- 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.
- 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:
- 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 excellent and unique (that is, not
the usual top 3 google results).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- April 19, 2005: When I teach this course again in
Spring 2006, students 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.
- Sept. 1, 2005: UC Santa Cruz's UC
Atlas of Global Inequality has good resources, including map
projection discussion.
- 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:
- March 23, 2006: TA Section Assignments
- Rafaela Acevedo-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
- June 21, 2006: Here is the overall grade distribution for Spring 2006 (1/10/08: page):
|
total #: 227 |
B+ 26 |
C+ 20 |
D+ 1 |
F 6 |
| A 19 |
B 61 |
C 8 |
D 1 |
withdraw/incomplete: 3 |
| A- 37 |
B- 39 |
C- 8 |
D- 1 |
avg. grade: 85.0 (w/o "F"s) |
In my final evaluation of the course I've also posted the Midterm Survey responses.
I hope you have a nice summer! --Prof. Marcuse
- Nov. 3, 2007: Benita Blessing's comments about an H-German exhibition review speak exactly to my feeling about the usual fact-emphasis of survey courses.
- Jan. 16, 2008: I found several other textbooks quite appealing, but for various reasons--among them price--I decided to stick with Tignor et al. (The other are $25-30 more for the vol. C, and I didn't see their strengths being worth that much more: publishers take note!):
- Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, The World: A History, Volume C (from 1700 to the Present) (Prentice-Hall, 2006)($86.60 at amazon)
- The website is awkward to navigate (and the non-resizeable windows a huge pain), but the listing of documents in the back of the textbook is nice.
- Craig Lockard, Societies, Networks, And Transitions: A Global History (Houghton-Mifflin, 2007)($81 for vol. C; amazon page)
- Very similar in the design features to Tignor (guiding section questions, headings), it also has pronunciation and glossary items in the text. Not quite as dense, but conceptually interesting. (I'm going to prepare a comparison table to see how they each handle the chapter divisions.)
- Stearns, Adas, Schwartz. By now almost a classic, but I'm surprised at how Eurocentric it is.
- Bentley/Ziegler. Although several of my colleagues use this (including for 2B this year), I still don't find it fits conceptually with my course, nor that it has enough depth.
- Duiker/Spielvogel: 1996 H-World review
- Kischlansky et al: 1996 H-world review 1; review 2
- Craig/Graham/Kagan/Ozment/Turner: H-world review
- Jan. 16, 2008: Course Books for 2008. We will be using the same books this year as I used in 2006, except that they have all come out in new editions:
- textbook will be Tignor et al, Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: A History of the World from the Beginnings of Humankind to the Present (Norton, 2nd ed. Feb. 2008, vol. II) (publisher's website)
- note 1: we will be reading chaps 13-21 of the new edition. Vol. II=10-21; Vol. C=14-21. The publisher has agreed to offer vol. II at the price of C since their custom edition won't be available. It should be $57 (instead of $66).
- note 2: the previous editions of the next two readings will be acceptable, if you want to purchase used copies. The differences are not very great.
- Robert Allison (ed.), The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself (Bedford, 2nd ed. 2007)($14-16 at amazon)
- Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History (Bedford, 5th edition 2006)($14-16 at amazon)
- Jan. 16, 2008: The course will meet Tue-Thu, 12:30-1:45 in Campbell Hall. (List of sections on draft of Hist 500 syllabus). See the 2006 syllabus for an idea of how I teach this course.
- Feb. 6, 2008: In order to enroll for the honors section, you must now simply enroll in a regular section. On the first day of class all interested students will meet, and we will set a time when the maximum can meet. Those students will receive enrollment codes.
Note 3/26: The honors section will meet Thursdays, 10-noon, in HSSB 4041
- Mar. 26, 2008: Crashing/Wait List. The Spring 2008 course filled up on Feb. 22, 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 close enrollment and then TAs can start waiting lists for any spaces that open up. I WILL ask them to give priority to certain students:
- Students who were once enrolled and dropped because of financial aid;
- Students who had asked to be put on a priority waitlist (now closed);
- Students who have already taken 2A and 2B (esp. history majors); then just 2B, then just 2A
- Students who can make a reasonable argument that they are a hardship case, e.g. needed as a requirement for a major or GE. I note that Hist 4B and 4C are also offered this quarter, and 2A, 2B and 2C are offered in summer session.
