History 140-006
Fall
2008
Hunziker
The World Since 1945
|
Contact
Information | Course
Overview and Objectives |
Readings |
|
Requirements
and Grading | Course
Guidelines | Schedule
of Classes and Assignments |
Instructor: Dr. Brandon Hunziker (branhunz@email.unc.edu)
Webpage: http://www.unc.edu/courses/2008fall/hist/140/006/
Lecture: Howell 104, MWF, 10-11 am
Office Hours: Hamilton Hall 515, Tues/Thur
9-11 am or by appointment
Telephone: 962-2374 (email
is always better)
Teaching Assistants: Steven Milder (smilder@unc.edu)
Ali
Rodriguez (aarodrig@email.unc.edu)
Lisi
Lotz (lotz@email.unc.edu)
Course
Overview and Objectives
This course surveys some of the
major events, issues, and trends - political, economic, and cultural - that
have shaped the history of both individual states and the international system
from 1945 to the present day. Because it would be impossible to cover
everything important that happened in the world during this sixty-year period
in one semester, we will concentrate on the following topics: the Cold War;
decolonization in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia; the collapse of
Soviet-style communism and the emergence of a new, less coherent, but more
dynamic international system after 1991; the origins of several current global
conflicts and issues, especially those involving ethnicity, religion, and the
Islamic world; and the consequences of economic modernization and
globalization. As you will see, all of these topics overlap and influence each
other in numerous ways. Moreover, they all continue to shape the world we live
in today. In short, theyÕre all things that the informed global citizen ought
to know something about.
The most important objective of
this course, however, is not just to have you master a body of information.
Instead, it is to teach you the value of thinking historically about the world
you live in. For example, without knowing some basic history and having the
skills to analyze it, you canÕt understand how the United States emerged as the
dominant world power after World War II and especially after the collapse of
the Soviet Union in 1991. Likewise, you would be unable to grasp the reasons
for the Arab-Israeli conflict or the origins of the United StatesÕ current
involvement in Iraq. And if you donÕt know the historical and cultural context
that produced Osama bin Laden, you really can't know who he is, what he wants,
and why he wants to kill you. In addition, you would have enormous difficulty
explaining to someone how the global economy has evolved over the past several
decades, or why China and India have recently emerged as economic powerhouses.
These are just some examples, but the point is that if you donÕt possess some
basic knowledge about recent world history and the ability to think about it
critically, you really canÕt understand much at all about this world, how it
works, and some of the most important issues that confront it. Consequently,
your opinions about these issues would almost certainly be uninformed. As
citizens of an increasingly interconnected global community, youÕd probably
agree that this is not a position you want to find yourself in. While this
course canÕt give you all of the answers you need or want, it will hopefully
spark your intellectual curiosity, make you ask questions, and encourage you to
think historically about the global issues that will shape your lives in the
decades to come.
In addition to this larger
objective, this course aims to improve your ability to analyze primary and
secondary sources critically, write clearly and coherently, and articulate your
thoughts confidently in front of others. These are skills that will benefit you
no matter what your chosen field of study or career may be.
Required Books: The following books are required
reading for this course. They are available for purchase at the UNC Campus
Bookstore. You may, however, find better deals from online booksellers. I
recommend (but donÕt work for!) Buy.com, Ecampus.com, and Amazon.com ($53.15 delivered
from Amazon). Be sure that you get the right edition by using the ISBN numbers
provided below. To find the lowest prices, click on the ISBN numbers on the
web-based version of this syllabus.
Course Reader: In addition to the required
books, you will read several primary sources and articles from a course reader
available in PDF format. Click
here to download the course reader. Your first assignment of the semester
is to print this course reader out, put it in a binder, and bring it with you
to your first recitation. Your TAs will check to make sure that you have done
this. If you do not complete this assignment, five points will be deducted from
your class participation grade. Another five points will be deducted from your
class participation grade for each time that you fail to bring hardcopies of
your readings (books and course reader documents) to recitation. ItÕs hard to
discuss texts if you donÕt have them in front of you.
