A general survey course exploring specific themes and periods from c. 1500 to the present, and problematizing them in comparative, theory-intensive ways. Runs parallel to the SPS 102 (Humanity and Society II) freshman course, which serves as the teaching practicum of HIST 502 for SU graduate students in History who also serve as SPS 102 section instructors. Topics dealt with over the second semester include : the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent relativization of religion; the European Reconnaissance and the birth of the modern world-system; the rise and political economy of the merchant empires; the "military revolution" and the genesis of the modern state; science, scientism, and the Enlightenment; modes of sovereignty and legitimacy : the birth of modern politics and political science; proto- industrialisation; the wealth of nations; revolutions and modernity; the French Revolution and its legacy of "revolutionism"; the Industrial Revolution and its legacy of the "social question" in the 19th century; varieties of nationalism : European; east-southeast European, extra-European; debating the new imperialism, 1875-1914; imperialism, war, and revolution; the new toughness of mind : socialism and communism; the new toughness of mind : fascism and national socialism; the post-1945 world order; the collapse of communism, and problems of post- communism; new issues and conflicts of capitalist modernity at the end of the 20th century.
Explorations in World History II (HIST 502)
| Programs\Type | Required | Core Elective | Area Elective |
| Computer Science and Engineering - With Master's Degree | * | ||
| European Studies - Non Thesis | * | ||
| European Studies - With Thesis | * | ||
| History - Non Thesis | * | ||
| History - With Master's Degree | * | ||
| History - With Thesis | * | ||
| Leaders for Industry Biological Sciences and Bioengineering - Non Thesis | * | ||
| Leaders for Industry Industrial Engineering - Non Thesis | * | ||
| Leaders for Industry Materials Science and Engineering - Non Thesis | * | ||
| Leaders for Industry Mechatronics Engineering - Non Thesis | * |
CONTENT
OBJECTIVE
This is the second of a sequence of two related courses on World History that are required of all MA students in History. It is a general survey course that explores specific themes and periods from ca. 600 to ca. 1600, and problematizes them in comparative, theory-intensive ways. The early modern age serves as the end-point of our discussion, as it was a turning point in human history, bringing about profound shifts in the economic, social, and political make-up of Eurasia and the wider world. Topics to be dealt with in the second semester include but are not limited to such theoretical problems as
? the periodization of history;
? religion and state;
? elites vs. subalterns;
? center vs. periphery;
? history and nature;
? Modernity's subsumptions and transformations of pre-modernities;
and more historical issues, such as
? the economics of peasant production;
? the rise of monotheistic religions and late Antiquity;
? nomadic pastoralism, mounted archers, steppe empires;
? the role of movement and conquest in history;
? tributary states and societies;
? the function and varieties of fief distribution;
? types of urban space and culture;
? the Italian Renaissance as the dawn of early modernity;
? the world on the eve of the ?European miracle.?
Instead of covering the entire span of human history, which is an impossible task without running the risk of superficiality, we will concentrate on major nodes of interaction and leading patterns. In addition to the substance of history, students will also be encouraged to learn and develop methods as to how to broach historical sources?be they textual, material, or any other kind?critically.
The course will proceed in a rough chronological sequence.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Upon completion of this course, students should be able: to familiarize with facts, concepts and themes of world history
- discuss and interpret actors, periods, developments and transformations in world history
- compare, contrast and connect various phenomena and situations in world history
- develop their interpretative, analytical and critical abilities with a view to discuss historical developments in different parts of the world
- carry out further independent and interdisciplinary study on whichever period, subject or geographical location they choose in the future
PROGRAMME OUTCOMES
1. Develop and deepen the current and advanced knowledge in the field with original thought and/or research and come up with innovative definitions based on Master's degree qualifications
2. Conceive the interdisciplinary interaction which the field is related with ; come up with original solutions by using knowledge requiring proficiency on analysis, synthesis and assessment of new and complex ideas.
3. Evaluate and use new information within the field in a systematic approach.
4. Develop an innovative knowledge, method, design and/or practice or adapt an already known knowledge, method, design and/or practice to another field; research, conceive, design, adapt and implement an original subject.
5. Critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation of new and complex ideas.
6. Gain advanced level skills in the use of research methods in the field of study.
7. Contribute the progression in the field by producing an innovative idea, skill, design and/or practice or by adapting an already known idea, skill, design, and/or practice to a different field independently.
8. Broaden the borders of the knowledge in the field by producing or interpreting an original work or publishing at least one scientific paper in the field in national and/or international refereed journals.
9. Demonstrate leadership in contexts requiring innovative and interdisciplinary problem solving.
10. Develop new ideas and methods in the field by using high level mental processes such as creative and critical thinking, problem solving and decision making.
11. Investigate and improve social connections and their conducting norms and manage the actions to change them when necessary.
12. Defend original views when exchanging ideas in the field with professionals and communicate effectively by showing competence in the field.
13. Ability to communicate and discuss orally, in written and visually with peers by using a foreign language at least at a level of European Language Portfolio C1 General Level.
14. Contribute to the transition of the community to an information society and its sustainability process by introducing scientific, technological, social or cultural improvements.
15. Demonstrate functional interaction by using strategic decision making processes in solving problems encountered in the field.
16. Contribute to the solution finding process regarding social, scientific, cultural and ethical problems in the field and support the development of these values.
1. Develop the ability to use critical, analytical, and reflective thinking and reasoning 5
2. Reflect on social and ethical responsibilities in his/her professional life. 4
3. Gain experience and confidence in the dissemination of project/research outputs 4
4. Work responsibly and creatively as an individual or as a member or leader of a team and in multidisciplinary environments. 5
5. Communicate effectively by oral, written, graphical and technological means and have competency in English. 5
6. Independently reach and acquire information, and develop appreciation of the need for continuously learning and updating. 5
1. Analyze historical and contemporary developments in Europe, specifically of the European integration process, from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
2. Grasp the main dynamics of the European order, politically, historically and economically.
3. Explain the European integration process and the EU's decision-making procedures and it's institutions.
1. Analyze historical and contemporary developments in Europe, specifically of the European integration process, from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
2. Grasp the main dynamics of the European order, politically, historically and economically.
3. Explain the European integration process and the EU's decision-making procedures and it's institutions.
1. Demonstrate command of comparative perspectives, which may include the ability to compare the histories of different societies, or cultures awareness of continuity and change over extended time spans. 5
2. Construct concepts and theories derived from the humanities and social sciences. 4
3. Analyze the evidence from the research to support a historical argument for an answer to a research question. 5
4. Apply a critical perspective to evaluating historical arguments, including the quality of the sources, the validity of the interpretations of those sources, and the soundness of the argument's use of evidence to support a historical interpretation. 5
5. Develop and sustain historical arguments in a variety of literary forms, formulating appropriate questions and utilizing evidence. 5
1. Demonstrate command of comparative perspectives, which may include the ability to compare the histories of different societies, or cultures awareness of continuity and change over extended time spans. 5
2. Construct concepts and theories derived from the humanities and social sciences. 4
3. Analyze the evidence from the research to support a historical argument for an answer to a research question. 5
4. Apply a critical perspective to evaluating historical arguments, including the quality of the sources, the validity of the interpretations of those sources, and the soundness of the argument's use of evidence to support a historical interpretation. 5
5. Develop and sustain historical arguments in a variety of literary forms, formulating appropriate questions and utilizing evidence. 5
Update Date:
ASSESSMENT METHODS and CRITERIA
| Percentage (%) | |
| Final | 30 |
| Midterm | 30 |
| Assignment | 20 |
| Participation | 20 |
RECOMENDED or REQUIRED READINGS
| Textbook |
Clive Ponting, World History: A New Perspective (London: Chatto & Windus, 2000). |
| Readings |
1. Introduction: 2. The Rise of Islam and the Eastern Roman Empire 3. The Great Empires: China, Inner Asia, Western Europe, 600-1000 CE 4. Eurasia, ca. 1,000 CE 5. Asia, ca. 1,000-1,250 CE 6. The Mongol Empire (1200-1350) 7. Recovery (1350-1500) 8. MIDTERM 9. The Columbian World 10. The Early World Economy 11. From pre-industrial societies to modernity 12. Modernity and Globalization 13. The Mediterranean (1500-1600) 14. Eastern Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean |