History 112

History 112

World Civilizations Post
1500

Dr. Doug Campbell, docampbell@nvcc.edu
Office Hours in LC-320: Mondays and Wednesdays, 8-9:30 am, 12:30-1:30 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays 3-4 pm
Office Hours via Zoom Appointment: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 am-2 pm,
Email me at least 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment if you need to consult during office hours.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, you are encouraged to wear a face mask if you feel unwell or it makes you feel more comfortable. You are also encouraged to take advantage of one of the several safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 which help protect both you and those around you. Thanks for your help!

Please note that all class meetings will be conducted online through Zoom. In order to log into a class session, you will need an internet-enabled device with a camera and a microphone. You should make sure you are logged in to your NOVA Zoom account, which is accessible through MyNOVA (make sure you are logged out of any other Zoom accounts you might have). You can access the class sessions either by clicking on "Zoom" in the left-hand menu of the course's Canvas page.

Welcome

Themes

Readings

Grading and Due Dates

Expectations

Description of Course Elements

Course Schedule

NOVA Policies & Resources

Welcome to History 112

You just happen to be lucky enough to have enrolled in a class on the history of the modern world. Seriously. History is enormously interesting, and I love teaching it. If I do my job correctly, you will love learning about it. And of course, not only is history fascinating, but it's also valuable in an intellectual sense. Learning about how people lived in the past can help broaden your horizons, making your outlook less parochial and more cosmopolitan. It's sort of like traveling to a foreign country without the discomfort of a long, uncomfortable plane ride. History, of course, can also inform your understanding of the present by showing you the deeper roots of problems and trends in the contemporary world. And finally, a well-taught history course is chock full of practice in all sorts of useful skills that employers are interested in, such as critical thinking, analyzing documents, and crafting well-written arguments based on evidence. So history can be fun, can enrich your intellectual life, and make you more money. What could be more awesome?

One thing to keep in mind with this course, however, is the fact that learning is not a spectator sport. You can't just sit back passively and expect to get anything near the full benefit of this class. You need to be actively engaged in your own education. I certainly have to play my part, and I promise to do my best to present an interesting and dynamic class which offers you all sorts of opportunities to learn cool stuff. The actual learning is your job, though. To put it another way, I can cook the most delicious banquet imaginable, and set the table in the most attractive way possible, piling it high with all sorts of fabulous delicacies. But in the end, you're the one who actually has to eat the meal. So if you're going to take this class, I'll ask you to make a conscious decision to engage in all of the opportunities available to you, and to commit to coming to all of the class sessions, to participating in an active and thoughtful manner in all of our class discussions, to completing all of the assigned readings, and to submitting all of the required assignments. If you do, I promise it will be worth your while. Your place at the table is set, and you are invited....

Stuff the College makes me include:

Course Description: Surveys the history of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas from approximately 1500 CE through the present. Lecture 3 hours per week. 3 credits. This is a Passport Transfer course.

General Course Purpose: HIS 112 surveys the general history of the world from approximately 1500 CE through the present and allows students to reach a basic understanding of the characteristic features of the world’s early historical development. Students will learn about important political, economic, social, intellectual, cultural and religious changes that shaped the world in this period of time. Connections and comparisons of human societies are made across space and time.

Course Prerequisite/Corequisite: None

Course Objectives:

Upon completion the course, the student will be able to:

Written Communication

    • Express an understanding of forces that foster global connections among places, persons, groups, and/or knowledge systems through written activities.

Critical Thinking

    • Explain human and social experiences and activities from multiple perspectives from 1500 CE through the present.
    • Compare and contrast multiple perspectives or theories on global processes and systems throughout time.
    • Describe how global relations impact individual lives and the lives of others over time.
    • Develop multiple historic literacies by analyzing primary sources of various kinds (texts, images, music) and using these sources as evidence to support interpretation of historical events.

The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: Suggested Context Trans-Oceanic and Trans-Continental Trade (ex. the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, Indian Ocean trade, Eurasian trade), Overseas Empires and Land-based Empires (ex. Spain, the Ottoman Empire, the Qing dynasty, Muscovy), The rise of the nation-state, Columbian Exchange, European Intellectual Movement

    • Identify the causes of the rise of modern states.
    • Analyze the development and impact of culture, economics, politics, society, technology, and religious and philosophical ideas.
    • Compare and contrast global and trans-oceanic connections.
    • Analyze complex primary and secondary sources.
    • Identify trans-global systems.

The Long Eighteenth Century: Suggested Context The Enlightenment, The Age of Revolutions (ex. Latin America, Haiti, USA, France), Nationalism and national identities (ex. France, Latin America, North America, the Caribbean), The Qing Dynasty,

    • Identify the causes of the rise of modern states.
    • Analyze the development and impact of culture, economics, politics, society, technology, and religious and philosophical ideas.
    • Compare and contrast global and trans-oceanic connections.
    • Analyze complex primary and secondary sources.
    • Examine the origins of nationalism and national identities.

The Nineteenth Century: Suggested Context The Race to Industrialization (ex. Europe, Asia, Latin America), Imperialism and Neo-Imperialism, Nationalism and national identities (ex. Italian and German unification), Resistance to Colonialism

    • Analyze the development and impact of culture, economics, politics, society, technology, and religious and philosophical ideas.
    • Compare and contrast global and trans-oceanic connections.
    • Analyze complex primary and secondary sources.
    • Examine the causes of and impact of industrialization and imperialism.
    • Examine the continuation and growth of nationalism and national identities.

The Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries: Suggested Context The World Wars, The Cold War, Anti-colonial movements (ex. India, China, Pan-Africanism, Latin America), Decolonization (ex. in Africa and Asia), Globalization

    • Analyze the development and impact of culture, economics, politics, society, technology, and religious and philosophical ideas.
    • Compare and contrast global and trans-oceanic connections.
    • Analyze complex primary and secondary sources.
    • Examine movements of decolonization, liberation movements and resistance to imperialism.

