History 1101: World History to 1500
MWF 10:30 – 11:35 Imholte 109
Fall 2009
Professor Jennifer Deane
Office: 112 Camden
Office hours: Tues 2:00 – 4:00/Fri 2:00 – 3:00
(or by appointment)
E-mail: deanej@morris.umn.edu
(For course description, assignment overviews, policies, and resources, scroll to the bottom of the page)
COURSE SCHEDULE
PART 1: EARLY COMPLEX SOCIETIES (3500-500 BCE)
Week 1
Wed Aug 26
Introduction: What in the World? (or, A Roadmap to World History)
Fri Aug 28
Lecture: What is Civilization? (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 1, “Before History,” pp. 1-28;Diamond, “Why is World History like an Onion?” pp.9-11.
Week 2
Mon Aug 31
Lecture: The Legacy of Mesopotamia (click here for reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 2, “Early Societies in Southwest Asia and the Indo-European Migrations,” pp.30-57
Wed Sep 2
Lecture: Egyptian Life and Afterlife (click here for reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 3, “Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations,” pp. 58-85
Fri Sep 4
Discussion Section (Quiz #2) (click here for reading questions)
Read for today: Diamond, “Yali’s Question,” and “Up to the Starting Line,” pp. 13-52
Discussion Groups:
Anderson - Copeland (Katie, IH 115)
Dahleen - Hennen (Seth, Humanities 12)
Hickman - Mayo (Steve, IH 203)
McCormack - Sable (Sam, IH 217)
Sandersfeld - White (Gene, IH 202)
Week 3
Monday, September 7
No Class – Labor Day
Wednesday, September 9
Lecture: Brahman and Women (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 4, “Early Societies in South Asia,” pp.86-106
Friday, September 11
Discussion Section (Quiz #3) (reading questions)
Read for today: Diamond, “A Natural Experiment of History,” “Collision at Cajamarca,” pp. 53-81
Week 4
Monday, September 14
Lecture: Ancestors and Oracle Bones (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 5, “Early Society in East Asia,” pp. 108-131
Wednesday, September 16
Lecture: Early Americas / Different Times (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 6, “Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania,”pp.132-155
Friday, September 18
Midterm #1 (in lecture room, IH 109)
click here for exam overview/study tips (Powerpoint)
and here for suggestions for writing history exams
PART 2: CLASSICAL SOCIETIES (500 BCE – 500 CE)
Week 5
Monday, September 21
Lecture: Administering Empires (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 7, “The Empires of Persia,” pp.156 -178
Wednesday, September 23
Lecture: The Art of War (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 8, “The Unification of China,” pp.180-204
Friday, September 25
Discussion Section (Quiz #4) (reading questions)
Read for today: Diamond, “To Farm or Not to Farm,” and “How to Make an Almond,” pp.104-130.
Week 6
Monday, September 28
No lecture (professor out sick) (reading questions)
Read text, Chapter 9, “State, Society and the Quest for Salvation in India,” pp. 206-229
Wednesday, September 30
Lecture: Classical Greek Histories (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 10, “Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase,” pp. 230-257
Friday, October 2
Discussion Section (Quiz #5) (reading questions)
Read for today: Diamond, “Spacious Skies and Tilted Axes,” “The Lethal Gift of Livestock,” pp.176-214
Week 7
Monday, October 5
Lecture: Heritage and Legacies of Rome (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 11, “Mediterranean Society: The Roman Phase” pp. 258-284
Wednesday, October 7
Lecture: The Physical Legacy of Classical Athens (Professor Jimmy Schryver, Art History
Read for today: no reading assigned, though you might revisit Ch. 10 for a refresher.
Assignment for Wednesday: Please bring to class a short (c. 1-2 paragraph) response to the following question: "Based on your reading in the class so far, to what extent does modern knowledge of the classical world depend upon archaeological rather than textual sources?" (use this as an opportunity to practice framing a historical thesis, as we discussed in class last Wednesday).
Friday, October 9
Discussion Sections (Quiz #6) (reading questions)
Read for today: J.R. McNeill, “The World According to Jared Diamond” (E-Reserve); Joel Mokyr, “Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel” (E-Reserve); James Blaut, “Environmentalism and Eurocentrism” (E-Reserve) The E-Reserve password is "deane1101". Please bring articles to class!
