World map, scaled by population, from asiaintheschools.org
World map, scaled by population
World History, 1700-present
(UCSB Hist 2c), by Professor Harold Marcuse
(homepage, Courses Page, Publications Page)
contact: marcuse@history.ucsb.edu
page created March. 28, 2003; last update: Mar. 23, 2006
This page was "decommissioned" on March 29, 2006.
Go to Prof. Marcuse's current World History homepage
Jump down to section headings on this page:

Announcements
(at top)
Old Announcements
(at bottom)
Lecture outlines
(with events)

Course materials:
direct links: syllabus,
hyperlinked reader

Course
description
& goals
World History Links
(including student suggestions)
Grading policies
Announcements (old announcements move to bottom)
  • March 5, 2006: Course books. worlds together textbook coverIn case you want to try to get a head start or save some money ordering the course books on-line or used, these are the three required books:
  • Feb. 22, 2006: Crashing/Wait List. The Spring 2006 course filled up on Feb. 16, and several students have contacted me about how they can get in. Unfortunately, until the first class meeting, there is nothing I can do for you--you just have to keep checking on GOLD and register when you find an open space. On the first day of class I will freeze enrollment and then TAs can start waiting lists for any spaces that open up. I WILL ask them to give priority to certain students. My thinking at this point is:
    • First, students (esp. history majors) who have already taken 2A and 2B
    • Second just 2B
    • Third just 2A
    • Then any other students who can make a reasonable argument that they are a hardship case. I note that Hist 4B and 4C are also offered this spring, and Hist 2C (I'm pretty sure) will be offered in summer sessions.
  • March 23, 2006: TA Section Assignments
    • Rafaela Acevido-Field: W 4-5, 5-6; F10-11
    • Ricardo Caton : W 1-2, 2-3; F 12-1
    • Laurence Christian: W 6-7 plus 2CH TBA
    • Mary Donaldson: F 8-9, 9-10, 11-noon
    • Heidi Marx-Wolf: T 3-4, W 8-9, 12-1
  • Feb. 28, 2006: There are 13 sections. Section meeting times are:
    • Tue. 3pm
    • Wed. 8, noon, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
    • Fri. 8, 9, 10, 11, noon
    • History 500 for the TAs should meet some time in the slot Tue. 12:30-2:30 [3/23: 12:30-2 in 4041].
  • Feb. 9, 2006: [note to self] need to start a "World History Resources page" with a section of important links (like George Mason U's World History Matters, and the World History Association's World History Connected); a section of textbook reviews; a section of recommended books for the essay assignment, such as:
  • Oct. 12, 2005: textbook worlds together textbook coverwill be Tignor et al, Worlds Together, Worlds Apart (Norton, 2002)
  • Sept. 16, 2005: I definitely need to have a lecture (or unit) on the relationships between religion and politics in what we call the "modern age" (does that relationship define what we mean by "modern"?). Timothy Garton Ash's "What's your problem with Islam?" (LAT 9/15/05) is remarkably astute and thought-provoking, also somewhat cryptic.
  • Sept. 14, 2005: I'm currently reviewing textbooks to order for my spring 2006 offering. This is a constant source of agony for me, since I find most narratives severely lacking. (In plain English, my mind wanders after only a couple of pages.)
    • While doing this, I took the multiple choice quiz on the site of the Bentley/Ziegler textbook (clcik m.c. quiz link on left) that I used last time, for chapter 37, NEW CONFLAGRATIONS: WORLD WAR II. Arguably, I should know A LOT about this period. I scored 71%. Am I dumb? I hope not. I'd rather claim this as evidence that my interests in history don't match the textbook's aims, and multiple choice tests measure how much you think like the test-makers. I scored 86% on ancient China, without reading the text...
    • To choose a textbook, one should be clear about one's goals. For "norms" I looked at:
    • For ideas on getting away from a textbook,
      Pahl, Ron H., 1943-, Breaking away from the textbook: creative ways to teach world history (Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Education, 2002). UCSB D16.2 .P24 2002 ($17 at amazon)
      ... is not much help. It's basically a compendium of activities you can do on topics, like "quick writes," bumper stickers, posters, poetry, "time traveler,""meet the press," etc.
    • Idea: Examining various panels from El Fisgon's How to Succeed at Globalization (2004) would be a fun and profitable exercise in lecture ($15 at amazon)
    • My scratch pad for comparing various college-level World history texts:
      • Adler's World Civilizations (vol. 2=$77 at amazon). Used in 2004, forget it.
      • Bentley/Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters (v. 2=$75 at amazon) 3rd ed. 2005; vol. c=ch.29-41
        • maps definitely weak, illustrations ok; can't get excited about it
      • Brummett, Civilization Past & Present ($87 at amazon). Longman, 11th ed. 2005
        • The publisher's rep gave me a very persuasive sell on this one, very revised from the 10th edition, especially the web ancillaries. I liked it very much, but with the way I teach I like the shorter Tignor text better--I like my own (smaller) selection of ancillaries, and feel this comprehensive website would be too dominant in my course and necessitate relying on the textbook more than I like to.
      • Bulliet, Crossley, Headrick, Hirsch, Johnson, Northrup, The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History (Houghton-Mifflin 3rd ed. 2005) v. C=ch. 22-34
        • more of a core Western narrative, but interesting graphics & theme boxes; maps fine
