Collaborative Study Guide Activity

Okay, guys, now that all of your sections have done the terms, here's the list you can choose from to define for the final blog activity. Any one that is not crossed out is still fair game, and I'll update it as quickly as I can. Remember, you need to submit by 11:59pm on Tuesday, December 4th for it to count.

Remember to explain WHAT the term is and WHY it's something important for our course.

UPDATE 11/30: If terms run out, then you can ADD ONTO ANOTHER ONE ALREADY THERE. Just comment on that comment. Please don't do this until all the terms are gone, though.

UPDATE 12/4: GREAT WORK, GUYS! They've all been covered somewhere in here. Feel free to go back and add more to previous entries, including the ones which we covered in class.

Mughal Empire
Tea
Silver
The Long Depression (1873-1896)
Suez Canal (1869)
Rubber
Cecil Rhodes
Kiama
Muthoni
Yamagata Arimoto
Trans-Siberian Railway
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Chinese Revolution (1949)
Mohandas Gandhi
The Cuban Revolution (1959)
Los Desparecidos (the disappeared)
Sandanistas
Maria Serrano
Defensive Developmentalism
Mohammed Mossadeq
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
1973 Oil Crisis
Ruhollah Khomeini
legitimate trade
Rebellion of 1857
Wahhabism
Raj
Boxer Uprising
New Deal
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Warsaw Pact
apartheid
Fidel Castro
Tiananmen Square
truth commissions
Nelson Mandela

If these run out, I'll give you some more. See you in the last lecture tomorrow!

-Kirsten 

Activity for November 29th

Hang tight, guys - I'll give you an activity as soon as I see the final review sheet, tomorrow at the latest.

Readings for November 22nd...oh wait...

No section this week - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Enjoy your turkey and other deliciousness and look for a new post next Monday.

Readings for November 15th

This week, we'll be discussing Persepolis for pretty much the entire class. You should have the book finished by Thursday so you can ask me any questions you have for your paper. Remember, the paper is due on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20th at 11:59pm in the dropbox on Carmen. I WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING HARD COPIES OF YOUR PAPER ON TUESDAY because I won't be on campus.

If you would like to meet with me about your paper, please email me to set up a time. Because of the length of this paper, I won't be able to read full drafts via email - there simply aren't enough hours in the day for me to do so - but I am happy to meet with any and all of you. Remember, we only have TWO more sessions, but I'm totally willing to meet outside of section to help all of you prepare for the final.

Some of you have asked me questions about the novel, so below is a little bit more background.

The Qajar Dynasty ruled Iran throughout the 19th century until 1925. The last Qajar shah (who they call the "emperor" in Persepolis) was called Ahmad, and he technically ruled from 1909 until 1925. Ahmad is Marjane's great-grandfather on her mother's side. He was stripped of all his powers in a coup in 1921, went into exile in 1923, and was formally deposed in 1925. The person who led that coup was the man who rose up from nothing to become Reza Shah Pahlavi, who ruled from 1925 until the British and the Soviets ordered him to step down in favor of his son, Mohammad Reza Shah, in 1941. Mohammad Reza Shah was the shah in power when the US & Britain over threw the prime minister Mossadegh (who nationalized the oil, as we saw in the video). He stayed in power until the Iranian Revolution, so all the protests and accusations that the Satrapis make in the book are against him.

A major focus in Persepolis is the Iran-Iraq War, which lasted from 1980 (when Iraq invaded Iran) until 1988. Some of you have asked me where the US fell in this conflict. The US provided outright military support for Iraq, as well as economic aid - BUT, the US also sold arms to Iran secretly, which led to the Iran-Contra Affair (which I'm happy to talk about more in class if you're interested). The causes, course, and outcome of the Iran-Iraq war are all described briefly and very well in this short BBC news article from 2005: The Iran-Iraq War: 25 years on

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 11/14

Please do ONE of the following two things in the comments:

1) Tell us what your favorite scene (or the one that affected you the most) in the graphic novel was and why - what struck you about this? What does this scene tell us about everyday life during the Iranian Revolution? In what way does it reflect the broader world historical context?

OR

2) What similarities or differences do you see between Persepolis and The River Between? What are some common themes and some examples of where you see those themes? What do they tell us about everyday life in periods of intense social upheaval?

See y'all on Thursday!

Readings for November 8th

ACK! Sorry, gang - apparently, I never posted what I wrote on Monday. I'm super sorry!

Easy week for reading - just Juan & Eva Perón (p. 333). In light of this, you should start reading Persepolis. If you're wondering how to read it, try to look at each small section and think what the main theme is. Also, check out the study guide on Carmen.

In section, we're going to talk a little bit about the way Enlightenment ideas evolved and changed, and I'm also going to give you a 5-6 minute introduction on the Iranian Revolution to help you contextualize the graphic novel.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT FOR SECTION

What did Juan Perón suggest needed to be in done in order to strengthen Argentina? What was his idea of social security? How did Eva Perón see the difference between feminism and the masculinization of women - how could their lives be improved?

ACTIVITY - due by 8:00am on Thursday, November 8th (note the difference!)

This one is all about helping you with review. I know we've skimmed over some topics, so tell me three things that you don't understand or you think we need to go over more in section. Please tell me WHY you want to go over these things - what is it that is unclear specifically? It can be anything from the primary sources to people/events/places you think need to be explained more to topics where you're having trouble understanding what the main points are.

Readings for November 1st

Home stretch here, folks, and not a bad week for reading.

