Catalog Description: Surveys the history of Europe from the Enlightenment to the present. This course satisfies the university general education requirement in Western civilization.

Thematic Overview: This is a course of lectures, readings, handouts, and web assignments that constitute an introduction to the history of Western Civilization from 1715 to the present, with emphasis on selected contemporary issues, and which, more importantly, also constitute an active and collaborative attempt to extend, preserve, and transmit the intellectual and cultural heritage of western civilization. One of my fundamental premises going into this course is that  western civilization is good (despite frequent lapses into evil), and therefore is worthy of being preserved, transmitted, and extended. Reading assignments, examinations and discussions are designed to explore the following themes: revolution and counter-revolution; freedom and constraint; the use and abuse of various forms of power; materialism and modernism; nationalism and world order; technology and value priorities; political correctness, thought crimes and ideological cleansing; terrorism; desacralization of religion and the deification of the state and its symbols; and the culture of death.

Prerequisites: None, although students who have weak reading and writing skills should delay taking this course until they have successfully completed the appropriate foundation courses in rhetoric.

Objectives: Students will develop skills of critical inquiry into historical events in Western Civilization and investigate the development of Western thought. Students will become familiar with assessing historical evidence in terms of its scope, reliability, analytic content, sense of causation, concept of progress, and its teleology. Special attention will be given to the various ideologies of revolution in the modern world, as well as the "will to power," but we shall not neglect the more traditional analyses of political, social, economic, artistic, intellectual, and military developments.

Grades: Grades will be based on an unannounced quiz, one mid-term exam, another unannounced quiz, and a comprehensive final exam (in that order), as well as participation. The quizzes are worth up to 10 points each, the Midterm up to 125 pts, the final up to 125 points, and participation is worth up to plus or minus 30 points. Total points available: 300.
 

Attendance and Participation: Whether or not you choose to attend class is your business, but if you miss class I will not take you as seriously as I do students who actually bother to show up. Additionally, your grades will suffer as a consequence of absences, not only because you will certainly perform less well on quizzes and exams, but also because attendance, attentiveness, and preparation mitigate towards the participation component of this course. If you miss more than one class I will not consider seriously any complaint that you may have about grades. If you miss more than two classes you may wish to withdraw from the course simply as a matter of self-preservation. Emergencies do occur, and I will understand, but students are expected to attend lectures and take notes. Reading assignments should be completed before the lecture, and students should be prepared to answer questions concerning the reading assignments in class.

Classroom Behavior: Classroom civility and restraint are crucial to a beneficial learning environment. Your conduct should contribute to a respectful, engaged, and productive classroom culture. All class members are responsible for maintaining and protecting an ethic of civility and restraint. Accordingly, the following guidelines for appropriate conduct have been established. Turn off or mute cell phones or pagers; it is an act of profound rudeness to interrupt class for personal or business phone calls. Refrain from side conversations and interpersonal remarks during class time, and restrain from all boisterous behavior whenever you are in the classroom. As per posted Oakland University rules for SFH, no eating is allowed in the classrooms. Casual comings and goings are not acceptable. If you have a legitimate reason to leave class early, inform your professor in advance. If circumstances beyond your control force you to be late for class or to leave class early, be discrete and do not disturb the other students or the instructor. We are very empathetic to your problems, but you should not allow your problems to disrupt the educational process. 

