Eric Nelson, Assistant Professor of History
Strong Hall, rm. 416
office ph. (417) 836-6437; fax. (417) 836-5523
email ericnelson@missouristate.edu

Spring 2009 undergraduate syllabuses (Please see Blackboard for further class materials.)

HST 103-1 History of the World to 1600, MWF, 2 PM

World History 103-1

2:00-2:50 PM, Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Strong Hall 400

Professor Eric Nelson

Office: 416 Strong Hall

Telephone: 417-836-6437

E-mail: EricNelson@MissouriState.edu

Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, 3:00-5:00 PM; Friday 3:00-4:00 PM or by appointment.

Course Description

This course surveys human history from the emergence of our species to 1600 CE. It consciously seeks to engage with the ‘big picture’ by seeking to examine first civilizations and classical civilizations collectively rather than one after the other. To do so it draws heavily on in-depth examples and sustained comparison to explore long-term trends in world history. The course also seeks to help students better understand how historians ‘know’ through class sessions which focus on primary sources and their interpretations. Students cannot receive credit for both HST 101 and HST 103.

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes

HST 103 is a freshman course which partially satisfies requirements of the General Education Program, especially those relating to the understanding of culture and society.

GOALS: Students will gain an understanding of:

How complex societies developed independently across the globe establishing cultural regions that are still discernable today.
How social categories such as class, gender and race took shape and then evolved in world history.
How social and cultural traditions and norms define societies.
How encounters between societies drive change through the dissemination of ideas, goods and diseases.
How people have labored in societies over time.
The impact of technology on societies.
How societies have developed different forms of government.
How historians have come to different conclusions about the past.

This course is a part of the pre-service curriculum for social studies teachers and its goals address the following accrediting agency requirements:

M 1.2.1.1; CF 2, 4, 9; SA 1.1, 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 7.2, 7.4, 8.4; N 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9.*
* NOTE: M = MOSTEP; CF = Conceptual Framework; SA = Specialty Area; N = NCSS + the number of the indicator.

OUTCOMES: At the conclusion of this course students will:

Possess a general understanding of the course of world history from the origins of complex societies to the sixteenth century of the common era.
Have developed a historical basis and underpinning for further study in disciplines including anthropology, geography, political science, psychology and sociology, art and literature.
Have refined and developed organizational and expositional skills.
Have developed a fuller understanding of how historians use evidence to draw conclusions.
Have developed a fuller understanding of the limits of historical knowledge.
Have used primary evidence to construct their own arguments.

Required Text

Textbook: Robert Strayer, Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, Vol. 1 to 1500 (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009).

Please note that this book is referred to as ‘Strayer’ in the syllabus below.
Copies of this text are available for purchase at the University Book Store.

Required Blackboard Access

This course is managed through a Blackboard site. The site can be accessed through http://blackboard.missouristate.edu/ where, if you do not already have an account you will need to create one. To create an account:

Go to http://blackboard.missouristate.edu/

Click on the COURSES tab.

Click 01. Springfield Campus—Alphabetical Listing by Course Code.

Click the H

Choose HST 103-1. Your course instructor is Eric Nelson

Click [Enroll]

A copy of the course syllabus, all reserve readings, my PowerPoint presentations, my lecture outlines, your up-to-date grade amongst other materials are all available through Blackboard. I will also expect you to submit your Journal entries through the Blackboard site by the dates detailed below. If you have any questions concerning enrollment or use of the site please contact me or the help staff at any of the computer labs.

Reserve Readings

In an effort to limit the number of required texts for this class to one, I have both placed on reserve at the Meyer Library and posted on the Blackboard site for this class a set of further readings. These readings are primary sources that will both provide the basis for class discussion and the reflective journal writing exercise. The readings are listed under the name or title in bold in the syllabus below.

For your convenience, I have placed these reserve readings in three places:

1. A paper copy of each reading is located at the Meyer Library’s reserve desk. They are held on a two-hour reserve.

2. Alternatively, you can access these documents on the library’s electronic reserve site. A link can be found on the Meyer Library’s main page or at http://library.missouristate.edu/reserves/index.htm. To access these electronic reserves use the password RESERVES in all capital letters. Each reading is listed under the name or title in bold in the syllabus below.

3. Finally, I have also posted these readings on Blackboard. To access them, click on the Reserve Readings link button. Each reading is listed under the name or title in bold in the syllabus below and again the password to open these files is RESERVES in all capital letters.