Recommended Textbook: There is no required textbook
for this course. However, for those of you whoÕd like more background
information or want to reinforce material from lectures, I recommend reading
the corresponding pages from Michael HuntÕs The World Transformed: 1945 to the Present (0312245831),
which is also available for purchase at the bookstore. It is more important,
however, that you read the required books and other supplementary readings for
this course.
Reading the News: As students at an elite
university and future members of the educated elite, you should be keeping up
with current affairs, both domestic and international. And while a few minutes
with the Daily Tarheel or broadcast news
outlets such as CNN and Fox News may be all you can manage on some
days, you should try to expose yourselves to more sophisticated, elite
newspapers such as The New York Times, Washington Post, or Wall Street Journal; thoughtful
opinion magazines like the The New Republic, Slate.com, The
New Yorker, The Atlantic, The National Review, or The Weekly Standard; and Òhard newsÓ
services including the Associated Press (AP)
or Reuters. Yahoo News and Google News provide easy access to a wide
range of Òhard newsÓ reports and analysis from wire services and thousands of
foreign, national, and local newspapers. Public Radio InternationalÕs program ÒThe WorldÓ offers some excellent, in-depth,
and historically informed reporting. Keeping up with the news will make this
course more enjoyable and hopefully instill a good habit that will make you a
more informed global citizen for the rest of your life. And if thatÕs not
incentive enough, you canÕt really understand John
Stewart, Steven
Colbert, or The Onion, AmericaÕs
finest news source, if you donÕt stay informed.
How Much Reading? There is a substantial, but
still manageable amount of reading in this course. Some weeks will be lighter
than others. The longest readings (books) will fall on weeks 3, 7, 10, 12 and
14, so plan accordingly. You will almost certainly not be able to complete
these readings the night before your recitation section meets. It is absolutely
essential, however, that you complete all of the readings on time so that you
can participate actively in recitation.
Lectures: All of the ÒfactsÓ you need for
exams will be presented in lectures, so I highly recommend that you attend them
all. Lecture outlines will be posted on the online version of this syllabus
(see webpage address above) the before class meets. I highly recommend that you
download and print out these outlines before class so that you can spend more time
listening and thinking than copying. In the past, students have copied these
notes into MS Word files to take notes with their laptops. You cannot pass this
class by relying on your textbook, Google, or Wikipedia.
Recitation: Recitation is an integral component
of this course. It is where you and your classmates will ÒdoÓ history together
by critically discussing primary and secondary sources, freely exchanging your
thoughts, ideas, and questions, and, in the process, improving your ability to
articulate yourself in front of others. It is here where you will actively
create knowledge, not just absorb it. You will be assessed according to how
well (qualitatively and quantitatively) you participate in weekly discussions.
In general, the more you offer your informed thoughts in recitation about the
subject material, the better you will do. So prepare well for recitation by
reading the assigned texts carefully, thinking of questions, ideas, and issues
they provoke, and coming ready to share them.
Reading Responses: You will submit ten (10) brief
responses of about 300-350 words each to questions on your major readings. (Click
here for Questions). The point of these ÒhomeworkÓ assignments, which are
each worth 1% of your total grade, is to 1) make sure youÕre doing the reading
and 2) engaging with it critically. We do not expect you to write polished
essays here, but rather short responses informed by your critical engagement
with the assigned reading. In addition to answering the main question, your
responses may include your own general reactions to and opinions about the
reading. You might also want to pose an additional question that you could then
bring up in recitation. Your response must, however, cite the text directly at least once with
a short quotation or a specific reference to something in it (an argument,
fact, example, etc). In order to avoid large amounts of paper flowing from
you to your TA and then back again, you will submit your responses
electronically to Blackboard by typing or cutting and pasting them directly
into the field provided. (See ÒAssignmentsÓ on Blackboard) I recommend,
however, that you keep a backup of all your responses in an MS Word file. With
the exception of weeks 9 and 13, your response will be due when your recitation
section meets. No late responses will be accepted, so make sure you get them in
on time. Your TA will then read it, occasionally offer some brief feedback, and
assign a grade of 0% or 100%. You should also know that I have collected every single
reading response (over 4000 in total) submitted by students in my courses
over the past two years into one very easily searchable file. We can and will
be making sure that the reading responses you submit are in fact your own by
conducting random checks. In the past, these reading responses have tended to
boost studentsÕ grades – getting a 100% ÒhomeworkÓ grade is easy. At the
same time, students who didnÕt complete them saw their grades fall.
