Module 8

Week 8            The 20^thCentury, Light week to catch up and slow down.

(Jun 29-Jul 3)  Due:    Module 8, RP check-in & WW Intro to Part 6, Ch 19 (Empires in Collision)

Congratulations you all – you’re in the home stretch! Those of you taking Summer term 1 classes have wrapped those up, so hopefully some of you are experiencing some much-needed reduction in your workload. In some cases, I know you’re also moving right on to new classes for Summer term 2 so relief is not quite yet here. But it’s close. We only have 3 more weeks for our Summer 2020 journey through the history of the human world.

1) This week, we look forward to celebrating July 4 and all it represents. For your first blog post, please write a historically-informed reflection on the state of the nation as we get ready to celebrate the 4^thof July.“Historically-informed” means you should not simply state your opinions, but rather make a statement that is grounded in the historical record as it has been presented to you so far this semester. Your reflection should include at least one thing you’ve learned from your textbook so far.

2) Let’s also take an opportunity to look back. The coronavirus pandemic is not the only one humanity has suffered. Spend some time learning about any other historical pandemic by doing a little self-guided research either via internet or in your textbook. What other pandemic can you find that has plagued humanity? Where did it strike? Why were people so vulnerable to it? How long did it last? Did the people who experienced it learn anything from the experience or do anything differently afterwards? What were the long-term effects of it on human populations or the planet? These questions are just to get you started. You do not need to answer them all… just use them if they are helpful. Write a blog post summarizing what you’ve learned about pandemics and what it has been like for you personally to live through this present historical event, the pandemic of 2020.

3) Read the intro to Part 6, and chapter 19 in your textbook. You do not need to make a blog entry about the reading this week.

4) Remember, the DRAFT of your letter is due by July 1, 11pm. You’ll email this to me.

Thanks for all your hard work so far. Have a good week!

Patti Andrews

Module 7

Week 7            Western expansion & globalization. Quiz 3Worksheet on WW Chapters 13-18.

(Jun 22-26)     Due:    Module 7, WW Intro to Part 5, Ch 16 (Atlantic Revolutions),
      Ch 17 (Revolutions of Industrialization), Ch 18 (Colonial Encounters)

This week, we continue to come closer to a world you’ll begin to recognize. 

You’ll get foundational knowledge about European colonialism and perhaps a better understanding of how white supremacist concepts grew hand in hand with the colonial endeavor. We are living through times when many people want to dismantle those concepts – it helps to know where they came from and how they grew in our specific manifestation of human relationships. 

You’ll also get foundational knowledge about the process of industrialization – another process that many advanced thinkers are now dismantling for the benefit of humanity’s future and that of the planet itself. 

And you’ll get foundational knowledge about the core founding values of the United States, which arose from the European Enlightenment and traveled to this continent, where they were given an opportunity to grow in the context of our founding documents – the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence – and evolve into the democracy we have today. Freedom and equality are two of those core values, important goals of the “American experiment.” What we mean by those words has changed over time. To whom do they apply? To what aspects of life do they apply? Even this very week, the Supreme Court has weighed in on these questions, and of course the pandemic is challenging ideas relating to personal freedom. And, like industrialization and like the colonial legacy of white supremacy, there are also people today who would like to dismantle parts of our evolved understanding of what it means to be a democracy seeking ever greater progress toward freedom and equality. 

These foundational aspects of the Modern era are so important that I don’t want you to divert your attention to a quiz this week. I’d really like for you to have time to read the chapters and process the weighty information you’ll find there. With that in mind, we will have a Worksheet this week, in lieu of Quiz 3. That’s right, no quiz this week. The Worksheet will include some references to chapters 13-15 from last week, but will primarily focus on the chapters for this week. You’ll make 2 separate blog entries to complete the worksheet and those will be your only blog entries for this week.

I will be reading your Annotated Bibliographies and will reply to each of you individually with comments and feedback. The assignment sheet for your letter, the second part of your research assignment, will be attached to that email.

Here’s the worksheet for this week:

Summer World History – Quiz 3àWorksheet for Module 7 (replaces Quiz 3)

Let’s not give you test anxiety this week. This is an open book worksheet for you to complete as you read your chapters. It also contains some questions relevant to last week’s reading. But it is not a quiz. Please answer all 10 questions and post to your blog.

NOTE: YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE 2 SEPARATE BLOG POSTS TO COMPLETE THIS WORKSHEET. POST YOUR RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS 1-9 FIRST, THEN POST YOUR RESPONSE TO QUESTION 10 SEPARATELY.

1) What was The Great Dying? Cite examples and details from the historical record in your response. Could this be considered a genocide? Why/ why not?