Major Topics to be Included:

    The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
    The Long Eighteenth Century
    The Nineteenth Century
    The Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Themes

Our primary goal is to investigate what it means to be human by looking at what humans were like in the past. To that end, this class is going to use several themes as "lenses" through which to examine the human past. The themes are:

Government: What are the origins of human governments? What are the various forms that government has taken over the centuries? Which forms work best? Which are worst?

Gender: Are different social roles for men and women essential or arbitrary? How have human opinions on gender, marriage, and sexuality changed over time?

Race: What is race? Are the supposed distinctions between racial groups real or simply imagined? Why has racial thinking played such a significant role in the modern era? To what extent has racism served to justify prejudice and social inequality?

Social Class: Are inequalities in wealth and power an inherent part of human life or an evil to be overcome? On what basis should wealth and power be allocated?

There are of course plenty of other lenses through which to look at the past, but these are a good start and should give plenty of interesting questions to examine for one class.

Readings

There are no books you need to purchase for this class. We will be making use, as much as possible, of Open Educational Resources (OER) which are available online for free.

Even though we have left the more traditional paper textbook-oriented model of a history class behind, however, this course still requires you to do a great deal of reading, writing, and, above all, thinking. You should take the course readings seriously, and make sure to keep up with the reading assignments described below in the Class Schedule.

Course readings should be completed BEFORE you log into the class for which they are assigned. It is especially important to read the primary sources assigned each week. Taking notes on them, marking the most important passages, and jotting down any questions you might have is highly encouraged.

Grading and Due Dates

Your overall grade for the class will consist of the following elements. No work for the course will be accepted after December 10 -- no exceptions!

Scores will be posted on Canvas, and will be accompanied by general comments about the strengths and weaknesses of your work. If you would like a more detailed description of aspects of the assignment which could be improved, just ask me and I will be happy to provide one.

Course Element	Points	Due Date
Attendance and Participation	20%	Every Class Session
Group Leadership	5%	At least twice during the semester
Source Criticism Paper (2 pages)	10%	Source Proposal due September 24 Finished Paper due October 1
Imperialism Paper (2 pages)	10%	October 22
Midterm Exam	5%	October 29
Annotated_Bibliography, Part 1	10%	November 12
Annotated_Bibliography, Part 2	10%	November 19
Final Project	25%	Topic Proposal Due September 17 Finished Project Due December 3
Final Exam	5%	December 10

Grading Scale

Percentage	Final Course Grade
Above 90%	A
80-89%	B
70-79%	C
60-69%	D
Below 60%	F

Expectations

You will need access to the internet and word processing software for this class. You should be familiar with using Canvas (the College's learning management system) in order to submit assignments and view your grades, and you should regularly check announcements posted to the course Canvas page and your NOVA email account, which are the only ways I have of getting in touch with you outside of class.

Guidelines for Conduct During Class Meetings

You are responsible for being present and attentive during class. Late arrival to class may result in being marked as absent for the class session.

Disruptive Behavior: Please be considerate of the other people involved in this class. Private conversations during lecture or class discussions all distract and disturb your professor and your classmates, and might therefore against your participation grade. If you have a question or a comment on the course material, please raise your hand.

Announcements: If there is something I need to communicate to the class, I will post an announcement to the course Canvas page. It is the your responsibility to check the course's Canvas page and your College email account in a timely manner in order to receive information on the substitute assignment and when it is due. You should adjust the settings of your Canvas account to make sure that you are promptly notified.

Abuse: Any student who seems to be under the influence of alcohol or intoxicating drugs, or who is abusive or violent will be referred to the appropriate College authorities.

Course Content Warning: Lectures and course materials may contain disturbing content, including, but not limited to: violence, sexual assault, war crimes, genocide, mental or physical illnesses or disabilities, discrimination or persecution on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and/or sexual orientation, etc. If you have been personally impacted by one or more of these topics and suffer from PTSD, please email the professor if you would like prior notification of lectures containing discussions of the effecting topics.

Accommodations: Students requiring special accommodations for assignments or exams should have the appropriate forms from the Disability Support Service (DSS). Forms should be given to me no fewer than 7 days before the date the assignment or exam requiring the accommodation is due, and preferably at the very beginning of the semester.

Guidelines for Written Work

Formatting: All written work should be double spaced, using 12 point Times New Roman font and one inch margins. All papers must be word processed and submitted through Canvas as files in .doc, .odt, .pdf, or .rtf format (no .pages format files, please). E-mail submissions will not be accepted. See this rubric for a more detailed description of how you will be graded.

Style and Grammar: All of your work for this class must present a main argument or thesis which addresses the question(s) posed by the assignment, should support that argument with evidence, and should be written in grammatical and stylistically correct English. Make sure to proofread and use spell-check. For information on writing papers for this class, make sure to read my Tips for History Papers page. You also might want to consult the following handy websites:

        NVCC Loudoun's Writing Center
        Patrick Rael, "Avoid Common Mistakes In Your History Paper"
        Steven Kreis, "Writing the Short Essay"

Citations: You MUST include a formal citation any time you refer to a specific passage in a text, even if you do not quote the text directly. The required method for citing sources in this class is the Chigago Manual of Style's format, which is the standard for the discipline of history. According to this format, at the end of any sentence or paragraph drawn from a specific part of a source, you insert superscript number which corresponds to a footnote at the bottom of the page with the appropriate bibliographic information. Number your footnotes consecutively. Consult the previous web link for more detailed information on citations in this format. You also might find these websites (https://libguides.nvcc.edu/ChicagoTurabian & https://www.plagiarism.org/article/what-are-footnotes) and this video on "How To Use Chicago-Style Footnotes In A History Paper" helpful. EVERY PAPER you complete for this class should include a bibliography at the end listing all of the sources you consulted (even if the list includes only one source). Your bibliography page does not count toward the page length of your assignment. Papers without appropriate Chicago-format footnotes will receive a 20% penalty.

Plagiarism: Plagiarized work will not be accepted for this class. Any student caught plagiarizing or cheating in this course will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, including at a minimum no credit whatsoever for the assignment or exam in question. Procedures for disciplinary measures and appeals are outlined in the NOVA Student Handbook. Particularly flagrant instances of cheating or multiple instances of plagiarism may result in a grade of "F" for the course.

Please note that even copying a sentence or two from another source without citing it is enough to trigger a plagiarism penalty. Likewise, changing a word here or there from content which you copy is still plagiarism. Your work should be entirely in your own words except for the passages which you quote and appropriately cite.

For a bit more discussion on why you will probably get caught if you try to use the web to plagiarize, see "How Dumb Do They Think We Are?" by Jonathan Malesic. All of your papers for the class will be checked for plagiarism by Turnitin software.

A.I. Writing Tools: Various tools which use artificial intelligence to generate text suggest intriguing possibilities for the future of writing. Right now, however, they are fairly crude, and do not do a good job of producing well-written papers which fulfill the specifications of course assignments. Moreover, part of what you are here to do is to get some practice in how to write and think for yourself. Therefore, assignments which make use of A.I. generated content will not be accepted, and trying to use A.I. writing tools to substitute for your own writing will likely be a waste of your time.

Late Work: Major assignments (papers and exams) may be submitted for up to one week after the specified due date with a 10% late penalty. After one week, they will no longer be accepted (No exceptions!!!).

You cannot resubmit revised work for a higher score once it has been graded.

Guidelines for E-Mail Communication

The easiest way to contact me outside of class is through e-mail. In order to receive a response to your message, however, your e-mail must contain the following elements:

Your full name, the name of the class, and the day and time when it meets in the title of your message.
Appropriate salutations and signatures.
Correct grammar and punctuation.

Messages sent using "text-ese" or rude or abusive language will be ignored (b/c it makes u look ignorant d00d)!

I have on average between 150-200 students a semester, so you need to provide me with as much information as possible if you want a timely answer to your message. Please allow at least 48 hours before following up. If you haven't received a response within a couple of days, however, feel free to nag me.

Description of Course Elements

Attendance and Participation

Attendance Policy: Given the fact that participation is part of your grade, your attendance is expected at every class meeting. You are allowed two unexcused absences for the semester. You will only receive full credit for attending a class session if you are logged into the Zoom session for the entire class period.

Preparedness: You should make sure that you have completed the assigned readings and any required assignments BEFORE you log into to the class session in question.

You are expected to treat your fellow students with respect and a spirit of generosity and good-will. If you have a problem with one of the other students that you are unable to resolve on your own, please contact the professor for guidance and assistance.

Group Leadership

Discussions in smaller groups will be a frequent feature of the class. At least 2 times over the course of the semester, each student will serve as the leader of their group for class discussions. The group leader is responsible for noting which group members are present and participating in the discussion, and should help guide the group's conversation so that the form associated with that particular discussion has been completely filled out. The group leader will also share the group's findings with the rest of the class, if applicable, for that particular class session. Finally, the group leader should also turn in the appropriate completed form through Canvas at the end of the class session.

Imperialism Paper

Read the excerpts from Paul Leroy Beaulieu's Colonialism and Modern Peoples (1891) and Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth (1961) , and then write a paper at least two double-spaced pages long which answers the following questions: "According to Beaulieu, what were the main benefits of European imperialism in Africa, and who were its beneficiaries? How did Fanon believe that European imperialism worked and how did he think those living under colonial rule should respond? How do you think Fanon would respond to Beaulieu's claims of European benevolence?" You should make sure to have a clear thesis statement, to refer to specific examples from the documents in order to support your arguments, and to cite them using Chicago-format footnotes. Please follow the guidelines for written work in this class, and make sure to check the "Tips for History Papers" page before turning in your final draft. See this rubric for a more detailed description of how you will be graded.

Source Criticism Paper

You should select a website dealing with the topic you are using for your Final Project and compare it to a scholarly article written within the past 50 years on the same basic subject from a history-focused scholarly journal (see below for more detailed information on how to find a scholarly journal article). Then in a 2 page, double-spaced paper write a comparative analysis of the two articles as sources of historical information. Websites should contain original content, and cannot be primary source documents, encyclopedia/Wikipedia articles, or reprints of articles published elsewhere. These two sources must be approved by the professor before you can proceed any further with this assignment. Your proposed sources for the Source Criticism Paper should be uploaded for approval using this form. Make sure to check the professor's feedback to see if your sources were approved, or if you need to resubmit the form.

Once your sources are approved, you should write a paper at least two double-spaced pages long with a main argument which answers this major question: "Which of these sources is more useful to a scholar researching this particular subject?" Your analysis also ought to address the following secondary questions:

Is the author of each article identified? If so, what is his or her level of expertise with the subject matter?
What is the main argument of each source? (note, this is not the same thing as a simple description of the subject matter-- what is the author trying to say about this subject?)
Does each article specify its evidence or sources of information? If so, what sorts of evidence are cited?
Overall, how reliable and accurate is each article?

You should mention the title of the website and the title of the article, the name of the journal, and the name of the author of the scholarly journal article in the introduction of your paper. You should also include the full bibliographic citations for each in a bibliography page.

Please follow the guidelines for written work in this class, and make sure to check the "Tips for History Papers" page before turning in your final draft. See this rubric for a more detailed description of how you will be graded.