- Mar. 26, 2008: TA section assignments: chronological listing; schedule grid
- April 1, 2008: you can only get into this course by "crashing" a section. See 3/26 for details.
- April 1, 2008: update on textbook price. The $57 turns out to have been the "net price," which I understood to be what the purchaser pays. That is actually called the "retail price," so I misunderstood what the publisher's rep told me (although I am positive that I asked her: "so that is what the students will have to pay?" and she answered in the affirmative, but I have no documentation of that). Anyway, after I expressed my outrage that the 33% markup at the bookstore amounts to about $10,000 profit on 500 textbooks (minus their overhead, of course), the bookstore has offered to take a smaller cut if the publisher is willing to reduce the price an equivalent amount. In case they agree (and the publisher has already come down on their price), students who already purchased the textbook would be refunded the difference. So: you can purchase and open your textbooks, and if there is good news you can get some money back later. I apologize for the misunderstanding and false expectations.
- April 1, 2008: Added to website: 2008 syllabus (also as pdf)
The section readings for week 2: Kuhn on eRes; Nietzsche (read I to first 7 paragraphs of IV)
- Corrections/additions to syllabus:
1. Jill Briggs's office hours: Wed. 9-11
2. Colleen Ho's third section is: Wed. 1-2 (not 12-1)
3. eRes password is: remain
- April 2, 2008: Good news on the textbook pricing front. The publisher and the UCen both agreed to come down in price. Here's the relevant passage from the UCSB textbook manager's e-mail:
"I have reduced the retail price by $12.00. Please tell your students to bring their receipt (and the [credit?] card they used to originally purchase the book) to our customer service desk to receive a $12.00 refund. The deadline for this transaction will be Friday, April 11."
- April 7, 2008: The Global Village/History Quotations handout is now available. Use the pdf or doc links at the top if you want a clean printout.
- April 7, 2008: The 2c course demographic survey is now ready: please take it--the 10 radio button/check box questions should take you only a minute or two. Thanks! (report log-in)
- April 9, 2008, 11am : I've responded to the things you wrote in the "free response" question on the survey. See the forum on the course Sakai site. (Link also in dark green box of menu bar above) . Log in with your UCSBnet ID, then click on this course in the blue menu bar going across. Then select "Discussion and Private Messages" on the vertical bar." So far 251 people have taken the survey--I'm hoping for 75% (375-400 responses) by tonight.
- April 14, 2008:
- Extra-credit film series: Anil is willing to arrange for showings of selected films at the Multicultural Center theater, roughly every two weeks (5 films). Watching each film can earn 1 point extra credit up to a maximum of 4 points, documented by turning in to your TA a card he'll give out at the film. Those points are added on at the very end of the grade (not part of any sub-category). The first film will be this Monday, noon-2:35: Amistad (clip shown in lecture last Thursday).
Can you get the extra credit if you cannot make the showing time but see the film on your own? I'll discuss this with all of the TAs today and let you know.
- Textbook Price. Someone reported that when special-ordered the course textbook is back to the "old" price. The bookstore assures me that it is still being sold for $64, not $76. If that is not the case, please let me know.
- April 15, 2008: Policy on the extra credit films. In the interest of fairness, the TAs are willing to do the extra administrative work for students who can't attend the showings at the MCC. However, you will have to do a little more work (writing). So here are the policies:
- If you can attend the showing at the MCC, just jot down your name, the film title, and a few notes on the index card Anil distributes, and give it to your TA. That will get you credit.
- If you canNOT attend the showing, you must obtain the film on your own and watch it. In some cases (namely if UCSB, the prof, or a TA has a copy) a copy may be placed on 24 hour reserve at the library. This may be a VHS copy, however (Amistad is).
- You should show your TA a copy of your class or work schedule that shows that you have a conflict. (We really prefer that you attend the showing if possible.)
- You must type and submit to your TA: a 1-page (ca. 250-300 word) answer to the question: How have the concepts presented in the course helped me to understand the film? Or: How does the film reflect the concepts taught in the course?
- You must do this within one week of the official showing time and get the card to your TA in section or lecture. (Do not come with a bunch of cards at the end of the quarter!)
- Finally, if you know any films that you'd like to suggest, please e-mail the prof or ask your TA to pass on the suggestion. Thanks!
- April 16, 2008: Lecture powerpoints posted.
- April 20, 2008: Paper upload instructions sent on e-mail:
- -Go to the Sakai site: https://sakaiapp2.isc.ucsb.edu/porta
-log in, then click on History 2C SPR_08 in the horizontal blue menu bar
-then select Assignments from the vertical menu list
-click on the Equiano Paper assignment that appears in the central frame
-click on the Add Attachments button (you may have to scroll down)
-navigate to the place on your computer or storage device where your paper is.
I think you should be able to take it from there.
Don't forget to check the honor pledge box.
- Please note that the sakai server will stop accepting uploads at 5pm on Tuesday. I may reopen submissions after that (once the TAs have logged who has submitted), but then late points will accrue in accordance with the policy.
- EXTENSIONS? One student has already asked. I've responded on the Forum on the Sakai site. You are welcome to contribute your opinion there.
- April 20, 2008: that e-mail continued regarding "the point" of Lecture 6 last Thursday:
- While I'm writing I want to take the opportunity to address what for some of you seems to be a big issue. After lecture on Thursday I had a discussion with two students, one of whom appreciated the "framing" (as historians call it) I offer, and one of whom felt that in lecture I do too much administrative stuff (he probably includes "framing" in that), and not enough "content." That, I think, was also the message behind the question asked at the end of lecture: "What was the point of today's lecture?" I appreciate this feedback, and I hear you and would like to respond. I know from experience that 1/3 to 1/2 of the class may feel something similar. They expect and want "more history," more stories (I presume).
- The short answer to the specific question is that I wanted to get you familiar and comfortable with the concept "Enlightenment," hoping that you would recognize how deeply embedded in our own thinking and values it is. I also wanted to show you some alternative meanings, like those of eastern philosophy, and the self-critical western notion of Voltaire and others. For me, this would be an ideal "ID" term. The textbook definition (from the glossary) and those sections of text (617-624) answering the question "What were the major tenets of the E.?" give you solid background and examples. For an ID, that material would get you a "C" grade--you need to come up with *significance* to move it up from there. Thursday's lecture was designed to introduce you to what that significance might be--from the notion that there is a "core knowledge" we (in the US, the world?) all should know, to the reason 40-60% of you are taking this course: "General Education." I also hoped you would recognize how artificially constructed GE is, and that you can actually take part in shaping what the "core knowledge" taught at UCSB (and in US colleges in general) might be. Wow--GE, and this course's content, is not immutably set in stone. For me, the students lobbying for the environmental special requirement was not at all something "administrative," but a dead on "teachable moment."
- My more general answer to students who want more "content" (narrative history) in lecture has to do with, I think, a basic difference of opinion about what the purpose of a class like this is. My feeling is that the textbook, written by world-renowned experts in many fields, offers more than enough quality content of the sort these students expect. The problem is figuring out what is relevant, important--and that depends very much on one's point of view. Some things might be "important" because we've selected them for the midterm or final, but that has to do with a very subjective choice by the prof and TAs. I would like to teach you how to figure out what is important *to you*, with your own goals in mind. That is the way I've designed this course, including the materials for discussion section. Please review the Introduction on the syllabus for an explicit statement. If you've decided that lecture doesn't give you anything you consider important, then there's little I can do to help. You need to tell me *what* you consider to be important.
- I'll end quickly. I think there is a difference between *knowing* and *understanding*: the first has to do with facts, the second with the meanings we give those facts. The first is pretty straightforward, but can be overwhelming--the body of facts that various people select to be part of "world history" (never mind Western civ) is HUGE. The second takes real work. It can't be spoon-fed, presented on powerpoint slides, enjoyed, and written down in a notebook, to be reproduced on an exam and eventually to drift from memory. It is a skill that, I think, over the longer term will serve you very well.
- April 29, 2008, 3pm: Master ID list of 25 ID terms is now available [augmented at 10:30].
8pm: I will post the essay questions later tonight. I will send an e-mail to the class when they are available.
10:30pm: Master ID List augmented with 4 essay questions now available.
Prof. available in Sakai site chatroom Wednesday 8-9pm to clear up questions.
(The chat is archived and will be available to all afterwards.)
- April 30, 2008: the midterm is indeed worth 15% of the final grade, not 20%.
- April 30, 2008: More lecture powerpoints:
- May 4, 2008, 8pm: Several announcements:
- The extra credit film for this week will be Twilight Samurai (2002, 129 minutes). It will begin at noon in the MCC theater. In 1865 Japan (before the Meiji Restoration), Seibei is a low-level samurai, a clan warrior position that has become obsolete in the age of guns. He spends most of his time with the other samurai as a bureaucrat keeping track of the clan's stores. He prefers farming to fighting or advancing his status, and works hard to get out of debt incurred by family misfortune. But then honor calls and he must draw on his long-past training with an old swordfighting master to meet the challenge. Prof. Roberts will set the context for this film in his guest lecture on Thursday.
- For Thursday, please be sure to download and print Prof. Roberts' 1-page pdf handout to bring to lecture. It also contains guidance on the sources to read for section this week.
- Also, the midterm survey is now available. Please go to the Hist 2c Midterm survey at feedbackfarm.com and take the survey. It has 16 simple questions, and should take only about two minutes. I am really hoping for a better response rate than for the intro survey--if it's good, I promise I'll get a final exam study guide out to you with more advance time than I did for the midterm.
- May 5, 2008: The James Q. Wilson lecture tonight at 8pm in Campbell Hall is highly recommended for the second paper. His thesis of explaining "American exceptionalism" historically is a dead ringer for an application of the paradigm model of change. It may be worthwhile purchasing his book for a more in-depth examination of his research and argument.
Note: In the e-mail reminder I suggested purchasing the book. I see that it is a 700 page collection of essays by "leading scholars." Not having seen the book yet myself, I think that focusing on a few of the essays, or comparing some of them might be appropriate. See this Apr. 4, 2008 article about the book on the American Enterprise Institute magazine's website, with some comments about that article at newsvine.com.
- SB County is currently short of clerks for the June 3 statewide primary. Students can be volunteer clerks, which is a great way to learn about the electoral process. The pay: $60 for a half day, $120 for a full day, plus an additional $10 for attending a training session. Interested students can contact Jill Johnson at the Santa Barbara County Elections office: jjohnson@co.santa-barbara.ca.us; phone: 805.560.1027.
- May 6, 2008: Please see the Events page for suggested events for the second paper, as well as sample papers from previous years and tips on what the expectations are and how to go about writing it. I've also added some links for the James Wilson lecture last night. For further discussion, I suggest using the forum on the Sakai site,
- A DVD of t his week's extra credit film Twilight Samurai will be available on reserve at the UCSB library by Wednesday (5/7) afternoon. The previous films will no longer be available, since you need to see them within a week or so of the original showing.
- May 12, 2008: More events added to Events page, also Answers to Questions section (see menu bar at top).
If you haven't already done so, please take the Hist 2c Midterm survey at feedbackfarm.com. Thank you. [note: the software won't let it be reopened] - Extra credit film. We have not yet been able to secure a copy of the planned film for the extra credit film today (Monday, noon, MCC): Machuca (Chile, 2004, 121 mins):
In Santiago, Chile in 1973, Salvador Allende, the first socialist president democratically elected in a Latin-American country, and the principal of Saint Patrick's School, Father McEnroe, attempts to integrate students of the upper and lower classes. The bourgeois boy Gonzalo Infante and the boy from the slum Pedro Machuca become great friends. However, the conflict on the streets leads Chile to the bloody and repressive military coup of General Augusto Pinochet on 11 September 1973, irrevocably changing their lives, their relationship, and their country.
The school is loosely based on Saint George's College, an upper-class Catholic school in Santiago. Despite strong opposition from the wealthy clientele of the school, principal Whelan implemented a series of integrationist measures inspired by Liberation Theology, measures that eventually led to his dismissal after the military coup d'état against socialist Allende. Among these measures was the project of social integration portrayed in Machuca. (imdb Machuca page)
- If we are not able to obtain a copy, we will instead screen the film Walkabout (Australia, 1971, 95 mins; imdb page). It depicts the story of two white children abandoned in the outback. Near death, they encounter an aborigine boy who has been sent on his walkabout, a ritual banishment in which he has to survive in the wilderness. The contradiction between the Western and aborigine cultures and values is the theme of this poignant film. By the way, the actor who plays the aborigine boy later played the adult tracker in Rabbit Proof Fence, 2002 (imdb page), which some of you may have seen.