      • Duiker/Spielvogel's World History (vol.2=$77 at amazon)
      • Fields, Lanny B. , Cheryl A. Riggs, Russell J. Barber,
        Global Past (Bedford)(v.2=$81 at amazon); Reading the Global Past v. 2
        • Leaving out a few chaps, possible to do ch. 31-42/44 in 10 weeks
        • more global than western view, with unique conceptualizations
        • monochrome, but good illustrations, not the usual, with informative captions & source info
        • suggested readings are annotated
      • Johnson/Halverson, Sources of World Civilization (v.2=$50 at amazon)
      • Kishlansky's Sources of World History (vol. 2=$54 at amazon)
      • Kishlansky's Society & Cultures World Hist (v.
      • John and William McNeill, The Human Web: A Bird's-Eye View of World History ($18 at amazon), 370pp.
      • Mitchell, Mitchell, Taking Sides: Clashing Views in World History, v. 2, 2nd ed. (McGraw-Hill)
        • Publisher: "presents timely issues in a debate-style format. The "pro" and "con" essays foster critical thinking in students while encouraging them to develop a concern for serious social dialogue"
      • Riley, Global Experience: Readings in World History (Prentice)(v2=$38 at amazon)
      • Sanders et al's Encounters in World History (2005 1st ed)($43 at amazon)
      • Sherman, World Civilizations: Sources, Images and Interpretations (v2=$40 at am.)
      • Stearns, Adas, Schwartz, Gilbert, World Civilizations: The Global Experience (Longman 4th ed. 2004)
        • chaps 28-41=industrialization to present=25=slave trade
        • one document per chapter, sources are attributed
        • more color, good contrasting maps, narrative suggested readings & web sites
      • Tignor, Adelman, Aron, Kotkin,..., Worlds Together, Worlds Apart (Norton 2002)
  • Sept. 1, 2005: UC Santa Cruz's UC Atlas of Global Inequality has good resources, including map projection discussion.
  • July 13, 2005: Note to self: possibly use PAIRwise anti-plagiarism software.
  • April 19, 2005: When I teach this course again in Spring 2006, student may work in groups to complete the research projects. Each TA will nominate up to 5 projects for publication on the course web site. (I and the other TAs will be the judges.) Authors of published projects may present their work to the class instead of taking the final exam.
  • March 2, 2005: Adam Hochschild, author of superb books about slavery in the Belgian Congo and about the antislavery movement, published an editorial in the LA Times, "A Monument to Denial," about how this year's anniversary exhibition at the Brussels Royal Museum of Central Africa whitewashes Belguim's atrocities in the Congo.
    • 2/5/06: I've updated my Imperialism lecture notes with information about the new documentary based on Hochschild's book King Leopold's Ghosts.
  • Jan 7, 2005: World History Connected (homepage) has an excellent newsletter with many interesting articles. See, for instance, this 2004 special issue on Africa, and the index of issues.
  • Oct. 2, 2004: Well-designed lesson plan about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, at newzcrew.org, which is run by Global Kids and NewsHour Extra. Global Kids is a New York City-based educational organization that supports urban youth to become global citizens and community leaders. NewsHour Extra is the student section of the Online NewsHour, the Web site for PBS's daily news broadcast, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
  • Sept. 29, 2004: I found an interesting and very comprehensive teaching site developed since 1999 by Alexander Ganse, a German historian teaching World History at an elite school in South Korea, "World History at KMLA" (Korean Minjok Leadership Academy) hosted by the Center for Instructional Media (ZUM) in Germany. It is in English, and especially the links seem to be unique.
  • 9/28/04: After seeing the film Outfoxed (official Outfoxed site) about how the Fox "News" network systematically obfuscates opinion and fact, I think historians need to focus more than ever on teaching students how to assess the reliability and relevance of their sources. This is a step that would precede the interpretation of primary source material, which many World History courses (and the notorious DBQ) emphasize. 11/10/05: here are some good sites:
  • 7/13/04: The on-line journal World History Connected (homepage) has some excellent articles for teachers. Next time I teach this course I'm going to start the course by discussing this June 2004 article about the fundmental approaches found in world history textbooks: Tom Laichas, "History and the Textbooks". I think it lays out very clearly one of my goals for this college-level required introduction to the discipline of history, namely to help us recognize our underlying assumptions in the ways we conceive of our world. We are not teaching The Truth, but how to find principles that can guide our understanding about how and why things happen, then and now. It would be fun to have each TA's sections take one of my EIEIO/C causes (see L1 outline) and make arguments for it as the writing assignment.
    By the way, I find that William Everdell's article "How To Use the Theme Of Technology in Teaching the World History Survey Course" offers some insightful new approaches for examining some of the tried-and-true events of world history.
  • 6/13/03: On June 22 you can find out your course grade from GOLD.
    Here is the overall grade distribution:
        # students B+    29 C+   8 D     missing/incomplete: 0
    A      7 B      19 C     7 D-   total:    108 students
    A-   23 B-    13 C-    F       2  mean grade: 86.2

