HIST 102: World History Since 1500

Department of History
SUNY Fredonia
Spring 2017
Instructor:
Office:
Contact:

Dr. Steven Fabian

Thompson E315
fabian@fredonia.edu

Section 1:
12:00-12:50 MWF
Section 2:
2:00-2:50 MWF
Office Hours: 3:00-5:00 M/W

Course Overview/Student Learning Outcomes (GenEd & History Dept: I.A/I.B):

This is a General Education Category #6 (Other World Civilizations) course; therefore,
students will be learning a broad outline of world history as part of their general
education requirements at SUNY Fredonia. This course was designed with history
majors in mind, but non-majors are permitted to join for a more in-depth exploration of
world history at the freshman level, and for greater access to the instructor.
This course will provide an introduction to the major themes in world history since 1500.
Our focus will be on the history of global economic integration, cross-cultural exchange,
and the balance of world power in the making of the modern world. We will examine
political and economic transformations and cultural responses in the centuries following
Columbus and the fusion of the Americas and Afro-Eurasia into a single, integrated
world. In particular, we will seek to understand the roots of contemporary world
problems by studying four broad historical processes:
1) The development of the relationship between state and society
2) The creation of an integrated global economy and its consequences
3) The formation of modern nation states and the balance of world power
4) The effects of global exchanges of peoples, species and ideas.
This course is aimed at providing students with the ability to see how events at a local or
regional level can have a greater impact on a global scale; likewise, it will help them to
see how global events can have an impact at a local level. Students will learn to analyze
change over time and understand WHY things change, or even remain the same. The key
to this course is to ask yourselves: what is the bigger picture? How are various people,
events, ideas, inventions, and goods significant, not just for regional histories, but to
WORLD history?
Course Texts:
Valerie Hansen & Kenneth R. Curtis, 3rd Edition Voyages in World History
Volume 2: Since 1500. Wadsworth/Cengage, 2013.
o NOTE: this textbook isnt mandatory. However, if you miss classes, or
fail to take good notes in class, the textbook will help you fill in the
blanks. It is also useful for studying for tests.
materials on OnCourse

Course Requirements & History Dept. Student Learning Outcomes (II.A/II.B/II.C):

Attendance: Students are required to attend every class as scheduled. Attendance
will be taken throughout the semester. More than three unexcused absences will
adversely affect your participation grade.
Class Participation: In fulfillment of the Dept of Historys Student Learning
Outcome II.C and Fredonias Baccalaureate Goals, there will be class discussion
and debate in the form of role playing exercises and group work using assigned
primary and secondary sources. Part of being a global citizen is having empathy
(connection) for people from other parts of the world; part of being a historian is
developing an understanding of historical context (why people acted the way they
did in the past). There will be two role playing exercises in addition to other
group activities in which students will be placed in the shoes of other people in
the past and faced with debating issues and solving problems from THEIR (social
and historical) perspectives to help us better understand what motivated people to
think the way they did in the past. We will study primary documents (essays,
diaries, journals, pictures, maps, music, art) with the aim of understanding the
context in which they were created, as well as revealing our own contemporary
biases. I will make announcements ahead of time in class about which
primary sources to prepare for. These will be available on OnCourse.
Participation will be assessed based upon attendance, oral participation, and
homework.
Tests: There will be two tests in the semester: Friday, February 17th and
Friday, March 31st. These will be in-class, closed book tests and may consist of
essay questions, short answers, and/or map quizzes. A study guide will be
provided before the test to assist you with your study focus. Bring exam
booklets.
Final: This will be scheduled as per the universitys specifications (two hours, no
books/notes, etc). This may include essay questions, short answers, and a map
quiz. A study guide will be provided before the final to assist you with your study
focus. This will not be cumulative. Bring an exam booklet.
Essay: Please refer to the end of this syllabus for details regarding this
assignment.
Grade Scale
95-100: A
90-94: A-

86-89: B+
84-85: B
80-83: B-

76-79: C+
74-75: C
70-73: C-

66-69: D+
64-65: D
60-63: D-

Grade Breakdown:

