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Online
Course Syllabus:
World History from
1500
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VICTOR
VALLEY COLLEGE
Spring 2012
WORLD HISTORY 104
Section 39780
Instructor: Dr. Eric Mayer,
Office No. 32-26
College Email:
Eric.Mayer@vvc.edu
EMAIL: history104@gmail.com
Website: www.emayzine.com
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All lecture
notes, online quizzes and course
resources and can be downloaded
for free from the site. Please do
not bring lecture notes to
class…they are for home study and
Online Student use only.
Prerequisite: None—But there is an
intensive amount of analytical
writing in this course as well as
critical thinking. However, it is
assumed that most of you do not
have college level or academic
writing skills and there will be
online help available.
*Note:
Syllabus subject to possible
revision
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Requirements: Students must stay
up with all assignments and must
check email daily. The key for doing
well in this course and
understanding the history that we
cover is that you be informed as to
what is happening about you. History
is not "dead",
it is constantly affecting your
reality, and if it is dead, then we
all are affected by the ghosts of
the past. History is the analysis
and understanding of processes that
have created our present reality
The hours/week arranged listed for
online classes must be fulfilled
through an arrangement established
between the instructor and the
student. They do not represent an
increase in the total number of
hours for an online course.
Hours/week arranged do not have to
be fulfilled by in-person class
attendance.….….
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Course
Description:
Survey of world history since 1500,
stressing the interdependency of
regional histories and socioeconomic
development. Of primary importance is understanding
the history of the "Modern World
System" as it developed from 1500 to
1993. Special attention is devoted
to the historical changes and
problems of economic development on
a global scale. Social history is
also stressed, particularly how
economic development (or lack
thereof) affected and affects
society, culture, the status of
diverse peoples, and the
distribution of wealth and resources
at the global level.
Beginning with the conquest and
exploitation of the "New World" and
its inhabitants, the course will
focus for the first three weeks on
the rise of a global trading system.
In the first two weeks, the course
will attempt to explain how a bunch
of bearded, violent "barbarians"
conquered the great civilizations of
the world and changed the course of
almost 5,000 years of history.
The second three weeks of the course
will examine how these handful of
northern European countries were
successful in grafting their mode of
production onto the rest of the
world and the dislocating impact
this had on the European and
non-European world.
The last three weeks of the course
will focus on the struggle, and at
times inability of the "modern"
countries to control the rest of the
world. In this light, struggle and
resistance in the Third World will
be examined, as well as the relative
decline of the US and the ascendancy
of European Community and especially
the Pacific Rim.
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Instructional
Objectives:
Upon completion of the course the
student should be able to:
1. Formulate their own models of
historical causality and explanation.
2. Critically read and analyze
historical texts. Write analytical and
synthetic essays and develop critical
thinking skills in explaining not only
the "development of underdevelopment",
but also how this does or does not
explain the development of the
industrialized nations.
Student
Learning Outcomes;
Upon completion of the course the
student can:
SLO #1 Analyze European mercantile and
colonial expansion in the period
1500-1800 and evaluate its impacts on
Asian, African and American indigenous
people, societies and states. 1. Explain
the reasons for European expansion,
militarism and colonialism in the
non-European world. 2. Analyze and
assess the effect that European
expansion had on Asian, African and
American indigenous people, societies
and states. 3. Examine the development
of a globalized 1. B. 16. trading system
and its affect on Asian, African and
American indigenous people, societies
and states.
SLO #2 Evaluate the historical
relationship between, political
modernization, industrialism,
imperialism and underdevelopment in the
period 1700-1914 1. Explain the causal
relationship between commodity trade,
merchant activity, political
modernization and industrialism. 2.
Assess the reasons for lack of
modernization, industrialism and
underdevelopment in Asian, African,
Latin American and Middle Eastern
societies and states 3. Examine and
evaluate the justifications for European
imperialism and the responses of Asian,
African, Latin American and Middle
Eastern societies and states
SLO #3 Assess the history of the 20th
century in terms of the struggle for
independence and national
self-determination Asian, African, Latin
American and Middle Eastern societies
and states. 1. Analyze the causal
relationship between world wars and
anti-colonial struggle in Asian,
African, Latin American and Middle
Eastern societies and states. 2. Explain
post-WWII economic development in both
the modern industrial nations,
late-industrializing states and
underdeveloped nations. 3. Evaluate the
reasons for wars of national
liberation/self-determination and the
historical responses of modern
industrial nations to these conflicts.
(A) Course Objectives (The student can
then:) 1. Formulate models of historical
causality and explanation. 2. Critically
read and analyze historical texts. 3.
Write analytical and synthetic essays
and develop critical thinking skills in
explaining not only the "development of
underdevelopment", but also how this
does or does not explain the development
of the industrialized nations
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Required Texts:
(1) World Civilizations vol 2, by
Craig et al
(2) The Age of Extremes, by Hobsbawm
(3) Movie Even the Rain (English
subtitles) Available on Amazon
Instant Video, Amazon.com
Finally…there are lecture notes and
links on the site that proceed in
order. And you will click to them when
you get to the course readings. The
audio lectures no longer function
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Attendance: Students must
check their email regularly/daily.
It is the students’ responsibility to
make sure that they have been
dropped, reinstated, or are
currently enrolled in the course. I
will not do any grade changes that
are related to attendance or
registration issues. IT IS YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE YOU
HAVE BEEN DROPPED. DO NOT ASSUME
THAT I WILL DROP YOU AS A MATTER
OF COURSE DUE TO YOUR LACK OF
ATTENDANCE. I DO NOT DROP STUDENTS
AND I DO NOT GIVE INCOMPLETES. I
DO ACCEPT LATE WORK BUT THE
HIGHEST GRADE LATE WORK MAY
RECEIVE IS A "C". I DO NOT ACCEPT
LATE WORK AFTER THE LAST DAY OF
CLASS.
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Grading: The grade break down
is as follows: Essay Exam 1 = 25% of
final grade; Book Analysis = 25% of
final grade; Essay Exam 2 = 25% of
final grade; Final Essay Exam = 25%
of final grade.
In order to pass the course
all outstanding assignments or essay
exams must be must be received via
email by the day of the final essay
examination. Finally the course is
progressively graded in that grades
can only help you. GRADE SCALE:
90%-100% A; 80% -89% B; 70% -79% C;
60% -69% D; 0% -59% F. I do not
round up grades. Late work is
accepted, but the highest grade
possible for late work is a C.
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Course Mechanics: The course is
internet driven. Therefore it is
essential to surf the net regularly
and check your email. My ultimate
goal in the course besides teaching
world history is to create students
who will be able to argue logically,
and back up their assertions with
evidence. An objective of this
course is to teach students the
analytical, reading and writing
skills that they need to educate
themselves. While the course is
"text" driven I will suggest films
and movies,
that students can analyze.
This course will not be a passive
learning experience; it will be
highly interactive in terms of how
you explain historical causality and
outcome.
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