The History of Western Civilization II will focus on the history of Europe and Europe’s interactions with the world from the Black Death and Renaissance to the present day. We will read about and discuss the changes in politics, society, economics, and culture from the fourteenth century to our own. The students and instructor will seek together to use primary source documents and insights from historians to go beyond a dry recitation of facts and to reach out and attempt to understand people who lived in the past. We will both learn about their experiences and think about the ways in which their lives and thoughts have provided and continue to provide a framework for our own.
This course counts as General Education credit in Humanities and Creative Arts, Category C, as well as Lifelong Learning credit [LLD]. It is also one of the introductory courses on the track for History majors. There are no prerequisites for this course.
In the past, this course has had five books - a textbook, a custom sourcebook, and three short primary sources:
Kishlansky, Mark, Geary, Patrick, and O’Brien, Patricia, Civilization in the West, vol. 2, 6th edition, ISBN 0321236254
Penguin Custom Editions: The Western World – a sourcebook prepared especially for this course, ISBN 0536190011
Conrad, Joseph, Heart of Darkness, Penguin, ISBN 0141182431
Wiesel, Elie, Night, ISBN 0374500010
Böll, Heinrich, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, ISBN 014187286
The readings list is different for each section of this course, so this is only a guide to what Prof. Lisy-Wagner taught last time.
In the past, the course grade was based on class participation, thesis and outline exercises, a short (3 - 5 pp.) paper, a midterm, and a final exam. These elements are also different for each section of this course.
Attendance is mandatory, and will be considered in your participation grade. Class participation will make up 10% of your final grade for the course. You are encouraged to ask questions at any time and are expected to participate in any class activity, discussion, or exercise. An attendance sheet will be passed around at the beginning of every class. You must sign the sheet in order to be counted as present. If you need to arrive late, please make sure you sign in before you leave the room at the end of class. If you need to leave early, please tell the instructor at the beginning of class.
The classroom is a special environment in which students and faculty come together to promote learning and growth. It is essential to this learning environment that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained. Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in terms which are supportive of the learning process.