If you choose to access these documents electronically, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program can be downloaded for free at http://adobe.reader-download.org/. Adobe Reader will allow you to view the files which are in .pdf format.

ON-LINE TDNET Readings

I have also included two readings from the National Geographic that can be accessed on line. If you have trouble with these links these readings can also be accessed at the library which subscribes to this journal in both paper and electronic formats. To access these readings electronically go to http://library.missouristate.edu/ On this site under the heading ‘Find’ is a link called ‘Journal & Magazine Titles (TDNET)’. Click on this link and then search under National Geographic. The site will automatically direct you to a full-text electronic database from which articles can be downloaded either as .pdf or .html files. These can either be printed or read on screen. However, it is preferable to read these articles in their paper form as only the paper format includes pictures.

Syllabus

First Things First: Beginnings in History

12 January Introduction

14 January What is World History?

Reading: Strayer, pp. xxxv-xliii.

16 January Doing History: Origins in Creation Myths and Cosmic History

Reading: Strayer, pp. 3-7, Reserve Reading Creation Myths

Discussion Question: In what ways can these creation myths

be considered histories? Do they share any features in common?

Are there any discernable patterns or features that these myths

share?

19 January No Meeting: Martin Luther King Junior Holiday

21 January First Peoples: Populating the Planet

Reading: Strayer, pp 11-33

Discussion Question: In what ways, and why, did Chumash culture

differ from that of the San?

23 January FIRST TEST and

Excursus: Interpreting Ice-Age Rock Art

Reading: Please explore the following web-site before class

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/chauvet/en/index.html

26 January First Farmers: The Revolutions of Agriculture

Reading: Strayer, pp. 35-53

Discussion Question: Would you prefer to live in a Neolithic or

Paleolithic society? Why?

28 January Doing History Before Writing: Archeology and Anthropology

Reading: EITHER Peter Gwin, ‘Uncovering a mysterious Stone

Age graveyard’, National Geographic. Volume 214

(September 2008), pages 126-143. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/green-sahara/gwin-text OR Roff Smith, ‘Pioneers of the Pacific’, National Geographic. (March 2008) http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/people-pacific/smith-text (Please note that if you have trouble opening these links, these articles can also be read at the library or electronically through the TD NET, see instructions on Page 3 of this syllabus.)

Discussion Question: Based on this reading, what types of

questions are archeologists best equipped to answer? What

sorts of questions do archeologists have trouble answering?

Can you think of a discovery that an archeologist might

make that would transform our understanding of this topic?

30 January First Civilizations: Cities, States and Unequal Societies

Reading: Strayer, pp. 55-84.

Discussion Question: What makes a first civilization different from

an advanced Neolithic chiefdom?

2 February Doing History: Unequal Societies

Reserve Reading: Hammurabi’s Law Code

DUE FIRST JOURNAL ENTRY SUBMITTED ON

BLACKBOARD BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS (see Reflective Journal Assignment below)

4 February FIRST EXAM

The Classical Era in World History

6 February Eurasian Empires: The Near East and Mediterranean

Reading: Strayer, pp. 87-93 and 97-104

Discussion Question: What makes a classical empire different from

states formed by first civilizations?

9 February Eurasian Empires: The Near East and Mediterranean II

Excursus: Alexander the Great

Reading: Strayer, pp. 104-112

DUE FIRST JOURNAL ENTRY REFLECTION

11 February Eurasian Empires: China and India

Reading: Strayer, pp. 112-122

Discussion Question: Are the similarities or differences between

the Roman and Chinese empires more striking to you?

13 February Eurasian Cultural Traditions: China

Reading: Strayer, pp. 125-133

Discussion Question: What reason(s) does Strayer offer as to why
so many important belief systems developed at about the same time during the Classical period?

16 February No Meeting: President’s Day Holiday

18 February Eurasian Cultural Traditions: India and the Near East

Reading: Strayer, pp. 133-134, 137-141.

Discussion Question: What are the differences that separate the

Indian concept of Brahman from Near Eastern

conceptions of a Monotheistic God?

20 February Eurasian Cultural Traditions: Greek Rationalism

Reading: Strayer, pp. 141-144.

Discussion Question: What are the key distinctive features of the

Greek intellectual tradition?

23 February Eurasian Cultural Traditions: Buddhism and Christianity

Reading: Strayer, pp. 135-137, 145-151.

Discussion Question: In what ways did the Buddhist and Christian

faiths evolve after the death of their founders?