20% Participation
25% Essay
30% Midterms (2 @ 15% each)
25% Final Exam

F: 0-59

Professional Dispositions
Professional dispositions are very important in this class, as they are in all of your
classes. Your academic ability accounts for the majority of your final grade, but
disposition and behavior will also be included as part of your class participation grade.
More generally, these dispositions include being respectful to your professors and fellow
students, attending class, turning in assignments on time, and displaying an interest in the
course. More detail is provided below under Course Policies.
Course Policies:
Cell Phones:
Turn off your cell/smart phone BEFORE you arrive in the classroom (off, not
vibrate; ie. no answering calls or texting messages while in the classroom). Students who
repeatedly disrupt the class with their cellphones will be asked to leave. Students who
must leave their phones on for emergency/special reasons must speak to me prior to
class.
Laptops:
You may NOT use your laptops or other WiFi devices to take notes in this class
unless you have a medical reason. Students who have used laptops in the past in my
classes have abused this tool. If you have a portable electronic device that serves as a
word processor, but does not connect to the internet, you may use it, but you must show it
to me first before using it in class. If you use your laptop for organizational purposes,
you can type your notes into your laptop after class; in fact, that process will improve
your understanding of the material!
Nodding Off/Slumping:
Falling asleep, or slumping over your desk, in class is not acceptable behavior and
will not be tolerated. Students will be asked to leave the classroom regardless of the
excuse.
Assignments & Exams:
Assignments must be submitted on the due date and exams attended as scheduled.
Only serious excuses (serious illness, family bereavement) will be taken into
consideration, and the instructor has the right to request documentation. Other
arrangements (such as legitimate sports and leisure commitments) must be made in
consultation with the instructor PRIOR to due dates and scheduled exams. All students
are required to keep a back-up electronic copy of their assignments on their
computers/flash drives until the final grade for the course has been submitted by the
professor. Your grade will be reduced by 5% each day that your assignment is handed in
late and you will not receive detailed comments/corrections.
Correspondence:

Please feel free to email me with questions, concerns, or to set up a time to come
visit me in my office. If you are struggling with the course material, please come and see
me in my office for help. While I would prefer you see me during scheduled office
hours, I have some flexibility to meet with students in my office outside of those hours.
When you do email, please observe the following:
1) for courtesys sake, preface your email with Prof. Fabian, Dr. Fabian or
Professor; not dude or hey or no greeting at all.
2) at some point in the email, provide me with your name and course so I know
who you are.
3) I will not respond to your email otherwise.
I will not email lecture notes or power point slides to students who missed
class. It is up to you to attend lectures and take notes.
Academic Integrity:
Students who plagiarize their papers will receive zero for their assignment.
Plagiarizing means using other peoples words or ideas without giving them credit; it also
includes your classmates as well as published works. I reserve the right to enforce
university policy on plagiarism and academic integrity. For further information, see the
university
webpage
on
academic
integrity:
http://www.fredonia.edu/StudentAffairs/JudicialAffairs/policies.asp#academic.
Course Schedule/Readings:
Week One: 14th-15th Centuries Chapter 15
Wednesday January 18
Introduction
Friday
January 20
Pre-Columbian Empires/Search for Stability
Week Two: 16th-17th Centuries Chapters 16 & 17
Monday
January 23
Iberian Conquest & Columbian Exchange
Wednesday January 25
Mercantilism/Asian Empires
Friday
January 27
Eurasian Encounters
Week Three:
Monday
Wednesday
Friday

17th & 18th Centuries Chapter 18

January 30
Eurasian Balance of Power
February 1
Catch Up
February 3
CLASS CANCELLED

Week Four: 17th Century Chapter 19

Monday
February 6
Europeans in the Americas & Africa
Wednesday February 8
Europeans in the Americas & Africa
Friday
February 10
No Classes/Professional Day
Week Five: 18th Century Chapters 20 & 21

Monday
Wednesday
Friday

February 13
February 15
February 17

The Black Atlantic

The Black Atlantic
TEST #1

Week Six: 18th Century Chapter 22

Monday
February 20
17th & 18th Century Asia
Wednesday February 22
Enlightenment
Friday
February 24
Atlantic Revolutions
Week Seven:
Monday
Wednesday
Friday

18th & 19th Centuries Chapters 23 & 24

February 27
Haitian Revolution (ESSAYS DUE)
March 1
Haitian Revolution
March 3
Atlantic Revolutions

Week Eight: 19th Century Chapter 25

Monday
March 6
Industrial Revolution
Wednesday March 8
Industrial Revolution
Friday
March 10
Industrial Revolution
Week Nine: March 13 March 17 SPRING BREAK/NO CLASSES
Week Ten: 19th Century Chapters 26
Monday
March 20
Industrial Revolution
Wednesday March 22
Industrial Revolution
Friday
March 24
The New Imperialism
Week Eleven:
Monday
Wednesday
Friday