How To Find A Scholarly Journal Article:

This video walks you through the process of finding a scholarly journal article using the NOVA Library and JSTOR: How to Find a Scholarly Journal Article

A scholarly journal is a periodical which contains research-based articles and reviews by established scholars in a given field. These sorts of journals are geared towards a professional or academic audience, and are intended to serve as an intellectual resource rather than to earn a profit for the publisher. In order to have an article published in a scholarly journal, an author must submit it to the editorial board of the journal first. The editors then will have the prospective article reviewed by other scholars in the field. Only an article which passes through this process of evaluation by recognized experts ("peer review") can be published in a scholarly journal. All scholarly journal articles meticulously document their sources of information and contain ample foot or endnotes. While some scholarly journals make some or all of their content available on the web, a genuine scholarly journal is also always published in paper form so it can become part of the collections of research-oriented libraries. Consult the NOVA Library's page on scholarly journal articles for more information on what distinguishes a scholarly journal from other sorts of periodicals.

Just a few examples of some of the most prominent scholarly journals dealing with modern world history include The American Historical Review, The Journal of World History,The Journal of African History, Modern Asian Studies, The Journal of Near Eastern Studies, The Journal of Latin American Studies, The Journal of Modern History, Central European History, The Russian Review, French Historical Studies, Historische Zeitschrift, Journal of British Studies, and Victorian Studies (This is not a complete list-- there are many, many more!). Please note that magazines like History Today, National Geographic Magazine, and American History certainly contain interesting material, they are intended for a popular audience rather than a professional academic one, and hence do not qualify as scholarly journals.

Not too terribly long ago, the only place one could go to access a scholarly journal was an academic library. These days, however, many journals allow readers to access their contents online. The best place to start is JSTOR, a service which provides the full text of articles from several hundred different scholarly journals. You can use JSTOR for free by accessing it through the NVCC Library's site.

You can access JSTOR from the NOVA library's homepage. Log into My NOVA and then go to http://www.nvcc.edu/library/

Click on "Research Databases by Subject";
the click "History (HIS)";
then click "JSTOR"

Once in JSTOR, you should select the "advanced search" option, scroll down to "Narrow by Item Type" and click the "Articles" box, and then scroll down again to "Narrow by discipline and/or publication title:" and click the "History" box.

Then plug in your search topic and see what comes up.

Annotated Bibliography (Parts 1 and 2)

An annotated bibliography is an organized list of sources. It differs from a straightforward bibliography in that each reference is followed by a paragraph length annotation. The Annotated Bibliography is part of your Final Project. You should provide annotations for the sources that will then be used in the Final Project. Sources should be directly related to the Final Project’s topic. Annotations should be a brief paragraph (about 100 words) long.

Part 1 of your Annotated Bibliography should include:

At least 5 Primary Sources (either online or in print). For primary sources, you should be looking for documents which were originally written during the time period you are trying to study. While architectural or archaeological remains certainly do qualify as primary sources which can be used by scholars to reconstruct the past, they are problematic for an assignment like this. Written documents from the past should be your focus!

For each of the Primary Sources in Part 1 your annotation should include:

Bibliographic information according to Chicago style.
The name and background of the author, if known.
The date the document was originally written, if known.
The author’s purpose in writing the document and its historical context.
Any bias displayed by the author.
The significance of the document (ie, how are its contents important to an understanding of the topic?)

See the description of the Final Project below for a list of sites to begin finding relevant primary sources.

Part 2 of your Annotated Bibliography should include:

At least 5 Secondary Scholarly Sources, including:

At least 1 Scholarly Journal Article (you learned about these in your Source Criticism Paper)
At least 1 Scholarly Monograph (A book length scholarly study by one author)
For the other 3 secondary sources, you should use high quality scholarly sources, and avoid using the textbook, encyclopedia articles, or anonymously authored websites.

For each of the Secondary Sources in Part 2 your annotation should include:

Bibliographic information according to Chicago style.
The name and scholarly background of the author (education, publications, university appointments, etc.)
The author’s main argument (note, this is not the same thing as a simple description of the subject matter-- what is the author trying to say about this subject?).
The specific types of evidence used to support the author’s main argument (are they primary sources? Scholarly secondary works?)
How successful/convincing is the author’s argument?

Please follow the guidelines for written work in this class.

Final Project

The capstone assignment for this class is the Final Project. For this assignment you should select one of the following option. No matter what option you choose, you will need to produce the equivalent of 6 double spaced pages worth of text (approximately 1250 words), and to draw upon at least 5 primary source documents (text, not images) and 5 scholarly secondary sources. See below for more detailed descriptions of what each option requires:

A Research Paper

A “Day In The Life” Video

A Travel Log Website

Do Your Own Thing (If You Can Convince Me): You can also propose your own format for a Final Project, but you will need to explain why you think this particular format is interesting and a good way to discuss your particular topic. If I agree, I will approve the proposal; if not, you will need to pick one of the other Final Project formats. The format also will need to meet the same requirements as the others in terms of both page length/word count and number and types of sources used. Power Point or other slide-based presentations are extremely boring, and definitely will not be approved.

Sources:

In terms of evidence, you should feel free to draw from sources you have already considered for your other course work. At a minimum, however, your paper must refer to and correctly cite:

At least 5 Primary Sources (either online or in print). Your primary sources should be roughly evenly divided between the two societies which you are examining.
At least 1 Scholarly Journal Article (you learned about these in your Source Criticism Paper)
At least 1 Scholarly Monograph (essentially a book by a scholar focused on one narrow historical subject relevant to your research topic)
At least 3 Other Secondary Sources (either online or in print)

For primary sources, you might consult the following resources (some of these sites also contain secondary sources as well):

Directory of World History Primary Sources

The World Digital Library
The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History, and Diplomacy.
Cambridge Digital Library.
Hanover Historical Texts Collection.
Finding World History Sources.
The Women's Library at LSC.
The Modern History Sourcebook.
The African History Sourcebook.
The East Asian History Sourcebook.
The Indian History Sourcebook.
The Islamic History Sourcebook.
The Jewish History Sourcebook.
The Women's History Sourceboo k.
The Victorian Web.
Women in World History
German History in Documents and Images.
Marxists Internet Library.
Asia For Educators (Primary Sources on China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, and South East Asia)
Seventeen Moments In Soviet History

