marxism as developed by Marx and Engels and their many admirers and critics is much more complex and problematic than this one text would indicate–you all know this; it is therefore especially important that you take this text on its own terms and construct your essays solely on the basis of what you actually find here.

1. "The Evils of Capitalism." Marx and Engels include a critique of capitalism in the Manifesto. Summarize their description of this economic system and explain why they consider it a bad thing.
2. "Marx and the Proletariat." Summarize Marx’s definition of the proletariat and explain its role in the economic system. Why is the proletariat important for the coming of the new communist order?
3. "The Prophet Marx." Explain the Communist Manifesto as the prophetic utterance of a righteous and indignant man, like the Old Testament prophets who decried social and economic injustices and religious failings, and who warned of impending doom unless their audience change their ways. What, for Marx, is the problem, who will suffer and why, and does the prophecy offer an alternative to destruction?

D. Myriveles, Life in the Tomb (30 Mar)

1. "The Horror of War."  What does this book tell you about the difference between what the soldiers expected about and what they found. 
2. "Why We Fight."  Think about any difference in the soldiers' motivations for going to war and continuing to fight.  Why do civilians support the war?  Why do governmental leaders support it?
3. "Modern Warfare."  What are the distinctive features of warfare at the beginning of the twenty-first century?  What do you think are the universal features of warfare in any age?

E. Satrapi, Persepolis (27 Apr)

1. "Born to be a Prophet."  Describe the difference between Satrapi's world as she and the revolutionaries think it should be and as it really is.  Think about religion and politics, gender and class relations.
2. "History in the Comics."  Evaluate the effectiveness of treating issues of great human moment in a (seeming?) superficial way.
3. "The Weight of History."  How does the great antiquity of Persia continue to affect life in modern Iran?  Think about religion, politics, class, and gender relations.

Schedule

Click here for chronology sheet.

Click here for study guides.

Part 7: Absolutism and Enlightenment [Spielvogel chs 15-18]

Part 8: The Age of Revolutions [Spielvogel chs 19-20]

Part 9: A Century of Ideas [Spielvogel chs 21-23]

Part 10: Turn of the Century [Spielvogel chs 24-25]

Part 11: The Twentieth Century [Spielvogel chs 26-29]