Week 8
Monday, October 12
Lecture: The Problem of Decline and Fall (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 12, “Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads,” pp. 286-312
Wednesday, October 14
Lecture: Transforming Religious Ideals in Classical India (note: this is revised from the original syllabus) (reading questions)
Read for today: Stearns, “Global Contacts: The Opening of the Silk Road” (E-Reserve)
Friday, October 16
Midterm #2 (in lecture hall, IH 109)
sample essay questions (Word document)
Exam Overview
PART 3: THE POSTCLASSICAL ERA (500 – 1000 CE)
Week 9
Monday, October 19
No class (Fall Break)
Wednesday, October 21
Lecture: Byzantium: Between East and West (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 13, “The Commonwealth of Byzantium,” pp.314-342
Friday, October 23
Discussion Sections (Quiz #7) (reading questions)
Read for today: “On Justinian” (E-Reserve); “The Nika Revolt, 532” (E-Reserve); “Corpus Iuris Civilis” (E-Reserve)
Week 10
Monday, October 26
Lecture: The Prophet and his Message (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 14, “The Expansive Realm of Islam,” pp. 344-372
Wednesday, October 28
No Lecture (out sick) (reading questions)
Read for today: Yakut, “Baghdad under the ‘Abbasids” (E-Reserve); Avicenna, “Love of Learning” (E-Reserve)
Friday, October 30
Discussion Section: (Quiz #8)
Read for today: “An Arab Ambassador in Constantinople” (E-Reserve); Al-Biruni, “Chronology” (E-Reserve)
Week 11
Monday, Nov 2
Lecture: East Asian Artistic Expression (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 15, “The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia,” pp. 374-402
Note: the Research Portfolio assignment (due 12/9) was handed out -- click here for a copy
Wednesday, Nov 4
Lecture: Franks, Monks, and the Foundations of Europe (reading questions) (note: today's topic is changed from the original syllabus -- we'll do chapter 16 next week)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 17, “The Foundations of Christian Society in Western Europe,” pp. 432-456
Friday, Nov 6
Discussion Section (Quiz #9) (reading questions)
Read for today: “Peasant Life in Tang and Song China" (E-Reserve); "Penitential" (E-Reserve)
Week 12
Monday, Nov 9
Short lecture & film on postclassical India (reading questions) (note: change from original syllabus)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 16, “India and the Indian Ocean Basin,” pp. 404-430
Wednesday, November 11
Guest Presentation on Historical Research Tools & Strategies, Jayne Blodgett (note: change from original syllabus)
(very useful for the Research Portfolio assignment)
No reading today -- use the time to review postclassical material instead
Friday, November 13
Discussion Section (Quiz #10) (note: change from original syllabus -- exam moved to Monday)
For today: Historical Website Assignment (click here for instructions)
Week 13
Monday, November 16
Midterm #3 (in lecture hall, IH 109)
Review materials:
Exam overview / practice essay questions / blank map
Past student essays: Sample A / Sample B / Sample C
PART 4: AGE OF CROSS-CULTURAL INTERACTION (1000-1500 CE)
Wednesday, November 18
Lecture: The Mongols and Nomadic Warfare (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 18, “Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration,” pp. 458-481
Friday, November 20
Discussion Section (Quiz #11) (reading questions)
Read for today: “Excerpt from The Secret History of the Mongols” (E-Reserve)
Week 14
Monday, November 23
No Lecture
Wednesday, November 25
Lecture: Diversity of African States & Societies (note: change of schedule) (reading questions)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 19, “States and Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa,” pp. 482-506
Friday, November 27
No class (Thanksgiving)
Week 15
Monday, November 30
Lecture: Popes, Piety, and the Crusades (note: change of schedule)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 20, “Western Europe During the High Middle Ages,” pp. 508-536
Wednesday, December 2
Lecture: Native American Trade Routes (note: change of schedule)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 21, “Worlds Apart: The Americas and Oceania,” pp. 538-563
Friday, December 4
Discussion Sections (Quiz 12) (note: change of schedule)
Read for today: White, "Indian Peoples and the Natural World" (E-Reserve)
Week 16
Monday, December 7
Lecture: Renaissance & Reconnaissance (note: change of schedule)
Read for today: Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 22, “Reaching Out: Cross-Cultural Interactions,” pp. 564-592
Wednesday, December 9
Lecture: Slavery, Old World and New
Read for today: TBA (E-Reserve)
Bring your completed Research Portfolios to class with you (click here for the assignment sheet)
Friday, December 11
Discussion Section (Quiz #13)
Read for today: Petrarch, “Letter to Posterity” (E-Reserve); Diaz del Castillo, “The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico” (E-Reserve); Bartolomé de las Casas, “The Tears of the Indians” (E-Reserve)
Final Exam:
Thursday, December 17 (IH 109) 11:00-12:05
Course Overview
This course charts the development and interaction of human societies from the beginning of recorded history around 3500 BCE to the era of cross-cultural exchange and European "discovery" of the New World circa 1500 CE. The primary purpose of the course is for students to become familiar with a basic historical framework that emphasizes the origins, interactions and implications of complex societies, and to think critically about the concept of “civilization” itself. In addition, students will learn how to develop, analyze and answer historical questions, and to use both primary and secondary sources in a thoughtful and effective manner.
