Required Readings
Perry, Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics and Society, Vol.
II, 5th edition
Kishlansky, Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization,
Vol. II, 3rd edition
Voltaire, Candide
Crichton, The Great Train Robbery
Wiesel, Night
Handouts as provided
Web pages as indicated
Purpose of the Course
History is the study of the past in its entirety. It looks at
the politics, economics, ideologies, and societies of peoples and cultures.
There is no one "true" history. Different writers from different
regions and different eras not only interpret the same "facts" differently,
but they also define the historical "process" differently.
This semester's class will stress the role of ideas in history. Readings, lectures, and assignments will focus on those ideologies which have influenced the development of the modern world. We will explore the philosophies of nationalism, liberalism, and socialism because they have shaped our current institutions and values. We will study the industrial revolution and the growth of nation-states because they are the basis of our modern industrial society. We will discuss the rise and decline of Europe, the divergence and convergence of East and West, and the ebb and flow of imperialism because they help explain recent economic and political developments.
It is impossible to cover every detail of life in every European country from 1715 to 1999 in one semester. Subsequently, the course will concentrate on the significant ideas which influenced thought and policy in the major European countries in the period. In the process we hope to achieve a better understanding of the present as well as the past.
Course Requirements
Journal. Every student will be expected to keep a journal
summarizing and analyzing the ideas raised in the readings. Journals
will include primary document analyses from Kishlansky [See Primary
Document Worksheet]; thematic essays on Candide, The Great
Train Robbery, and Night [See Thematic
Essays Worksheet]; quizzes; class worksheets; and class notes. Because
a knowledge of geography is essential to understanding historical developments,
you will be asked to label maps of Europe in 1815, 1926, and 1999.
Short quizzes will also be given on discussion material in Voltaire, Crichton,
and Wiesel. Worksheets on films will also count as quiz grades. Since
I drop the two lowest grades from your journal, there will be NO MAKE UPS
for quizzes. You may use your journals for quizzes and examinations;
thus, it is to your benefit to have current and thorough entries.
Class Participation, and Attendance. Class participation and attendance improve the class (and your grade). A considerable amount of lecture material is not found in the text or readings, and the discussions are designed to help you better understand the topic. Seven points will be subtracted from your attendance grade for each unexcused absence. Please feel free to ask questions in class or by e-mail or to come by my office if you are uncertain about material in the lectures and/or readings. If you must miss a class for a CofC function, please let me know beforehand.
Oral Presentation. In addition to participating in class discussions of Voltaire, Crichton, Wiesel, and Kishlansky, each student must sign up to present one of the primary documents in Kishlansky. [See Primary Document Worksheet for specific details].
Tests and Examinations. Tests and exams will be based on material contained in the lectures, presentations, and readings. There will be two hourly tests and a comprehensive final examination. A note from the Dean of Undergraduate Studies is required to make up an examination.
Grading
Final grades will be based on a weighted average of the tests (30 percent
or 15 percent each); thematic essays (25 percent); class work – quizzes,
worksheets, presentation, class participation and attendance (25 percent);
final examination (20 percent).
The following grading scale will be used in determining final grades:
A = 90-100; B+ = 86-89; B = 80-85; C+ = 76-79; C = 70-75; D = 60-69; F
= 0-59
Jan 15 Course
Introduction
Gustavson,"The Role of Ideas in History"; Perry xix-xxxi
Jan 18 European
Society in the Eighteenth Century
Catherine the Great, "Memoirs" (K 80)
Jan 20 Toward
a New World View
Descartes, "Discourse on Method" (K 76); Locke, "Second Treatise Concerning
Government" (K 78); Perry 410-25
https://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/newton-princ.html
