GLOBAL HISTORY HIST 1413 A1 Dr. Jennifer MacDonald Office: 447 BAC Office Hours: Mondays 3:50-5:10; Wednesdays 3:50-7:00; Fridays 10:30-12:00 Email: je.macdonald@acadiau.ca Phone: 585-1243 Course Descriptions: This course uses a thematic and comparative approach to explore major issues in world history. Students will examine different cultural zones and historical eras, from the inception of the agricultural revolution to the emergence of Europe as a dominant region of the globe. Themes include trade, environment, cities, patriarchy, technology, and political systems. Objectives: In this course, you will gain new insights into early history from across a wide area of the globe. You will gain a greater understanding of how history unfolded and how people s lives changed throughout the periods in question. This course will make use of primary sources and you will improve your ability to work with a variety of source types. Overall, this course will help you transition into University level study as you enhance your knowledge of the subject at hand and improve your academic skills. Marking Scheme Assignment Date Due Weight Record your mark Participation mark Continuous 10% Document Analysis Sign up September 13 1% Document Analysis September 23 10% Midterm October 18 15% Secondary Source Sign Up October 23 2% Secondary Source Review November 4 10% Essay November 27 25% Final Exam See Registrar s Office 27% Page 1 of 7
Textbooks Peter von Sivers, Charles A. Desnoyers, and George B. Stow. Patterns of World History, Brief Edition. Volume One: To 1600. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. (Brief) Candace Gregory, Carey Roberts, Michael Tarver. Sources in Patterns in World History, Volume 1 to 1600. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. (Sources) Schedule The schedule is a guideline. Topics will be covered in roughly this order, but topics may carry on into the next day(s) depending on this class s particular interests. Only the readings from your textbook are listed here and further sources (mostly online) will be added as the term progresses. All adjustments will be discussed in class and it is your responsibility to stay on top of the reading schedule. September 4 Introduction to Course September 6 Introduction to Studying History Part 1: From Human Origins to Early Agricultural Centers, Prehistory-10,000 B.C.E. September 9 Rise of Homo Sapiens Brief: Chapter 1. The African Origins of Humanity, Prehistory to 10,000 B.C.E. Sources:1.1 Bad Hair Days, 1.3 Shamans and Cave Painting, 1.4 Not all Hominids are Humans Beings, 1.5 Theories of Race and History of Africa, 1.6 Deep History and Convergent Evolution September 11 Rise of Agriculture Brief: Chapter 5. Origins Apart: The Americas and Oceania, 30,000-600 B.C.E. Chapter 2. Agrarian-Urban Centers of the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean September 13 Mesopotamia Brief: Chapter 2 continued Sources: 2.2 Mesopotamian Creation Myth; 2.3 Law Codes of Hammurabi; 2.6 Cuneiform Tablets September 16 Nile Valley Brief: Chapter 2 continued Sources: 2.1 Egyptian Creation Myth September 18 Discussion Day September 20 Essay Writing September 23 Prehistoric Europe September 25 India Brief: Chapter 3. Shifting Agrarian Centers in India, 3000-600 B.C.E Sources: 3.1 Harrapan Seals, 3.2 Code of Manu, 3.3 Hymn to Creations from the Rig Veda Page 2 of 7
September 27 China Brief: Chapter 4. Agrarian Patterns and the Mandate of Heaven in Ancient China, 5000-481 B.C.E Sources: 4.1 Shang Oracle Bones, 4.4 The Announcement to the Duke of Shao September 30 Discussion Day Part 2: The Age of Empires and Visionaries, 600 B.C.E. - 600 C.E. October 2 Persia Brief: Chapter 7. Persia, Greece, and Rome, 550 B.C.E.-600 C.E. Sources: 7.1 Darius I of Persia October 4 Greece Brief: Chapter 7 continued Sources: 7.3 Anixmander, On Nature October 7 Discussion Day October 9 Rome Brief: Chapter 7 continued Sources: 7.4 Plutarch on Julius Caesar October 11 Late Roman and Early Christian worlds Sources: 7.5 Eusebius on Constantine 7.6 The Tondo of St. Mamai October 14 Thanksgiving, No Classes October 16 Discussion Day October 18 MIDTERM October 21 India Brief: Chapter 8. Empires and Visionaries in India, 600 B.C.E.-600 C.E. Sources: 8.1 Dhammapada, 8.2 Kautilya, The Duties of Superintendents, 8.4 The Status of Women in Ancient India, 8.5 Jain Cosmological Map October 23 Unification of China Brief: Chapter 9. Imperial Unification and Perfecting the Moral Order in China, 722 B.C.E.-618 C.E. Sources: 9.1 Han Fei-tzu, Selections on Legalism, 9.2 Confucius, 9.3 Laozi, The Unvarying Way Page 3 of 7
