Roots of the Modern World: Global Interactions

• week 1. 5 years, 50 Years, 500 Years: pre-modern, early modern, modern, post-modern
  • Aug. 23. Introduction.
  • Aug. 25. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, preface
• week 2. Traditional Asian World
  • Aug. 30. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, ch. 27
  • Sept. 1. Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, ch. 15 (Sokō, Kaibara, visuals, Spence)
• week 3. Traditional Islamic World
  • Sept. 6. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, ch. 28
  • Sept. 8. Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, ch. 15 (Bernier, de Busbecq, visuals, Raghuvanshi, Mansfield)
• week 4. Traditional Atlantic Worlds
  • Sept. 13. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, chs. 25-26; paper 1 due
  • Sept. 15. Equiano, “Slave Trade” (handout); Quiz 1
• week 5. Revolutionary Ideas
  • Sept. 20. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, ch. 24 (esp. pp. 637-661)
  • Sept. 22. Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, ch. 16 (all)
• week 6. Political Revolutions
  • Sept. 27. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, ch. 29
  • Sept. 29. Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, ch. 17 (all except Mill, Chartist Petition, von Tretschke, Weiss)
• week 7. Industrialization
  • Oct. 4. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, ch. 30; Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, ch. 18 (Testimony for the Factory Act, Marx and Engels, visuals)
  • Oct. 6. Mid-term Exam 1
• week 8. Political Revolutions and Industrialization
  • Oct. 11. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, , chs. 29 & 30
  • Oct. 13. Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, chs. 17 (Declaration, Robespierre, “Speech”), 18 (Testimony for the Factory Act, Marx and Engels)
• week 9. Nationalism
  • Oct. 18. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, chs. 30 & 32
  • Oct. 20. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, chs. 30 & 32
• week 10. Imperialism
  • Oct. 25. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, ch. 33
    • additional materials for paper 2
    • Suez and Hungary 1956 in World History Timeline
  • Oct. 27. Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, ch. 22 (all except Kartine, Roosevelt, Marti, Maldonado-Denis)
• week 11.
  • Nov. 1. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, chs. 34; paper 2 due
  • Nov. 3. Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, ch. 23 (Verdun Reports, Owen, Wilson, visuals, Stromberg, Anderson and Zinsser)
• week 12. New Imperialism
  • Nov. 8. Mid-term Exam 2
  • Nov. 10. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, ch. 33
• week 13. The Great War and Peace Conference
  • Nov. 15. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, ch. 34
  • Nov. 17. Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, ch. 25 (Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Ponomaryov, Mao, visuals, Gormly)
• week 14. Global Depression and Totalitarianism
  • Nov. 29. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, ch. 34
  • Dec. 1. chs. 35 (sections on “Global Depression” and “Challenges to the Liberal Order”), 36 (“India’s Quest for Home Rule”)
• week 15. Bipolar World & DecolonizationPost-Modern World
  • Dec. 6. Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters, chs. 38, and 39 (“Independence in Asia” and “Decolonization in Africa”); paper 3 due
  • Dec. 8. Conclusions; Atlantic Charter & Yalta Declaration (handout)
    • Final Review

• Jerry Bentley and Herb Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, II, From 1500 to the Present, 4th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006 [TRS 12.500]
• Dennis Sherman, et al., World Civilizations: Sources, Images, and Interpretations, 4th ed., vol. II (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006) [TRS 12.502]

His 1500 provides insight into the main currents of modern world history. It also reveals what historians do. We read certain documents used by modern historians as well as selections from historians themselves and begin to make our own assessments. Generally, I will lecture Tuesday and we will discuss documents and historical analyses Thursday. Documents must be read before discussion. The course presumes no particular historical background.