The relevant due dates and point worth of the various elements of the Final Project are as follows:

Final Project Element	Description	Due Date
Proposal	You should submit a Final Project Proposal using the relevant link in Canvas which describes the option and topic. You may not turn in an Annotated Bibliography or a finished Final Project without getting your Topic Proposal approved in advance.	Sept. 17
Annotated Bibliography, Parts 1 and 2	You should submit a bibliography of the sources which you intend to use for your Final Project. The bibliography should include at least 5 primary sources (historical documents from the past) and 5 scholarly secondary sources (including at least one scholarly journal article and one scholar monarch). Each source should be accompanied by a brief paragraph of analysis (See the Annotated Bibliography assignment description for more detailed information).	Part 1: Nov. 12 Part 2: Nov. 19
Finished Final Project	You should submit a Final Project using the appropriate link on the course Canvas page. See below for complete descriptions of the various Final Project Options.	December 3

Research Paper Option:

For this option you will write a Research Paper which is 6 double spaced pages (approximately 1250 words) long, and which draws upon and correctly cites at least 5 primary source documents (text, not images) and 5 scholarly secondary sources.Your paper should attempt to answer a specific question relevant to the subject matter of the course which deals with one or more of the themes of the course (race, government, gender, and social class) and discuss how it/they have changed over time. Your topic cannot primarily deal with American history.

You should make sure to refer to or quote specific examples from the sources in order to support your arguments, and to cite them using Chicago-format footnotes. Please follow the guidelines for written work in this class. See this rubric for a more detailed description of how you will be graded.

The themes themselves are too broad to be the focus or your paper, so your topic should narrow the focus down in some way (For example, the topic, "Gender in World History" is too broad). Here are some sample research questions. You are free to pick one of these, modify one of these to deal with another region, or to suggest your own. Note that you should be thinking not just in terms of questions which interest you, but also about what sorts of sources you can find in languages which you read. It's no good to come up with a fascinating topic on which you are unable to find evidence.

What role did religion play in reinforcing racism during the imperial age? (theme: race)

How have attitudes toward sex and sexuality changed in Africa during the past century?(theme: gender)

What does the rise of spectator sports in Europe between 1900-2000 reveal about ideals of masculinity? (theme: gender)

What was life like under communism behind the Iron Curtain, 1945-1989? (theme: government)

What are the political roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? (theme: race, government)

What role did economic inequality play in the origins of political revolutions in 19th century Latin America ? (theme: government and social class)

What was working class life like in Britain during the Industrial Revolution? (theme: social class)

How and why did Fascism become popular in Interwar Europe? (theme: government and race)

Was the Vietnam War primarily about Cold War issues or was it a war on national liberation? (theme: government)

What role did racism play in justifying Western imperialism? (theme: race)

What role did Anti-Semitism play in leading to the rise of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust? (theme: race)

What factors explain the Japanese attempts to conquer large parts of Asia during the 1930s and 1940s?(theme: government)

How have women's lives in the Middle East changed over the course of the 20th century? (theme: gender)

How did feminism change the way women lived in modern France? (theme: gender and government)

What was the impact of Enlightenment ideas on the Haitian Revolution? (theme: government)

To what extent were Marxist ideas important to the decolonization movements in Africa during the 20th century?(theme: government and social class)

“Day In The Life” Video Option:

For this version of the Final Project you will need to choose a time period and region relevant to some aspect of the subject matter of this class. Then select three different people to portray. They can be either specific individuals from history, or different types of people (ie, from different social classes, professions, nationalities, ethnicities, genders, etc.). Your topic cannot primarily deal with American history.

Once your characters have been approved, you should craft a video of approximately 5 minutes (so 15 minutes total), where each character introduces themselves and discusses what their daily life is like. Consider discussing topics such as the character’s work, living conditions, family relationships, food, political and social opinions, etc. The idea is to provide as vivid, interesting, and historically accurate portrayal as possible. Feel free to use appropriate accents or slang if you like. You can use friends or family members in your videos if you like, as long as you are the one who writes the script.

Important stuff that you shouldn’t forget:

Your video should advance a clear, specific argument or thesis about what the lives of the three people portrayed reveal about the particular era in which they lived.

You also should include a list of all of your sources at the end of the video.

All final project videos must be posted on YouTube or Vimeo. You must upload the link for the instructor to grade. Do not set your video to “private” or select any other access restrictions. It must be public for the instructor to grade.

In order to receive a grade for the Final Project, you must submit your written script and a link to the video using the appropriate link in Canvas.

Here are some suggestions for software to use when editing your videos:

iMovie

Movie Maker

Final Cut Express

Camtasia

WeVideo

Travel Log Website Option:

For this version of the Final Project you will need to choose a time period and region relevant to some aspect of the subject matter of this class. Then select at least five specific geographic sites or events to discuss. These can be specific buildings or monuments, neighborhoods, dwellings, shops, taverns, battles, revolutions, speeches, spectacles, festivals, ceremonies, etc. Your topic cannot primarily deal with American history.

Once your choice has been approved, you should craft a written narrative in which you visit each of the sites in turn, describing what you witness at stop along your journey. Make sure to mention what you see, hear, small, taste, do, etc. The idea is to provide as vivid, interesting, and historically accurate portrayal as possible. It is up to you whether you adopt the persona of a traveler from the time period in question, or travel back in time in some manner. You’ve got a lot of leeway here-- be creative!

Your finished product should be in the form of a website which is posted online, and which is viewable by anyone. The website should be a visually interesting as possible, and should include a variety of (correctly sourced and cited) images and/or maps.