World History is of course an enormous and apparently limitless topic, and the material may seem overwhelming at first. Do not be alarmed! To help prevent information overload, the course has been organized into four chronological sections. In each of these sections we will be asking the same series of questions to learn about the foundations, organization, beliefs and interactions of increasingly complex societies. We will try to understand what life was like for people in each era, how they attempted to control their environment, and how they perceived the world around them.
Through the assigned readings, lectures, films and discussion sections, the course will emphasize the following key questions:
Course Goals
After completing this course you should be able to:
You should also have developed the following skills, central to a liberal arts education and of enormous value in any field of work or study:
Course Readings
The following books are required and can be purchased at the UMM bookstore:
There will also periodically be E-Reserve readings, accessible through the Briggs Library website: click on the "E-Reserve" link on the left of the library homepage and follow the prompts (password distributed in class)
Course Requirements
Participation – 15%
Active and informed participation is a key element of this course. A significant portion of your grade will be based on your participation in discussion sections and also periodically in lecture. You are therefore expected to come to both lectures and discussion sections with readings completed and with thoughtful responses to the discussion questions prepared. What constitutes active participation? Making observations about the material, responding to the ideas of others, and engaging the material through enthusiastic discussion.
Quizzes – 15%
Ten quizzes will be given in discussion sections on Fridays, as marked on the syllabus. The quizzes are intended to help you stay on top of the reading and to reinforce key ideas, individuals, events and themes. A missed quiz will be marked as a “0.” Makeup quizzes must be arranged with me ahead of time.
Research Portfolio – 10%
You will produce a portfolio of source materials and a research proposal on any topic relevant to world history before 1500. The purpose of this assignment is to spark your historical imagination, to help you grapple with a specific topic within the enormous field of global history, and to pursue a topic that interests you. The portfolio will be due at the end of the semester. (More information to come).
Exams – 60%
There will be four exams as indicated below on the weekly calendar:
Each exam (including the final) will cover only material assigned since the previous midterm. Makeup exams will not be available except in emergencies; please contact me as soon as possible if such a situation arises.
Course Policies
Reading Assignments
Reading assignments are to be completed before each day’s class meeting. Your textbook gives you the narrative of events during the period covered by the course, primary source offer depth and detail to our understanding of past societies, Diamond provides an interpretive approach based on geography that we will use as a basis for discussion throughout the course, and the primary source readings offer diverse historical perspectives as well as an introduction to basic historical study. Lectures will not repeat textbook material, but will build off of the assigned reading for the day – it is thus in your interest to be prepared. Weekly reading question handouts will help you to integrate the broad textbook information with specific additional source material.
Attendance
Attendance at lecture and discussion section is not optional, and cumulative absences will affect your participation grade, as well as your understanding of the material. If you have a Chancellor’s Excuse, let me know and I will excuse you for that day. If you are going to miss a class, excused or otherwise, please contact me ahead of time to let me know. Note that lectures take place on Mondays and Wednesdays in Imholte 109. Friday discussion groups break up into smaller sections, locations to be announced.
Definitions of Grades & Academic Workload Expectations
F (or N) represents failure (or not credit) and signifies that work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the students would be awarded an I.
I (Incomplete) is assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances, e.g., hospitalization, a student is prevented from completing the work of the course on time. Requires a written agreement between instructor and student.
Credits and Workload Expectations
The University of Minnesota student work-load policy states: “One semester credit is to represent, for the average University of Minnesota undergraduate student, three hours of academic work per week (including lectures, laboratories, recitations, discussion groups, field work, study, and so on), or approximately 45 hours over the course of an enrollment period.” For example: a student taking a four credit course would be expected to put in an average of 12 hours of effort per week. Therefore, it is expected that, on average, a student will be working over 8 hours per week outside of class time on course related activities (e.g., reading, lab activities, studying).
Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty in any portion of the academic work for a course shall be grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course.
The University defines scholastic dishonesty as “submission of false records of academic achievement; cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing; altering, forging or misusing a University academic record; taking, acquiring or using test materials without faculty permission; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards or professional endorsement.”
Disability Services
The University of Minnesota is committed to providing all students equal access to learning opportunities. Disability Services is the campus office that works with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations. Students registered with Disability Services who have a letter requesting accommodations, are encouraged to contact the instructor early in the semester. Students who have, or think they may have, a disability (e.g. psychiatric, attentional, learning, vision, hearing, physical, or systemic), are invited to contact Disability Services for a confidential discussion at 320-589-6163 or freyc@morris.umn.edu. Additional information is available at the DS web site:www.morris.umn.edu/services/dsoaac/dso.
Mental Health Services
As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. University of Minnesota services are available to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus via www.mentalhealth.umn.edu.