Part 3: From Regional Empires to Religious Civilizations, 600-1450 C.E. October 25 Byzantine Brief: Chapter 10. Islamic Civilization and Byzantium, 600-1300 Sources: 10.5 John of Damascus, On Icons October 28 Islam Brief: Chapter 10 continued Sources: 10.1 The Quran, 10.3 Al-Farabi on the Perfect Society, October 30 Discussion Day November 1 Medieval Europe Brief: Chapter 11. Origins of the Western Christian World, 600-1400 C.E. Sources: 11.1 Rule of St. Benedict, 11.2 Einhard, Life of Charlemagne November 4 Medieval Europe Brief: Chapter 11 continued Sources: 11.4 London Spurrier s Guild, 11.6 Medieval World View November 6 Discussion Day November 8 Study Day, No Classes November 11 Remembrance Day, No Classes November 13 India and China Brief: Chapter 12. Contrasting Patterns in India and China, 600-1600 Sources: 12.1 Al-Biruni on India, 12.2 Tang Taizong on Effective Government, 12.4 Ibn Wahab, An Arab merchant visits Tang China November 15 China and Eastern Asia Brief: Chapter 12 continued Chapter 13. Religious Civilizations Interacting: Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, 100 C.E.-1400 C.E. Sources Chapter 12 (above listed ) readings continued, 13.2 Taika Reform Edicts November 18 Sub-Saharan Africa Brief: Chapter 6. Chiefdoms and Early States in Africa and the Americas, 600 B.C.E.-600 C.E Chapter 14. Patterns of State Formation in Africa, 600-1450 Sources: 14.2 Swahili Saga of Liyongo Fumo, 14.3 Ibn Battuta on Mali, 14.4 Epic of Sundiata Page 4 of 7
November 20 Americas Brief: Chapter 6. Chiefdoms and Early States in Africa and the Americas, 600 B.C.E.-600 C.E Chapter 15. The Rise of Empires in the Americas, 600-1550 Sources: 6.3 Popol Vuh, 6.4 The Creation by Diego Rivera, 15.1 Founding of Tenochtitlan, 15.2 Human Sacrifices by the Aztecs, 15.3 Machu Picchu November 22 Discussion Day Part 4: Interactions across the Globe, 1450-1750 November 25 European Collapse and Rebirth Brief: 483-485 Sources: 11.5 Black Death in Florence, 17.1 Marsilio Ficino November 27 European Expansion Brief: Ch 16 p. 434-445, 462-3; p. 432-3; Ch 17, p.464-468, 496-497 November 29 Discussion Day December 2 Catch Up and Review Description of Assignments ***General Instructions, Referencing and formatting: All papers must be properly referenced using Turabian style footnotes and bibliographies. You may not cite class lectures. You may not use Wikipedia or other nonspecialist websites. If you have questions about acceptable web resources, come see me. All assignments must use both primary and secondary sources. Please double space your papers, use a font like 12pt Times New Roman, use 2.54cm margins, and number your pages. Add a title on at the beginning of your paper, include my name and the course number, and put your name on the right hand side of the first page. Word counts include everything except the bibliographies and you must write the word count on the opening page. If you are having problems with any assignment, please come see me during office hours. Document Analysis Sign up: You need to sign up for your document on Acorn. I am limiting the number of students who can do each document, so sign up early to get your choice. If you want to explore a document not on the list, you need to bring you document to me to get permission. Document Analysis: You are doing one short (500-700 word) document analyses for this course. For this assignment, you will investigate one primary source passage from the list below. The assignment itself must be in essay form and you must construct a thesis statement. You will explain the source of the passage and discuss what we can learn by reading it. The best document analyses contain an argument and often focus on one specific idea. While you are concentrating on developing your own ideas about the document, you must make significant use of secondary sources. Failure to use secondary sources will lead to poor grades on this assignment. Begin by reading Sources p. 1-5. The questions posed in that section form the basis of your investigation. Also, each source is followed by specific Reading and Discussion questions. I recommend reading these as they can provide guidance as you try to interpret your document. Page 5 of 7
Documents: 2.4 Descent of Ishtar into the Underworld 2.5 Hesiod s Theogony 4.2 Ancestor Worship and Human Sacrifice from the Shi Jing 4.3 Pan Gu: A Chinese Creation Myth 6.1 Gold Mines of Nubia 6.2 Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean 7.2 Herodotus on the Battle of Thermopylae 8.3 Faxien, A Record of Buddhist Countries 9.4 Ban Zhao, Admonitions for Women 10.2 Al-Ghazali, excerpts from Confessions 10.6 Arab Science 11.3 Dante 12.3 Two Poems by Li Bo 12.5 Marco Polo 13.4 Yi Kyu-bo on Personal Piety 14.1 The Glorious Victories of Amda Seyon, King of Ethiopia 15.4 Inca Census 16.4 Journal of Christopher Columbus 17.2 Laura Certa Secondary Source sign up: For this assignment, you will go to the library and choose a book or journal article related to the topic of your document analysis. You will bring the source to me for approval before the end of office hours on the date listed above. You can see me about your book earlier in the term. Anyone having trouble finding a source should see me well in advance of the due date. Secondary Source Review: The review should be 500-700 words long. You will write a well organised discussion of the main themes of the book or article, its usefulness and importance as a secondary source, and your thoughts on the material and its presentation. You ought to mention both positive and negative aspects of the work. You must do research in order to understand your source. Essay: You will create your own topic, based on the work you did on your document and secondary source review. You will add further research. The