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Introduction
It is to be emphasized from the outset that this course does NOT seek to teach any single vision or perspective of the history of the world. Not only would that be presumptuous (in assuming that there was or should be such a thing), it would be dishonest. It would be denying the reality of many visions and perspectives, and suggesting to you that your understanding should be replaced with mine. My intent, on the contrary, is to help us to see how and why there might be those different visions, to help you understand those different perspectives, and to encourage you to pose the questions, seek the information and debate the results such that you come away with your own sense of what 'world history' actually means.
Our textbook facilitates this approach by focusing on major themes, in particular on technology and the environment broadly defined, which unite people rather than geographical regions or political entities, across space and time. The introductions to each of the 'Parts' are worth reading to gain a sense of the perspective adopted by the authors. The structure of the course also aims to support this kind of questioning and debate, especially the use of some computer mediated conferencing. This strongly encourages you to reflect on what you're reading and engage in discussion with fellow students (and myself) during the week between our meetings. To the extent that class time allows, we will follow up on those discussions in those meetings. And finally, I try and make good use of video materials as integrated parts of the lecture in an attempt to bring other peoples, other places and other times into focus. Or, put another way, to bring them into our reality in such a way that we can begin to grasp something of theirs. This is ultimately the aim of the course.
Lecture notes delivered in class are posted to the web under "Schedule" according to the appropriate week and topic.
Assigned Books: (all are available for purchase at the University Book Store, SUB Basement. Books were used before and may be available secondhand.)
Bulliet, Crossley, Headrick et al. The Earth and its Peoples:
a global history Volume B: 1200-1870 (Second Edition)
[Please note — Vol.B NOT Vol. II; do not purchase the first
edition.]
Web Site:
http://college.hmco.com/history/world/bulliet/earth_peoples/2e/students/
And one of the Following:
Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger. A
novel set in mid-18th C. England involving merchants, ministers (to the body and
soul) and slaves. It has been called "a dark satire against England and the
British Empire'.
Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano.
The story of an 18th C. slave, Olaudah Equiano, who's life story takes him from
Africa to the Caribbean to America to England, and ultimately from slavery to
freedom. The account is his own, written during the last years of his life when
he became an active abolitionist.
[The Broadview, 2002 edition has been ordered; other editions are also
acceptable.]
Assignments:
Mid-Term (due Feb. 24 ) ...................
35%
Tutorials
(WebBoard conferencing)
.....
25%
Final
(scheduled 22 April) ..................40%
1) Mid-Term: this will be a take home assignment drawn from Ch. 17 "The Maritime Revolution" accessible on the Earth and its Peoples web site. You may chose to do Activity 1,2 or 4. In addition to the very specific directions and sources provided in the Activity, you will be expected to draw on the "Maps" and "Images" (links) on the same page and any relevant information provided in Lectures and Tutorials. The total paper should be 8 to 10 pages long. It may include up to two pages of maps, illustrations, graphs – whatever you feel is useful to enriching your answer (they can be downloaded, photocopied, drawn…). And it must append a 1-page evaluation of the internet sites suggested for the Activity that you looked at: the best, the worst and why, including brief descriptions of their composition. This ‘evaluation’ will constitute a final page, somewhat equivalent to an annotated ‘Bibliography’ in a more traditional research essay.
PLEASE NOTE NEW LINKS FOR ACTIVITY 4
Vasco da Gama:
Round Africa to India, 1497-1498 CE
Columbus' letter
to the King and Queen of Spain, 1494
Please remember: The assignment is due in Class on February 24th
and is the equivalent of a Mid Term Examination. Therefore, no late papers will
be accepted.
ADDITIONAL
"Questions & Answers" regarding presentation of project.2) Tutorials:
most
‘tutorial’ or discussion work will take place on a Computer Mediated
Conferencing programme called WebBoard. Many of you will have encountered it (or
something like it) in other courses. NO EXPERIENCE with its use is necessary.
You will be shown what little there is to learn in class/in the lab and the very
simple instructions as to how to use it are also posted on your “WebBoard” page.
Class time will be provided each week (Fridays) to do some of this work and we
have a lab assigned to us. You will be expected to find at least one other
opportunity to sign-on and engage in some discussion. Each week I will provide
questions and readings around which I hope to generate discussion. In short, the
computer-based discussion will feed directly into, and hopefully enhance, the
'in class' Lecture experience.
Overall, I expect you to spend at least two hours per week, one of which is a 'class' hour on Fridays, engaged in the combined activities of reading the Tutorial Texts and participating in WebBoard discussion. You will be evaluated on the quality of your responses — not only the quantity; on the degree to which you actually ‘discuss’ with others — not merely ‘state’ your ideas; and on the degree to which you draw on and engage with the readings/lectures in the course of your discussions — not therefore, only putting forth opinion and conjecture.
See also Webboard Assessment for more information on how you will be evaluated in this important, and hopefully enjoyable, part of the course.
4) Final Exam:
The University has scheduled the Final Examination for 14:00
Tuesday, April 22. It will be a three hour examination, written in 'in class'
(and in this room, V-wing 120). The Final will be very similar to the Mid-Term.
The questions from which the examination will be drawn will be accessible on the
course web-page on April 9 (the last day of classes); hard copies will be
distributed in class . I will select the questions that will appear on the final
examination from the 'advance questions'. There will, however, be no choice on
the final itself (this is to limit the number of questions you actually have to
prepare). One question will relate to the “Additional Readings”: you can chose
which question you wish to answer according to the book you chose to read,
Sacred Hunger or Olaudah Equiano.
Please note the scheduled date for any deferred final
examinations is May 13 (time and place TBA). All deferrals must be approved by
the student's Faculty.
Questions from which the Final Examination will be drawn accessible
here.