Exams: During the semester,
you will take two 50-minute written exams consisting of IDs and an essay. At
the end of the semester, you will take a 2-hour final exam (Saturday, December 6 at 12:00
p.m. in Howell 104), which will consist of map
identifications, IDs, several cumulative short answer questions, and an essay.
Analytical
Essay: You
will write a thesis-driven, analytical essay of 2000 words (6-7 pages) based on
two of the major readings (Drakulic & Ebadi or Luce & Gifford).
Specific instructions for this essay will be provided at the beginning of the
third week of class. It will be due on Monday, November 24, at the start of
class.
Extra Credit Films: During the semester films we
will show films relevant to the course material outside of class, usually on a
Wednesday evening. In the past, students have gotten a lot out of these films.
While I think you should attend on your own free will, as an added incentive we
will add 3.3 points to your class participation grade (up to 9.9 points total, or about 1
additional point on your final grade) for each film you attend. In order to
receive these points you must attend the scheduled screenings on time and
stay until the film is over.
Grading: Your grade will be determined
according to the following percentages and grading scale. All grades will be
available on Blackboard.
|
Assignments |
Weight |
|
Grading Scale |
|
|
Reading
Responses (10) |
10% |
|
92.5-100 |
A |
|
Exam #1 |
17.5% |
|
89.5-92.4 |
A- |
|
Exam #2 |
17.5% |
|
86.5-89.4 |
B+ |
|
Analytical Essay |
20% |
|
82.5-86.4 |
B |
|
Final Exam |
25% |
|
79.5-82.4 |
B |
|
Class Participation |
10% |
|
76.5-79.4 |
C+ |
|
|
|
|
72.5-76.4 |
C |
|
|
|
|
69.5-72.4 |
C- |
|
|
|
|
66.5-69.4 |
D+ |
|
|
|
|
60.5-66.4 |
D |
|
|
|
|
0-60.4 |
F |
Make-ups
and Extensions: Make-ups and extensions will only
be granted in the event of an officially documented personal emergency
(sickness, family tragedies, etc.). Special events such as interviews or
athletic competitions will also be considered reasonable grounds to make-up an
exam, but not for an extension on the memo assignment or another opportunity to
submit a reading response. Such events must also be documented. Reading
responses may not be made-up. All exam make-ups will be held on. A hardcopy of
your memo assignment must be submitted at the beginning of class on. Be sure to
save your paper as an MS Word document and keep it until the end of the
semester. Ten points will be deducted from your paper for each 24-hour period
that they are late, beginning five minutes after the start of class. If you know
that you will be unable an exam, please inform your teaching assistant and me
through email as far in advance as possible. The final exam will be held on Saturday, December 6 at 12:00 p.m. in Howell 104.
Please do not plan to travel before then.
Some Basic
Guidelines
Attendance and
Tardiness:: Attendance
at lectures is not mandatory, although it will be hard to pass this class if
you do not attend them regularly. Attendance at recitation section, however, is
mandatory. Unexcused absences from recitation will result in a 10-point
deduction from your participation grade. Please make every effort to arrive on
time for both lectures and recitations. If you are late (not more than 10
minutes) for lecture, please enter through the back door of the classroom and
take a seat closest to the door in the back row. Please do not walk in front of
me if you arrive late or have to leave the room. In general, you should not
come to class late or leave early because of other appointments or obligations.
You should consider this class an appointment that you have scheduled three
times per week for the rest of the semester. Either make that appointment or
break it, but donÕt come to it late or leave early because youÕve scheduled
another one for the same time.
