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1 SFU Library Home > Research Help > Subject Guides > Western Civilization from the Reformation to the Twentieth Century SPRING SEMESTER 2004 HIST Western Civilization from the Reformation to the Twentieth Century [CWIL] Ian Dyck // AQ 6239 // JUMP to the TABLE of CONTENTS Updated: November 24, 2003 [CWIL] This course has been designated as a CWIL (Centre for Writing-Intensive Learning) course for This means that special attention will be paid to writing, and that writing specialists will be on hand from time to time. Support for the CWIL programme is provided by the University and by the Dean of Arts. CALENDAR DESCRIPTION: cdyck@sfu.ca Lecture: Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-13:20 B 9201 A sequel to HIST 105 covering the expansion and modernization of the European world. PREREQUISITE: None. COURSE CONTENT: Prime Minister Nehru of India was once asked for his opinion on 'western civilization.' He is said to have replied that 'it would be a good idea.' This light-hearted remark reminds us that the western world is not necessarily more 'civilized' or 'advanced' than are other parts of the planet, or that western cultures are more sophisticated than those in Asia, Africa or elsewhere. Our purposes in this course are not to praise or honour a civilization but to understand it. To this end, we will explore the causes of social, political, cultural and religious change, chiefly in Europe. We will also attempt to relate these changes to the life and thought of contemporaries, whether rich or poor, man or woman. We will also study continuities and discontinuities in the evolution of European societies, and attempt to discern their contributions to our own traditions and experiences. REQUIRED TEXTS:

2 Kishlansky, Mark, et al., Civilization in the West, vol. II, 5th edition. excerpts from Malleus Maleficarum [see below] and Penguin Book of First World War Poetry The six books listed below under Papers. Please note that five of these six books will come packaged with the Kishlansky text. All Quiet on the Western Front will be available separately. [see below] GRADING: Mid-Term Examination * 20% Six Brief Papers (approx. 3 pages each) ** 30% Journal and Tutorial Contributions *** 30% Final Examination (April 2004) 20% * EXAMINATIONS: These will be based upon material covered in the lectures, tutorials and readings. The midterm exam will be held in class time during week six; the second exam will be held during the final examination period in April. ** PAPERS: Students will write a brief essay (approx. 900 words or three typescript pages) on each of the following books: Voltaire, Candide Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front Shelley, Frankenstein Woolf, A Room of One's Own Marx, The Communist Manifesto Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London *** TUTORIALS: Tutorials provide students with an opportunity to participate directly in the interpretation of course material. Regular attendance and contribution to class discussion is essential. The grade for this part of the course will be based on attendance, oral participation and informal journal assignments. Guidelines for Essays SFU History Department: Guidelines for Preparing History Essays ( This guide is a hypertext version of the printed guide prepared by the SFU History Department to serve as an outline of their basic requirements for student papers. I have created this HTML version of the Departmental guide and added a number of web sites which might be of general interest to students seeking information about the study of history and the writing of essays. Have a look at the guide and let me know how it can be improved. Send me a message: Jack Corse (corse@sfu.ca) Code of Academic Honesty Code of Academic Honesty [T10.02] ( This document details the University position on Academic Honesty. Procedures for Dealing with Incidents of Academic Dishonesty Senate Committee on Disciplinary Appeals (SCODA) ( This committee deals with issues arising from the Code of Academic Honesty. It is governed by the following

3 TITLE INTRO A B C D Topics set in significant Topics and sources Title appears but is No title relationship named uninformative Briefly identifies sources and topic Topic is stated, may be Paraphrases the Doesn t Describes a position in relation to general and not clearly topic from appear to the topic focused. secondary sources. understand Expresses position as a thesis Deals with text but not No clear thesis, or have read stemming from an interesting formulated a critical semi-coherent the book. No question about the topic argument or position. position, reads like a clear focus or Indicates how the paper will be blurb, mainly thesis. developed explicitly or implicitly Not concise. generalizations. Reader feels prepared to engage with the argument DISCUSSION Main sections have reminders of the topical focus of the paper Reader can accurately predict what is coming next Details are included that illustrate or provide evidence for the points being made The significance of the evidence or reason for the examples and use of details is explicitly stated. Ability to address an opposing or alternative view. Synthesis of lectures and texts is apparent Factual information represents what is generally accepted as historically accurate Good balance of detail and generalization Evidence is correctly referenced Has made an effort to engage a text, but focus breaks down. May be repetitive. Cut and paste quotes from secondary sources without integrating them into the argument. (quotes are used to speak for them) Reader may lose track of the argument at some points. Too much summary of the text, no or little analysis, mostly description. Repetition of one main idea. Few or no citations, paraphrasing with little integration of sources. Historical inaccuracy. Discussion takes an anachronistic position not in the context of the historical period Little coherence. Points don t relate, no logical organization of ideas. Few citations, or they do not assist to develop the discussion. Serious errors in key historical facts. CONCLUSION STYLE, TECHNICAL CONVENTIONS OVERALL Main points of argument are confirmed Stick to scope of topic/paper. Significance is developed Text is grammatical and conventionally punctuated Reading is enabled by sophisticated and appropriate vocabulary and syntax. References are conventionally and accurately reported Quoted material is properly cited Paper is interesting to read Writer tackles subject confidently and with some energy Insightful ideas may appear for the first time that need to have been developed earlier in the body of the paper. Simply restates the introduction, doesn t integrate significance developed from the analysis. Adequately written, some errors interfere with meaning. Some problems with using citations correctly Paper may be interesting but has some problems that interfere with reading. No conclusion, or a general summary of the summary. Paper just ends or adds unexplained material at the end. Poorly written, not proof-read, careless errors. Not a history paper. Little or no proper use of citations. Very general paper, little investment in form or content. No conclusion Poorly written, not proof-read. Little or no proper use of citations First draft no proofreading.