- May 12, 2008: CLAS will be offering special workshops dedicated to the second paper. These would be more about the mechanics of writing than what we'll be doing in section this week. The dates are: Friday 5/16 at 2, 3 and 5pm; Monday 5/19 at 11am & 3pm. You should sign up in advance at my.sa.ucsb.edu/clas, or at the reception desk in SRB 3210. The workshops themselves will be in SRB 3282. (jpg of flyer)
- May 12, 2008, 10pm: The James Q. Wilson book is now available on 2-hour reserve: UNDERSTANDING AMERICA: THE ANATOMY OF AN EXCEPTIONAL NATION / SCHUCK AND WILSON, 2008: E169.12 U479 2007
- If you went to this event and didn't take notes, or did not understand the overall thesis, or the theses of some of the authors he presented, you may do better attending another event. Several of the questions I'm getting from students who attended this event lead me to think that they really didn't understand what he was trying to argue.
- The book has 21 separate essays. In principle, you could use any one in conjunction with the final two ("How Europe Sees America," and the editors' "Looking Back", 20 and 21) as the basis for a paper. The notes in the back are basically lists of appropriate sources.
- If you are planning to go to the Sachs/Mortenson event downtown on Tuesday, be sure to check on ticket availability. It may sell out.
- Today the extra credit film Walkabout was screened. The DVD should be available at the library on reserve soon.
- May 16, 2008: e-mail sent to the class today is posted below. Some info on various events is in the advice and FAQ sections of the Events page (911 photos, Horowitz, Iron Curtain polyphonies). For Screamers people, you can access most parts of Samantha Powers' book America and the Age of Genocide on amazon (searchable) and google books. E-mail:
- After visiting several discussion sections this week, I think the vast majority of you are well on the way to writing good papers. You have grasped the fact that the authors of events, even those that at first seem purely factual, actually have one or more theses/arguments underlying what they present. And I think/hope that you understand what I said in lecture yesterday, that applying some of the course concepts is NOT the main point of the paper, but merely a means to help you come up with a question to ask about what that author presented. For example: Are they missing or ignoring an important potential cause? If they are presenting a "monumental" history, what facts are they ignoring? Or what alternative explanations can account for the same developments? If they are taking a "Western" perspective, does looking at their event from a "World" point of view open up hitherto unseen causes or effects?
- Once you have found such questions, I think at this point the main stumbling block is understanding what "research" is, and then what conducting research entails.
- For example, I talked with a "Nueva Linda" (the film about Guatemala) group. After describing the film and event, here are some questions we came up with: What was the nature of the 1996 peace accord? Between whom was it made? What did it say about rural "squatters" on privately owned land? Did "peace" ever ensue from it, or was there always a level of violence between 1996 and the Nueva Linda massacre in 2004? What sparked that incident? Was it reported in the press at all? In the US? Mexico? Rest of the world?
- Once you have such questions, you would turn to the internet, databases on the internet, and the library. Here I want to point out to some powerful internet databases that you can access through the UCSB library. (If you want to access them from off campus, you need to set up your browser as a proxy server--instructions are on the library website.)
- These are the newspaper and news media databases for the Los Angeles Times, New York Times (both since the 1880s), and Lexis-Nexis Academic (with various international news sources, but not going back as far), and for academic articles Expanded Academic ASAP. For some questions, the Latin America Data Base, or the English-language China People's Daily (since 1946), or PAIS Public Affairs, as well as many others, may be relevant (ask at the reference desk, or browse the list, reading the descriptions in the right frame, to find pertinent ones). You go to:
http://www.library.ucsb.edu/eresources/databases/data-frames.html
and scroll down, or click on the first letter of the database name (if you know it) to jump down.
- Then you need to think of some keywords relevant to your topic to search for. If you come up with results that help to answer your question(s), those are your outside sources. By the way, if you are using newspaper articles as sources, it might be that several short articles from the same paper would count as "one" outside source.
