Course Syllabus

Perhaps some of you are here to study history as a dead subject. After all, it was not that long ago that Francis Fukiyama’s article entitled Is History Dead? speculated that History—as such—was over, done for, kaput. Don’t laugh. This article had gained considerable prominence among historians and policy makers. Is history dead? Can history ever be dead? Has my profession suddenly been made superfluous through some turn of events? These and other burning issues will be investigated throughout this course.

Speaking of burning issues: I have become deeply disturbed by an increasing tendency among students and professional historians alike to adhere rigorously to a linear approach to history. While this approach certainly does have its merits—indeed, I was taught in this fashion and am no worse for it—I do have a strong objection to the fact that it has become more or less de rigour that history be taught with a "beginning" and an "end" that is this course: Europe Since 1848. History here begins with 1848 and ends, presumably, with yesterday.

I have to admit, this concept is based on the rather logical—and, I must add, valid—assumption that without knowledge of the past, the present would be incomprehensible. While I consider myself to be a faithful disciple of Cleo, that demanding muse of History, I must admit that I have been forced to reassess this approach recently; perhaps it would be more valid, more valuable, to begin with the assumption that the study of the past without regard to the present—and indeed, to the future—is irrelevant.

To the students I have encountered recently—a group that perhaps may include you—this is certainly the case. To them, history has had little relevance to the world as it stands today. It is somehow all separate, disjointed, unconnected. I have had the pleasure to teach Modern European history at various levels at several universities, including one in England as well as here at Penn State. Subsequently, I have discovered that very few of my erstwhile students are intrinsically interested in what they perceive to be "ancient" history; that is, anything before the Second World War. This course is slated to begin at 1848, the so-called "Springtime of Nations," the glorious revolutions of 1848 that gave impetus to the formation of many of the modern nation-states of Europe including the formation of the unified nations of Italy and Germany.

Students generally find the study of this period about as exciting as George Bush the elder found eating broccoli. Moreover, by the time I have dragged myself up, chronologically, to the more modern periods that do interest today's students—topics that get them excited and breathing heavily—I have, more often than not, run out of time. The students are left sweating with unfulfilled anticipation. Not only do I feel that such a let down is unfair, but it also does great harm to something I adore reading, studying, teaching—that is, HISTORY!

In an attempt to address this problem I have decided to try teaching history with regard to the present—integrating bits of current events into the lecture whenever possible. History is very much a part of our present—indeed, it is what makes us what we are—answering in part Gauguin's first question: Who are we? History has also shaped the world in which we live, answering the second of his questions: How did we get here? And it will certainly play a role in determining the future course of world events—you guessed it, providing some clue as to where we are going in the future.

What better way to capture your interest than to show how the present—seemingly unconnected events—fits in the scheme of things historically? And this, my friends, can lead to the larger issues of history itself, a subject that is politically charged; that causes infighting and backbiting among the various "schools of thought" that have been spawned through varying "interpretations" of "facts." And here you thought history would be DULL. Wrong-O! If it were no more than a compendium of facts—whatever they may be—we would surely just have you all read encyclopedias. But history is much, much more than that.

What is History? Simply, it is the written record of Mankind. Is History, therefore, objective? Hardly.

The character Catherine Moreland, in the novel Northanger Abbey, was moved to observe that she thought it odd that history should be so dull, "for a great deal of it must be invention." While this is not quite true, the question remains: Can there ever be such a thing as "the definitive history" about anything? Is the Task of the Historian simply to show how it "really" was? Nothing ticks me off more than to have a student ask, after I have painstakingly gone through an elaborate debate on one issue or another, "so, which one is right?" AAARGHHH!!!

To be sure, history undoubtedly consists of a corpus of ascertained "facts" (that is the so-called "objective" side of history. Simplistically, that there was a man named Hitler who served as a Corporal in the Austrian Army during the Great War and who later rose to fame as leader of the German Nation…blah blah blah…) But as soon as the historian starts mucking with these facts—say, by writing them down in some fashion—that is, interpreting them, history ceases to be objective. Enter the realm of historical debate and the development of schools of thought.

And you thought all this would be simple! It is. There are people who judge Ronald Reagan a great president, and others who judge Bill Clinton to be a superb president. How about George W. Bush with his invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq? Was his decision to launch an invasion warranted or not? Now, consider how YOU may write about good old Ronald Reagan, or George Bush the elder, Bill Clinton, or George Bush the younger as compared to one of your colleagues who does not hold your particular biases (and they most certainly ARE biases, make no mistakes there).