research essay must be 1000-1500 words long. You will be graded on content, argument, and style. As you work, concentrate on creating a strong thesis statement and backing up your ideas with strong evidence from primary sources. You must also use a good variety of secondary sources. Class participation: You are expected to do the readings for each class and will be marked on participation in class discussions, especially on designated discussion days. For those days, formats will vary, and more information will be given in the classes prior to discussion days and information will be available on Acorn. Study questions may be circulated in advance and there may be specific readings or the discussions may be based on the readings and lectures from the previous few days. You will also be marked on written work done in class as both individuals and within groups. This will not be announced and can happen on any day. When marking, I am looking for detailed knowledge of the readings and evidence of original thought. You will also be given marks for contributing to discussions on Acorn. Criteria for marking include sophistication and completeness of ideas, originality of thought, knowledge of material covered and ability to present the material clearly. Midterm: There will be one midterm examination in this course. It will take place in class and will include a variety of question types. It may cover any of the material in your assigned readings and anything discussed in class. You must show detailed knowledge of the course content. Page 6 of 7
Final Exam: The exam will take place during the exam period. The first section of the exam will similar to the midterm and will be on material covered since the midterm. The second section will cover material from the whole term, focussing on the most important themes from the entire term. Policies Late Assignments: All late assignments will be penalised one letter step per day. If the paper is one week late, it will receive a maximum value of 50%. I stamp all hardcopies with date on which I receive them and that is the only date that counts. If you have a legitimate reason for not being able to hand in work on time, please contact me as soon as you can and attach documentation to the assignment when you submit it. Class Attendance: The best way to succeed in this course is to come to class. There is a participation mark in this course and if you are not in class, you are not participating. Computer Usage: I expect all students to check their university email on a regular basis. This course makes use of Acorn for discussions, some assignments, updates and the like. Please note: I will not post lectures online. Contact Information: My email address and office number are given at the beginning of this syllabus. If you send an email, please include your full name and the course number. I never check email in the evenings or on the weekends. You are encouraged to visit the office during my posted office hours and I am happy to arrange to meet you at other times. You may post questions of general interest on Acorn. Students with disabilities: If you are a student with a documented disability who anticipates needing accommodations in this course, please inform me after you meet with Jill Davies (jill.davies@acadiau.ca or 585-1127) or Kathy O Rourke (disability.access@acadiau.ca or 585-1823) in Disability Access Services, located in the Student Resource Centre, which is on the lower floor of the Old SUB. The Writing Centre offers free help to all students wishing to improve their writing skills. You can sign up online today: To book a one-on-one appointment with a writing tutor, see the following: is English your first language? writingcentre.acadiau.ca/writing-tutorials.html is English a second language? writingcentre.acadiau.ca/esl-writing-tutorials.html To see which helpful presentations and workshops you might want to attend this year, see the following: writingcentre.acadiau.ca/workshops-and-presentations.html Plagiarism: The University s policy on academic integrity, cheating and plagiarism can be found in the Calendar. It includes the following definitions: 1) Cheating is copying or the use of unauthorized aids or the intentional falsification or invention of information in any academic exercise. 2) Plagiarism is the act of presenting the ideas or words of another as one s own. Students are required to acknowledge and document the sources of ideas that they use in their written work. 3) Self plagiarism is also a form of plagiarism. It is the presentation of the same work in more than one course without the permission of the instructors involved. 4) A student who knowingly helps another to commit an act of academic dishonesty is equally guilty. 5) Penalties are levied in relation to the degree of the relevant infraction. They range from requiring the student to re-do the piece of work, through failure on that piece of work, to failure in the course, and to dismissal from the university. See the Calendar for more on procedures concerning infractions. The Library has a helpful tutorial on plagiarism. It can be found at http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/. Page 7 of 7