2) What did native Siberians and native Americans have in common in terms of their experiences with Europeans during the early Modern period?

3) Discuss the history and impact of the Indian Ocean trade network (the Sea Roads) from the Classical to Modern periods.

4) Look at the pie chart titled “The Destinations of Slaves” on page 627 of our textbook. What might people find surprising about the percentages of slaves who disembarked in different parts of the Americas? What factors explain why the percentages were this way?

5) What does Strayer mean by the “echoes of Atlantic Revolutions”? Cite examples and details from the historical record in your response. Are the Atlantic Revolutions still echoing in the 21^stCentury?

6) What did feminists and abolitionists have in common? How and why did they sometimes work together?

8) What was the Industrial Revolution? Where and when did it begin? Discuss its long-term significance to people, cities and the planet.

9) Chapter 18 contains some powerful images. Why do you suppose Strayer chose to include these specific images? How do they illustrate concepts introduced in this chapter? Choose one image and a) describe it, b) explain how it illustrates a concept from the chapter, and c) give your general thoughts about the image, as you might do in the context of a small in-class discussion group. The images you can choose from are (your version of the textbook may use different titles and page numbers):

            An American View of British Imperialism (p.790)

            European Racial Images (p.791)

            Map 18.2 Conquest and Resistance in Colonial Africa (p.796)

            Colonial Violence in the Congo (p.803)

            The Educated Elite (p.815)

REMEMBER, QUESTION 10 SHOULD BE IN A SEPARATE BLOG POST (BECAUSE YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO COMPLETE IT UNTIL YOU’VE READ SOMEONE ELSE’S ANSWER TO QUESTION 9)

10) Find a classmate’s posting for Question 9. How would you respond to your classmate’s comments if you were participating in an in-class small group discussion about the image? 

Module 6

Week 6            Early Modern World. Conducting research.

(Jun 15-19)     Due:        Module 6, Research Proposal / ROL & WW Intro to Part 4, Ch 13 (Empires & Encounters),

                        Ch 14 (Commerce & Consequence), Ch 15 (Religion & Science)

Happy Monday everyone. The online debate format was not viable. I won’t ding anyone for not getting it right, but I will give some extra credit to those who came closest. I moved back to the Bay Area this past week (I was sheltering in place in Modoc, as you might recall – am now back in East Palo Alto.) As a consequence, I got behind in my grading… I will be finishing your Xinchen/Claudius papers first and then your Quiz 2s. I’m feeling like some of you (maybe all of you… maybe me, too!) could use an easier week. It’s hard to decide what to omit, but let’s modify our reading load for this week as follows:

Chapter 13: Just read the first 3 sections of the chapter: European Empires in the Americas; Comparing Colonial Societies in the Americas; and The Steppes and Siberia, the Making of a Russian Empire.

Chapter 14: Entire chapter. Sorry, there’s no section I can cut here.

Chapter 15: Just read the last 2 sections: Persistence and Change in Afro-Asian Cultural Traditions; and A New Way of Thinking, The Birth of Modern Science

1) For each chapter, just pick one sidebar or big picture question per chapter to reflect on in a blog post. So that’s 3 blogs posts this week, one for each of the 3 chapters.

2) I’m also going to dial back your research requirement a bit. You will NOT have to write a research paper. You WILL have to write an Annotated Bibliography(which will require you to follow an academically rigorous method for gathering information), and you WILL have to write a letter to someone, or a social media post, in which you use the historical knowledge gained through your research to make the case that the reader should act (or perhaps think) in a certain way with respect to a certain issue. Your first step, then, is to think of an issue about which you are passionate (or curious), and about which you would like to be able to speak more knowledgeably. Examples follow below. For this week, just think of your topic and do the Annotated Bibliography. Please email your AB to me when it’s done, and don’t begin your letter until I’ve had a chance to look at the AB.

Examples:

* You are passionate about your position on racial equality. Would you be better able to convince others to think or act differently if you were more knowledgeable about the history of racial equality?

* You are curious about how the present pandemic compares to other pandemics that have afflicted humanity. Would you be better able to put it in context for yourself and others if you were more knowledgeable about the historical details of other pandemics from the past?

* You are passionate about leadership within the context of a democracy. Would you be more confident of your opinions if they were grounded in more historical reading and reflection? Perhaps go all the way back to Plato – what did he have to say about how democracy would play out? How about Machiavelli? MLK Jr?

* You are passionate about some wrong of the past that hasn’t yet been righted. Is there a person or organization you could write to, explaining why now is the time for that wrong to be righted? Perhaps suggesting a way to do that? Would your argument be stronger if it were grounded in solid historical research about the wrong?

* You feel strongly that our president (current or future) should be more knowledgeable about some aspect of the historical past. You could write a letter addressed to both candidates running for president in 2020 and give them a little history lesson on that subject area, explaining why you feel it is so important for them to know the subject area more deeply if they are going to serve as president.

* Etc. These are just examples to get you thinking… 

Once you have chosen a subject area you’d like to learn more about, follow the instructions below to write an Annotated Bibliography on that subject area. Remember that the NDNU librarians are in fact available over summer term for online help if you need them! Send me your AB by email when you’re done.

Annotated Bibliography

The purpose of this assignment is to help you prepare for your research assignment by identifying the main concepts in your research topic and finding relevant and authoritative sources that will help you analyze your topic. 

Assignment addresses IL criteria- Determine the extent of information needed, access the needed information, evaluate information and its sources critically.

Instructions:

·      Write 1-2 sentences describing your research topic and identifying the key concepts in your research topic.

·      Find three relevant sources on your research topic.  Examples include:

o   print or electronic booksfound using the library catalog

o   scholarly articlesfound using one of the library databases

o   authoritativewebsitesor news articles

·      Cite each source using APA or MLA format. List your annotations in alphabetical order.

·      Create an annotation for each source that includes:

o   1-2 sentences explaining how you found your source. What keywords and search terms were useful? What was the best combination of terms? Why did you choose those words?  Where did you search for your source (which database, search engine, etc.) and why?

o   2-3 sentences summarizing the content of the resource. What are the main points?  Is your source a primary source or a secondary source?  Scholarly or popular?  Based on fact or opinion?

o   2-3 sentences evaluating the author(s) and publisher. Who is the author? What are his/her credentials as an expert on this subject? Are they affiliated with a university or college? What are their degrees? Have they published other articles or books on this topic? Hint: do a web search for your author to find out more about them.   Who is the publisher?  What are their credentials?  Do they have a bias or agenda in publishing the information?

o   2-3 sentences describing the relevance of the resource to your research. How will you use it in your paper? Is the information in this resource general (like for background information) or specific, and how can you tell?  How does this source differ from the others you chose?  What perspectives or aspects of the topic does this source represent?

·      Has this assignment helped you prepare to write your research paper? Please explain why or why not.

Quiz 2

Please answer 5 questions. For full credit, try to include details and examples from the reading, and avoid personal opinion statements ("I think...", "In my opinion...", etc.) unless the question explicitly invites that.

You can email your answers to me in a Word doc, PDF file, or copy/pasted into the body of your email when done.

1) What were the Sand and Sea Roads? Were they as significant as the Silk Road? Who was/were the dominant power(s) along the so-called Sea Roads for most of the Classical and late Classical period? 

2) If you were a Classical era woman, why might you want to live in the Mongol civilization?

3) Where does the Byzantine Empire fit in the story of Christendom?

4) Where does the “Medieval Period” or “Middle Ages” fit in the story of Christendom?

5) What is an “Empire”? How is it different from other forms of political organization?

6) Place the following civilizations on a Classical Era timeline. Include approximate dates. Briefly summarize the rise and fall of these major Classical Era civilizations: 

Byzantine Empire

Roman Empire

Classical Greeks

Teotihuacan

Islamic Civilizations

Classical China

Christendom

Mongol Empire

Module 5

Week 5            Late Classical Era. Quiz 2on WW Chapters 7-12. 

(Jun 8-12)      Due:    Module 5, WW Ch 10 (the Worlds of Christendom)

                        Ch 11 (Pastoral Peoples), Ch 12 (Worlds of 15^thC), Quiz 2

Happy Monday, you all. I’ve been enjoying getting to know your various blogging and quiz-taking styles. And now I’m looking forward to reading what I know will be some good, thought-provoking papers on Xinchen, Claudius and leadership. Just a reminder, you will have infinite opportunities to revise your paper for a higher grade if you aren’t happy with the first one, so please don’t worry about making your paper “perfect.” There is no such thing as a perfect paper… just papers with finer points of revision.

This week’s Module will let you slow down and breathe a little bit. Yes, breathe – a most fundamental act and something we all must be free to do. Breathing is not a privilege, but a right of all living beings. So take a moment and enjoy your breath, appreciate your breath, thank your breath, and also, reflect on what you feel should be our common rights and responsibilities relating to breath as members of the only remaining human species. It’s a subject area that pertains to both civil society and pandemics. If this topic resonates for you, you can make an Extra Credit blog exploring it.

Our reading will include a segment on the Plague of 1348 this week… aka the Black Death. We will also make use of your talking points from last week’s chapter on China to debate an assertion comparing Chinese and European experiences. And of course, there will be Quiz 2, which I will post to the class website on Wednesday. 