But there is nothing WRONG with biases so long as the historian does not distort or alter the "facts." "Ahha!" You cry; "those horrid things called facts reappear." Here, I must emphasize that accuracy (that is, towards facts) is a duty, not a virtue, and an historian who is less than honest with his "facts" quickly becomes discredited. Toying with, altering, ignoring or just plain "making it up as you go along" simply will not be tolerated! When historians are found to be guilty of these heinous crimes, they are quickly drummed out of the profession.

Even so, an historian's primary function is to interpret facts. The historian decides which ones are important. The historian is necessarily selective, and aren't you glad for THAT? The belief in a hard core of historical facts existing objectively and independently of the interpretation of the Historian is a preposterous fallacy, but one that is very hard to eradicate; to whit, my complaint of students demanding to know which interpretation is "correct." The status of a "fact" as an historical fact turns on a question of interpretation. This element of interpretation enters into every fact of history.

In his book What is History?, Geoffrey Barraclough observed that "The history we read, though based on facts, is, strictly speaking, not factual at all, but a series of accepted judgments." But what about the raw sources? Primary documents? Caveat Emptor here as well: No document can tell us anything more than what the author thought, or more significantly, what he wanted others to think.

Facts and documents are essential to the historian, to be sure, but do not make a fetish of them. They do not by themselves constitute history: They provide in themselves no ready-made answer to this tiresome question—What is History? While I am not sure I can give you a simple answer to that question, I can give you certain guidelines that will help you to be a better student of history, or, indeed, just about anything else.

One of these guidelines to remember is that "facts" never come to us as pure, as they do not and cannot exist in a pure form. They are always refracted through the mind of the recorder. As soon as the historian or observer enters the picture (and this can be a journalist or a person recording observations in a diary), the event or facts become filtered.

Another axiom: History cannot be written unless the historian can achieve some kind of understanding of the mind of those about whom he is writing. After all, how can we say that Hitler REALLY meant "A," though he said "B," unless we feel confident that we understand how he thought and processed information? How can we read a biography written by an historian if we have no faith in the historian's ability to "crawl inside the mind" of the person about whom he is writing? We can view the past, and achieve an understanding of the past, only through the eyes of the present.

Materials

Texts and Other Materials

The following texts are required:

• Howard, M. (2007). The first world war: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. [ISBN: 978-0199205592]*
• Merriman, J. A. (2019). A History of Modern Europe, Vol. 2: From the French Revolution to the Present, 4th ed. W. W. Norton & Company. [ISBN: 978-0393667387]

*E-Book Option: An online version of one or more of your texts is available at no cost as a Penn State Libraries E-Book, which is indicated by an asterisk (*). You can access the E-Book through the Library Resources link on the course navigation menu. Some E-Books will only be available online, while others will be available to download in full or in part. You may choose to use the E-Book as an alternative to purchasing a physical copy of the text. For questions or issues, you can contact the University Libraries Reserve Help (UL-RESERVESHELP@LISTS.PSU.EDU).

The following videos are optional, but highly recommended:

• Pierson, F. (Dir.). (2001). Conspiracy. HBO Films.
• Nowytski, S. & Luhovy, Y. (Dir.). (2004). Harvest of despair: The unknown holocaust. International Historic Films, Inc.
• Snore, E. (Dir.). (2008). The Soviet story. Labvakar. [Rent from Amazon or iTunes.]

Other required article readings and videos will be posted in Canvas, located in the Lesson Overview section.

Library Services

Penn State Libraries provides a wide variety of services and resources. To learn how to take advantage, refer to the Online Student Library Guide (Links to an external site.) at http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/onlinestudentlibraryguide. This guide serves as your starting point for access to all that Penn State Libraries can offer you as an online student. Use this guide if you have questions on library services offered to you, how the library can help you, how to use the library, or what resources you can access via the library! The guide will connect you to important pages and resources within Penn State Libraries and save time from you searching for the information you need.

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Grading

Final letter grades will be assigned based on the scale below.

Scale

LETTER GRADE	MINIMUM PERCENT	MINIMUM POINTS
A	95	285
A-	90	270
B+	87	261
B	84	252
B-	80	240
C+	76	228
C	70	210
D	60	180
F	0	0

Due Dates

All assignments are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the date indicated on the Calendar. (Due dates can be also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) Please be aware that Canvas follows the Eastern Time (ET) time zone. Assignment due dates adhere to this time zone, and it is your responsibility to submit assignments accordingly. If you are outside of the ET time zone, you can set your Canvas account to sync to it. Refer to the Set a Time Zone article in the Canvas Guide (Links to an external site.) at https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2891.