Plagiarism: Appropriating the work of others and passing it off as your own work is plagiarism, an act that is both immoral and illegal. Examples of plagiarism would include memorizing passages of the textbook and reproducing those passages on an exam or quiz, quoting or paraphrasing another person’s words or ideas without acknowledging the source, and turning in as your own any work that you have purchased, downloaded, or otherwise “borrowed.” Plagiarism can result in your receiving a failing grade for an assignment, a grade of 0.0 for the entire course, academic suspension, or even expulsion from this institution. Aside from the legal implications of plagiarism, a student who plagiarizes the work of others also steals from himself, effectively denying himself freedom of thought and expression, and willfully limiting himself to the mindless repetition of thoughts that are not his own. As Edward White has written: “Plagiarism is outrageous, because it undermines the whole purpose of education itself: Instead of becoming more of an individual thinker, the plagiarist denies the self and the possibility of learning. Someone who will not, or cannot, distinguish his or her ideas from those of others offends the most basic principles of learning.” Students who are unaware of what constitutes plagiarism are encouraged to consult with me before any assignments are due. I will help. Additionally, cheating on examinations or quizzes, plagiarism, and falsifying reports or records, are considered serious breaches of academic conduct. The Oakland University policy on academic conduct will be strictly followed with no exceptions. For further information concerning the seriousness with which Oakland University treats cheating and plagiarism, here is a link to Oakland University's Academic Conduct Regulations.

Exams and Grading: Exams will consist of two or more formal essay questions and several short-answer identification questions. Bring one or more signed blank “blue books” to class the week prior to the exam, depending on how many you think you will need to write your essays. These blue books will be collected in class the week prior to the exam, logged for credit, and then passed back to you on the day of the exam. Exam questions will draw on material from the readings and the lectures, as well as any handouts and web assignments. Thus, both attendance and attentiveness are important. Your exams and quizzes should not be mere recitations of spoon-fed information, but should demonstrate to me that you have developed an understanding of the course material and have synthesized informed opinions about the history of western civilization. These intellectual accomplishments, which constitute the writing component of this course, will be presented on the exams in written English that is clear and cogent and which conforms to accepted university level writing standards. This aspect of the course is intended to facilitate critical thinking, and its expression in written argument, about the history of western civilization. Three points extra credit for each exam written in blue or black ink.

Make-up Examinations for the mid-term will not be given automatically. In order even to be considered for a make-up exam a student must offer advance notice, with sufficient reason (such as illness or military service). Being out of town or having schedule conflicts are not sufficient reasons. Make-up examinations will not necessarily consist of the same questions the rest of the class writes on, and they will occur at the end of the semester. No make-up examination is available for the Final, nor for the unannounced quizzes. No early exams.

Mid Semester Evaluations: Starting fall semester 2003 faculty teaching 100- and 200-level courses are to enter a U (Unsatisfactory) in the on-line Banner system for students who are not making satisfactory progress in their course(s) by the seventh week of the semester for fall or winter. Faculty are then to notify all students enrolled in 100- and 200-level courses that these Mid Semester Evaluations (MSEs) are available through the Banner system on-line. Note that it is not necessary to enter any grades for students who are making satisfactory progress. Students are to be told, that if no evaluation shows for their name, it indicates that they are making satisfactory progress. However, please inform the students that they must continue to make satisfactory progress throughout the semester to ensure a passing grade. The use of MSEs is intended to alert students to potential problems and to give them an opportunity to take steps to improve their performance.

General Education:  Learning Outcomes: This course satisfies the university general education requirement in the Knowledge Explorations area of Western Civilization.  The students will demonstrate: 1) knowledge of historical events and/or philosophical ideas of European culture and 2) knowledge of how western ideas or institutions have evolved over time. Cross-cutting Capacities: 1) Students will become familiar with and evaluate various sources of historical information, including some sources that are of problematic reliability or uncertain utility; their evaluations will be summarized in essay examinations and in unannounced short answer essay quizzes; in this way they will strengthen their critical thinking skills. 2) The material presented in this course will provide the student with a better understanding of the complex political, economic, intellectual, religious, and social forces which contributed to the development of Western civilization; this will provide them with a mechanism for developing social awareness. 3) The writing component of the course will improve their ability to communicate effectively. 4) Students will be encouraged to use intellectual skepticism in approaching historical accounts, and will gain some basic experience in library and internet resources, which will facilitate development of information literacy.