19th- 20th Centuries Chapters 27-29

March 27
Catch Up
March 29
Global Reactions to Imperialism
March 31
TEST #2

Week Twelve:
Monday
Wednesday
Friday

20th Century Chapters 27-29

April 3
Nationalism
April 5
The World War Era
April 7
The World War Era

Week Thirteen: 20th Century Chapter 29-30

Monday
April 10
Imperial Japan (ESSAYS DUE)
Wednesday April 12
Imperial Japan
Friday
April 14
The Cold War Era
Week Fourteen: 20th Century Chapters 30
Monday
April 17
No Classes/Travel Day
Wednesday April 19
Decolonization
Friday
April 21
Neocolonialism

Week Fifteen:
Monday
Wednesday
Friday

20th Century Chapters 30-31

April 24
The Encroaching State
April 26
1960s: The New Revolutions
April 28
Deregulation

Week Sixteen: 20th 21st Centuries Chapters 31-32

Monday
May 1
New World Order?/Into the 21st Century
Wednesday May 3
New World Order?/Into the 21st Century
Friday
May 5
Catch Up/Course Evaluation
Week Seventeen: May 8 May 12

FINAL EXAMS

POSITION ESSAY ASSIGNMENT

Students will sign up for one of two role playing exercises (maximum 18 per game):
Haitian Revolution, 1791 or Imperial Japan, 1941. The sign-up sheet is posted on my
office door, Thompson E315. You have until Wednesday, January 25th (4:30pm) to sign
up; anybody who has not signed up by then will be assigned to a game by the professor.
Once you have chosen your game, the professor will email you information about the
exercise, including the character or faction (group) whose views you will be empathizing
with in the game. You will be given background information (historical context) about
your role or faction, as well as the main issue(s) you will be debating in class (in
character). Your character sheet will explain to you the position you will be arguing for.
In order to prepare for this exercise, you will be provided with a list of sources to read
(including where to find them) some of them originate from the time and place of your
game (i.e. late 18th century for the Haitian Revolution; early 20th century for the Imperial
Japan game). All sources are in English. These sources provide details and express
contrasting points of view about the main issues from your games time period.
Your assignment is to write a position paper: you will state an argument (your position)
IN CHARACTER and you will support it using examples and evidence taken from
primary and secondary sources the professor has selected. The role sheet does NOT
count as a source because it is a guide; do NOT paraphrase your role sheet and submit it
to me as your position paper. You may NOT use your textbook or lecture notes to write
your essay. You have been provided with MANY sources on OnCourse; therefore,
there is no need for students to search for sources of their own.
Essays must be 1200 to 1500 words in length (approximately 4-5 pages, double spaced).
Students must use regular margins (i.e. dont reset the margins set by your word
processor; if you are in doubt, come and see me), Times New Roman font, in size 12. A
bibliography is also required. Footnotes (Chicago Manual of Style) must be used to cite
the sources and the page numbers where you find your evidence.
Ive provided a link on OnCourse about how to cite your footnotes in the Chicago format
as well as an essay writing guide to help you organize and construct your essay and to
avoid common mistakes.
ESSAYS DUE:
Haitian Revolution, 1791:
Imperial Japan, 1941:

Monday, February 27th (in class)

Monday, April 10th (in class)

ROLE PLAY EXERCISE: Your in-class history simulations (two class sessions) will
be based on the information youve analyzed, and arguments expressed, in your papers.
Because you who have been assigned to factions (groups), you will need to get together
and organize yourselves to prepare for the debate. Those groups which do not organize
themselves risk losing the debate, or simply performing poorly which will result in a
lower grade for participation.
The remainder of the class that is not participating in the game must still attend class,
observe the debates closely, take notes, and ask questions of the participants. In the
Haitian Revolution game, the audience will be either play the roles of the deputies in
the Colonial Assembly of St. Domingue, or plantation and domestic slaves, and their
votes may determine the outcome of the game. In the Imperial Japan game, the
audience will play deputies in the Imperial Diet, or other special roles (Imperial Court
representatives, American diplomats). In both games, the audience will assess which
faction and individual best articulated and argued their factions point of view. Students
who win will be awarded bonus points towards their final grades.