Important stuff that you shouldn’t forget:

Your Travel Log website should advance a clear, specific argument or thesis about what the sites visited and/or events witnessed reveal about the nature of life at that particular place and time in history.

You also should include a list of all of your sources somewhere in the website.

The website should be publicly viewable, and should not require a password to access.

In order to receive a grade for the Final Project, you must submit the weblink for your Travel Log website as well as a .pdf, .doc, or .rtf file containing the text of your Travel Log (so it can be checked for plagiarism) using the appropriate link in Canvas.

Here are some suggestions for free public web hosting for your website:

Google sites

Blogger

Wix

Weebly

WordPress

TravelDiaries

Exams

There are two unproctored exams for this course which are to be completed at home and submitted through Canvas. You can use any notes, course readers, or other resources you wish as long as you cite them (simply listing the bibliographic information or web address at the end of the question is sufficient-- no need to include footnotes). All of your responses should be in your own words rather than quoted from other sources. If you use any additional sources without citing them, you will not receive any points for the exam.

Midterm Exam. You should submit a file through Canvas with your responses to the following questions:

Part 1) Time Line (5 Paragraphs): Provide a Time Line which lists in chronological order what you think are the five most important events in the history of the world from 1500-1900. ALL OF YOUR EXAMPLES MUST BE EVENTS OR DEVELOPMENTS WE DISCUSSED IN CLASS! No more than three of your examples should be drawn from European or United States history. Each item on your Time Line should be a paragraph long and should contain the following information:

What happened.

When it happened (approximate dates are okay).

Why it happened.

The major Consequences of the event.

How is this event significant or important?

Part 2) Primary Source Analyses: You will be given the titles of two primary sources which you have read during the first half of the semester, and asked to briefly discuss the following elements:

The identity and point of view of the author.

The historical context of the document (what circumstances influenced the author?).

The basic contents of the document.

What does the document tell us about the specific time and place it was written?

Final Exam. You should submit a file through Canvas with your responses to the following questions:

Part 1) Time Line: Provide a Time Line which lists in chronological order what you think are the five most important events in the history of the world after 1900. ALL OF YOUR EXAMPLES MUST BE EVENTS OR DEVELOPMENTS WE DISCUSSED IN CLASS! No more than three of your examples should be drawn from European or United States history. Each item on your Time Line should be a paragraph long and should contain the following information:

What happened.

When it happened (approximate dates are okay).

Why it happened.

The major Consequences of the event.

How is this event significant or important?

Part 2) Primary Source Analyses: You will be given the titles of two primary sources which you have read during the second half of the semester, and asked to briefly discuss the following elements:

The identity and point of view of the author.

The historical context of the document (what circumstances influenced the author?).

The basic contents of the document.

What does the document tell us about the specific time and place it was written?

Course Schedule

Week 1

Tuesday, September 5: Course Introduction	Read through the Course Syllabus Watch "Is History B.S.?" Allosso and Williford, "Introduction"
Thursday September 7: Zheng He and Columbus	Discussion Source: List of Zheng He’s Expeditions (1431) Watch What's The Difference Between Primary & Secondary Sources? Watch Was Columbus B.S.? Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 1: Modern World History Begins in Asia"
Assignments to Complete:	Read through the entire syllabus, and submit the Introduction Assignment by 11:59 pm on September 10 using the appropriate link under "Assignments" in the class Canvas page. Make sure to check the feedback you received to see if you need to resubmit it.

Week 2

Tuesday, September 12: The Ottoman Empire	Discussion Source: Evliya Çelebi, Excerpts from The Book of Travels (c. 1630) Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 2: Europe and Africa"
Thursday, September 14: Religious and Ethnic Minorities in the Early Modern World	Discussion Source: Glückel of Hameln, Excerpts from The Memoirs of Glückel of Hameln (1719)
Assignments to Complete:	Topic Proposal for the Final Project due September 17. Make sure to check the professor's feedback on Canvas to see if your topic has been approved, or if you need to resubmit this assignment.

Week 3

Tuesday, September 19:
Pre-Columbian America and Colonial Latin America

Discussion Sources: The Mayan Account of the Spanish Conquest in the Chilam Balam (1540-1546); Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Selected Poems (It also will be helpful to read this brief encyclopedia entry for some context on Sor Juana's life)

Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 3: The Americas and Columbus"

Thursday, September 21:

Early Modern Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade

Discussion Source: Excerpts from King Afonso of Congo, Letters on the Slave Trade (1526)

Watch Was the Atlantic Slave Trade B.S.?

This Week:

Source Proposal for the Source Criticism Paper due September 24. You should enter the complete bibliographic information for the sources for this assignment. Make sure to read the directions for the Source Criticism Paper in the syllabus CAREFULLY before filling out the form.

September 19 is the last date to drop the class with refund.

Week 4

Tuesday, September 26: Enlightenment Ideas and New World Republics	Discussion Sources: French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789); Act of Independence of the Yucatan Peninsula (1841) Watch Was The Enlightenment B.S.? Watch Was The French Revolution B.S.? Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 4: Early Globalization and Revolutions"
Thursday, September 28: The Haitian Revolution	Discussion Source: Toussaint Louverture's Saint-Domingue Constitution of 1801 Watch Was The Haitian Revolution B.S.? Watch How Can You Tell If A Website Is B.S. Or Not?
Assignments to Complete:	Source Criticism Paper due October 1 (Your sources MUST be approved by the instructor before you turn this in).

