111 Fall 2003

Foundations of the Modern Age
Fall Semester 2003
Frank Luttmer
113 Classic Hall
M W F: 7:30-8:00, T 10-11
866-7205 (office) (502) 454-8348 (home)
historians@hanover.edu

Course Description and Objectives
Foundations of the Modern Age is a historical introduction to the ideas, institutions, and events that shaped modern Western civilization. The course is designed both to develop essential knowledge of the origins and evolution of the modern world and to encourage a basic understanding of historical perspective and context. It also seeks to promote the skills essential to historical inquiry, including the capacity to define historical questions, analyze primary documents carefully, evaluate alternative interpretations critically, develop original arguments, and write essays clearly and effectively.

Required Readings
1. Thomas Greer and Gavin Lewis, A Brief History of the Western World, 8th edition, vol. 2
2. Robert Strayer, et al, The Making of the Modern World (on reserve in the Duggan Library)
3. Electronic Texts and Images from the Internet

Grades
Final grades will be based on an evaluation of the following.

1. Nine short exams (5% each)

The exams will consist of multiple choice questions.
2. Three short papers (15% each)

Papers are to be 2 to 3 pages in length, double-spaced (and no more than 3 pages). Paper assignments will be distributed in class. The grade of each draft will be based on the quality of the thesis and argument, the quality of the evidence and logic, and the quality of the writing.
3. Class participation (10%)

The success of this class depends upon the quality of the dialogue in class. It is expected that you will attend every class and that you will be fully prepared to discuss the material assigned for that day. Class participation grades will reflect your attendance record, the frequency of your contributions to class discussions, and the quality of your questions, observations, and conclusions.

Schedule

Sept. 2
Analyzing Primary Texts: Vergerius
Vergerius
Sept. 3
The Renaissance
Greer and Lewis, 320-321, 371-380; Pico
Sept. 5
Renaissance Political Theory
Machiavelli
Sept. 8
The Reformation
Greer and Lewis, 405-424, 430-435
Sept. 9
Using Textbooks
Sept. 10
The Emergence of Capitalism
Greer and Lewis, 329-339; Mun
Sept. 12
Early Modern Imperialism
Greer and Lewis, 354-370; Equiano
EXAM 1

Sept. 15
Absolutism
Greer and Lewis, 451-463; Hobbes 1; Renaissance and Baroque Art
Sept. 16
Preparing for Exams
Sept. 17
The English Revolution and Political Theory
Hobbes 2
Sept. 19
EXAMS 1 and 2

Sept. 22
The English Revolution and Political Theory
Greer and Lewis, 498-503; Locke 1
Sept. 23
Primary Sources Again

Sept. 24
The English Revolution and Political Theory
Locke 2
Sept. 26
The Scientific Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 463-468; Galileo
EXAM 3

Sept. 29
The Scientific Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 468-472; Newton
Sept. 30
Writing Papers
Oct. 1
The Enlightenment
Greer and Lewis, 448-451, 472-475; Hume; Voltaire
Oct. 3
The Enlightenment
Greer and Lewis, 475-479; Montesquieu; Smith
EXAM 4

Oct. 6
The North American Colonies
Greer and Lewis, 504-505; Strayer, 138-142; Winthrop; Franklin
Oct. 7
Writing Papers

Oct. 8
The American Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 505-509; Strayer, 142-143; Declaration; Federalist Papers
Oct. 10
The French Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 494-498, 510-515; Declaration
EXAM 5

Oct. 13
The French Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 515-521; Robespierre
Oct. 14
Writing Papers
Oct. 15
Conservatism, Liberalism, and Nationalism
Greer and Lewis, 521-526, 539-550; Metternich; Mazzini
Oct. 17
The United States
Strayer, 144-147; South Carolina
PAPER 1

Oct. 22
The United States
Lincoln; Lincoln
Oct. 24
Industrialization
Greer and Lewis, 551-567; Sadler Report

Oct. 27
Marxism
Greer and Lewis, 567-573; Marx and Engels 1
Oct. 28
Writing Papers
Oct. 29
Marxism
Marx and Engels 2
Oct. 31
Mature Industrial Society and Ideologies
Greer and Lewis, 573-576; Bernstein; Webb
EXAM 6

Nov. 3
Mature Industrial Society and Ideologies
Green; Spencer; Hearing
Nov. 4
Assessment: Late 19th Century and Ideology
Nov. 5
The United States in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries
Strayer, 147-149; Carnegie; Populist; Washington; Du Bois
Nov. 7
Darwin and Science before WWI
Greer and Lewis, 576-587; Darwin
EXAM 7

Nov. 10
The New Imperialism
Greer and Lewis, 601-611; Strayer, 149-150; Lin Cixu; Naoroji; Kipling
Nov. 11
Writing Papers
Nov. 12
World War I
Greer and Lewis, 611-624; WWI Poetry
Nov. 14
The Russian Revolution and Communism
Greer and Lewis, 624-634; Lenin; Stalin; Famine
EXAM 8

Nov. 17
The Russian Revolution and Communism
Stalin; Famine
Nov. 18
Writing Papers
Nov. 19
Fascism
Greer and Lewis, 634-642; Mussolini
Nov. 21
The West and World War II
Greer and Lewis, 642-645; 652-658; Strayer, 150-152; T.S. Eliot; Roosevelt; Himmler
PAPER 2

Nov. 24
The Cold War and Nationalist Revolutions
Greer and Lewis, 646-652, 658-682; Strayer, 152-154; Nehru
Nov. 25
Assessment: Early 20th Century and Ideology

Dec. 1
Post-War Society
Greer and Lewis, 682-86; Strayer, 154-156; Martin Luther King Jr.; The Black Panther Party Platform
Dec. 2
Assessment: Late 20th Century and Ideology
Dec. 3
Post-War Society
Greer and Lewis, 731-739; The Port Huron Statement; NOW

Dec. 4
The Late 20th Century
Greer and Lewis, 691-710; Strayer, 156-158; Reagan; Blair
Final Exam
PAPER 3

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