Office: Arts and Humanities Building 2051
(O)219 980 6981
Email: dchenlin@iun.edu
Website: dchenlin.pages.iu.edu
Office hours: by appointment

Purpose of Course:

This course explores some of the important themes in twentieth and twenty-first century world history, including the connections between politics, nationalism/imperialism and energy resources, (geo)politics and religion, the polarization of the North and the South, East and West, and the impact of global economy on all the above issues. Students are expected to develop a deeper understanding and a historical perspective of the main themes of the 20th century world through the course. It combines historical knowledge and digital media to prepare college students for the 21st century.

Course Outcomes:

• Familiarity with the important themes and trends in 20th century world history
• Ability to understand current world events from a variety of perspectives
• Ability to interpret world events through appropriate comparisons and connections with other historical events

Readings

All required readings are online and in Canvas modules.

Requirements:

• Weekly discussion questions (30% in final grade):

  • Each Discussion question should be answered in TWO ways: by posting your answer and posting TWO critique/commentaries on two other people's posting.

    Your grade for each question is based on both your posting and your comments.

    Your weekly answers and two responses to others' postings are due by 10:59 pm central time on the following Sunday night, e.g. your answers to Discussion Question 1 for week 1 is due at 10:59 pm on Sunday Jan.16. The length of your essay should be around 500 words each. Each response should be 50-75 words.

    Alternatively, you can write THREE discussion essays as 500-word comments on another's essay, and an additional TWO discussion essays as two 250+ word comments on others' essays or comments.

    Extra credit for open discussion: there is up to 3% extra credit for open discussion throughout the semester. Details on grading will follow.

  • Weekly VoiceThread comments on recorded lectures (15% in final grade).

  • Quick check repeatable quizzes (15% in final grade)

  •  Two take-home papers, around 7 pages each, typed, double spaced. Both papers will be submitted first as drafts and then as papers.  The papers are based on the weekly discussion questions and need citations (drafts: 20% in final grade; papers: 20% in final grade). 

    •  Your papers should incorporate parts of your weekly essays, with reorganization, synthesis, a broader theme and a more in-depth discussion than your weekly essays. Please refer to the rubric for papers for grading criteria.
    • All sources you use must be cited (MLA style or APA style). Failure to cite your sources may result in charges of plagiarism. 

  Method of grading: all grades are assigned in percentages, which will be tabulated at the end of the semester and converted to letter grades. The averages of your take-home papers and of your weekly writing assignments will be taken to represent the grades for your take-home paper and weekly writing assignment. The conversion is as follows: 93-100: A; 90-92.9: A-; 85-89.9: B+; 80-  84.9: B; 75-79.9: B-; 70-74.9: C+; 65-69.9: C; 60-64.9: C-; 55-59.9: D+; 50-54.9: D; 45-49.9: D-; 44 and below: F.

  Late work:

  • Work within a week late: 10% grade deduction.
  • Work two weeks late: 20% grade deduction.
  • Work three weeks late: 30% grade deduction.
  • Work four weeks late: 40% grade deduction.
  • Work five weeks late: 50% grade deduction.
  • Work six weeks late: 60% grade deduction.
  • Work seven weeks late: 70% grade deduction.
  • Work eight weeks late: 80% grade deduction.
  • Work over nine weeks late will not be accepted. 
  • For legitimate excuses (e.g. sickness) late work will be penalized less, but will still receive at least 10% grade deduction.

  The grade distribution is as follows: 

  Weekly assignments: 30 per cent
  Take-home paper drafts: 20 percent
  Take-home papers: 20 per cent 
  Weekly VoiceThread comments: 15 per cent
  Weekly repeatable quizzes: 15 per centExtra credit for open discussion: 3 percent
  Extra credit for course evaluation: 1 percent

  All grades will be shown in your Canvas Gradebook.

  Class Schedule

  Week 1 (Jan. 10-16):The first 50 years of the 20th century

  Readings: 1. The July Crisis. 2. World War I. 3. Wilson and WWI, and 4. The Fourteen Points; 5. WWI: The War that Changed Everything.

  VoiceThread homework on recorded introduction
  Quick check questions on the readings.
  Discussion question 1: Give examples to show what roles the US and USSR played in World War II and how they emerged as world powers after the war. (500 words) You also need to comment on the work of two classmates.

  Week 2 (Jan.17-23) The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union

  Watch video: The Russian Revolution

  Readings: 1. "The Russian Revolution," 2. "What if the Russian Revolution had never happened," 3. "Russia's grassroots revolution."

  Requirements: VoiceThread on Video The Russian Revolution; Quick check on readings.

  Discussion question 2: If you were President Wilson, which aspects of the Russian Revolution would you most dislike? Provide examples from the readings to back up your points. (500 words) You must also comment on two classmates' essays.

  Week 3 (Jan.24-30 ) Fascism and Nazism

  Khan Academy video lectures on Fascism, and Nazism

  VoiceThread assignment on recorded lecture; quick check repeatable quizzes on the readings

  Readings: Benito Mussolini;  The Nazi party;  Hitler's account of the nation and nationalism,"Nationalism and the two world wars."

  Discussion question 3: Use two or three examples from the readings on Fascism and Nazism to discuss under what conditions would nationalism become a destructive force for a country? (500 words) You must also comment on two others' essays.

  Week 4 (Jan.31-Feb.6 ) WWII in the Pacific.