Week 5

Tuesday, October 3: The Industrial Revolution	Discussion Sources: "The Life of the Industrial Worker in Nineteenth-Century England" (1832); Women Miners in the English Coal Pits (1842). Watch Was The Industrial Revolution B.S.? Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 5: Troubled Nineteenth Century"
Thursday, October 5: Responses to Industrialization	Discussion Source: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, excerpts from The Communist Manifesto (1848)

Week 6

Tuesday, October 10	No Class
Thursday, October 12: Imperialism in Africa	Discussion Sources: Letter from King Leopold II of Belgium to Minister Beernaert on the Congo (1890); Excerpts from The Casement Report (1904) Watch Was Imperialism in Congo B.S.? Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 6: Imperialism"

Week 7

Tuesday, October 17: Imperialism in Asia	Discussion Source: Thomas Babington Macaulay, On Empire and Education in India (1833-1835) Watch Was The English East India Company B.S.?
Thursday, October 19: Attempts at Reform in the Asian Empires	Discussion Source: The Gülhane Decree and the Beginning of the Tanzimat Reform Era in the Ottoman Empire, 1839 Watch Was The Meiji Restoration B.S.?
Assignments to Complete:	Imperialism Paper due October 22

Week 8

Tuesday, October 24: Europe's Great War	Discussion Reading: Robert Graves, Excerpts from Goodbye To All That (1929) Watch Were the Causes of World War I B.S.? Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 7: The Great War"
Thursday, October 26: Nationalisms and New Identities	Discussion Source: Report on the Deportation of Armenians from Zeitun, July 21, 1915 Watch Was The 1918 Influenza B.S.?
This Week:	Midterm Exam due October 29 Last day to withdraw from the class without grade penalty is November 3.

Week 9

Tuesday, October 31: Communist Revolutions	Discussion Reading: Mao Zedong, "What Is Guerrilla Warfare?" (1937) Watch Was The Russian Revolution Of 1917 B.S.? Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 8: Modern Crisis"
Thursday, November 2: Fascism	Discussion Reading: Adolf Hitler, Excerpts from Several Speeches (1923, 1930, 1932) Watch Is Fascism B.S.?

Week 10

Tuesday, November 7:	No Class-- Go vote!
Thursday, November 9: World War II in Europe	Discussion Reading: Josef Goebbels, "Nation, Rise Up, and Let the Storm Break Loose!" (1943) Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 9: World War II"
Assignments to Complete:	Annotated Bibliography, Part 1 due November 12.

Week 11

Tuesday, November 14: The Holocaust	Discussion Reading: Elie Wiesel, Excerpts from Night (1960) Watch Is Modern Anti-Semitism B.S.? Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 10: Decolonization"
Thursday, November 16: World War II in Asia	Discussion Reading: Louise Yim on the Japanese Occupation of Korea (1951)
Assignments to Complete	Annotated Bibliography, Part 2 due November 19.

Week 12

Tuesday, November 21: The Post-War Order	Discussion Reading: Winston Churchill, "Iron Curtain" Speech (1946) Watch Was the Cold War B.S.? Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 11: Cold War"
Thursday, November 23	No Class

Week 13

Tuesday, November 28: Decolonization and Partition in India	Discussion Reading: Sarojini Naidu, Excerpts from Several Speeches (1917, 1918, 1946) Watch Was the End of the Cold War B.S .? Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 12: Neoliberal Globalization"
Thursday, November 30: The Cold War in Latin America	Discussion Reading: Excerpts from the Memoir of Rigoberta Menchú (1984) Watch Was The CIA Coup In Guatemala In 1954 B.S.?
Assignments to Complete:	Final Project due December 3

Week 14

Tuesday, December 5: Modern Africa and the Middle East	Discussion Reading: Testimonies From The Genocide In Rwanda, 1994 Demet Demir, Filipa de Souza Award Address (1997) Watch Is Globalization B.S.? Read Read Allosso and Williford, "Chapter 13: Limits to Growth?"
Assignments to Complete:	Final Exam Due December 10

Various NOVA Policies and Resources:

INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

Students are responsible for knowing and following the policies in the Student Handbook. The following are highlights of information that students should be aware of as they begin a course.

Academic Integrity Policy

Accommodations and Accessibility Services

Buy Books with Excess Financial Aid

Career Services

Closing Information

Communication

Course Drop/Withdrawal Policy

COVID-19 Updates

Financial Stability and Advocacy Centers

FREE Tutoring

Office of Wellness and Mental Health

Prerequisite Verification Statement

Remote Student Support Services

TITLE IX

Academic Integrity Policy

NOVA promotes and emphasizes the importance of honesty in academic work. It is therefore imperative for students to maintain the highest standard of honor in their scholastic work.

Academic dishonesty, as outlined in more detail in the Academic Integrity Policy (Policy Number: 224), can include, but is not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, submitting work that is not your own (plagiarism), or sharing assessments online. Consequences of academic dishonesty can include a failing grade on an assignment, a failing grade in the course, and may include additional administrative sanctions such as suspension or expulsion from the college. Procedures for disciplinary measures and appeals are outlined in the Academic Integrity Procedures. It is a student’s responsibility to become familiar with the student code of conduct. Lack of awareness is no excuse for noncompliance with NOVA’s policies and procedures.

NOVA Faculty may choose to use tools such as Turnitin to detect and flag instances of plagiarism in academic writing. These tools can also identify text written by artificial

intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT and flag it as potential plagiarism.

The use of AI to complete assigned work may be considered a violation of the academic integrity policy. Students are urged to be cautious when using any web tools designed to assist with assignments without their instructors’ explicit permission to do so and to cite their sources in all their work.

Accommodations and Accessibility Services

NOVA is committed to ensuring all students have an opportunity to pursue a college education regardless of the presence or absence of a disability. No academically qualified student with a disability will be denied access to or participation in the services, programs, and activities of the College. Your access to and inclusion in this course is important to NOVA and me. Please request your accommodation letter (Memorandum of Accommodations) early in the semester or as soon as you become registered so that we have adequate time to arrange your approved academic accommodations. Returning students must renew their Memorandum of Accommodations (MOA) every semester; these students should submit the request 24 hours or later after enrolling in at least one class. Allow up to 7 business days for the request to be approved.