25 February SECOND TEST

27 February Eurasian Social Hierarchies
Reading: Strayer, pp. 155-170.

Discussion Question: What set of ideas underlies India’s caste-

based society?

2 March Doing History: Patriarchy in World History

Reading: Strayer, pp. 170-178, Reserve Reading Women in

Ancient Civilizations .

DUE SECOND JOURNAL ENTRY SUBMITTED ON

BLACKBOARD BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS (see

Reflective Journal Assignment below)

4 March Classical Era Variations

Reading: Strayer, pp. 181-192.

Discussion Question: How does the experience of the Niger Valley

challenge conventional notions of ‘civilization’?

6 March Classical Era Variations

Reading: Strayer, pp. 192-205.

Discussion Question: With what Eurasian civilizations might the

Maya best be compared?

9 March EXAM TWO

DUE SECOND JOURNAL ENTRY REFLECTION

An Age of Accelerating Connections, 500-1500 CE

11 March Guns Germs and Steel

13 March Guns Germs and Steel

16 March Guns Germs and Steel

18 March Doing History: Guns Germs and Steel Discussion

Reading: Strayer, pp. 209-213

Discussion Question: What do you think of Diamond’s thesis in

Guns, Germs, and Steel?

20 March Silk Roads, Sea Roads, Sand Roads

Reading: Strayer, pp. 217-235.

Discussion Question: In what ways did commercial exchange

foster other changes?

23 March NO MEETING SPRING BREAK

25 March NO MEETING SPRING BREAK

27 March NO MEETING SPRING BREAK

30 March Doing History: When Archeology Misleads

Reading: Strayer, pp. 235-239, Reserve Reading The Silk Roads

DUE THIRD JOURNAL ENTRY SUBMITTED ON

BLACKBOARD BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS (see

Reflective Journal Assignment below)

1 April China

Reading: Strayer, pp. 241-247, 259-266

Discussion Question: In what ways did Tang and Song Dynasty

China resemble the Classical Han Dynasty period, and in

what ways had China changed?

DUE THIRD JOURNAL ENTRY REFLECTION

3 April China: The Middle Kingdom

Reading: Strayer, pp. 247-259

Discussion Question: What assumptions underlay the tribute

system?

6 April TEST THREE

8 April The Worlds of European Christendom

Reading: Strayer, pp. 269-278.

Discussion Question: How did Eastern Orthodox Christianity

differ from Roman Catholicism?

10 April No Meeting Spring Holiday

13 April The Worlds of European Christendom

Reading: Strayer, pp. 278-297

Discussion Question: What was the impact of the Crusades on

world history?

15 April Emergence of Islam

Reading: Strayer, pp. 301-308.

Discussion Question: How do Muslims understand the relationship

between Muhammad and earlier Jewish and Christian

figures?

FOURTH JOURNAL ENTRY EXTRA CREDIT

OPPORTUNITY DUE

17 April The Worlds of Islam: The Arab Empire

Reading: Strayer, pp. 308-316.

Discussion Question: What is the difference between Sunni and

Shia Islam?

20 April The Worlds of Islam: Beyond the Empire

Reading: Strayer, pp. 316-329.

22 April TEST FOUR

24 April Mongols

Reading: Strayer, pp. 333-357

Discussion Question: Prior to the rise of the Mongols, in what

ways had pastoral peoples been significant in world

history?

27 April Doing History: Natural Disasters in World History

Reading: Strayer, pp. 357-360.

29 April War and World History

1 May Worlds of the Fifteenth Century

Reading: Strayer, pp. 363-389.

Discussion Question: How do Aztec and Inca empires match up

to Eurasian empires in terms of sophistication?

4 May Looking Forward: Five Hundred Years in Fifty Minutes

Reading: Strayer, pp. 390-393

6 May Review

13 May EXAM THREE, 1:15-3:15 PM, Same Room

Assessment

Course Assessment Breakdown

Your course grade will be calculated as follows:

3 Journal entries: 100 points each Grading Scale

4 Tests: 200 points each 90-100% A

3 Exams: 300 points each 80-89.9% B

70-79.9% C

Possible Extra- 60-69.9% D

Credit 250 points 0-59.9% F

Class Attendance

Attendance is mandatory and required at all class meetings. Attendance will be taken each class. Missing more than three classes without consultation with the instructor will lead to the loss of up to 50 points per absence. Students who miss more than 5 classes without consultation with the instructor cannot expect to pass the class.

Reflective Journal Assignment

A key component of this course is classroom discussion based on historical documents. To facilitate classroom discussion, you are required to keep a reflective journal that will account for 300 points of your final grade.

Step One

On three occasions detailed below you will be required to write a two page response to a document or documents that we will discuss in class. You will submit your response electronically on Blackboard before the beginning of that class period. To do so enter this course’s Blackboard site and click on the Assignments button; then click on the folder entitled First Response to Journal Question. Each journal assignment has a separate link within this folder entitled Entry (One, Two and Three) First Response. These links allow you to attach and submit your entry electronically.

Step Two

After class discussion, you are required to add a paragraph or two to your journal entry summarizing how the discussion either confirmed or changed your initial ideas. The original journal entry along with the reflection must be submitted on Blackboard within one week of class- see due dates in the syllabus. To do so enter this course’s Blackboard site and click on the Assignments button; then click on the folder entitled Reflections after Class Discussion. Each journal assignment has a separate link within this folder entitled Reflection (One, Two and Three). These links allow you to submit your entry electronically.

Grading

Your grade on the Reflective Journal has less to do with ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ answers and more to do with the thoughtfulness of your responses. I will take into account two things:

That your initial response was thoughtful, even if you later change your mind.
That your reflection on your journal entry after the discussion engages with both your response and the classroom discussion.

Grading Rubric

I will use the following rubric to grade your response

Both the initial journal entry and journal entry with reflection submitted on time- 20 points
That the initial journal entry directly answered the question posed- 30 points
That the initial journal entry used specific evidence drawn from the readings to support your point of view- 20 points
The quality of the self-reflection made after class discussion- 30 points

The three required Journal Entries are:

First Entry

Due 2 February Doing History- Unequal Societies

Reserve Reading: Hammurabi’s Law code

Scholars of the ancient world rely on relatively few written and archeological sources to draw their conclusions about the social structures of ancient societies. Moreover, modern scholars often want to ask questions about the structure of ancient civilizations that members of those societies found either unremarkable or too unimportant to comment on. Thus, scholars often closely examine the few surviving documents to glean information that the writers of the documents did not originally intend to convey. For this journal entry answer the following: Through careful reading what can a modern historian discover about the social structure of Hammurabi’s Babylon from his Law Code? What status do women have in Babylon? Kings, nobles and priests are best documented in the historical record so pay particular attention to other groups in society.

Second Entry

Due 27 February Doing History: Patriarchy in World History

Reserve Reading: Women in Ancient Civilizations .

Compare and contrast the practice of patriarchy in Greece, China and

India. What, if anything, do women share in every culture represented? Do women in some societies enjoy larger roles in public or private life than in others?

Third Entry

Due 20 March Doing History: When Archeology Misleads

Reserve Reading: The Silk Roads

The broad question to be discussed today concerns how the Silk Roads

worked. Archeological finds, like hordes of Roman coins in eastern China, indicate that trade was extensive over long distances in Eurasia. However, relying strictly on material evidence can be misleading. To what extent were peoples, particularly at the furthest extremes of the Silk Roads, fully aware of the other civilizations in the network? For this journal entry consider what these readings can tell us about what Chinese and European peoples knew about the other peoples along the Silk Roads. What types of information about other cultures do they seem to know the most about? What features of other civilizations do they seem ignorant of or misinterpret? Why do you think that they know more about some subjects than others?

Tests

There will be four tests during the semester on 23 January, 23 February, 3 April and 22 April. They will be made up of a selection of multiple choice and/or fill in the blank questions. Some may also include a short answer question. Each test will focus on two chapters of material covered in the course. They are not cumulative. They will cover only the material studied since the last test or exam. They account for 800 points of your final grade.

Exams

There will be three exams in this course on 4 February, 6 March and 13 May collectively worth 900 points of your final grade. An exam differs from a test in that it is made up of two parts:

One part is comprised of an essay question that addresses a major theme covered since the previous exam. I have carefully designed my essays to provide you with a platform to show what you know, thus essay questions will focus on key big picture themes in the course. You will be required to answer one essay out of a choice of two or three.

The other part is the equivalent of a regular test. It will be comprised of multiple choice/fill in the blank/short answer questions that focus only on material covered since the previous test.

These exams are non-cumulative. Each one will ask questions only on material covered since the previous exam.