TEXTBOOKS

Required:
        Sullivan, Sherman, and Harrison. A Short History of Western Civilization, 8th ed., Vol Two.
        Paul Johnson, Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties.
        Howard Bloch, God's Plagiarist
        C. S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength: A Modern Fairy Tale.

Recommended (in the bookstore for your convenience)
       Rand McNally Historical Atlas of the World

Unofficially Recommended (at most bookstores - get the thumb-indexed editions)
        Mirriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary
        Roget's International Thesaurus
        Emily Post on Etiquette

Lecture Topics & Reading Assignments: The following schedule indicates class dates, exam dates, specific topical material to be covered, and reading assignments. I reserve the right to make minor adjustments or corrections to this schedule, which will be announced in class and/or posted on this web page.

1. Tuesday, January 08, Sullivan, chs 32-34
        Introduction to the course
        Royal Absolutism in Western and Eastern Europe
        European Warfare and global empires in the 18th century

2. Tuesday, January 15, Sullivan, chs 35-36
        The Enlightenment
        Elitism, Secularism, Occultism, and the Anti-Religious nature of Enlightenment thought
        Enlightenment Thought and the Emergence of Classical Liberalism

3. Tuesday, January 22, Sullivan, chs 37, 38, 39, 42; web-based handout: Intellectuals on Terror and Terrorism
        Liberal Revolutions: United States
        Liberal Revolutions: France
        Peace Initiatives: Collective Security

4. Tuesday, January 29,  Sullivan, chs 40, 41, 45; begin Bloch
        The Industrial Revolutions I: Textile Phase
        The Industrial Revolutions II: Coal, Iron & Steel Phase
        The Industrial Revolutions III: Chemical & Electrical Phase
        Early Socialism: Utopians and Transcendentalists

5. Tuesday,  February 05, Sullivan, chs 43, 44; complete Bloch; web-based handout: "Ye Shall Be As Gods"
        Early Nationalism and the Revolutions of 1848
        New Ideologies: Hegel and Statism
        New Ideologies: Marx and Marxisms
        New Ideologies: Darwin and Darwinisms

6. Tuesday, February 12, Sullivan, chs 47, 48, 49; begin Lewis
        New Certainties: Nationalism, Modernism and Secularism
        The Emergence of Germany and Italy as Predatory Nation States
        The Emergence of the United States as a Predatory Nation State

7. Tuesday, February 19, Sullivan; chs 46, 50 - 51; complete Lewis [Midterm Blue Books Due]
        Renewed Certainties: Western Religious Responses to the Post-Enlightenment World
        Extinguished Certainties: Traditional Religious Responses to the Post-Enlightenment World
        European Hegemony and the Outbreak of the First World War

Winter Recess, February 23 - March 02        

8. Tuesday, March 04, Mid-Term Exam

9. Tuesday, March 11,  Sullivan, ch. 52: Johnson, chs. 1-4.
        A Relativistic World
        The First Despotic Utopias
        Waiting for Hitler
        Legitimacy in Decadence

10. Tuesday, March 18, Sullivan, chs. 53, 54; Johnson, chs. 5-8; web-based handout: Quotations from Fascist Leaders
        An Infernal Theocracy; a Celestial Chaos
        The Last Arcadia
        Degringolade
        The Devils

11. Tuesday, March 25, Sullivan, ch 55; Johnson, chs. 9-12.
        The High Noon of Aggression
        The End of Old Europe
        The Watershed Year
        Superpower and Genocide

12. Tuesday, April 01, Sullivan, chs. 56, Johnson, chs. 13-16.
        Peace by Terror
        The Bandung Generation
        Caliban's Kingdoms
        Experimenting with Half Mankind

13. Tuesday, April 08, Sullivan, ch.  57; Johnson, chs.  17, 18.
        The European Lazarus
        America's Suicide Attempt
        The Collectivist Seventies

Final Exam: Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 7:00-10:00pm