Cell Phones and Laptops: Please turn your cell phones off - not to
vibrate, but off
– before class begins. Now, the chances are pretty good that cell phones
will ring a few times in the course of the semester. If yours does, turn it off
quickly. No need to apologize. However, if you are a repeat offender, you may
be asked to leave. You may, of course, use your laptop to take notes. Do not,
however, use your laptop to email, surf the web, watch movies, instant message,
or check each other out on Facebook. If your teaching assistant or I catch you
doing any of these things, you will be asked to leave. There are few things I
find more distracting or disrespectful than a student gazing into a laptop
screen or cell phone and doing things that have nothing to do with the course.
If you want to do these things, please do them someplace where I wonÕt disturb
you with my lecture.
Classroom Conduct: Please do not eat, sleep, read,
do work for other classes, or chat with your neighbor during class. If you
cannot control the urge to talk with your neighbor in class, I suggest that you
move to another seat. Seriously – it can be hard not to talk to friends during a lecture.
You may, of course, drink coffee or other beverages during class, especially if
they help you stay awake. Please do not start packing up your things until I
end the class, as it is very distracting both to me and other students who are
still listening.
Honor Code: The UNC
Honor Code applies to all of your work and conduct in this course. Cheating,
plagiarism, or insensitive behavior (i.e. not respecting your classmates or
instructors) of any kind will not be tolerated. If you do not know what
constitutes cheating, plagiarism, or insensitivity, please reread the honor
code or ask me, as claiming ignorance is not a valid excuse. Internet
plagiarism is a growing problem on college campuses nationwide, and one your
teaching assistants and I will do everything we can to combat. If we have any
reason to believe that you may have plagiarized, we will carefully examine your
work using all of the tools available to us. Our advice to you: donÕt even try
it – itÕs really not worth it. In fact, most of the plagiarism IÕve seen
has not been very good anyway!
Problems, Concerns, and
Difficulties:
We would like to talk to you about any concerns you may have about a grade,
your performance in the course, problems with the material, and especially how
to improve. We would ask, however, that you wait at least 24 hours before talking to us
about any paper or exam that has just been handed back. Any issue that involves
your teaching assistant (a grade, discussion section, etc.) should be discussed
first with him or her. Remember, email can sometimes lead to unnecessary
misunderstandings and confusion. ItÕs sometimes best to discuss things in
person. When you do write us emails, begin them with a ÒDearÓ or ÒHiÓ and end
with a ÒSincerelyÓ or ÒThanks,Ó followed by your name. WeÕll extend the same
courtesy to you.
Schedule
of Classes, Readings, and Assignments
(This schedule,
the readings, and assignments are subject to change at the discretion of the
instructor.)
I.
Ideological Conflict on a Global Scale: The Cold War, 1945-1989
|
Week 1 |
Introduction and
the Cold War |
|
8/20 |
Introduction:
Major Forces in World History since 1945 |
|
8/22 |
The Cold War: Definitions, Origins, and Early
History, 1917-1962 No
Recitation This Week – Come to Lecture in Howell Hall on Friday at 10
a.m. |
|
Week 2 |
Cold War Societies
and Cultures |
|
8/25 |
The Cold War at Home and Abroad, 1945-1975 |
|
8/27 |
Communism in the Soviet Union and
Eastern Europe, 1917-1956 |
|
8/28-29 |
Recitation: Containment, Red Scares and Cold War
Identities Read: 1) George
F. Kennan, ÒThe Long Telegram,Ó 2/22/1946 (located in course reader)
2) Paul
Nitze, NSC-68
3) Nikolai Novikov, Telegram to Moscow, September 1946. Watch:
(Online
- Click Here): ÒRed