https://history.hanover.edu/texts/Bacon/novpref.html
Jan 22 Ideas of
the Enlightenment
Rousseau, "The Social Contract" (K 84); Montesquieu, "Spirit of the Laws"
(K 85)
Perry 428-39
Jan 25 Ideas
of the Enlightenment
Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments" (K87); Condorcet, "The Progress of
the
Human Mind" (K88); Maria Theresa, "Testament" (K81); Perry 439-56
Jan 27 Quiz; Discuss
Candide
Thematic Essay Due
Jan 29 Film: Politeness
and Enthusiasm
Feb 1 Origins
of the French Revolution
Sieyes, "What Is the Third Estate" (K 89); "Declaration of the Rights of
Man" and
Declaration of the Rights of Woman" (K 90); Perry 461-74
Feb 3 Progress
of the French Revolution
Burke, "Reflections on the Revolution" (K 91); Perry 474-83
Feb 5 The Napoleonic
Heritage
Walter, "Memoirs" (K 92); Perry 487-503
Feb 8 Map Quiz
on Europe in 1815; Restoration Politics
Perry 555-63; Map 23.2
Feb 10 Origins of Industrial
Revolution
Young, "Political Arithmetic" (K 93); Perry 507-16
Feb 12 Consequences
of Industrialization
Smiles, "Self-Help" (K 94); Chadwick, "Inquiry into the Condition of the
Poor"
(K 95); Engels, "The Condition of the Working Class" (K 96); Perry 516-24
Feb 15 FIRST HOURLY EXAMINATION
Feb 17 Liberalism
and Conservatism
Mill, "On Liberty" (1859); Perry 527-46
Feb 19 Nationalism
Perry 549-51, 563-74
Feb 22 "The Woman
Question"
Austen, "Pride and Prejudice" (K 97); Henrietta-Lucy, "Memoirs" (K 98);
Modern
Household" and "Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management" (K 99); Perry
594-99
Feb 24 Discuss:
The Great Train Robbery
Thematic Essay Due
Feb 26 Socialism
Proudhon, "What Is Property" (K 101); Perry 546-49
Mar 1
Marxism
Marx and Engels, "The Communist Manifesto" (K 104); Perry 587-94
Mar 3
Darwinism
Darwin, "The Descent of Man" (K 107); Perry 579-87
Mar 5
Film: Darwin's Revolution in Thought
SPRING BREAK
Mar 15 Imperialism
Hobson, "Imperialism" (K 111); Rhodes, "Confession of Faith" (K 112); Kipling,
"White Man's Burden" (K 113); Orwell, "Shooting an Elephant" (K 114); Perry
655-81
Mar 17 Film: The
Magnificent African Cake
Mar 19 Unification
of Germany
Bismarck, "Reflections" and "Speech" (K 106); Perry 603-13, 646-48
Mar 22 Russia in the
Nineteenth Century
Alexander II, "The Emancipation of the Serfs" (K 105); Perry 745-49
Mar 24 Fin de Siecle
Society
Freud, "The Interpretation of Dreams" (K 108); Perry 628-41, 684-708
Mar 26 Origins of World
War I
Perry 613-16, 641-46, 648-52, 713-23
Mar 29 SECOND HOURLY EXAMINATION
Mar 31 The Great War
and its Consequences
Junger, "Storm of Steel" (K 115); Wilson, "The Fourteen Points"; Perry
723-41
Apr 2
The Russian Revolution
Perry 749-58
Apr 5
Map Quiz on Europe in 1926; Lenin and the Bolsheviks
Lenin, "What Is to Be Done?" (K 117); Kollontai "Theses on Community Morality"
(K 118); Map 29.3
Apr 7
Fall of Democracy and Rise of Totalitarianism
Keynes, "Economic Consequences" (K 119); Woolf, "Room of One's Own"
(K125); https://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/valery.html
https://pluto.clinch.edu/history/wciv2/civ2ref/wigan.htm
Apr 9
Fascism in Italy
Mussolini, "Fascist Doctrine" (K 120); Perry 769-75
Apr 12 Hitler and Eugenics;
Film: Night and Fog
Hitler, "Mein Kampf" (K 121); Perry 618-25, 775-91
Apr 14 Discuss: Night
Thematic essay due
Apr 16 World War II
Churchill, "Speeches" (K 123); "Charter of the United Nations" (K 135);
Perry
825-50
Apr 19 Cold War
Churchill, "The Iron Curtain" (K 129);Solzhenitsyn, "One Day in the Life"
(K 126);
Perry 855-63
Apr 21 Building a New
Europe
Perry 863-75
Apr 23 Post-War Culture
Sartre, "Existentialism" (K127); de Beauvoir, "The Second Sex" (K 128);
Perry
800-21
Apr 26 The Collapse
of Communism
Havel, "Living in Truth" (K 131); Walesa, "Way of Hope" (K 132);Gorbachev,
"Perestroika" (K 133); Fukuyama, "End of History?" (K 134); Perry 879-99
Apr 28 Map Quiz on
Europe in 1999; The European Community
Santer, "The Single European Currency"; Map 35.1
May 7 FINAL
EXAMINATION 8-11 am
______________________________________________________________________________
The Honor Code of the College of Charleston specifically forbids cheating,
attempted cheating, and plagiarism. A student found guilty of these
offenses will receive a failing grade in the course. Additional penalties
may include suspension or expulsion from the College at the discretion
of the Honor Board. [See the College of Charleston Student Handbook for
definitions of these offenses.]