Accommodations are provided for in-person, online, and remote/synchronous (Zoom) learning. To get started, review NOVA’s Accommodation and Accessibility Services website. Following a meeting with a counselor, you will be issued a Memorandum of Accommodation (MOA). You must provide your MOA to your professors, testing proctor, and/or tutoring center in order to receive your accommodations. You may provide your MOA any time during the semester; however, accommodations are not retroactive. You may email your MOA or provide me with a printed copy. I will send you an email to acknowledge receipt. If I have any questions or if there is anything about your accommodations you wish to explain, we will schedule a meeting outside of class for that purpose. Please remind me of any special arrangements that must be made in advance of tests and assessments. If you need a sign language interpreter, or if you need live captions for your Zoom class, send an email to interpreters@nvcc.edu.

Buy Books with Excess Financial Aid

If your anticipated financial aid is more than what you owe for the semester, you may use your excess aid to purchase books, supplies, or even a laptop through the NOVA Bookstore. Book purchases must occur during the provided disbursement dates every semester. Note that this excess financial aid can only be used to purchase course books (physical and digital) and supplies at the NOVA Bookstore, not from other vendors. Two disbursement periods are available during the fall and spring semesters. Any holds on a student's account regarding a debt to the College must be resolved prior to using financial aid at the bookstore.

Career Services

The College is committed to providing career services to all students as part of the comprehensive educational journey. Career Services assists students with exploring, developing and setting goals related to each student’s unique educational and academic needs. These services include career assessments, occupational information, goal setting, planning and employment resources. You can request an appointment with a career counselor.

Closing Information

NOVA announces campus and college closings on the NOVA homepage. You can also receive notification by cell phone or email if you register for NOVA Alert . Also review NOVA’s guidance on emergency closings, delayed openings, and continuation of instruction.

If a course is canceled due to a weather event or other unforeseen situation, check the course Canvas site or NOVA email as soon as possible for instructions and assignments to avoid falling behind in coursework. You are expected to be up to date with all assignments the next time the class meets.

Communication

Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) faculty, staff, and administrators communicate with students through their official NVCC email accounts ( ______@nvcc.edu). Students are likewise required to use their VCCS email accounts (__________@email.vccs.edu) to communicate with instructors and other college personnel. Students should check their email accounts regularly.

Course Drop/Withdrawal Policy

Please note these important deadlines related to your enrollment in a course:

Students may drop courses through NOVAConnect until the last day to drop with a tuition refund (census date). Students who drop a class during this period will receive a full refund.
Requests to change your grade status to audit must also be completed before the last day to drop with a tuition refund (census date).
Students who do not attend at least one class meeting or participate in an online learning class by the last day to drop with a tuition refund (census date) may be administratively withdrawn from the class. This means that there will be no record of the class or any letter grade on the student’s transcript. The student’s tuition will not be refunded.
The Last Day to Withdraw is the last day to withdraw from classes without a grade penalty. Students will receive a grade of W. Students may withdraw from a course through NOVAConnect. The student’s tuition will not be refunded. Withdrawing from a course after the census date and before the withdrawal date will result in a “W” grade appearing on your transcript.

To identify these important dates for your courses, please visit the College Academic Calendar and scroll down to the specific session for your course. Please note that any drops or withdrawals from a course may impact financial aid, International Student status, or military benefits. Students with questions should check with the appropriate offices.

COVID-19 Updates

COVID-19 information and updates can be found on the Stay Safe with Ace webpage.

Financial Stability and Advocacy Centers

The Financial Stability and Advocacy Centers provide assistance to students who are experiencing financial hardships that might prevent the students’ academic success. The personnel at the Financial Stability and Advocacy Centers work with students to identify college or community services available. For more information, please visit the Financial Stability and Advocacy Centers webpage, or contact the office by calling 703.323.3450 or emailing financialstability@nvcc.edu.

FREE Tutoring

NOVA’s Tutoring Centers offer free in-person and virtual tutoring to all NOVA Nighthawks. Students can drop by any one of campus Tutoring Centers for walk-in services, or set up an appointment for tutoring. To request an appointment for one-on-one tutoring, either in-person or via Zoom, log in to myNOVA to select EAB Navigate. For more information and for Tutoring Center locations, visit www.nvcc.edu/tutoring. In addition, Tutor.com is an online tutoring service that Northern Virginia Community College offers that is free to all students. Tutor.com provides tutoring in a variety of subjects, many of which are available 24/7. To access Tutor.com, click on the Tutor.com: 24/7 Online Tutoring link located in your course on the navigation menu.

Office of Wellness and Mental Health

During your time at NOVA, you may experience challenges including struggles with academics, finances, or your personal well-being. NOVA has support resources available. Please contact the Office of Wellness and Mental Health if you are seeking resources and support, or if you are worried about a friend or classmate.

Prerequisite Verification Statement

As noted in the Course Prerequisites Policy, some courses have prerequisite or corequisite requirements that are established to foster a student’s success in the course. Students may not enroll in a course for which they do not meet the prerequisites by the time the course begins or for which they do not simultaneously enroll in any corequisite. Students may be administratively dropped from any course for which they have not met the prerequisite. If a course has a prerequisite, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure completion of this pre-requisite course first. Any student needing assistance in determining prerequisite or corequisite requirements can reach out to their faculty member or Campus Academic Division office for support.

Remote Student Support Services

If you need academic assistance or need college services but cannot make it to campus, please review NOVA’s Remote Student Support Services to receive virtual assistance. Services provided include enrollment services, advising, tutoring, and financial aid assistance.

TITLE IX

Title IX is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs, activities, admission, and employment. Complaints of sex-based discrimination, sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and sexual or gender-based harassment are governed by the Title IX Policy. For more information or to make a report, visit the Office of Title IX.