NightmareÓ (28:40) (you will discuss this film in class) Hunt:
60-68, 306-311 Optional:
"Atomic
Veteran" (From Dick Gordan's "The Story" on
WUNC) |
|
Week 3 |
De-Stalinization: Possibilities and Limits |
|
9/1 |
Labor
Day – No Class |
|
9/3 |
Life after Stalin in the Soviet Union and
Eastern Europe, 1956-1980s |
|
9/4-9/5 |
Recitation: The Banality of Everyday Life in Communist
Europe Read: Slavenka Drakulic, How We Survived
Communism & Even Laughed |
|
Week 4 |
Revolution and
War in Asia: China and Korea |
|
9/8 |
The Communist Revolution in China: Origins and
Triumphs, 1839-1956 Hunt:
111-122, 240-7 |
|
9/10 |
MaoÕs ÒGreat Leap ForwardÓ and the ÒCultural
Revolution,Ó 1956-1976 |
|
9/12 |
Documentary:
MaoÕs China No
Recitation This Week – Come to Lecture in Howell Hall on Friday at 10
a.m. |
|
Week 5 |
The End of the
Cold War and the Fall of Communism in Europe |
|
9/15 |
DŽtente, the Second Cold War, and
Gorbachev Read: Excerpts from Mikhail GorbachevÕs UN General Assembly Speech, 12/7/1988. Hunt: 303-334 |
|
9/17 |
The Revolutions of 1989-1991 in
Eastern Europe and the Fall of the Soviet Union |
|
9/19 |
Exam
#1 (Held in Howell 10-11 a.m. on Friday, September 19) |
Part
II. Decolonization and Conflict in the Third World
|
Week 6 |
The Vietnam War,
1945-1975 |
|
9/22 |
VietnamÕs Struggle for Independence,
1925-1964 Hunt: 122-129 |
|
9/24 |
Vietnam, the United States, and the Limits of
Containment, 1964-1975 Hunt: 170-182, 247-251 Extra
Credit Film: ÒHearts and MindsÓ |
|
9/25-9/26 |
Recitation: The Vietnam War Read: 1) Ho Chi Minh, ÒVietnamese
Declaration of Independence,Ó 9/2/1945
2) Manifesto of the Laodong Party, February, 1951
3) Viet Cong Program, 1962 4)
Lyndon B. Johnson, ÒPeace without Conquest,Ó 4/7/1965
5) Letters between Johnson and Ho Chi Minh, February, 1967
6) MLK, ÒDeclaration of Independence from Vietnam,Ó 4/4/1967 |
|
Week 7 |
Strange Success:
India since 1945 |
|
9/29 |
Indian Independence, 1885-1948 Hunt: 129-138 |
|
10/1 |
|
|
10/2-10/3 |
Recitation: The Rise of Modern
India Read: Edward Luce, In Spite of the
Gods: The Rise of Modern India |
|
Week 8 |
Hope and Despair
in Africa |
|
10/6 |
|
|
10/8 |
Kleptocracy, Failed State and Civil War in the
Congo, 1962-2006 Listen:
NPR ÒThe WorldÓ Report on
Patrice LumumbaÕs Legacy (7/13/06) Hunt: 266-268 |
|
10/9-10/10 |
Recitation: War, Plunder, and Rape in the Congo Read:
1) Blaine Hardin, ÒA Black Mud From Africa Helps Power the New Economy,Ó
NYT Magazine,
8/21/2001. 2)
Stephanie Nolen, ÒNot Women Anymore,Ó Ms. Magazine, Spring 2005 Watch: CBS News, ÒWar
Against WomenÓ (60 Minutes, January 13, 2008) |
|
Week 9 |
Latin America,
The United States, and the Cuban Revolution |
|
10/13 |
Latin
America and the United States, 1890-1989 Hunt: 259-266 |
|
10/15 |
The
Cuban Revolution, 1954-2006 (see outline above) Listen:
NPR
Report on the The 50th Anniversary of Cuban Uprising
(7/27/2003). Read:
Jon Lee Anderson, ÒCastroÕs
Last Battle: Can the Revolution Outlast Its Leader?Ó The New Yorker, 7/31/2006 or ÒFidelÕs
Heir: The Influence of Hugo Ch‡vez,Ó The New Yorker, June 23, 2008. These articles
are not
in your course reader; click on the links to access them. There is no
required response for these readings, but I hope you'll read and enjoy them
nonetheless, intellectually curious students that you are. |
|
10/16-10/17 |
Fall
Break – No Recitation |
|
Week 10 |
Nationalism, Religion,
and Conflict in the Middle East |
|
10/20 |
The Origins of Israel and the
Arab/Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, 1895-1967 |
|
10/22 |
The
Arab/Palestinian-Israeli Conflict since 1967 Listen: NPR ÒThe World ReportÓ on the Six Day War, Part I (6/4/2007) and Part II (6/4/2007) Hunt: 403-412 Extra
Credit Film: ÒDeath in GazaÓ |
|
10/23-10/24 |
Recitation:
The Search for Understanding in an Intractable Conflict Read:
Sandy Tolan, The
Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East |
III.