 
 


If you feel you must take issue with your grade, please see the grading section, below.

  • You can pick up your final exams from the TAs during the Fall 2003 quarter.
  • Have a good summer--I hope you got something out of the course!
    Prof. Marcuse

Lecture outlines/calendar (back to top)
[note: links are to outside events suitable for the 2nd paper]

thumbnail of cover of Prof. Marcuse's course readerthumbnail of textbook by Philip Adler, World CivilizationsCourse materials (back to top)

Course Description (back to top)

This lecture course with discussion sections is designed for undergraduates of all disciplines (natural and social sciences, fine arts, humanities) with no prior college-level coursework in history. It fulfills the General Education requirement in area E-1, Civilization and Thought, and is approved as a GE writing course. (UCSB catalog info on GE)

The UCSB General Catalog description for Hist 2A,B,C reads as follows: "Survey of the peoples, cultures, and social, economic, and political systems that have characterized the world's major civilizations in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania." Hist 2C covers the period 1700CE-present.

Of course, it is utterly impossible to cover this much temporal and spatial ground in a meaningful way during a 10-week quarter, and I don't even try to do that. In fact, I don't think of history as a lot of information that "everyone should know." For me, it is a wealth of experiences, some of which are interesting and entertaining (like good books or movies), and some of which help me to understand and evaluate what is going on in the world around me. In this course we will study some of the historical experiences I have found to be interesting and helpful in understanding the present (we won't pass judgment on the entertainment value). Some of those experiences are the lives of exceptional people, some of ordinary people. Some are great cataclysmic events such as revolutions or wars. And some are ideas (or systems of beliefs) that have helped people to see the world around them in new ways, and have led to monumental changes in the way they--and we--live. Along the way of learning about these experiences, we will also learn and practice some skills, such as how to understand and draw meaning from primary sources, how to think beyond the obvious level of a story to its deeper meanings, and how to express our thoughts clearly in discussion and in writing.

Course Goals (back to top)

By reading the assignments, attending the lectures, participating in section discussion and doing the written work, you should:

  1. gain a better understanding of the nature and relevance of historical study in general;
  2. better appreciate the historical forces and events that have shaped the modern world (since ca. 1700);
  3. better appreciate the diversity of modern nations and peoples and the ways they act on each other in time and space;
  4. improve your ability to understand and interpret (draw reasoned conclusions about) historical source materials (including texts, images and music);
  5. improve your ability to write a short paper with research, analysis, interpretation and argumentation.

Links to interesting web sites (back to top)

Doonesbury comic on gradingGrading issues (back to top)

Please note that we grade YOUR WORK, not you.
If you feel that the grade you received on an assignment, exam or paper does not correspond to the quality of work that you submitted, you must first meet with your TA.
No grading reassessments will be done before 24 hours have elapsed since the work was returned to you, nor after two weeks after the work was returned.
If you are within that window of time, you can:

  1. EITHER: Print out, complete, and submit this Universal Grade Change Application Form.;-)
  2. OR: Write a page (or paragraph, whatever it takes) explaining WHY you think your work is better than the grade assigned to it. Please refer to the appropriate assignment sheet, and make sure you fulfilled the formal requirements of the assignment.
    1. Then resubmit the work in question with your explanation to the TA.
    2. If you are not satisfied with that reevaluation, please ask your TA to date and sign your explanation sheet, and then submit it and ALL of your work for this course to me (I need everything so that I will have the comparable knowledge of your work as your TA). I will assess your work for the course and the assignment in question, and get back to you.
    3. Note that I may lower your grade as well as raise it.
    4. Finally, be sure to put some contact address on your explanation sheet, so that I can be in touch with you

campus map, with classroom and office markedOld Announcements (back to top)

