Honors Western Civilization II

Course Description and Schedule

HIST 122 Section 045 (Honors), Spring 1997
12:30-1:45 TTh, Churchill-Haines 118

Mr Lehmann
Office Hours: 10:00-12:00 TTh
East Hall 210, 677-5573, clehmann@charlie.usd.edu, [http://www.usd.edu/~clehmann]

This, the second of a two-part survey of Western Civilization, introduces the student to some of the leading figures, ideas, and events of the modern world. It also exposes the student to the concerns and methods of historical inquiry through the example of lectures, by analyzing and discussing selected texts, and by writing papers and preparing a group multimedia project.

The instructor expects students to read all assignments, attend every lecture, take notes, participate in discussions, and secure all handouts, which contain chronological and geographical background to the lectures and readings. In addition, each student writes three papers and attends special discussion sessions three times during the semester. Material from the lectures may be incorporated into the papers and observations during discussions, but the main purpose of the papers is for the students to treat in detail certain themes that appear only generally in the lectures, all grouped around the theme of revolutions and utopias. Finally, students will participate in group projects that treat historical revolutions; these projects will appear on the Honors Web site as part of the ongoing project The House the West Built.

Evaluation

Evaluation is by written work and participation in class and discussion sessions. Students who expect to miss more than three meetings should meet with the instructor in the first week. Each student writes three papers and participates with three or four other students in a multimedia project (described below), submits regular summaries of course content by part, and creates and maintains a web page. The papers count 50 points each, divided into 30 points for content, 10 points for style, and 10 points for discussion. The multimedia project counts 50 points (each member of a group receives an equal number of these points). The summaries count an additional 50 points. From a total of 250 points possible,

250-225 = A
225-200 = B
200-175 = C
175-150 = D

Required Books and Recording

Many of these items are on reserve at I D Weeks

• Chodorow, et al, The Mainstream of Civilization
• Walzer, Exodus and Revolution
• Hobbes, Leviathan (online at the Aphil Library)
• Milton, Selected Prose
• García Márquez, The General in His Labyrinth
• Büchner, Danton's Death
• Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto
• Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
• Weill and Brecht, Mahagonny. Purchase this CD at the bookstore or find it on reserve at the LRL desk in the library.

Recommended Book

• Turabian, Manual for Writers

Summaries

At the end of each part of the course (parts 7-11), students will submit short answers based on lectures and readings in the textbook to the respective study questions. Each summary should have about one generous paragraph to answer each question. E-mail these to the instructor by the first Friday following the completion of each part of the course, unless otherwise announced.

Web Pages

Each student must have an internet account and a home page on the World Wide Web. Go to the page on CoyoteNet to learn how to establish a user account if you do not have one. Be sure to ask for an account on the Sun/Unix system.

By the end of the fall term each student will have written his or her own home page on the World Wide Web. Go to "Creating a Home Page" and InTEC's guide to publishing on the Web to learn how to write a home page. The instructor highly recommends the workshops on the Internet and the World Wide Web offered by the staff of I D Weeks Library. See their schedule and sign up right away.

Discussions and Papers

The instructor has set three problems based on the books and the opera. Each student will write short papers (5-10 pp) addressing the problems, and join a small group to discuss the problem after completing each paper. Students will be assigned to one of four groups at the beginning of the term. The papers will conform to Chicago style and include title page and bibliography: see K L Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed (Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 1993), or The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed (Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 1993). The title page will indicate the appropriate discussion session. Students should begin by defining a specific historical problem relevant to the assigned texts and proceed by solving that problem, arguing closely and carefully from the texts. Those students new to this course in particular should consult closely with the instructor as they develop their topics.

Papers are due in the History office (207 East Hall) by 4:00 pm on the scheduled days; discussions follow accordingly at the Honors Lounge in the Chi Omega Center. Papers submitted on time may be rewritten for a higher grade. Papers submitted after the first discussion following the due date will be penalized by ten points, and an additional ten points every twenty-four hours thereafter.

Paper 1, due Fri 24 Jan. Discussions:

• 12:00-2:00 Tues 28 Jan
• 7:00-9:00 Tues 28 Jan
• 12:00-2:00 Thur 30 Jan
• 7:00-9:00 Thur 30 Jan

Paper 2, due Fri 21 Feb. Discussions:

• 12:00-2:00 Tues 25 Feb
• 7:00-9:00 Tues 25 Feb
• 12:00-2:00 Thur 27 Feb
• 7:00-9:00 Thur 27 Feb

Paper 3, due Fri 25 Apr. Discussions:

• 12:00-2:00 Tues 29 Apr
• 7:00-9:00 Tues 29 Apr
• 12:00-2:00 Thur 1 May
• 7:00-9:00 Thur 1 May

Paper Assignments

1. Republicanism or Absolutism: Milton, Areopagitica, Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, and To Establish a Commonwealth; Hobbes, Leviathan, chapters 10-31.
2. The Modern Revolutionary: García Marquéz, The General in His Labyrinth; Büchner, Danton's Death.
3. Modern Utopias: Weill and Brecht, Mahagonny; Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.

Multimedia Assignment: The House the West Built

The instructor will divide the students into nine groups, each of which will study a revolution that occurred at any time in Western history. The results of each group's analysis will appear as a multimedia presentation on the World Wide Web and become part of the ongoing project, "The House the West Built." Have fun with this project; however its point is not to perform tricks but to develop a cogent and elegant analysis of the revolution you choose. Projects must be complete by 11 April and installed in designated directories in the honors directory on the web server. The aggregate project may appear in the IdeaFest showcase the week of 21-25 April, and students will be assigned to supervise its demonstration.

Schedule of Lectures and Assignments

Click here for Chronology sheet.

Part 7: Absolutism and Enlightenment [Chodorow chs 19-21]

Part 8: The Age of Revolutions [Chodorow chs 22-24]

Part 9: A Century of Ideas [Chodorow chs 25-26]

Part 10: Turn of the Century [Chodorow, chs 28-30]

Part 11: The Twentieth Century [Chodorow, chs 32-34]