Exams will consist of short-answer questions and large essay questions. Each of the three exams will cover roughly one-third of the course; the third exam will also include a comprehensive section. Links to the study questions appear on the syllabus under the date of the scheduled exam

Your paper may be on any topic in European or American history since 1400. The paper is to be analytical and interpretive, not simply descriptive. It should present a thesis and develop an argument. It is incumbent upon you to define and develop a thesis. The first draft should be approximately four to six pages in length, and the second draft six to eight.

Secondary sources should consist mostly of scholarly articles and books, not simply reference material and textbooks. First drafts may be limited to sources available in the Duggan Library, but you are expected to use Interlibrary Loan to obtain additional sources for the final draft. You should include with your first draft a bibliography based on a universal search for sources.

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. The grade of the first draft will also reflect the quality of your bibliography (based on a universal search), and the second draft will reflect the quality of the sources used. You should consult with me about your paper at least a week before each draft is due.

Consider for a paper topic a single primary text (or a few texts) from the course readings. Although points of emphasis will vary, your paper could include an analysis of the text itself, the author's objectives and assumptions, the audience, and the historical context. You would work with the complete text, not simply the excerpts assigned in class. Your thesis could focus on a section of the text, but your interpretation of that section would be informed by a reading of the entire text. Internet links to complete texts appear at the beginning of each reading assigment. Whenever possible, however, you should consult recent editions of the text, most of which will be in copyright and only available in print. If you choose to focus on a single primary text, you would also need to use secondary sources that have bearing on the text, author, audience, and historical context.

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.

Sept. 5
The Renaissance
Greer and Lewis, 320-321, 371-380; Pico

Sept. 7
Renaissance Political Theory
Machiavelli

Sept. 10
The Reformation
Greer and Lewis, 405-424, 430-435

Sept. 11
No class

Sept. 12
The Emergence of Capitalism
Greer and Lewis, 329-339; Mun

Sept. 14
Early Modern Imperialism
Greer and Lewis, 354-370; Equiano

Sept. 17
Absolutism
Greer and Lewis, 451-463; Bossuet

Sept. 18
Reading Secondary Sources

Sept. 19
The English Revolution and Political Theory
Greer and Lewis, 498-503; Locke 1

Sept. 21
The English Revolution and Political Theory
Locke 2

Sept. 24
The Scientific Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 463-468; Galileo

Sept. 25
Analyzing Art: Renaissance and Baroque Art

Sept. 26
The Scientific Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 468-472; Newton

Sept. 28
The Enlightenment
Greer and Lewis, 448-451, 472-475; Hume; Voltaire

Oct. 1
The Enlightenment
Greer and Lewis, 475-479; Montesquieu; Smith

Oct. 2
Review for the Exam

Oct. 3
FIRST EXAM

Oct. 5
The North American Colonies
Greer and Lewis, 504-505; Strayer, 138-142; Winthrop; Franklin

Oct. 8
The American Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 505-509; Strayer, 142-143; Declaration; Federalist Papers

Oct. 9
Research and Writing

Oct. 10
The French Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 494-498, 510-515; Declaration

Oct. 12
The French Revolution
Greer and Lewis, 515-521; Robespierre

Oct. 15:
Fall Break

Oct. 16:
Fall Break

Oct. 17
Conservatism, Liberalism, and Nationalism
Greer and Lewis, 521-526, 539-550; Metternich; Mazzini

Oct. 19
The United States
Strayer, 144-147; South Carolina; Lincoln

Oct. 22
Industrialization
Greer and Lewis, 551-567; Sadler Report

Oct. 23
Research and Writing

Oct. 24
Marxism
Greer and Lewis, 567-573; Marx and Engels 1

Oct. 26
No Class
FIRST DRAFT OF PAPERS DUE

Oct. 29
No Class

Oct. 30
Marxism
Marx and Engels 2

Oct. 31
Mature Industrial Society and Ideologies
Greer and Lewis, 573-576; Bernstein; Webb

Nov. 2
Mature Industrial Society and Ideologies
Green; Spencer; Hearing

Nov. 5
No Class

Nov. 6
No Class

Nov. 7
The United States in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries
Strayer, 147-149; Carnegie; Populist; Washington; Du Bois

Nov. 9
Darwin and Science before WWI
Greer and Lewis, 576-587; Darwin

Nov. 12
No Class

Nov. 13
Review for the Exam

Nov. 14
SECOND EXAM

Nov. 16
The New Imperialism
Greer and Lewis, 601-611; Strayer, 149-150; Lin Cixu; Naoroji; Kipling

Nov. 19
World War I
Greer and Lewis, 611-624; WWI Poetry

Nov. 20
Research and Writing

Nov. 21
Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 23
Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 26
The Russian Revolution and Communism
Greer and Lewis, 624-634; Lenin; Stalin; Famine

Nov. 27
Fascism
Greer and Lewis, 634-642; Mussolini

Nov. 28
The West and World War II
Greer and Lewis, 642-645; 652-658; Strayer, 150-152; T.S. Eliot; Roosevelt; Himmler

Nov. 30
The Cold War and Nationalist Revolutions
Greer and Lewis, 646-652, 658-682; Strayer, 152-154; Nehru

Dec. 3
Post-War Society
Greer and Lewis, 682-86; Strayer, 154-156; Martin Luther King Jr.; The Black Panther Party Platform

Dec. 4
Research and Writing

Dec. 5
Post-War Society
Greer and Lewis, 731-739; The Port Huron Statement; NOW

Dec. 7
The Late 20th Century
Greer and Lewis, 691-710; Strayer, 156-158; Reagan; Blair
FINAL DRAFT OF PAPERS DUE

Dec. 10 and 11: 5-6 PM
Review for the Exam

Dec. 12:
FINAL EXAM, 2-5 PM Classic Hall 102

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