  • 3/28: page still under construction.
  • 3/31: class meets in Chem 1171 (map)
  • 3/31: Waiting List: Registration has been CLOSED, although a few slots are available. There is currently a waiting list with 18 people on it. Priority is being given to students who have already taken Hist 2B and/or 2A, or who have taken courses with me before. Only after that will I consider other reasons.
    A sign-up list will circulate at the first lecture on Tue, Apr. 1.
  • 3/31: Please go to your Monday (today) sections to meet the TA and get "warmed up" to the new quarter.
  • 4/1: I will make 30 more copies of the syllabus and bring them to class on Thu., 4/3. (pdf version)
  • 4/1: The wait list has 38 names on it. The first 17 students have priority status. Right now, only 7 spaces are available (3 of them for the Thu 8-9 section), and a few more (5? 7?) may open up. Thus it would be a good idea to look for other classes. Roughly equivalent is Hist. 4c, which is being offered twice this quarter: MWF 2-3, and T-Th 3:30-5.
  • 4/2, Wed.: 62 copies of the textbook have arrived at the UCen bookstore. They should be on the shelf by Wed. (today) afternoon.
    If the purchase price presents a hardship to you, please let me know--there may be a way I can help.
  • 4/5: wait list update. after talking with the TAs on Thursday, it looks like we can accommodate everyone who has taken a world history course before (2A or 2B). If you are not among those students, it would be a good idea to look for other classes. Roughly equivalent is Hist. 4c, which is being offered twice this quarter: MWF 2-3, and T-Th 3:30-5.
  • 4/5: I put two copies of the textbook on reserve on Wednesday. They should have become available yesterday (Friday) at the latest. Again, please let me know if you could use a textbook loan.
  • 4/5: L1 outline available.
  • 4/7: L2 outline available
  • 4/14: L3 and L4 outlines available
  • 4/16: students who have to miss the lecture on 4/17 because of Passover should let me know IN ADVANCE
  • 4/16: QUIZ on 4/17, about textbook chapters 40 or 42: see textbook pages 489 and 515f.
  • 4/16: L5 outline (no images yet) available
  • 4/21: L5 with images, and L6 outlines available; also outline for L8 (with primary sources)
  • 4/23: L7 outline available
  • 4/23: text from Communist Manifesto, for section this week (wk. 4)
  • 4/27, 2pm: sorry, but I won't have the study guide ready until late tonight (Sunday night).
  • 4/27: Prof. Cline's outline for L8 (with primary sources)
  • 4/28: Midterm study guide (pdf for printing) now available, sorry for the delay!
  • 4/28: for a discussion of Vassa/Equiano's birthplace and its significance, see Brychan Carey's biography
  • 4/30: link to L5 outline fixed
  • 4/30: L9: Africa outline available (images coming soon). 5/7: images inserted in L9 and in L11)
  • 5/1: Thu-Sun, May 1-4, Corwin Pavillion: Globalization Conference (conf. homepage, html program, pdf program, press release)
    Note: participation in this conference is recommended for the topic of the second paper.
    Also ok: Cold War conference (starts Friday, May 2, 1pm, in HSSB 6020).
  • 5/1; 5/4: CLAS workshops for 2nd paper assignment on Mon, May 5, 3pm and [cancelled] Tue, May 6, 4pm.
    A new workshop is being added for Wed. 5/7 afternoon.
  • 5/1: syllabus error=paper due date extension: The draft of the second paper is due Thu, May 15, 11am in lecture (not May 13).
    The rewrite of the second paper is due Tuesday, June 3, 11am in lecture (not in section the week before).
  • 5/7: new CLAS workshops for the second paper will be scheduled. I'll post dates as soon as I learn them.
  • 5/7: L11: Imperialism (with images) available
  • 5/8: [5/11: sorry, upload didn't work, will try again on 5/12] sample student paper for Equiano essay added
  • 5/11: L12: World War I (no images yet) added; no news yet on additional CLAS workshops
  • 5/12 sample student paper for Equiano essay now available
  • 5/14: L13: WWI aftermath/Russian Revolution added
  • 5/12: CLAS special workshops ONLY for rewrite: Wed., 5/28, 6pm (code 141a) and Thu 5/29, 4pm (code 142a).
    These will be held in Building 300. Space is limited. Please enroll in advance in bldg. 300 or 477.
    Use DROP-IN hours for help now: Bldg 300, M-R 9am-5pm, and F 10am-3pm.
    Also tutors at CLAS Study Center at Embarcadero Hall M-R 6pm- 10pm.
  • 5/13: link to CBS site for TV film Hitler: The Rise of Evil (May 18 & 20, 2003) added under links, below
    [5/22: did anybody watch either segment? Let me know!]
  • 5/22: L14, L15, L16 outlines added
  • 5/22: See below for change in topics of L17 and L18.
  • 5/22: Note on final paper submission: You must submit the first draft stapled to the final version, so don't throw it away or lose it!
  • 5/25: Nina Morecki, a historical witness of some of the central events of World War II, will speak to our class on Thursday, 5/29. You can read a short description of her experience on my Oral History Project website.
  • 5/28: L17 outline (not all images yet)
    LAST CLAS writing workshop     Thu 5/29, 4pm (code 142a).
  • Prof's cat lying on book and reader
    The professor's cat helping to select the source for the final exam (or hindering the same, depending on your point of view).
    May your studying be less distracted!
    6/3/03: L18 (Nina Morecki) and L19 (TAs+Cold War) added
  • 6/3/03: Final Exam Study Guide (printable pdf version)
    note: As announced in class, these are the actual two essay questions (no choice), and the guideline time of the exam is 2 hours: noon-2pm next Wednesday, June 11.
  • 6/9/03: I'll post the final lecture outline by 1pm today (Monday).
  • 6/9/03: TA review session for the final will be Monday evening (tonight), 7-9pm, in Psych 1824.
    Be sure to come prepared with answers to discuss!
  • 6/9/03: L20 outline available
  • 6/9/03: Although the guideline exam time is 2 hours, you can use
    the full three if you really need to.
  • The last pre-exam posting to this site (if any) will be Tuesday (6/10) night, 11pm.
  • 6/11/03: On June 22 you can find out your grades from GOLD. I will post the overall grade distribution here when it is available.