As a general rule, you will NOT be able to go back and make up missed assignments. It is your responsibility to keep up with your assignments. Students with an excused absence (hospitalization, jury duty, family emergency, or military service) may be asked to produce proper documentation in order to make up graded work. All make-up work is at the discretion of the instructor.

Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g. upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.

Notes:

• To Do List: Some assignments may not appear in the To Do list under the Home tab. Use the Calendar or Syllabus to ensure that you are fully aware of assignment due dates.

Notes on Technical Problems:

• If you experience a technical problem with Canvas or another computer application, the first thing you should do is reply to the Technical Help Discussion Forum.
• If you encounter technical problems and cannot submit an assignment in Canvas, please immediately email me the assignment. Once the email has been sent, go back and try to fix the problem. All work must be submitted in Canvas in order to receive credit.

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Assignments

Basic information about each assignment group is provided below. For detailed instructions about an individual assignment, see the assignment information under the Modules tab.

You can expect meaningful feedback on assignments within SEVEN days of their due date.

ASSIGNMENT GROUP	POINTS
Essays	30
Discussions	10
Quizzes	10
Midterm Exam	25
Final Exam	25
Total	100

A General Statement on Writing Assignments

As History 120 is an online course, students will be required to complete a variety of writing assignments, including Essays, Discussions, and Midterm/Final exams, with the expectation that the students' written presentation of ideas and arguments will improve over the course of the semester. This means that students will be graded on proper grammar, spelling, and essay structure. All written assignments should have a thesis statement, evidence from the text, and a conclusion.

In these essays, as well as Discussions and Midterm/Final exams, students should be sure to cite information that they derive from the textbook.
NOTE: you do not have to quote in order to cite your sources, unless you are lifting a sentence directly from the text. In fact, avoid quotes altogether for these assignments.
Instead, when you want to mention a piece of information that you found in the textbook, simply put the information in your own words, and include a citation at the end of your sentence. For our purposes, a citation as simple as: (Merriman, 26), i.e. author and page number, will suffice.

Finally, students should avoid using information from sources outside our normal course materials and assigned textbook. There is no need to search for information on general websites, when our textbooks and Lesson modules are more than sufficient to answer questions and compose written assignments. So, stick to your course materials for the completion of your work!

Essays

Value: 6 x 5PTS, 30 PTS total

For each essay assignment, you will select and respond to ONE essay question, given a few options. Each Essay has a 500 word minimum. Essay questions will ONLY be available for viewing during the week of the corresponding lesson (see the course calendar for dates).

Discussions

Value: 2 x 5 PTS, 10 PTS total

Students will engage in discussions assigned throughout the semester. See the Course Calendar for topics and deadlines.

For each discussion assignment, there are a few discussion forums, each containing one question. Select and participate in ONE discussion (Note: you will only be graded for participation in one of the discussion forums). Ponder the question, make a new post, and share your thoughts. Write at least 250 words pertaining to the subject at hand.

Initial posts are expected to be posted by Thursday of the discussion week. Replies to classmates must be posted by Sunday (you are required to reply to two different posts by your classmates). Replies should address your fellow student’s opinion and provide supporting evidence or reject their opinion. Please also see the “Discussion Policies” information below. All discussion forums will be available on the course Canvas site within the Modules tab. 

The maximum score for a discussion is 10 points, and the points are distributed in the following way:

• Post: 6 points
• First Reply: 2 points
• Second Reply: 2 points

Your discussion contributions will be graded based on the following criteria: ideas presented, what you consider the "facts" that contributed to the event, and originality.

Quiz

Value: 2 x 5 PTS, 10 PTS total

There are two quizzes throughout the course. Each quiz will cover the material covered within the corresponding lesson. 
 
For each quiz, you are going to be subjected to up to TWO tries of 10 questions each. Each set of questions is different, so it would behoove you to take BOTH sets of quizzes. The questions are arranged to be either true/false or multiple choice. For each attempt, you will have 30 minutes once the quiz is started. Oh, you will receive the BEST grade of the two. Fair enough?

You will be able to view the correct answers after the due date. Correct answers to the questions will be visible for 10 days after the due date.
 
Good luck!!