- Finally, regarding the "Wikipedia issue" and using web pages as sources, you need to evaluate the validity of the information you find there. There are many helpful guides on how to do this. The Berkeley library has one of the best. See:
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
- Good luck--I hope you write informative and insightful papers, teaching us something new while learning!
- Sincerely,
Prof. Marcuse
- PS. Several people have been e-mailing me asking about topics because they have not attended an event yet. My suggestion at this point would be to get a book in the current titles section of the UCen bookstore--straight ahead on the entry level, then to the right. The are many books on relevant current topics there, and you can browse to select one in your interest, length and price range. Once you figure out the overall argument of the book (reviews and jacket blurbs help with that), you can probably focus on one chapter or issue it raises. A book with notes in the back will guide you quickly to the "outside sources" you need for the paper.
- May 17, 2008: e-mail sent to the class last night:
I'm getting more e-mails about the paper than I care to handle, so I'm going to offer a couple of chat sessions on the Sakai site this weekend.
Let's say Sat. and Sun. 2-3 pm each day.
If you have questions about your paper, log in to the Sakai site:
https://sakaiapp2.isc.ucsb.edu/portal and go to Chat Room.
Please be ready to give me a capsule summary of the event author's thesis (or a description of the event), if you didn't see me at that event. (Students have already filled me in on several other events, though.)
Sincerely, Prof. Marcuse
- May 18, 2008: CLAS will be offering special workshops on Monday 5/19 at 11am & 3pm. You should sign up in advance at my.sa.ucsb.edu/clas, or at the reception desk in SRB 3210. The workshops themselves will be in SRB 3282. (jpg of flyer)
- May 19, 2008: The extra credit film today will be Machuca (Chile 2004, 1 hr 52 mins), at noon in the MCC.
- Set in 1973 Chile, it follows the story of an elite boy and a boy from a shantytown who meet in the most exclusive school in Santiago, St. Patrick's school for boys, where the progressive priest-headmaster invites some poor boys from 'across the river' to attend free of charge (based on a real school and priest running it). After setting the scene of both boys' lives and their friendship under the democratically elected socialist Allende government, the tide of power shifts. On Sept. 11, 1973 General Pinochet led a coup, assassinating Allende and installing a military junta. (more detail on Philly festival page)
- Historical context: Chile is the country Prof. Soto-Laveaga presented with the legacy of underdevelopment because its wealth came from exporting guano. Allende was president from 1970 to 1973; Pinochet from 1973 until 1990, during which time many people were "disappeared." Convinced of his rectitude, in the late 1980s he called elections according to the constitution, but then unexpectedly lost them. In 1990 a democratically elected government returned to power. In a sense, the film portrays an attempted synthesis of two paradigms, which are then violently separated again.
- May 21, 2008: apparently the Machuca DVD had a bad scratch. It is not yet on reserve. I'll post an announcement here when I find out what the status is.
- There was a 24-hour grace period for uploading your paper to the Sakai site, but it is now closed. I'll reopen the assignment upload Thursday morning ca. 9-10am. If you have excuses, please give them to your TA, not me.
- May 23, 2008: Final extra credit films. The Machuca DVD is now on two-hour reserve--watch it on your laptop, I guess (check course reserves for status).
- No extra credit film will be shown on Monday, the Memorial Day holiday, but perhaps we will have one on Friday, 5/30. The final course film will be on Mon., 6/2.
- The four films Tue & Wed. evening (5/27 and 5/28) at the SB Human Rights Film Festival can be used as extra credit films. You need to write a paragraph about the film to give your TA to obtain credit. Each film costs $8 for students. (UCSB info, SB Independent article & info)
- May 28, 2008: Final extra credit films:
- Thu, 5/29, 7 & 9pm, Campbell Hall: Human Rights Film Festival (Persepolis & Dance/Uganda). You need to write a paragraph about the film to give your TA to obtain credit. Each film costs $8 for students.