author: H. Marcuse

visitors since March 31, 2003
(April 1, 2003=1st class)

These are "unique" hits, so the same person checking multiple times in one day (from the same computer) only counts once.

Rough calculation of usage:
April 2003: 25.1/day
(each student checked site once every 4.5 days);
May 2003: 19.8/day
(once every 5.5 days)
June '03 til final: 28.5/day
(once every 4 days).

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37 on 4/2/03
73 on 4/5/03
298 on 4/21/03
308 on 4/22, noon
324 on 4/22, midnight
430 on 4/27, noon
[midterm guide promised]
490 on 4/27, midnight
572 on 4/28, midnight
[midterm guide published]
582 on 4/29, 10am
636 on 4/30, 4pm
674 on 4/30, 9pm
[midterm 5/1, 11am]
754 on 5/1, 5pm
[2 conferences begin]
778 on 5/2, 1pm
820 on 5/4, 1pm
930 on 5/7, 11pm
972 on 5/11, 3pm
998 on 5/12, 1pm
1039 on 5/13, 6pm
1116 on 5/14, midnight

[paper due 5/15]
1237 on 5/22, 11pm
1278 on 5/27, 9am
1309 on 5/28, 11pm
1421 on 6/3, midnight
[study guide published]
1565 on 6/9, noon
1617 on 6/9, 11pm
[final exam 6/11, noon]
1765 on 6/11, 9pm
1778 on 6/13, 3pm
1788 on 6/14/03
hits after end of course:
1839 on 7/27/03 [1.4/day]
2060 on 1/4/04 [1.5/day]
2423 on 7/13/04 [1.9/day]
2475 on 9/6/04 [1/day]
2491 on 9/16/04 [1.6/day]
2512 on 9/29/04 [1.6/day]
2514 on 10/2/04 [1/6/day]
2649 on 12/23/04 [1.6/day]
2675 on 1/7/05 [1.6/day]
2834 on 3/3/05 [3/day]

2898 on 3/25/05 [3/day]
3011 on 4/19/05 [4.5/day]
3031 on 4/22/05 [6.5/day]
3096 on 5/9/05 [3.8/day]
3267 on 7/14/05 [2.6/day]
3363 on 9/1/05 [2.0/day]
3413 on 9/14/05 [3.5/day]
3744 on 11/10/05 [6/day]
4246 on 2/6/06 [5.2/day]
4271 on 2/9/06 [8/day]
4340 on 2/22/06 [5.3/day]
4380 on 2/28/06 [6.6/day]
4412 on 3/5/06 [6.5/day]
4566 on 3/23/06 [8.5/day ]

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