Contemporary World: An Introduction to Global History since 1800

HIST1-UC 5822-001Fall 2015

NYU School of Professional Studies, Paul McGhee Division

Instructor: Federico SorEmail: federico.sor@nyu.edu Class hours: Fridays, 12:30-3:00 pm, September 4-December 18Class location: 194 Mercer Street, Room 209Office hours: By appointment only

Course description

This course is an introduction to modern global history from 1800 to the present. It examines structures and processes of interaction among the world's regions and peoples as well as the historical craft itself. Major topics of study include modern imperialism, the large-scale transformations wrought by the Industrial Revolution, the consequences of the democratic revolutions in the Atlantic World, the effects of European and American imperial expansion in the nineteenth century, changes in scientific and philosophical thought, the development and crises of capitalism, the two world wars of the twentieth century, the wave of decolonization in Africa and Asia in the 1940s and 1950s, the Cold War, and neoliberalism and its crises. By studying past events, peoples, and ideas, we will be both exploring the formation of our current world and assessing how the study of history can enrich our understanding of the present.

Course policies

1. Attendance and participation

Classes will consist of lectures, discussions, video showings, and other activities. Reading all assigned materials, attending classes regularly, and actively contributing to class discussion are all fundamental to a good individual performance in the course and, in aggregation, to a fruitful experience for all participants.

Since this course meets only once a week, you are expected to attend every class. Absences without advance notice or documentation will adversely affect your grade as stated in Section 7 below. You are expected to participate actively in discussions both in class and in the online forum at NYU Classes.

2. Readings

You will be assigned an average of about 45 pages of reading per week. You are expected to read all materials thoroughly and thoughtfully in order to participate in class discussion and provide your own answers, in class and in your papers, to questions relevant to the course.

NOTE: There may be occasional unannounced quizzes on the readings, if deemed necessary, which will count toward the grade for attendance and participation.

3. Exams

There will be two one-hour in-class examinations: a midterm exam on October 16 and a final exam on December 18. Each exam will consist of five identification questions and one essay. The IDs and essay questions will be selected from a list previously provided to students as a study guide.

4. Paper guidelines

Four two-page response papers on assigned readings will be due on selected weeks. A set of questions is provided (in italics) at the beginning of each unit, as guides for response papers and in-class discussions.

Papers must be double-spaced with one-inch margins, 12-point font, and numbered pages, following any standard referencing style, in Word format. All papers should be emailed on the Thursday before class by 8 pm. Late papers lose 1/3 of a grade per 24-hour period or fraction thereof: for example, a B paper submitted late will receive a B-; if submitted more than 24 hours after its due date, it will receive a C+, and so on.

5. Course materials

Students are responsible for purchasing the three required books. Two of them (Marks and Zinn) are readily available at the university bookstore as well as from online vendors; the other (Smith) should be purchased online. Selections and articles will be made available by the instructor as needed. Students are expected to bring a copy of each text on the date it is discussed.

Required books

Robert B. Marks, The Origins of the Modern World: A Global and Ecological Narrative from the Fifteenth to the Twenty-First Century, 2nd edition

Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States Peter Smith, Talons of the Eagle: Dynamics of U.S.-Latin American Relations,

THIRD EDITION6. Online discussion forum

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A discussion forum has been set up online through NYU Classes. On the weeks when no response paper is due and no exam is held, you are expected to make a brief comment (one paragraph or so) about the readings for the week and respond to other students’ comments—all no later than the Thursday before class at 8 pm. Your comment may be based on the questions for the unit, listed in the syllabus at the beginning of each unit, or on others you consider relevant.

7. Grade breakdown and criteria

Attendance and participation: 30%Response papers: 30%Midterm exam: 20%Final exam: 20%

The attendance and participation grade is based on consistent attendance and timeliness, as well as participation in class and/or in the NYU Classes discussion forum. Tardiness over 30 minutes will count as half an absence unless advance notice or documentation is provided. Each absence without documentation or a valid excuse provided in advance will result in a 2-point deduction from the 30 points allocated to the attendance and participation grade.

The exams and papers are graded as follows. An excellent (A) paper or exam contains a very clear thesis statement, a thorough discussion of the major aspects of the topic based on cogent argument and supporting evidence, a strong conclusion based on the preceding argument and evidence, and very few typographical, grammatical, or syntactic errors.

A good to very good essay (B) contains a relatively clear discussion of the topic based on class discussions and readings, an explicit thesis that is less strongly formulated and less integrative than that of an “A” paper, argument and evidence presented in less methodical fashion than in an “A” paper, with transitions between paragraphs and ideas more tentative, a conclusion loosely based on the argument, and relatively few typographical, grammatical, or syntactic errors.

A “C” essay contains a relatively vague or unclear thesis followed by loosely related arguments, objectionable or insufficient evidence, loosely connected topics and paragraphs, and a brief conclusion not entirely supported by the body of the essay, with several typographical, grammatical, or syntactic errors.

