HIST 1120
WORLD CIVILIZATION FROM 1650 TO THE PRESENT
SYLLABUS
HIST 1120 World Civilizations from 1650 to the Present (3)
A study of modern Asia, Africa, America, Australia, and Europe utilizing the universal culture pattern. The emphasis is upon the economic, social, political intellectual, religious, and aesthetic factors in the development of a world history.
Dr. Robert M. Ruff
222 Waterview Drive
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Home Phone: 824-9748
N-109
WORLD’S OF HISTORY Vol. One Two, Second edition by Kevin Reilly
TRADITIONS AND ENCOUNTERS: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE PAST by Jerry Bentley and Herbert Ziegler
Fall 2004
It is the student's responsibility to self identify with the Office of Disability Services in order to receive accommodations. Only those students with appropriate documentation will receive services. Disability Services is located in the Campus center, Suite C206B.
A word about textbooks: your two texts are among the best on
the market, but they approach history from different perspectives. You
will thus utilize them for different purposes. Strayer et. al., al.,
is instrumental in helping us visualize “the making of the modern world”.
It selects seven regions of the globe, (Europe, Africa, East Asia, India,
the Middle East, Russia, and The Western hemisphere) and traces their
“essential” characteristics from their origins to the present. This
gives the student the opportunity to see history in terms of a “grand
panorama”. I will often describe this as looking for the “Big Picture”
or “looking for the forest and not the trees”. You must always make an
effort to compare civilizations at every opportunity. Try to make as
many connections as you can. Look for relationships, similarities,
differences, etc. As you learn to use Professor Ivey’s Universal
Culture Pattern, an effort should be made to see the links between and among
the economic, social, political, intellectual, religious, and aesthetic
components of culture, or as this text puts it, you are looking for
“Connected Histories, Divergent Paths”.
WORLD CIVILIZATIONS: THEIR HISTORY AND CULTURE, on the other hand, is a more detailed account of the last 500 years of world history. You will not find a more effective introduction to philosophy, science, religion, art, literature, etc., in any single volume.
These were indeed outstanding texts, but the new texts used this semester are: Kevin Reilly, Worlds of History Vol. Two and Traditions and Encounters; a Global Perspective on the Past by Jerry Bentley and Herbert Ziegler. All three are leading scholars in the effort to establish a real “world” history. Both texts make a concerted effort to integrate the various regions of the globe.
Let the games begin. (OR IS IT “ ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE?”)
You can and should communicate with me as often as necessary. My e-mail address is:
Professor Ivey taught me a long time ago that the relationship between teacher and student is a spiritual one (don’t pay any attention to that statement about slave-driver).
“We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly embracing each other.”
Leo Buscaglia
The Worlds of History textbook maybe the most valuable tool you will have for this class. Each section has a series of questions to which you should make every effort to respond. Developing critical thinking skills is the priority in this course. Making connections, seeing relationships, similarities and differences across civilizations is of the utmost importance. As you read the selections, try to organize your notes according to the Universal Culture Pattern. Learn to see how things social are affected by economics or aesthetics and science are connected. Indeed, how do the categories interact? Write your thoughts down. Keep a record of you ideas. If questions occur, write those down and bring up in class the next day. You will need to read at least 20 pages per day. Keep a record in your journal, As Professor Reilly emphasizes, you are to “analyze, synthesize, and interpret”. Pay close attention to the sections “Historical
Context”, “Thinking Historically” and “Reflections”.
You will be introduced to many different cultures, civilizations, ideas, religions…indeed many “worlds of history”. You are expected to attempt to understand, not necessarily accept or believe these new ideas. For example, the course begins with…pre-history…Invariably this is associated with the concepts of evolution. It is not my purpose to convince you that the theory of natural history is the truth. It is simply one explanation for the creation of history. We will also cover many other creation stories including the Judaeo-Christian. It will be your responsibility to compare and contrast the various stories of creation. You are expected to come to your own conclusions. Are there any similarities to these explanations? How would you explain this? Are there any differences? How would you explain? How is this information affecting you? Keep a record.
By doing the things described above, you will continually be developing the skills of:
CRITICAL THINKING
CRITICAL READING
CRITICAL WRITING
CRITICAL LISTENING
CRITICAL DISCUSSION
If all goes according to plan, the results should be greater understanding and wisdom. Possibly you will even decipher the MEANING of LIFE or at least the meaning of history. Hopefully this class will provide you with an opportunity to experience learning. Learn something new every day and you will succeed in this class. Concentrate on what you are discovering, not on what you don’t know.
