Class sections will be divided between lectures and seminar discussions. The seminar discussion sessions will serve as a forum for the analysis and discussion of scholarly literature and as a testing ground for student hypotheses. The instructor will encourage students to elaborate, refine and revise ideas. Discussion sessions will also include tutorials in conducting historical research, the exploration of primary source documents, and practice in oral presentations. Participation in both lectures and seminar discussions is required for the successful completion of the course.
A sample course outline would include the following topics.
Note: Content may vary according to the instructor’s selection of topics.
- Introduction / Human Social Origins
- River Civilizations: Mesopotamia to Egypt / Egypt and Hatti
- River Civilizations: India and China
- The Axial Revolution
- Classical Civilization: Persia to Greece / Hellenism
- Classical Civilization: The Roman Empire
- Classical Civilization: China/India / Mid Term Exam
- Ambiguity and Re-establishment: The Islamic World
- Ambiguity: Europe – East and West
- Re-establishment: China / NE Asia, Korea and Japan
- Frontiers: South East Asia / Africa
- Isolation: Meso-America-Oceania / Eurasian Challenges (Mongols, Black Death, and Peasant Revolt)
- A European Global Era: Renaissance, Reformation and Capitalism
- Review
At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:
Examine historical sources critically and analytically (reading history). These sources include not only survey texts and scholarly articles, but also short monographs and extended primary sources.
Create and communicate personal interpretations of historical problems (writing history). Forms for communication of personal interpretations include medium-length essays (from 1500-3000 words), comparative book reviews, short interpretive essays, primary source studies, and final examinations.
Independently analyze the ideas of other students and the instructor in class in both tutorials and seminars (discussing history).
Assessment will be in accord with the Douglas College student evaluation policy. Specific components of evaluation will include some of the following: mid-term and final exams consisting of short answer questions and essay questions; in-class written work, quizzes, research paper; seminar presentations; short debate/position papers; participation in class discussions.
Specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester and will vary according to the instructor’s assessment of appropriate evaluation methods.
An example of one evaluation scheme:
Any combination of the following totalling 100%
|
Essays (one to four) |
20% - 60% |
|
Tests (at least two) |
20% - 60% |
|
Instructor’s General Evaluation (Participation, quizzes, etc.) |
10% - 20% |
No single essay or test will constitute less than 10% or more than 35% of the grade
Total value of all essays will not be less than 20% or more than 60%
Texts will be chosen from the following list, to be updated periodically:
- An instructor’s Course Reader may be required.
- Craig, A.M. The Heritage of World Civilizations. Ninth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2011.
- Crosby, A.W. Jr. The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492. Second Edition. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003.
- Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe. The World: A History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson (Penguin Academics), 2011.
- McKay, John P., et al. A History of World Societies. Eighth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009.
- Reilly, Kevin. Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader. Volume One: To 1550. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010.
- Stearns, Peter, et al. Documents in World History. Fifth Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2009.
- Stearns, Peter, et al. World Civilizations: The Global Experience. Sixth Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011.
- Wolf, Eric. Europe and the People Without History, with a new foreword by T.H. Erikson. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2010.