Midterm Exam

Value: 1 x 25 PTS, 25 PTS total

The Midterm Exam covers Lessons 1-6. As with the essay assignments, you will select and respond to ONE essay question, given a few options. The exam is set up like a "take home exam," allowing you to ponder the deeper meaning of the question—or come up with something else you might deem to "wow" my socks off.

Be sure that you are addressing what is asked, NOT simply what you know. Also, please proofread, check your spelling (especially of proper names), use proper grammar, and place everything you've cited in quotation marks and footnote it. There is a 1000 word minimum for the Midterm Exam. If you read the question carefully, you will realize that a very brief answer has to be so uniquely constructed that you have to be on top of the game. (See the Course Calendar for specific dates.)

Final Exam

Value: 1 x 25 PTS, 25 PTS total

The Final Exam covers Lessons 7-11, and it will have the same format as the Midterm Exam. (See the Course Calendar for specific dates.)

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University Policies

Academic Integrity

Penn State defines academic integrity as “the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner.” (Senate Policy 49-20 (Links to an external site.)). Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without permission from the instructor or tampering with the academic work of other students. Students facing allegations of academic misconduct who drop the course will be returned and will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines until the allegations are dismissed and the drop is permitted. Students responsible for academic misconduct often receive academic sanctions, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for disciplinary sanctions assigned by the University's Office of Student Conduct (see Senate Policy G-9 (Links to an external site.)).

Unless your instructor tells you otherwise:

• Always include an in-text citation that includes the author(s) last name(s) and the year the source was published at the end of any sentence or below any image that includes words, images, or ideas you found in a source, always included quoted text within quotation marks, and always include a reference for any source at the end of your paper (ask your instructor about the format you should use).
• All of your graded coursework must be created by you without help from anyone in the course or otherwise. If you have questions about this, you should ask your instructor before submitting work for evaluation.
• All course materials you receive or access are protected by copyright laws. You may use course materials and make copies for your own use, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s express permission is strictly prohibited. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct and/or liable under Federal and State laws.

Disability Access

Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources website provides contact information for every Penn State campus (Links to an external site.) at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/disability-coordinator. For further information, please visit the Student Disability Resources website (Links to an external site.) at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources.

In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation (Links to an external site.) described at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/applying-for-services. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.

Counseling and Psychological Services

Penn State's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) office offers residential and distance-based Penn State students non-emergency mental health services in the form of case management, community resource referrals, supportive listening, care giver support, and much more.

Students may request assistance from CAPS regarding a variety of common mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and stress. CAPS services are designed to enhance students' ability to fully benefit from the University environment and academic experience. Call CAPS at 814-863-0395 (8 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday EST) or submit an inquiry online (Links to an external site.) at https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/form/caps-contact-form to schedule an appointment with a mental health advocate, who can help you address mental health concerns that may interfere with your academic progress or social development. This appointment will include a one-on-one session that can be conducted via telephone, teleconference (Skype, FaceTime, etc.), or locally at Penn State University Park. For more information on services provided through CAPS, please visit the Penn State CAPS website (Links to an external site.) at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/. Students enrolled at the World Campus are also encouraged to visit its Mental Health Services page (Links to an external site.) at http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/student-services/mental-health-services.

Reminder: These services are for non-emergencies only. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis situation, please call your local crisis center or 911.

Nondiscrimination

Penn State is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University's educational mission, and will not be tolerated. For further information, please visit the Affirmative Action Office website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. at https://www.psu.edu/dept/aaoffice/.

Reporting a Bias Incident

Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. at http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/.

TEACH Act

The materials on the course website are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.

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University Emergency Procedure

In the event of a University-wide emergency, the course may be subject to changes. Exigent circumstances may require alternative delivery methods, class materials, and interactions with the instructor and/or classmates. In addition, there may be revisions to grading policies and the Calendar, including assignments and their due dates.

In the event of a University-wide emergency, please refer to the Canvas website at https://psu.instructure.com for specific information related to the course. For more general information about the emergency situation, please refer to the Penn State website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. at https://www.psu.edu or Penn State News website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. at https://news.psu.edu.

To register with PSUAlert, a service designed to alert the Penn State community when situations arise that affect the ability of a campus to function normally, please go to the PSU Alert website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. at https://psualert.psu.edu/. Subscribers can receive alerts by text message to cell phones, and also can elect to have alerts sent to an email address.

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Syllabus Subject to Change

The class will likely adhere to the information outlined in this Syllabus and the Calendar, but adjustments may be made based on what actually transpires during the semester. Remaining in the course after reading this Syllabus will signal that you accept the possibility of changes and responsibility for being aware of them.