A “D” essay has a confused and inaccurate discussion, little or no thesis, insufficient evidence and unsupported arguments, misuse or overuse of quotations, little organization, and many typographical, grammatical, or syntactic errors.

An essay that is partially or entirely plagiarized will receive a grade of “F”.

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8. Email policy

I guarantee a response to all emails within 48 hours. While I will usually reply considerably faster, you should assume that you will only receive a response 48 hours after writing, so please plan ahead.

9. Moses Center for Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who is requesting accommodations, please contact New York University’s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found at www.nyu.edu/csd. The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the second floor.

10. Academic honesty

The most common causes of plagiarism are stress and uncertainty, not deliberate dishonesty. You are therefore encouraged to begin assignments well in advance of the deadline, and to check with the instructor if you have any questions.

Whenever you use somebody else’s words or ideas for your own arguments, you must give them credit in a note. If you have questions about documentation requirements, just ask.

Any assignment that contains intentional misrepresentation of someone else’s writing and ideas as the student’s own, be it verbatim or in slightly modified fashion, will receive a grade of F and count as zero points toward the final grade.

This class strictly adheres to the policy on academic integrity of the School of Professional Studies, as outlined in:http://www.scps.nyu.edu/academic-policies-and-procedures.html#NYU_School_of_Professional_Studies_Policy_on_Academic_Integrity_and_Plagiarism

Please note: The policies and contents as outlined in this syllabus are subject to moderate change during the course of the semester upon the discretion of the instructor.

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UNIT 1: THE AGE OF REVOLUTION

What were some crucial economic motives for European exploration and conquest of the New World?Why did Great Britain (and Europe) industrialize in the late 1700s and early 1800s, and not China or India?How did the industrial revolution change the lives of common people in Europe?What were the political ideals and economic motives revolutions of the late 1700s?What were some of the contradictions or limitations of the egalitarian ideal, in Europe, the United States, and Latin America?

September 4: Introduction: The Industrial Revolution in Historical Perspective

September 11: Imperialism and the Industrial Revolution: A Peculiar Relationship

Marks, The Origins of the Modern World, Chapter 4: “The Industrial Revolution and Its Consequences, 1750-1850,” 95-118 (3rd edition: 97-125)

Eric Williams, Capitalism and Slavery, 51-57

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

Alexis de Tocqueville, Journey to England (1835), 104-113

DEBATE (READ IN ADVANCE)

“A Protest Against Machinery,” by the Yorkshire Cloth Workers (1786); and “Support for Machinery,” by the Leeds Cloth Merchants (1791)

September 18: Political Revolutions

**FIRST RESPONSE PAPER DUE**

Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 5: “A Kind of Revolution,” 77-102

Forrest Hylton and Sinclair Thomson, Revolutionary Horizons: Past and Present in Bolivian Politics, Chapter 3, “Indian Rule and Creole Rule in the Age of Revolution, 1781-1825,” 35-46

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, Book I, Chapters 6-8 (59-65) and Book II, Chapters 4-5 (74-78)

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Tupac Amaru, “First Proclamation” (1780); and “Death Sentence against Tupac Amaru” (1781), both in Sarah Chambers and John Charles Chasteen, eds., Latin American Independence: An Anthology of Sources, 33-39

Constitution of the United States, Article I, selections

UNIT 2: IMPERIALISM AND CAPITALISM

What were the main motives and justifications of European and US imperial expansion during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?How were these expansions linked to the first and second industrial revolutions?How did colonized populations respond to imperialism?What were some scientific and philosophical theories advanced during the 1800s?

September 25: Capitalist Expansion and Imperial Conquest

Marks, The Origins of the Modern World, Chapter 5: “The Gap,” 123-151 (3rd edition: 127-160)

J. A. Hobson, Imperialism: A Study, 71-93

DEBATE:

Joseph Warren Revere, A Tour of Duty in California (1849), 130-132 Shawnee Chief Tecumseh Recounts the Misdeeds of Whites and calls for Indian

Unity (1810)

October 2: Capitalist Crisis and the New Empire

Zinn, A People’s History, Chapter 11: “Robber Barons and Rebels,” selection: 253-261, and Chapter 12: “The Empire and the People,” 297-320

Begin readings for October 9

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

Theodore Roosevelt Praises the Manly Virtues of Imperialism (1899), excerpt Filipino Leader Emilio Aguinaldo Rallies His People to Arms (1899), excerpt Rudyard Kipling, “The White Man’s Burden: The United States and the Philippine

Islands” (1899)

October 9: Diverging Views on Progress and Civilization

**SECOND RESPONSE PAPER DUE**

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Preface Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, Chapter 5 (pp. 55-63) Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species, Chapter 3, selections (pp. 50-52 and 60-62);

and The Descent of Man, Chapter 5 (pp. 496-511) Friedrich Nietzsche, The Genealogy of Morals, First Essay, sections 10-13 (pp. 22-

30); and Second Essay, sections 13-17 (pp. 60-67)

UNIT 3: THE END OF EMPIRES?

