Europe from Renaissance to Revolution
Fall Term, 1999
| Dr Kathryn M Brammall | |
| McClain Hall 111L | Office Hours: |
| Tel: 785-4665 (office) | M 1-2 and Th 2-4 |
| 665-9555 (home-please not before 7am or after 10pm) | or by appointment |
Class: Violette Hall 1146
Introduction
This course is intended as a general survey of European history from the late fourteenth to the late eighteenth centuries. The scope of the course is broad, and will introduce the student to the main currents of social, economic, political, and cultural history during the period.
Instruction will be in the form
of lectures and discussion, supplemented by private reading from books
listed below. The lectures will focus on general concepts, explanatory
narrative, and historical context. In order to get the most benefit out
of the lectures and discussions, it is suggested that students attempt
to complete the assigned textbook reading prior to class. Because of the
approach taken in this class, regular attendance and participation are
crucial and excessive unexplained absence will result in a reduction in
the final grade awarded.
Grading
will be according to the following approximate distribution:
| Mid-term test | 10% |
| Review essays | 15% |
| Short papers | 10% |
| Research essay | 30% |
| Final test | 20% |
| Oral presentation/participation | 15% |
The following
chart shows the percentage ranges and their associated letter grades and
my grading philosophy:
| 85-100% | A | for example, in addition to "B" traits, should be the highest standard or benchmark for the class, going far above and beyond the assignment, should show not only exceptional effort and thought, but also originality and comprehensive understanding of the discipline. |
| 75-84 | B | for example, in addition to "C" traits, shows that time, effort, and most importantly thought have been put in; should go beyond the basic requirements of the assignment; polished in terms of all aspects of writing and presentation. |
| 65-74 | C | for example, all aspects of the assignment completed correctly; no errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. |
| 55-64 | D | for example, problems in completion of the assignment; spelling or grammar errors, etc. |
| 54 or below | F |
Books - currently available at the Truman State University Bookstore
Lynn Hunt, et al, Challenge of the West: Volume B Peoples and Culture from 1320 to 1787
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, The Beggar and the Professor
Jonathan Barry, et al, Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
Stephen Shapin, The Scientific Revolution
Niccolò Macchiavelli, The Prince
Montesquieu, Persian Letters
You will be required, by 29 September , to submit a tentative essay proposal/ bibliography, on a topic of your choice. This should include the following:
1) the names
of a minimum of three books and three periodical articles from at least
two different academic journals (not two issues of the same journal). Websites
may be included but do not count toward the minimum number of sources.
2) a brief
(no more than 250 words) statement of the proposed topic and how you intend
to approach it. This is an important exercise because it allows the instructor
to spot the topics that are inappropriate (either too big or which have
insufficient material available). It may be suggested that you modify or
shift your topic, and you should be prepared for this possibility. These
bibliographies will be returned to you with comments and suggestions for
additional readings and for revising the bibliography into its final form.
A rough draft of the essay is due on 19 November. This essay is on a topic of your own choosing, developed with the aid of your graded bibliography/proposal. If you run into problems, please consult the instructor for advice about choice of topic and suggested research material. I recommend that by this time you should have completed the vast majority of your research and the draft itself should clearly incorporate your main thesis and evidence. I will make suggestions regarding the final version of the paper based upon what I receive at this time, so the more you give me the more useful my comments will prove.
The essay is due on 03 December and is to be about 10-12 pages in length, on a topic of your own choosing, developed with the aid of your graded bibliography/proposal. Please consult the instructor for advice about choice of topic and suggested research material. The essay must include footnotes or endnotes and bibliography (include BOTH your original working bibliography and the revised bibliography supplemented by additional material suggested by the instructor and corrected as to style and presentation).
Extra points will be awarded to any paper that makes clear and extensive use of a primary source (other than one provided in class) or secondary material published in a language other than English (foreign-language quotations in English-language books do not count). Similarly, failure to use the requisite number of secondary sources (ie. books and journal articles) will drop any essay at least one letter grade. "Use" means demonstrate that you have read and absorbed the source and incorporated it into your argument. Library reference staff will be of assistance in locating material, as will the instructor. Essays must be written in clear English, and in this course great emphasis will be placed on style and presentation, in addition to clarity and originality of content.
Journals that you might make the center of your search for articles include the following:
History, Historical Journal, Renaissance Quarterly, Sixteenth Century Journal, Signs, Journal of the History of Ideas, Journal of Modern History, French Historical Studies, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, and Past and Present.
This list
is by no means comprehensive; Pickler Memorial Library contains many other,
equally useful journals. Moreover, depending upon the essay topic
chosen other types of journals (ie. scientific, literary, political, or
sociological) might also provide useful articles. It is, nevertheless,
possible that you will find that articles you wish to use are in journals
not carried by Picker; in this event make use of the excellent interlibrary
loan service.
You will
be required to read and evaluate in short (4-5 pages) book reviews 3 secondary
sources over the term. Although an outline of the authorís main thesis
should be included, the assignment is not to provide a simple summary of
ideas. Rather you are asked to evaluate the competence with which the arguments
are presented, analyse the evidence which substantiate the theses, and
assess the value of the work for the discipline of history. You are not
expected to consult materials other than the book, but if you do so, you
MUST follow correct citation and bibliographic style (see below). The assignments
and due dates are:
| Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, The Beggar and the Professor | 20 September |
| Jonathan Barry, et al, Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe | 13 October |
| Stephen Shapin, The Scientific Revolution | 01 November |
You will
be required to hand in two short analysis/reaction papers over the course
of the semester. Each one is based upon a particular assigned primary reading
and is to be approximately 3-4 pages in length. The purpose of these papers
is to give you a chance to respond to what you are reading. You might place
what you have read within the wider historical context you have been examining,
you might give me your personal response to the material, you might simply
point out some of the questions that occur to you as a result of reading
the item in question, or you might evaluate the relevance or value of the
reading to this course: all these are possibilities, but there are many
other potential approaches. The assignments and due dates are:
| Macchiavelli, The Prince | 03 September |
| Montesquieu, Persian Letters | 15 November |
Oral Presentation/Participation
You are required to give a formal presentation during one class period this term. The presentation should be related to the theme for that day but you are encouraged to be creative in determining what precisely you plan to do. The following are just suggestions: you might want to read something from a poem or some other type of primary source and lead a discussion, you might assign your fellow classmates something short to read in preparation for your talk, you might want to arrange for some slides or music to highlight the points you wish to make, or you might choose to perform something. You are not allowed, however, simply to summarize the assigned reading for the class. These presentations are intended to be an opportunity for you to demonstrate your ability to develop a general theme in greater depth. You should come to me with a plan or outline the week before your presentation date.
In most cases only one presentation may be scheduled for each class so you should contact me as soon as possible after you decide which topic you would like to be part of. The exception to this rule is if some of you wish to do a group presentation; if this is the case you must ensure that all members of the group are contributing something visible and tangible to the presentation. You must also come as a group and discuss your plans with me the week before the presentation.
Because of the importance placed upon discussion in this class it is imperative that you attend class regularly and that you come prepared. You will be expected to demonstrate that, at the very least, you have read the material assigned and that you have some reaction to it or some questions raised by it. It is not my intent here to force you to speak when you have nothing to contribute, but unless I hear otherwise I will assume that the readings assigned impart knowledge or evoke a reaction both of which can and should be shared during discussions.
There will be one mid-term test and a longer final exam. The first will occur in class on 04 October. The final exam is scheduled for Monday, 13 December at 1:30-3:20. Each may include sections of short answer identification and will require that you answer at least one essay question. It is possible that a short map question will also be included in one or both of these tests.
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