(UCSB info, SB Independent article & info)
- Fri, 5/30, noon, MCC theater: Escape from Sobibor (1987)(Wikipedia Sobibor page; Thomas Blatt's Sobibor website -- use the "Contents" links at top left)
- Mon., 6/2, noon, MCC theater: Gandhi (1982)(Wiki film page & Gandhi biography)
Clip shown in lecture on 5/27. Epic biography won 8 Oscars.
- May 28, 2008: Final extra credit film:
- Fri, 6/6, noon, MCC theater: Seven Years in Tibet (1997)(Wikipedia page)
based on the biography of Austrian olympic skiier Heinrich Harrer (1912-2006), who was arrested by the British during a mountain climbing expedition in India when World War II broke out in 1939. He eventually escaped into the Himalayas and trekked to the Tibetan capital Lhasa, a city closed to all foreigners. He became a friend and tutor to the young Dalai Lama, advising him when the Chinese communists invaded. They remained close friends until Harrer's death in 2006.
- May 28, 2008: Pdf versions of the following lecture powerpoints are now available:
- June 3, 2008, 6:30pm: Final exam study guide now available [link to pdf fixed 6/6], also pdfs of all lectures up until now, most recently the following:
- June 6, 2008: Pdf of powerpoint for Lecture 20 now available.
- Online review sessions (Sakai chat) with the prof. will be Sunday, 5-6 and 8-9pm
[note: if we said noon-1 instead of 5-6, let me know, and I'll change it]
- The final extra credit film will be screened today at noon in the MCC (see 5/28 announcement, below). All cards/paragraphs must be submitted before/at the final exam.
- The early final exam for those who were approved for it:
Friday, noon-3 in HSSB 4020. Please be there by 11:55.
- June 8, 2008, Sun., 8:15pm: It looks to me like Sakai has crashed--I get a "site unavailable" error after logging on when I try to get into the chat room. I'll try again for a while and at 10pm, and tomorrow (Mon.) morning 8:30-9:30. I'm sorry the software/server have been so unreliable this quarter. It's been a huge headache for me too.
Maybe those people who don't have a question to ask, but just want to listen in could log out and read what's been asked later? That might get the chat working again.
- 8:40pm. Here's an e-mail comment from a student and my answer:
Student: "Hello Professor
I know this is probably going to have zero affect on your decision, but I wanted to at least try.
Please don't put number 3 on the exam!
This doesn't mean I'm not going to outline it, its just hard."
- Answer:"I would have said that it's easier (well, less complex) than no. 2, and on par with no. 1. The def's are pretty straightforward, and the goals too, really. Why do you think a "first" world country like us wants NAFTA, for example? Are we getting what we want? The goals of the Soviet bloc? What happened there? And a given 3rd world country, Chile, Egypt, Israel for example, what did it want? Did it get it? Some yes, some no ...
Since I can't get into the Sakai chat, I'll post this without your name on the web site. Do others agree that this question is much harder?":
- 9:30pm: 2 think it's the hardest, 1 the easiest
9:45 Student message: "I think the reason some people feel that third question is so difficult is because the book's explanation of it is quite complex. It explains the first world just fine providing one with examples of how the U.S. and Japan achieved the goals of the first world just fine. However, when it gets to the second world it gets a little confusing. It doesn't really separate the goals of the world in relation to the Soviet Union. I was thinking I could use the soviet union as an example of how the goals were not fully realized in terms of the wide amount of oppression. Lastly, the third world explanation confused me a lot because although I realize the third world wanted to find a middle ground between the two ideologies, really it seems none of the examples given under it suffice. It discusses Latin America, specifically Cuba but that gave into communism with support from the Soviets. It goes on to also talk of Mao's China but weren't they communist also? That's what I find so confusing. Any suggestions about whether I have the general gist of it or am I just over complicating the question (something I tend to do)..."
Answer: Thanks for the thoughtful feedback. Yes, esp. for the "Third World" the textbook IS confusing: It elides the two definitions (Cold War political vs. economic). But I still think those countries' goals are clear--they did not want to align themselves, but get something from the superpowers, sometimes by playing them off against one another (no that wasn't their ultimate goal, though!)--to what end? By the way, Vietnam is a classic example of the fallacy of the political "3 worlds": its xx movement was supported by China (yes, Communist, but no, not at all Soviet bloc as the US/Kennedy imagined). Now we are full into the realm where false theories yield real results, in this case bad ones.
