HIST 300
THE 20TH CENTURY WORLD
- Catalog Entry
HIST 300. THE 20TH CENTURY WORLD. (A, B, C)
Three hours lecture/discussion (3).
Prerequisite: 3 hours of History at the 100-level
An overview of the world in the 20th century with emphasis on the overriding themes from the historian’s perspective: nationalism, globalization, economic development, environmentalism. Course establishes a basis for the understanding of current events in historical perspective.
- Detailed Description of Content of Course
I. Overview of Course Themes
II. Crisis within the European-Dominated World
A. World War I
B. The Russian Revolution
C. The World Depression
D. Fascism
E. Globalization & Mass Culture as reflected in Intellectual and Artistic Life
III. Struggle Against Colonialism: the Emergence of the Third World
A. Latin America
B. Sub-Saharan Africa
C. Asia
IIII. World War II and the Emergence of the Cold War
A. World War II
B. The Cold War
C. The Post Industrial Society in the West
1. Technological Transformation
2. Suburbanization
3. Rebellion and Liberation
4. Economic models
D. The Soviet Union, Eastern Europe & the Collapse of Communism
IV. Independence in the Third World?
A. Latin America
B. Sub-Saharan Africa
C. The Middle East & North Africa
D. Asia
V. The Contemporary World
A. The Trends of the 21st Century from a Historian’s Perspective
- Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
This course will be based largely on lecture and discussion. Wherever possible, video presentations will be utilized to give students a visual impression of the period. Guest speakers, if and when available, will also be used. Instructor- or student-led discussion will be based on a variety of outside readings. In addition, there will be ample opportunity to express ideas and opinions in writing assignments.
- Goals and Objectives of the Course
Having completed this course,
1. students will possess an effective mastery of the basic themes for the course and be able to discuss specific events, demonstrating how these events reflect and tie into those themes.
2. students will possess a basis for historical analysis of contemporary events.
3. students will be able to analyze and assess primary documentation, placing it into the context of the material for the course.
- Assessment Measures
Student progress will be assessed primarily through a series of in-class examinations, testing the student’s mastery of the material and themes for the course. A broad range of question types will be utilized, likely including multiple choice, matching, short answer and essay. Students will also read one primary source related to the course (an autobiography, memoir, set of documents, speeches, etc.) writing a take-home essay analyzing the value of that source and its historical importance in the context of the related events. Students will also be evaluated in terms of their class attendance and class participation.
- Other Course Information
A basic textbook will be utilized. Additional reading will vary from semester to semester in an attempt to keep the course as current as possible. Student-selected primary materials will depend upon choices made by the student, but approved by the instructor.
- Review & Approval
Date Action Reviewed By
January 2005 Reviewed and Approved by Charles McClellan