R.
Harpelle
Office: RB 3019
343-8691
In a world where the barriers of geography, once the most formidable obstacle to human interaction, have been overcome through high speed communication, the understanding of world history has become more important than ever before. History is the attempt to understand the culture and society of both the distant and the recent past. Historians seek to learn how people, individually and collectively, lived and thought. The study of history tells us something about our origins and who we are. History also helps us to understand other people and other cultures.
This course covers the period from approximately 1400 to the present. It is meant to serve as an introductory survey bringing first-year students into contact with the basic ideas and techniques of the historical discipline. It offers a guided tour of European expansion into what some people call the "Third World." The objective is to provide an understanding of particular societies or eras on their own terms and portray the dynamics of the change and continuity that give history movement and direction.
Texts:
Students are not required to buy a textbook for this course. However, before reading the books used for the review essays and writing the final exam, students will find it useful to refer to a general history for context. A number of such books are available in the Chancellor Norman M. Paterson Library, or on the shelves of people who have taken an introductory world history course during the past thirty years or in sale bins at second hand book stores. In all cases, the details are pretty much the same, but the interpretation will vary and students should be aware that recent textbooks tend to be more inclusive.
Required Texts:
Optional Texts:
Examination and Evaluation:
Course requirements include four writing assignments, The first is worth 10%, the second is worth 15%, the third is worth 20%, and fourth is worth 25% of the final mark. Students will also write a final exam worth 30% of the final mark. The final exam will be based on the four books assigned for the course and on the lectures.
The first assignment is a book review of A History of Capitalism. The second assignment is a review of Columbus: His Enterprise. The third assignment is a comparative review of A History of Capitalism and Cultures in Conflict. The fourth assignment is a comparative review of Inventing Western Civilization, and Columbus: His Enterprise. The books will be discussed in class and students are expected to participate in all of the discussions.
Review essays handed in on time will be marked and returned to the author within two weeks of submission. The first two review essays, should be six pages in length and the last two should be eight pages long.
Reviews of a single book must have an introductory section to establish a focal point for discussion. The second part characterizes the author's treatment of the subject, and the final section brings the paper to a conclusion. A conclusion must deal with the essence of the author's arguments. Students are free to agree with the author on every point, disagree with the author on every point, or any combination of the two. The important thing is that students offer insights into what contribution they believe the book makes to the literature on the subject and who, if anyone, might benefit from reading it.
Reviews of two or more books contain the same elements as reviews of one book, but the emphasis is on comparison. Therefore, the introductory section establishes a focal point of comparison between the two books. The second part characterizes each author's treatment of the "problem." The final section brings the paper to a conclusion by way of synthesis or repudiation, in other words, the conclusion offers a suggestion of an interpretive orientation consisting of elements of both perspectives under review or an argument against one or both authors. (More on writing a critical review)
Students are advised that late assignments will be assessed a penalty of one percent of the final mark per day for each day that elapses between the due date and the actual date of submission. Students should be aware that if the results of their efforts a disappointing and continue to disappoint, Lakehead University has an escape hatch that remains open until February 12, 2001, the last day in the Faculty of Arts and Science for voluntary withdrawal without academic penalty. No one, however, has the option of submitting another person's work as their own (see "Academic Dishonesty" in the Lakehead University Calendar (200-2001), page 27). Students are advised that they are responsible for knowing what plagiarism is and for avoiding it.
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