The Post-Cold War World
|
Week 11 |
New World Orders
and Disorders |
|
10/27 |
The ÒEnd of HistoryÓ and ÒUnipolarÓ
Moment? America in the World since 1990 |
|
10/29 |
Ethno-Nationalism, Ethnic Cleansing, and
Genocide in the Balkans, 1989-1999 Read:
Tina Rosenburg, ÒDefending the Indefensible,Ó New York Times Magazine, April 19,
1998 Hunt: 375-379 |
|
10/31 |
Exam
#2 |
|
Week 12 |
Globalization
and the Rise of China |
|
11/3 |
Globalization:
Definitions, Driving Forces, Debates Hunt: 10-15, 297-302 |
|
11/5 |
|
|
11/6-7 |
New
Prosperity, Old Problems: The Contradictions of the New China Read:
Rob Gifford, The
China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power |
|
Week 13 |
Genocide and
Failed States in Africa: Rwanda, Darfur and Zimbabwe |
|
11/10 |
Hutus, Tutsis and the Genocide in Rwanda,
1994 Read:
Choose one
of the following articles to read and respond to this week. They are not in your
course reader, but can be accessed by clicking on the links in the syllabus.
You will not be penalized for reading them all. 1) Phillip Gourevitch, ÒAfter the Genocide,Ó The New Yorker, December 18, 1995. 2) Peter
Landesman, ÒWomenÕs Work,Ó The New York Times Magazine, September 15, 2002. |
|
11/12 |
Never
Again? The Darfur Crisis and the International Community 3) Richard Just, ÒThe Truth Will Not Set You Free,Ó The New Republic, August 27, 2008 |
|
11/13-11/14 |
Destroying
a State: Robert Mugabe and the Collapse of Zimbabwe 4) Peter
Goodwin, ÒDay of the Crocodile,Ó Vanity Fair, September 2008. 5) John
Lee Anderson, "The Destroyer," The New Yorker, October 27,
2008. No
Recitation This Week – Come to Lecture in Howell Hall on Friday at 10
a.m. |
|
Week 14 |
The Islamic
Alternative in the Middle East |
|
11/17 |
The
Failure of Secular Nationalism and the Islamist Alternative |
|
11/19 |
The
Iranian Revolution, Khomeinism, and the Rise of Iran Hunt: 388-395 |
|
11/21 |
Recitation:
Living in the Islamic Republic of Iran Read:
Sharin Ebadi, Iran
Awakening: One WomanÕs Journey to Reclaim Her Life and Country |
|
Week 15 |
Global Islamic
Terrorism: Origins and Goals |
|
11/24 |
Jihadist
Ideology, Osama bin Laden, and the Origins of Al Qaeda Read:
ÒThe Foundations of the New Terrorism,Ó in The 9/11 Commission Report Hunt:
464-467 |
|
11/26-11/28 |
Thanksgiving |
|
Week 16 |
Modern Iraq, US
Foreign Policy, and the Future of the Middle East |
|
12/1 |
Iraq in the Twentieth Century, 1916-1990 Course
Evaluations |
|
12/3 |
Read: Max Boot, ÒThe Case for American Empire,Ó The Weekly Standard, October 15, 2001 |
Final
Exam:
Saturday,
December 6 at 12:00 p.m. in Howell 104