4 Criteria for a History Paper. Introduction: Your paper must have a clearly stated argument (i.e. you must take a position on the issue you are discussing) This thesis must be included in the introduction of your paper Your thesis should not be too easy to answer. Could somebody disagree with it? Good. Does the textual evidence available in its support outweigh the textual evidence that contradicts it? Also good. Do you account for any seemingly contradictory evidence? Your thesis should be insightful and specific; otherwise, it is merely the topic sentence of an extended summary. Does the paragraph provide your reader a "road map" through the paper? (A road map tells your reader how your paper will be organized and what you will be arguing.) Body paragraphs: The body of your essay must balance evidence with analysis of this evidence Your position must be supported with specific textual evidence with an explanation of how this evidence supports the thesis you have outlined above When direct quotations are used as evidence, they must be used selectively, contextualized, and integrated into the body of the essay (i.e. direct quotations should not be allowed to stand on their own) Each paragraph should contain one main idea introduced by a topic sentence Paragraphs should end with a transition sentence which guides the reader to the next paragraph Paragraphs should be logically organized (i.e. to introduce ideas in the order they appear in your introduction and thesis statement) Your essay should not be a summary Citation: All direct quotations and paraphrased information must be properly cited Consult the Departmental Style Guide for proper techniques Essays must include a bibliography which appears as the last page of your assignment Title: The title of your essay should reflect the topic you are discussing as well as capturing the argument you wish to make. Style: Your essay should adhere to the conventions of standard academic English.

5 History 106: When I am marking your paper, I am looking for the following features We have used examples from two solid student papers which we have indicated by (a. and b.) They 1. The title I use the title to help me anticipate what to look for and then try to remember that important information about the topic and/or sources as I read a. Industrial England as an inspiration for The Communist Manifesto (focused topic and establishes a relationship to topic) b. Robert Owen and The Communist Manifesto (a descriptive topic without a position) 2. The introduction Here I am expecting to see a focused thesis statement and a topic that can be dealt with in three pages. a. the abhorrent and dismal life of the typical worker in Industrial England provided the primary inspiration for the writing of the Communist Manifesto. (indicates what they will focus on for evidence) b. In this essay, I will argue that Marx and Engels interpretation of Socialism in Britain, with particular regard to Robert Owen, is contrary to their beliefs stated in Manifesto. (indicates an compare /contrast argument and a focus on M & E interpretation of Owen was mistaken) I look for some evidence that you have developed a meaningful question; can take a position that makes sense of the novel or text we are reading, and connect it to a historical context or issue we have discussed in tutorial or from the lectures. a. The Communist Manifesto is a piece of political literature which provoked revolution in Europe and had a profound (and probably unforeseen) effect on the events of the 20 th Century the inspiration for its writing came from the life of the working man in the early 19 th Century. (A manageable thesis that enables the student to provide focused examples from the text and the secondary sources to explore the question) b. [Robert Owen] bought the New Lanark Mill in Scotland, and it was there he realised the horrendous working conditions faced by the workers. In his opinion, to increase the quality of work being produced, the quality of the Criteria for writing a short paper Hist. 106 /.1

6 workplace must be improved. He attempted to do this by reducing work hours, replacing old machinery. creating a more Socialist environment (Implies that Owen s motives were to create better working conditions for working classes and thus achieve better productivity in the workplace are in harmony with M & E goals and that they have incorrectly dismissed his reforms) I will look for evidence that you have been able to synthesize material from the lecture, textbook, and other sources to support your exploration of the question. a. Like most revolutionary and radical texts, The Communist Manifesto gave voice to the angry concerns shared by the vast majority of the population of Europe, and embodied a rebellion against the abysmal conditions under which the common man was forced to live. 3. The discussion/argument (middle section) Now I need reminders of the focus of the topic to guide my interpretation of material from the various sources the short scope of the paper prevents general summary a..the invention of machines such as the cotton gin and the jenny enabled one worker to accomplish more than many times as many had previously. and this low demand for workers enabled factory owners to subject their workers to long hours for astonishingly little money. It was this exploitation of the working class that Marx and Engels argued against and used as the basis for their Communist Manifesto. b. [Marx] believed in free education for all children, similarly did Owen. [Owen] believed in communal living, which was in conformity with Marx. [Owen] did not believe that family or marriage had any importance, nor did he support religion. He believed that children should be educated and took significant steps to ensure that they were. I m looking for detail (low-level material, specific details and example)s to support of the reasonableness of your ideas. a. As Engels observed in his Condition of the Working Class in England, the streets in proletariat areas of work and residence were unpaved, rough, dirty filled with vegetable and animal refuse without sewers or gutters, but filled with foul stagnant pools instead (Engels, 145). b. He set up schools for children as young as one to ensure that they received a proper education. All profits from Owen s company-run store Criteria for writing a short paper Hist. 106 /.2