What was the relationship between imperialism and World War One?What were some causes of the Great Depression, and how did different societies respond?Why did “totalitarian” regimes develop, and what were some of their traits?How did the Second World War and its end lead to a reconfiguration of geopolitical alliances? What were the consequences for existing empires?

October 16: The Great War

** MIDTERM EXAM **

Marks, The Origins of the Modern World, Chapter 6: “The Great Departure,” 155-166 (3rd edition: 161-173)

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

John Keegan, The Face of Battle, 259-284

October 23: The Great Depression

Zinn, A People’s History, Chapter 15: “Self-Help in Hard Times,” 377-406

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

“Laws for the Protection of German Blood and Honor” (Nuremberg Laws), 1935 Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “Second Bill of Rights,” excerpt from State of the Union

Address, 11 January 1944

October 30: The Second World War

Zinn, A People’s History, Chapter 16, “A People’s War?” 407-442

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

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Franz Kafka, “Before the Law,” in Parables and Paradoxes, 61-65 Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem, Chapter 8: “Duties of a Law-Abiding Citizen,”

135-150

**THIRD RESPONSE PAPER DUE**

UNIT 4: THE COLD WAR: THE WORLD BECOMES BIPOLAR

What are some key differences between the Cold War and previous international (imperial) arrangements?What conflicting positions did the United States adopt during the Cold War, especially in relation to Third World popular movements?What were some points of agreement between Third World anticolonial leaders and the members of the U.S. civil rights movement?

November 6: The Cold War and the Nuclear Threat

Marks, The Origins of the Modern World, 166-174 (3rd edition: 174-181) Smith, Talons of the Eagle, Chapter 5: “Closing Ranks and Making Friends,” 113-128 Louis Menand, “Fat Man: Herman Kahn and the Nuclear Age,” New Yorker (27 June

2005): 92-98

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

Albert Einstein to FDR, August 2, 1939, in Allan Winkler, ed., The Cold War: A History in Documents, 18-19

“The China White Paper” (1949), and National Security Council Report 68 (NSC-68) (1950), selections, in Winkler, The Cold War, 34-38

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address, 1961

November 13: Art in History, History through Art

*** Visit to the Modern Museum of Art (MoMA) ***

Class meeting will be replaced by a museum visit. The online forum will be held.

Zinn, A People’s History, Chapter 17: “Or Does it Explode?” 443-467

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

Frantz Fanon, “Concerning Violence,” in The Wretched of the Earth, selection: 29-38 and 46-48

Malcolm X, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” excerpt

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Martin Luther King, “Beyond Vietnam,” excerpt

November 20: Thanksgiving – NO CLASS

November 27: Revolutions, Decolonization, and the Struggle for Civil Rights

**FOURTH RESPONSE PAPER DUE**

Zinn, A People’s History, Chapter 18: “The Impossible Victory: Vietnam,” 469-501

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (2 September 1945) and Ho Chi Minh, telegram to Harry Truman, 28 February 1946

U.S. soldiers’ account of actions in Vietnam War, in Winkler, The Cold War, 122-125 Fidel Castro, “History Will Absolve Me” (1953), excerpt

December 4: Counterrevolutions: The Road to Neoliberalism

Smith, Talons of the Eagle, Chapter 7: “Crushing Enemies,” 148-180

HISTORICAL VISIONS:

Department of State, U.S. Embassy Cables on the Election of Salvador Allende and Efforts to Block His Assumption of the Presidency,” September 5-22, 1970; and CIA, “Operating Guidance Cable on Coup Plotting,” October 16, 1970

Julio Cortázar, “Apocalypse at Solentiname,” in A Change of Light and other Stories, 119-127

UNIT 5: A HISTORY OF THE PRESENT

What are the connections between the Great Recession and neoliberal deregulation?What can past financial bubbles teach us about the real estate bubble of the early 2000s?

December 11: Neoliberalism, Neo-Imperialism, and the Great Recession

Marks, Origins of the Modern World, 182-194 (3rd edition: 194-207) Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 25, “The 2000 Election and the

‘War on Terrorism’,” 675-682

HISTORY OF THE PRESENT:

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W. Hooper, “The Tulip Mania,” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine (April 1876): 743-46 Joseph Stiglitz, “The Anatomy of a Murder: Who Killed America’s Economy?” Critical

Review, vol. 21, no. 2-3 (July 2009): 329-340

IN-CLASS VIDEO (TENTATIVE)

“Inside Job” (2010)

December 18: Conclusion

** FINAL EXAM **

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