This course will examine the major political,
social and economic, as well as intellectual and diplomatic developments
of the twentieth century. Emphasis will be placed upon the impact of the
two world wars, the Russian Revolution, the Cold War, the emergence of
Communist China, and the rise of the Third World. We will also concentrate
on the decline of Communism in Europe and the major problems of the post-Cold
War world. Following a chronological order, we will look, each week, at
the questions and problems that occupy historians of twentieth century
in their attempts to understand the world developments, and at some of
the primary sources from which they draw their analysis.
Jerry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Ziegler. Traditions &
Encounters. A Global Perspective on the Past, volume C: "From 1750
to the Present". Boston, etc.: McGraw Hill, 2000.
There is no attendance policy, but you are responsible for attending
all lectures and reading the required texts. The due date for withdrawal
with no record is July 30. Class participation may be taken into
account to determine the overall grade.
In compliance with Santa Fe Community College policy and equal access laws, I am available to discuss appropriate academic classroom accomodations that you may require as a student with a disability. you must be registered with the Disabilities Resource Center (DRC) in S-112 for disability verification and determination of reasonable academic accomodations. Since I cannot help you if you do not know the kind of help you require, requests for accomodations need to be made well in advance of receiving any service. I strongly suggest that you discuss this with me during the first week of the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
The basis for evaluation of performance will be three exams. The exams will be in multiple-choice and identification format. The Final exam will cover everything from lectures and readings. It will consist of a combination of multiple-choise questions and a short essay question. Make-up Final exam will be given only for very serious reasons. There is no make-up for the other two exams. Extra-credit work will be accepted only for students with active class participation. The format of the extra-credit option shall be discussed with the instructor during regular office hours.The following point system will be used in determining the final grade:
Exam I: 30 points
| Points | Grades |
| 90 -100 | A |
| 84 - 89 | B+ |
| 73 - 83 | B |
| 67 -72 | C+ |
| 56 - 66 | C |
| 49 - 55 | D+ |
| 38 - 48 | D |
| under 38 | F |
July 2: Introduction
July 3: Nationalism, imperialism, and fin de siecle society
July 4: Holiday (no classes)
July 5: The beginning of the twentieth century. The world on the verge of war [read pp. 881-888]
July 6: The Great War [read pp. 888-899]
July 9: The US intervention and the Paris Peace Conference [read pp. 902-909]
July 10: Revolution in Russia [read pp. 900-902]
July 11: The age of anxiety: developments in art and science [read pp. 911-918]
July 12: The global depression [read pp. 918-924]
July 13: Exam I
July 16: Totalitarian societies: Communist Russia [read: pp. 924-927]
July 17: Totalitarian societies: Fascist Italy
July 18: Totalitarian societies: Nazi Germany [read: pp. 928-931]
July 19: Struggles for national identity in Asia [read: pp. 932-939]
July 20: World War II. The global origins [read: pp. 941-946]
July 23: Total war [read: pp. 946-951]
July 24: Soviet Russia and US in the war [read: pp. 951-955]
July 25: Life during wartime. The Final solution [read: pp. 957-964]
July 26: Peace or war? Postwar settlements and the origins of the Cold War [read: pp. 964-970]
July 27: Exam II
July 30: A Bipolar World. The Cold War world [read: pp. 973-980]
July 31: Confrontation in Korea and Cuba [read pp. 980-991]
August 1: Cold War societies [read: pp. 986-991]
August 2: Independence in South, Southeast, and Southwest Asia [read: pp. 991-999]
August 3: Decolonization in Africa [read: pp. 999-1004]
August 6: Crisis in the contemporary world: De Gaulle, Tito, the Hungarian challenge, the Prague Spring, and the Soviet-Chinese rift [read: pp. 1009-1018]
August 7: Politics in Latin America. War and peace in sub-Saharian Africa. Islamic resurgence in Southwest Asia and North Africa [read pp. 1019-1026]
August 8: Communism and democracy in Asia. Global economic experiments [read pp. 1027-1036]
August 9: The end of the Cold War. Revolution in Eastern and Central Europe. Cross-cultural exchanges and global communications [read pp. 1041-1051]
August 10: Crossing boundaries. Feminism and equal rights. Migration. Cross-cultural travelers and international organizations [read pp. 1052-1066]
August 15, between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.: Exam III (Final Exam)