7 went into a village school. In many instances, Owen s action were thought to be parallel with Communist beliefs set out in the Communist Manifesto. I am looking for sections in each new paragraph where you develop your discussion with a brief critical summary of significant points in the book. Sometimes it might be important to show that you have considered an opposite perspective or position, and meaningfully can link it to your topic. b. Marx s opposition to Owen s socialist reforms were due to the consideration that they were purely Utopian, therefore impractical for social improvements. He believed they were Utopian because of the undeveloped state of the proletariat, as well as to the absence of the economic conditions for its emancipation (253).. Owen did not oppose the Chartist movement in Britain and his social reforms were not Utopian, as suggested by Marx. I am expecting you to show how supporting detail from the primary text or textbook connects to some aspect of the Big Issue/topic. a. The factories themselves were even worse, with virtually no care taken to preserve the safety of the working environment and greater care given to the maintenance of the machines than the employees --as Marx and Engels note in the Manifesto, as the repulsiveness of the work increases, the wage decreases (227). b. Measures taken by Owen to improve the lives of his workers were not purely Utopian as Marx stated they were. The Factory Act (1833), the Mines Act (1842), and the Ten Hours Act (1847), were British reforms inspired by Owen and his followers. I am relying on logical connections in your transitions sentences so will look for signal words: however, although, because, since, despite, while, one way, but another etc. 3. The Conclusion: I need some confirmation of the main points of the discussion and the new information you have developed in your exploration. a. Clearly, Marx and Engels saw in Industrial England the situation which inspired The Communist Manifesto: a massive proletariat population being treated as a commodity b. Marx viewed Owen as a socialist who was not concerned with the social well being of the working class. Owen, however, tried to better the lives of Criteria for writing a short paper Hist. 106 /.3

8 his workers and inadvertently inspired parliamentary reforms that did just that. I m expecting the writer to relate main ideas to some significant implication the so what factor. a. The Communist Manifesto is a work which was relevant to proletarians in almost every European country..but England felt the effects of the industrial Revolution first, and perhaps the most severely. b. Marx stated that Owen envisioned an idealistic country with idealistic perfections. Owen did not believe that his colonies were perfect, nor did he believe his methods were perfect, but he did believe that by changing the life of his workers, he could create a better world for the people. I m expecting a reasonable limit to the extent of your conclusion because you are working with a small focus, so the ideas should reflect what you now understand and connect with the scope of your topic (i.e. don t try to prove the significance of The Communist Manifesto to the success/failure of the entire historical project of Socialism). a. Engels Condition of the Working Class in England is a testament to his knowledge of the English lower-classman, and probably represented his fears of what would become of other countries once they became more heavily industrialized. b. Many of his ideas, including his Home Colonies were created with respect to Communism and Marx. Owen s views were similar to those of Marx and Engels and they were wrong to assume that Owen s Socialism was contrary to their views stated in The Communist Manifesto. Criteria for writing a short paper Hist. 106 /.4

9 Sample: Self Directed Revision Reader and writer response between a marked student paper and instructor feedback/commentary. The task here is to examine the links between your recently marked essays and the marking commentary feedback from your TA or instructor. Purpose: to assist you to make connections between the marking feedback as a way to learn how to improve your writing from written comments. to ensure that you have understood the feedback and comments on the paper and can identify concrete areas for improvement in the next assignments. 1. Look over your essay and read the comments in the body of the essay and the feedback guidelines provided by your instructor. 2. Make notes of where you can see the paper has been successful (check marks and comments) or where the paper received positive feedback. Describe in a few sentences the strengths of the paper according to your interpretation of the commentary. 3. Make notes where the paper needs improvement. Try to make the connections between where the comments are in relation to the sections of the paper- describe as clearly as you can, the areas of the paper that need improvement and what you can do to change them. ( i.e. asks for more evidence, wants more focus in discussion, looking for a clearer thesis statement in introduction, I don t have a conclusion ) 4. Finally, make notes if you don t understand what a comment means or how it relates to the essay. This is where you might identify an area that needs attention in a class tutorial or in consultation with the TA. 5. Write a half page or so summarizing a plan for revision. Mention anything that you have observed in your understanding of these comments, or how has this process has helped identify concrete steps for revising the paper.

Unit 3: Multimodal Rhetoric Remix Assignment 5: Photo Essay & Rhetorical Analysis

Unit 3: Multimodal Rhetoric Remix Assignment 5: Photo Essay & Rhetorical Analysis Overview: In this assignment, you will create a Photo Essay geared toward a specific audience. Additionally, you will write