Western Civilization, ca. 1715 to the Present (Fall 2007)

T, Th 3:30 – 4:45 p.m., Haines 39

 

Instructor:  K. Pangburn (kpangbur@ucla.edu)

Office Hours: M 12-1 p.m. and Th 2-3 p.m., Bunche 5240 or by appointment

This course surveys the history of modern Europe from 1715 to the present.  Topics to be examined include the Enlightenment, the impact of the French Revolution, industrialization, 19^th- and 20^th-century political ideologies and their consequences, nation-building, imperialism, global war, and challenges to Western hegemony in the 20^th century.  While the course proceeds chronologically, lectures will stress broader, interconnected themes focusing on the development of modern western society and culture. 

Teaching Assistants:

 

Lauren Acker (acker@ucla.edu)

Brittany Adams (Britt132@gmail.com)

Brad Fidler  (bfidler@mednet.ucla.edu)                                            

Kelly Kolar (kelko@ucla.edu)                                                                

Jennifer Ng (jenniferng@ucla.edu)                 

Joseph Sanzo (sanzojsanzo@aol.com)

Jack Traylor (jtraylor@ucla.edu)

Leslie Waters (lesliewaters@gmail.com)

 

Course Requirements:

 

Paper	20%
Midterm exam	20%
Section grade	25%
Final exam	35%

 

** The section grade is based on your attendance in section, your level of participation, and your performance on any homework assignments/quizzes.  More than two absences from section will result in a failing grade for the section component.

 

** Exams are comprehensive.  They will cover materials from class lectures, section discussions, and all required readings.  NO MAKE-UPS WITHOUT PROOF OF HOSPITAL ADMISSION.

** The paper will consist of 5-6 typed, double-spaced pages.  Topics will be handed out in advance.

** All written work must be completed in order to pass the course.

 

Required Reading:

Lynn Hunt, et al, The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, vol. II (2^nd ed.)

Mark Kishlansky, ed. Sources of the West, vol. II (6th ed.)

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (Bedford edition)

Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men: Reserve Battalion 101

 

All readings are available at the UCLA Bookstore and on reserve at Powell Library.

 

 Lecture and Reading Schedule:

 

Thurs., Sept. 27:  Introduction:  Europe circa 1715         

 

WEEK ONE - Hunt, Chs 18-19; Kishlansky, pp. 33-36, 60-63, 74-85, 98-103

 

Tues., Oct. 2:  The Eighteenth Century Turning-Point

 

Thurs., Oct. 4:  The Enlightenment

 

WEEK TWO - Hunt, Chs 20-21 up to p. 805; Kishlansky, pp. 104-117

 

Tues., Oct. 9:  The French Revolution

 

Thurs., Oct. 11:  Napoleon

 

WEEK THREE - Hunt, Finish Ch 21, Ch 22; Kishlansky, pp. 129-138, 167-170; Marx and

Engels, The Communist Manifesto, pp. 61-96

 

Tues., Oct. 16:  Industrialization and Urbanization

 

Thurs., Oct. 18:  Restoration, Revolution and Reform

 

WEEK FOUR - Hunt, Chs 23-24; Kishlansky, pp. 182-187, 219-224, 231-232; Achebe,

Things Fall Apart

 

Tues., Oct. 23:  The New Nation-States

 

Thurs., Oct. 25:  The Age of Imperialism

 

WEEK FIVE - Hunt, Ch 25; Kishlansky, pp. 196-212

 

Tues., Oct. 30:  MIDTERM EXAM

 

Thurs., Nov. 1:  The Fin-de-Siècle and the Coming of World War I

 

 

WEEK SIX - Hunt, Ch 26; Kishlansky, pp. 241-260

 

Tues., Nov. 6:  World War I and Its Aftermath

 

Thurs., Nov. 8:  The Russian Revolution 

 

WEEK SEVEN - Hunt, Ch 27 up to p. 1077; Kishlansky, pp. 264-272

 

Tues., Nov. 13:  The Rise of Fascism

 

Thurs., Nov. 15:  Excursus - Fascist Politics and Film

 

WEEK EIGHT - Hunt, Finish Ch 27; Kishlansky, pp. 272-284; Browning, Ordinary Men

 

Tues., Nov. 20:  World War II

 

Thurs., Nov. 22:  The Holocaust

 

WEEK NINE - Hunt, Ch 28; Kishlansky, pp. 290-310, 324-327

  

Tues., Nov. 27:  Post-War Reconstruction

 

Thurs., Nov. 29:  Decolonization and the Cold War

 

WEEK TEN - Hunt, Chs 29-30; Kishlansky, pp. 311-323, 328-347

 

Tues., Dec. 4:  End of the Cold War

 

Thurs., Dec. 6:  A New World Order?

Final Exam Study Guide

 

 

FINAL EXAM:  Friday, December 14^th from 3:00 – 6:00 PM, Haines 39