Extra Credit Opportunities

Discussion Questions Opportunity

I would also encourage all students to keep short one page responses to all class discussion questions in the syllabus. These questions help you focus on the readings, prepare you for class discussion, and will also help you on tests and exams. If a student by 6 May submits responses for each discussion question in the syllabus, they will be eligible for extra credit of up to 200 points or 10% of the course’s total points. You can also submit answers to some of the discussion questions for partial extra credit.

Fourth Journal Entry Opportunity

For 50 extra credit points you can answer the following journal question, due before class on 15 April. A special link to submit this extra credit is located in the First Response to Journal Question folder in the Assignments link on the class’s Blackboard site.

Doing History: Voices of Islam

Reserve Reading: Voices of Islam

This selection of readings seeks to introduce the nature and variety of Muslim religious traditions. Read these four documents and answer ONE of the following questions. 1) In what different ways do these various "voices of Islam" understand and express the common religious tradition of which they are all a part? What grounds for debate or controversy can you identify within or among them? 2) How might you compare Islamic religious sensibility with that of other traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity? 3) In what ways are women represented in these documents? Pay particular attention to differences in emphasis.

Class Policies

Statement of nondiscrimination:

Missouri State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution, and maintains a grievance procedure available to any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against. At all times, it is your right to address inquiries or concerns about possible discrimination to the Office for Equity and Diversity, Park Central Office Building, 117 Park Central Square, Suite 111, (417) 836-4252. Other types of concerns (i.e., concerns of an academic nature) should be discussed directly with your instructor and can also be brought to the attention of your instructor’s Department Head. Please visit the OED website at www.missouristate.edu/equity/.

Statement on disability accommodation:

To request academic accommodations for a disability, contact the Director of Disability Services, Plaster Student Union, Suite 405, (417) 836-4192 or (417) 836-6792 (TTY), www.missouristate.edu/disability. Students are required to provide documentation of disability to Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations. Disability Services refers some types of accommodation requests to the Learning Diagnostic Clinic, which also provides diagnostic testing for learning and psychological disabilities. For information about testing, contact the Director of the Learning Diagnostic Clinic, (417) 836-4787, http://psychology.missouristate.edu/ldc.

Statement on academic dishonesty:

Missouri State University is a community of scholars committed to developing educated persons who accept the responsibility to practice personal and academic integrity. You are responsible for knowing and following the university’s student honor code, Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures, available at www.missouristate.edu/assets/provost/AcademicIntegrityPolicyRev-1-08.pdf and also available at the Reserves Desk in Meyer Library. Any student participating in any form of academic dishonesty will be subject to sanctions as described in this policy.

Attendance policy:

The University’s attendance policy can be found in the 2008-2009 Undergraduate Catalog at www.missouristate.edu/registrar/attendan.html. As stated in that policy, instructors must provide students with a written statement of the specific attendance policy for that class (see my statement in the assessment section above). The instructor has the responsibility to determine specific attendance policies for each course taught, including the role that attendance plays in the calculation of final grades and the extent to which work missed due to non-attendance can be made up. The University encourages instructors not to make attendance a disproportionately weighted component of the final grade, and also expects instructors to be reasonable in accommodating students whose absence from class resulted from: 1) participation in University-sanctioned activities and programs; 2) personal illness; or 3) family and/or other compelling circumstances.

Dropping a class:

It is your responsibility to understand the University’s procedure for dropping a class. If you stop attending this class but do not follow proper procedure for dropping the class, you will receive a failing grade and will also be financially obligated to pay for the class. For information about dropping a class or withdrawing from the university, contact the Office of the Registrar at 836-5520.

Cell phone policy:

As a member of the learning community, each student has a responsibility to other students who are members of the community. When cell phones or pagers ring and students respond in class or leave class to respond, it disrupts the class. Therefore, the Office of the Provost prohibits the use by students of cell phones, pagers, PDAs, or similar communication devices during scheduled classes. All such devices must be turned off or put in a silent (vibrate) mode and ordinarily should not be taken out during class. Given the fact that these same communication devices are an integral part of the University’s emergency notification system, an exception to this policy would occur when numerous devices activate simultaneously. When this occurs, students may consult their devices to determine if a university emergency exists. If that is not the case, the devices should be immediately returned to silent mode and put away. Other exceptions to this policy may be granted at the discretion of the instructor.

HST 103-2, History of the World to 1600, MWF 1 PM

World History 103-2

1:00-1:50 PM, Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Strong Hall 401