“History is a way of learning. If we are honest we can see ourselves as others see us”.
William Appleman Williams
YOU MUST MAINTAIN A CRITICAL THINKING JOURNAL.
Keeping a Critical Thinking Journal:
An Intellectual Odyssey Through History
A critical thinking journal is a personal, but not private, record of you responses to what you are reading or thinking at the moment. It is written in an informal style that reflects your personality - - don’t attempt to sound scholarly or formal, unless of course you are scholarly or formal. Ideally, the journal writer should give his reader the impression of reading over his shoulder.
Write in longhand; do not type your journal unless you habitually type first impressions. You don’t have to write something every day, but don’t wait until the night before it is due to write up your journal.
Put in your journal your honest opinions, comments, analyses, insights, and questions. Give your responses, intellectual and emotional, to your reading and class developments.
Possible things to write about as you read:
a. Ask questions about particular things that bother you. You may get an answer when your journal is returned.
b. Make comparisons between people, events, and ideas in past to present.
c. If you see a pattern in the events of history, explain it.
d. Talk about the characters. Why you like or dislike them? What are their motivations? What kind of people are they? How you know, or why you are not sure.
e. Comment on ideas, people or episodes that seem particularly important to you.
If you like something, say so. If you don’t, explain.
Don’t try to deal with all aspects of history, text, or class. Develop you topics, and be specific. Don’t just make general comments.
Some reading will interest you more than others. But approach each with the assurance that you will come away from the reading of it with a greater understanding of the past, present, and yourself.
The general education goal of this course is to provide information which enables students to identify, analyze, and understand the social aspects of culture and the cultural heritage.
As a result of successfully completing this course, students will have demonstrated an acceptable level of mastery of the similarities and uniqueness of the various civilizations by using the universal culture pattern, the impact of “Westernization” (i.e. Globalization) on world civilizations and the trends toward the development of the “global village”.
This course also emphasizes that the student should/must develop critical thinking skills in order to solve problems and assess values. This course requires effective communication, both oral and written. This course hopes to also instill confidence, inspire excellence, and pursue wisdom.
The degree to which the outcomes of the primary goals of this
course have been achieved will be determined by the cumulative assessment of the specific course outcomes. Additionally, the course will be assessed by students through faculty evaluation and/or a student opinionaire to ascertain the level of student success.
OTHER GOALS
The attainment level of the critical thinking problem solving, organization and communication skills (all vitally necessary in the pursuit of excellence and wisdom) will be ascertained by essay examinations, film critiques, a 10 page research paper and two questions to be turned in to the instructor each Friday. The two questions must be significant and the student must be able to explain answer to the class. Analyzing different and comparing different philosophies and religion will help student evaluate his/her own personal values.
The highlight of this class for the last few years has been “the meeting of the minds”. Each student will select an outstanding representative of her chosen category or country. An informal class discussion will close the semester. You will speak as Picasso, Gandhi, Hitler, Einstein, Simone de Beauvoir, etc. Indeed this person will be the topic of your research paper.
The three (3) essay exams will be given during the semester. No make-up exam will be given unless you call me before the exam.
In this course, there is no one answer to an essay question; use your imagination – think – be creative!
GRADE SCALE IS RELATIVE, NOT ABSOLUTE.
A = 90 – 100 Excellent on 3 exams, 3 Research Paper “Meeting of the Minds”
B = 81 – 89 Good on 3exams
C = 72 – 80 Adequate on 3 exams, or equivalent
D = 65 – 71 Barely passing
F = 65 and below Competency not achieved due to irregular attendance,
failure to complete all assignments, failure to take
examinations, lack of class participation (lazy), or
plagiarism. Plagiarism is using another person’s
ideas as your own, copying all of parts of someone
else’s work, having another person write the
assignment, getting too much assistance, or failing to
document properly borrowed information.
I = Incomplete Very rarely given under extenuating circumstances at
the discretion of the instructor.
“Once there was a flock of geese. They were kept in a wire cage by a farmer.
One day, one of the geese looked up and saw that there was no top to the cage.
Excitedly, he told the other geese:
“Look, look: There is no top. We may leave here.
We may become free.”
Few listened, and none would turn his head to the sky. So one day, he simply
spread his wings and flew away – alone.”
Soren Kierkegaard
“Thus spoke the Devil to me once: God too has his Hell. This is his love of Man.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
REMEMBER:
“Not failure, but low aim is crime.”
Alexander Pope
“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what’s a heaven for?”
Robert Browning
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
T. S. Eliot
YOU HAVE TIME TO DO EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO DO!