Senior Seminar: World History Since
1500, History 4004
Fall 2006
Andrew Hurley
Lucas 417
516-5705; ahurley@umsl.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 10:45-11:45; 5-6, and by appointment
Senior seminar is the capstone course for the undergraduate curriculum in history and is required of all majors. It is designed to refine students understanding of critical issues in research methodology, historiography, and historical writing. As the department’s capstone course, offered at the highest undergraduate level, it is also the most demanding. Students will be expected to complete regularly scheduled weekly reading assignments, submit several writing assignments, take exams, participate in class discussions, and deliver oral reports. The course culminates in the completion of an original research paper of approximately 25 pages on a topic relevant to course themes. The research paper must be grounded in both primary and secondary sources and must be of publishable quality. The research project is a major undertaking and will reflect all the important skills developed across the undergraduate curriculum. Students must be prepared to set aside ample time for original archival research outside of class. The focus of this particular senior seminar is World History Since 1500. The course content surveys of the history of humankind since 1500. In addition, interregional, comparative, cross-cultural, transnational, and historiographical topics will be considered
We will meet twice a week. For the most part, Thursdays will be devoted to lectures and Tuesdays will be devoted to the discussion of common reading assignments.
Grading Allocation and Standards
Participation
in class
discussion*
25 percent
In-class exams 20 percent
Research Proposal
10 percent
First
Draft
16 percent
Final
Draft
29 percent
*Class participation grades will be based on the extent and quality of advanced preparation for discussions, the level of engagement with classmates, and the ability to guide the discussion into productive areas. Attendance is mandatory on class discussion days.
The research paper and presentation will require you to analyze the impact of global forces on the development of a particular place in the world in a particular historical period. The geographic and temporal parameters are open but all topics must be approved by the instructor. The paper should be based primarily on primary sources and should fall between 23-27 double-spaced typed pages. It should include formal citations. The presentation should summarize the main arguments of the research paper and should take between 10-12 minutes. A question and answer session will follow each presentation. A printed bibliography must be submitted at the time of the presentation
Grades for all assignments should be interpreted as follows: A=outstanding work; B=excellent work; C=acceptable work (this is usually the average class grade); D=work that reflects a poor grasp of the material or insufficient effort; F=unacceptably poor work. Pluses and minuses will be used on assignments and final grades. Late assignments will be penalized at the rate of one-third of a letter grade per day. I expect all students to abide by the standards of academic integrity established by the University as outlined at http://www.umsl.edu/studentlife/dsa/student_planner/policies/conductcode.htm.
Note: Any students in need of special accommodations due to any type of disabling condition are advised to discuss the matter with the instructor during office hours.
Please turn off all cell phones prior to arrival in class.
Schedule of Lectures and Assignments
8/22 Course Introduction
8/24 Headlines from Planet Earth
8/29
Complete Manfred B. Steger, Globalization
8/31 World Historiography, Part I
9/5
Complete Pico Iyer, Global
Soul
9/7 World Historiography, Part II
COMPLETE Appleby, Telling the Truth About History
9/14 Writing History Essays
COMPLETE Marius and Page, A Short Guide to Writing About History, 1-168.
9/19 Thomas Jefferson Library Visit
9/21
Visit
9/26 Complete Stearns, World History in Brief, pp. 265-339
9/28 COMPLETE, Mansel Blackford, “Environmental Justice, Native Rights, Tourism, and Opposition to Military Control: The Case of Kaho’olawe,” Journal of American History 91 (September 2004), 544-71; and Amy Greenberg, “Pirates, Patriots, and Public Meetings,” Journal of Urban History 5 (July 2005), 634-51. [both articles are available on reserve at the circulation desk of the TJ Library]
10/3 Complete Stearns, World History in Brief, 340-72.
10/5 Researching World History
SUBMIT RESEARCH PROPOSAL (5-8 pages): Proposals should communicate your major research questions, the sources you intend to consult, and your methodology. The significance of your topic must be established and placed in the context of the existing secondary literature on the subject. It is not necessary at this point to come up with your final thesis, but the proposal should provide a clear idea of where you are headed in terms of argumentation. Finally the proposal should include a fairly thorough bibliography.
10/10 Complete Stearns, World History in Brief, 373-492
10/12 Review of Writing Assignment
10/17 Complete Stearns, World History in Brief, 493-594
10/19 Global Finance and International Politics
10/24 Complete Stearns, World History in Brief, 595-677.
10/26
Case Study:
COMPLETE,
Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual
10/31 Midterm
11/2
Case Study:
SUBMIT
FIRST DRAFT: The first draft should be 12-15 pages in length and may either be
a completed section of the final paper (first half, second half) or an overview
of the entire paper. The draft should be free of grammatical
errors. You must include complete citations (
11/7 Complete Thomas Bender, A Nation Among Nations, pp. 1-181
11/9
Case Study:
REVIEW DRAFTS
11/14 Complete, Thomas Bender, A Nation Among Nations, pp. 182-301.
11/16 Research Presentations (Graduate Students)
11/28 Research Presentations
11/30 Research Presentations
12/5 Research Presentations
12/7 Review for Final Exam
RESEARCH PAPER DUE
12/14 Final Exam, 10 a.m.
The following books are available for purchase at the campus bookstore:
Thomas
Bender, A Nation Among Nations
Pico Iyer, Global
Soul
Peter Stearns, World History in Brief, 1450-present
Manfred B. Steger, Globalization
Books to Purchase Independently:
Joyce
Appleby, Lynn Hunt, and Margaret Jacob, Telling the Truth About History
Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual
Richard Marius and Melvin Page, A Short
Guide to Writing About History