  Khan Academy: World War II video

  Readings: WWII, a brief story; The coming of the second world war

  Discussion question 4: Give examples to show what roles the US and USSR played in World War II and how they emerged as world powers after the war. (500 words) You must also comment on two other essays.

  Week 5 (Feb.7-13) Post WWII Nationalism and anti-colonialism in Asia

  Readings: 1. The Chinese revolution of 1949 and How did women fare in China's Communist Revolution?3. Vietnam's independence in 1945, Ho Chi-minh; the Geneva conference India and Pakistan win independence, Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru;  Independence of the Philippines after WWII.

  Discussion question 5: Give three detailed examples and explain why some national independence movements in Asia after WWII resulted in revolutions while others transitioned to democracies.(500 words) You must also comment on two essays by others.

  Week 6 (Feb.14-20) The Cold War

  Requirements: VoiceThread on recorded lecture; Quick check on readings; discussion question.

  Readings: Cold War history Rebuilding the world after WWII;Nikita Kruschev; Global containment: the Truman Years; The Cuban missile crisis; The Gulf of Tonkin and escalation 1964.

  Discussion 6: Use three detailed examples to illustrate and interpret the Cold War style fight of the Communist and Capitalist camps. (500 words) You must also comment on two others' essays.

  Week 7(Feb.21-27) Nationalism, anti-colonialism and socialism in the third world

  Readings: Five years of Cuban Revolution, The politics of violence: Guatemala and El Salvador, Ghana, problems and progress, Currents in Iranian nationalism,  

  Requirements: VoiceThread on recorded lecture; quick check quizzes on the readings.

  Discussion question 7: Give three examples of three countries to illustrate the factors that led these countries to a more revolutionary path and adopt socialism/communism. (500 words) You must comment on two other essays as well.

  Week 8 (Feb.28-Mar.6)Development and discontent in the developed world.

  Readings: Postwar American economic development Welfare states in Europe;  Postwar Japanese economic takeoff

  Requirements: VoiceThread on recorded lecture; quick check on readings.

  Discussion question 8: Take an example from each of the economic systems below: the American system, the European welfare system, and the Japanese system, to illustrate their differences within capitalism. Did the social protests signify limitations of capitalism? Why or why not? (500 words) You must also comment on two others' essays.

  Week 9 (Mar.7-13) First take-home paper draft due.

  First take-home paper draft due on Sunday Mar. 13. Paper topic: Based on our readings of the tumultuous developments of nationalism both before and after World War II, and democracy after WWII, pick two or three examples to showcase how nationalism was achieved or manipulated and went astray, and/or why nationalism and decolonization did not lead to democracy but to revolutions and socialism and communism. The paper needs to be 8-10 pages long, double spaced, using footnotes or endnotes, either MLA or APA style. Plagiarism will be punished with a failing grade.

  Week 10 (Mar.14-20) Spring break.

  Week 11 (Mar.21-27) First take-home paper due on Sunday Mar. 27. Please leave two comments on your classmates' drafts by Thursday Mar. 24, and incorporate comments from me and your classmates in your final paper.

  Week 12 (Mar.28-Apr. 3) End of the Cold War

  Readings: How to bury the Cold War, The end of Cold War history, In search of a new world model

  Requirements: VoiceThread on recorded lecture; quick check quizzes on readings.

  Discussion question 9: Give three examples to illustrate the choices of a new global order after the end of the Cold War. (500 words) You must also comment on two other essays.

  Week 13 (Apr.4-10). The complexity of regional politics after the Cold War.

  Readings: Read "The European Union in an illiberal world," "Cambodia between hope and despair," "The Middle East's spreading morass"

  Requirements: VoiceThread on recorded lecture; quick check quizzes on readings.

  Discussion question 10: Based on the readings above, pick three "Do you agree?" points from the PPT lecture/recorded lecture and address each question. (500 words in all) Your essay will be graded with a rubric on argument/reasoning and evidence (from the readings). You will also need to comment on two people's postings (alternatively, you can respond to two comments on your posting from two other classmates), with about 50 words for each comment..

  Week 14 (Apr. 11-17) Nationalism and challenges to the nation-state 

  Readings:"The nationalist origins of political Islam." Global crisis of the nation state, The Global Challenge of the Refugee Exodus.

  Requirements: VoiceThread on recorded lecture; quick check quizzes on readings.

  Discussion question 11:Based on the readings above, pick three "Do you agree?" points from the PPT lecture/recorded lecture and address each question. (500 words in all) Your essay will be graded with a rubric on argument/reasoning and evidence (from the readings). You will also need to comment on two people's postings (alternatively, you can respond to two comments on your posting from two other classmates), with about 50 words for each comment.

  Week 15 (Apr.18-24) Power and perils in global market economy.

  Readings: Trade, development and inequality, Rethinking sustainable development.

  Requirements: VoiceThread on recorded lecture; quick check quizzes on readings.

  Discussion question 12: Based on the readings, analyze three detailed examples of problems that the globalizing market has to face. What are some possible solutions?

  Week 16 (Apr.25-May 1) Second take-home paper due. Discuss changes to global politics and community brought about by the post-Cold War globalization in the 1990s and beyond. Why did the changes not bring about a more integrated world? Discuss the benefits and perils and future of globalization. Please use ample examples from the readings to clarify your arguments.
  The paper needs to be about 4-6 pages long, double spaced, using citations or footnote/ endnotes, either MLA or APA style. Plagiarism will be punished with a failing grade. The paper is due on Sunday May 1 at 10:59 pm central time.