World Civilizations Since 1500

Syllabus (SPRING 2006)

Writing assignment:  below on this page.

Notes 1   Outline 
Renaissance & Reformation

Notes 2   Outline   Article: "Economies and Waves"
Religious Warfare

Notes 3   Outline 
Enlightenment and American Revolution

Notes 4   Outline
French Revolution and Napoleon

Notes 5   Outline
Agricultural & Industrial Revolutions; Revolutions of 1848

Notes 6   Outline
Imperialism

Notes 7  Outline
World War I

Notes 8  Outline
World War II

Notes 9  Outline
Cold War: Origins, Nuclear Arms Race & Early Crises

World Civilizations Since 1500: Writing Assignment

Your paper should be typed, double-spaced. 
Include a “sources consulted” page. 
Use the style manual the College recommends.

You should be able to find the following books at a larger library or bookstore, or via an online bookstore such as amazon.com or bn.com.

Read the introduction, if any, plus at least one chapter from one of the following books, and write a 3-5-page paper in which you address the following questions. The paper should include at least two or three quotes from the book, properly cited.

Briefly describe the overall subject or topic the author is addressing. What were the main points the author tried to convey in the chapter? In other words, what argument is he or she trying to make? What sort of evidence, examples, or references does the author use to support his or her point? (I recommend you include some key, brief quotations from the book; cite them using end notes or footnotes.) What were two or three things you learned from the reading? Did you find anything that challenged your previous assumptions or knowledge of this topic? How would you describe and/or rate the writing style of the author?

Books to choose from:

Why Nations Go to War, by John Stoessinger

Vietnam : A History, by Stanley Karnow

The Cold War: A History, by Martin Walker

The Lexus and the Olive Tree, by Thomas Friedman

World on Fire, by Amy Chua

Napoleon Bonaparte, by Alan Schom

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, by Paul Kennedy

The Radicalism of the American Revolution, by Gordon Wood

The Scramble for Africa, by Thomas Pakenham

Stalin, by Edvard Radzinsky

The First World War, by Martin Gilbert

Lenin, by Dmitri Volkogonov

Note: You may also suggest a book to be used.