- June 9, 12:15am: Clarifications from chat sessions:
- In III: "World-historical developments" and "that event" mean the same thing here. "World-historical" means things that affected multiple regions of the globe and made a lasting change in the balance of power between them or in the way those regions interacted.
- For II.1: India and China are different world regions. Each one can yield multiple examples. I would say Vietnam and China are the same world region, but the TAs might be more generous. If II-1 is on the exam, we'll set a standard for what counts as the same and what different.
- June 9, 8:40am: Email sent at 8:36 this morning:
Sakai support tells me that 200-300 students are on Sakai this morning, and that the chat becomes unstable when more than 100 try to use it. I cannot get on now (since 8:28), so I'd guess it won't be of much use to us this morning.
If you want, we can try to move to an AIM chat room, as some students did last night. I've never done it that way, but I have an account I use with my kids, if you want to invite me in:
kzpapa
Otherwise you can try e-mailing me, and if I think it's an important question, I'll post it on the homepage [here!].
Also, I don't have much time this morning, so try to ask by 9am, and I'll try to check in again around 11am.
Prof. Marcuse
- Mon, 9am: The most-asked question in the chat has been "which essay question" (for II). How's this for a helpful/unhelpful response:
- "It wouldn't be fair to everyone to tell you which question will be on the test, but for last minute crammers, I'll say this: the TAs have convinced me that it would be a good idea to give you a choice on II. So I'll offer two of them, and you can rule out memorizing stuff for one of them. HOWEVER: the IDs will be slanted toward the question in II that is not on the exam..."
- 9:15am from a student e-mail about III (best answers about factors that did not play an important role):
Student: "When you say you want us to include stuff that might have contributed to it happening but didn't. What do you mean by that? Do you want us to use the E.I.E.I.O model and for example in the Taiping Rebellion elites didn't play a role but technically couldn't you spin it that the elites represented the landed gentry whom the Qing government looked to for help in order to suppress the rebellion thus giving away their power to the gentry and weakening the state thus allowing a united front, such as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, to establish a capital in Nanjing? I just feel like no matter what I potential factors I find that didn't lead to an event, I can look at it in some way and see how it might have affected it, but I feel like I can't really say it didn't affect. Does this make sense?"
Answer: That makes perfect sense, and you show that you have clearly understood "causality" and grasped the mnemonic model as well. The crucial thing here is where the prompt says "might have played an *important* role"--some of the causes will have been more or less important than others, even if all just about always play *some* role. Just ask yourself: How crucial was that role in this given case? And in the end, your answer might be yes, ALL of the factors were crucial in some way. (There is no one right answer, just convincing reasoning for an answer.)
I hope this helps.
- Here's an exchange with one TA about some questions & IDs:
- TA: From the students I have talked to, all are expressing the hope that number one is the question to answer with number two coming in second. Many have said "I hope its not number three." I think if you give a choice on the essays you will have happier students, some may be upset that they "studied everything for nothing" but ultimately they may be relieved to answer the question they feel most comfortable on. The IDs students asked me most about at office hours is export oriented development, Mumbai, Ottoman Empire, Mughal empire (The last three are difficult for students in terms of significance, they know its in the textbook and have read it, but dont know which section to zero in on, regarding Mumbai, they have just found one sentence on it). I also had a few students ask about significance of export oriented development, they attended Nicole's lecture but were confused. A few also are believing globalization to be the interconnectedness between regions and thats it.
- answer: I think the students coming to you with those concerns may not have been keeping up with the lectures and readings all along.
Export-oriented development was the main focus of Gabriela's lecture [L14-pdf] (and only indirectly of Nicole's--linking to hers would be more for the "A" answers), while Mumbai is not just in the index, but the focus of the "global connection" full page on p. 915 (that's why I chose it). So I think they are fair game and will be easy for the students "in the know."
On the empires, after locating them in time and place, I'd expect something on significance on two levels: more narrowly about their specific history, and more broadly having to do with how we divide the globe into regions according to dynasties and empires, even when that only applies to the core of what we say they represent, or that such political realms are not the same as cultural or economic regions (giving some examples, not just saying this). Again, I'd expect the latter, broader answer from the better students giving clear "A" answers.
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