Module 5 assignments:

1) Read chapter 10, which explores Christendom. That’s a term we don’t use very often anymore. After reading this chapter, post a blog entry explaining what is meant by “Christendom,” and describing the rise of Christendom during this late Classical period. Also discuss how other civilizations or empires responded to the rise of Christendom during this period.

2) As you read the chapter on pastoral peoples (Chapter 11), keep notes about talking points you might use to argue for or against the following statement: The Mongols got a bad rap. In fact, they should be respected as a significant civilization that made long-term contributions to the development of the Eurasian world. Post your best 5 talking points for and your best 5 talking points against this statement to your blog.

3) Now that you’ve had more practice developing talking points, go back to the ones you kept about China last week. Doing this online might get a little crazy for a day or two but let’s give it a try. I think you guys are up to it. 

Half of you are going to choose one other student in the class and challenge him or her to a debate. Challengers get to decide whether they want to argue FOR or AGAINST the statement to be debated (see below). It’ll be first-come-first-served. There are 16 of you in the class – if you want to be a challenger, you need to be one of the first 8 students who begin this part of the Module. You can also only challenge someone who hasn’t already challenged or been challenged by someone else. 

How will you know who can be challenged? Remember, you can see the list of all students’ blogs on the class website, which is located at 

https://whsummer2020.blogspot.com

You’ll know if someone has put him/herself out there as a challenger because that person will have a post in their blog titled “Debate Challenge.” You’ll know if someone has already been challenged by reading the Debate Challenges as they are posted and seeing who is being challenged in each post. That’s also how you’ll know if you have been challenged… that’s right, you’re really going to have to look at each other’s blogs this week in order to get started with your debate partner.

In short, if you want to be a challenger, post an entry in your blog titled “Debate Challenge.” In that post, name the person you are challenging AND present your first, strongest talking point in support of your position FOR or AGAINST the statement. The person who has been challenged should post a comment on that same blog entry responding to your talking point. The challenger then responds to the response, etc. until the two of you feel that the point has been talked out. At that point, you’ll switch roles and the person who was challenged will present their strongest talking point in support of their position, and the challenger should respond, etc. You should end up with one blog post and maybe 20 or more comments as you make your way through your blog debate.

Clear as mud?

Here’s the statement: “The first half of the 2^ndmillennium AD marked a period of rebirth in China that was just as significant as the Renaissance in Europe.” You may argue FOR or AGAINST. (For this debate, assume the first half of the 2^ndmillennium AD refers to approximately 1000-1500 AD.)

I’ll keep an eye on your blogs to make sure things don’t get too chaotic.

That’s it for this week. GO!!!!!

Writing Workshop for Paper 1

Writing Workshop for Paper 1

An Analytical Paper on Classical Era Leadership

Chapter 1 of a book called Discovering the Global Past presents primary sources relating to the importance of water in early societies. Two of these sources, number 10 “Suetonius’s Description of the Water Projects Undertaken by Emperor Claudius (r. 41-54 C.E.)” and number 11 “Activities of Shao Xinchen, Han Dynasty, before 33 B.C.E.,” contrast different styles of leadership revolving around water issues. 

First, read the two passages.What can you tell from them about the two societies from which these leaders arise? What different values of leadership are revealed in the two selections? Which man displays better qualities of leadership, Emperor Claudius or Shao Xinchen? Keep these questions generally in mind as you read the passages.

The paper you will write will revolve around the last question: Which man displays better qualities of leadership, Emperor Claudius or Shao Xinchen?

Second, to get started with your analysis, highlight or otherwise identify any words or phrases from the two passages that in any way reflect the two men’s leadership styles. 

Third, consider the leadership on display.Which elements of the leadership these men displayed do you admire? Which do you consider to be “good” leadership? Why? You can keep your thoughts in your mind or write them out in a brainstorming document… whatever works best for you.

Fourth, write a 3-page paper (approximately 750 words) analyzing the two primary sources and answering the question: “Which man displays better qualities of leadership, Emperor Claudius or Shao Xinchen?” Be sure to use quotes from the reading to support your argument. 

Your paper should contain the following elements: 

·      An Introduction that reflects on good leadership and explains to the reader who, what, where and when are you writing about.

·      2-4 Body Paragraphs, each of which explores at least one piece of quoted evidence  from the passages.

·      A Conclusion

·      A Works Cited section using the information noted in the examples below. Note that this is NOT a research paper… the only references you should use in writing this paper are Wiesner (required because it is the source of the passages under analysis) and possibly Strayer (optional ).

Wiesner, Merry, et al. Discovering the Global Past: A Look at the Evidence, vol 1.  Boston: Wadsworth. 2007.

Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2009.