You have three primary sources from the reader for this week: Mohandas Ghandi (p. 295), George Kennan's The Long Telegram (p. 326), and Isabel & David Crook (p.340). They are all on the longer side, but I think all of these have really important content. Hopefully, you'll be able to see the impact of the things we discuss in the coming classes in some of the events today.

Because this week is half October, half November, I'll make you guys a deal: I'll count the activity, if you complete it, toward EITHER October or November. So, if you didn't do a post in October, now's your chance. If you want to get November's out of the way, it would work for that too.

You'll get your map quizzes back in section, as well as an update on your participation grades going into the last few weeks of the semester.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT FOR SECTION:

1) Ghandi writes about satyagraha - what is it, and what are some examples that he provides throughout the letter? Why use it as a method of rebelling against the colonial government? Why write to Lord Irwin to announce his next proposed Salt March? What wrongs does he accuse the colonial government of committing?

2) Kennan is attempting to explain to the US State Department the mindset of the post-WWII Communist regime in the Soviet Union (Russia). How does he describe Soviet policy? How does it feel about the West? What are its goals, according to Kennan? What should the US do in response? Does it sound like he's describing Communism fairly?

3) The Crooks were in China during the struggle between the KMT (the Chinese Nationalist Government) and the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) for control of the country. How do the Crooks describe land ownership prior to Communist intervention? What changes did the Communists make, and how did it affect the peasants? What was the main problem the villagers had with Fu Gao-lin? What do these accusations and the subsequent punishments show about the villagers attitudes toward inequality?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 10/31 if you choose to complete it

Pick ONE of the above THREE questions and answer it in the comments. It may be easier to wait until after lecture on Wednesday so you have some more context, but feel free to do so sooner if you prefer.

Stay safe with the wind & see everyone on Thursday!

Also: if any of you are considering seeing a movie, Argo is very good. It depicts a portion of the events of the Iranian Revolution (albeit a small part and from an American perspective), which is also the topic of Persepolis. I've embedded the trailer below.

Extra Stuff: History of WWI & WWII via a Facebook News Feed

If you're still fuzzy on the sequence of events of WWI & WWII, we'll talk more about it in section, but there's also this "Facebook Feed" history of the events of WWI, the Great Depression, and WWII on College Humor. It's kind of fun, but it's also a pretty good overview.

College Humor - History of the World via Facebook

Readings for October 25th

Hello all!

If you can believe it, we're up to World War I & II this week. The readings for this week aren't too bad in terms of length. Please look at the British Army's Form A 2042 (p.285), then read Wilfred Owen (p.287), Adolf Hitler (p.307), and Hanna Lévy-Hass (p.312). Also, PLEASE REVIEW THE READINGS FOR LAST WEEK about Japan, as we'll be going over them too. After this week, we'll be caught up with the syllabus.

Remember, map quiz on Friday in lecture - the study guide is up online. I'll be handing back last Friday's quizzes in section.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) What part of the World War I experience is Wilfred Owen writing about? From the poem, what can you tell about the soldiers' experiences during World War I?

2) For Adolf Hitler, what was the connection between race and the state? What did Hitler think about Russia? What were his plans, based on this reading?

3) Hanna Lévy-Hass describes conditions in the concentration camps - what was life like in the camps in general?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 10/24 if you chose to do it

This one is based on your OWN knowledge. In order to know how much background I need to give you on the World Wars, I need to know what you already understand. So, pick ONE of the following six topics, and tell me (in 6-8 sentences) what you already know about the subject. If you know anything about the wartime experience in places other than Europe, the US, and Japan, please include that.

1) The causes of World War I
2) The actual events of World War I
3) The changes in the world political system after World War I
4) The causes of World War II
5) The events of World War II
6) The Holocaust & concentration camps

See everyone in lecture & section!

-Kirsten

Readings for October 18th

Hello everyone!

First, here's a quick chart of family trees for characters for The River Between and which ridge they were from:

As all of you know, since we chose to review for the midterm, we're running a little behind on the primary sources. This week, in addition to finishing The River Between, you have two primary sources to read about Japan. They are Honda Toshiaki (p. 198) and Yamagata Aritomo (p. 304).

I'm going to post the discussion questions here, but chances are that we'll spend most of the class on Africa - we'll go over the novel and the Kenyatta and Morel sources. This is especially likely since most of the lecture material on Japan will come on Friday, after this week's session, and I'd like you to have context before we go over the readings.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR READINGS:

1) According to Toshiaki, what does Japan stand to gain through colonization and expansion? What does the process look like? What are the obstacles to expansion? How do Toshiaki's suggestions compare to Europe's early colonial experiences?

2) Why does Yamagata think the world is becoming racialized - what evidence does he provide? What does Japan need to do in the face of the "white" threat?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 10/17, if you chose to do this one

In The River Between, there are several key themes that carry throughout the novel. Pick ONE of the following questions and answer it in the comments, using SPECIFIC EXAMPLES from the book to support your answer.

1) There are virtually no European characters in the book, yet the threats and damage caused by their presence is very apparent. Who is responsible for the conflict and change in the novel? How does the presence of the Christian ministry make pre-existing tensions worse?

2) Why is circumcision so controversial? What larger conflict does it represent? Which argument do you find more convincing - should female circumcision be banned or not?

3) What is the main disagreement between the Kiama and Joshua's church? Is it just religious, or is it something different? What do "traditional" and "Christian" mean in this case?

4) Education is prominent in the book. What are the arguments for and against establishing the tribe's own schools on the ridges? Do the schools succeed? How much of the arguments are actually about education?

See y'all on Thursday.

-Kirsten

Readings for October 11th

So, the midterm is over. That's good, right?

Before I get into this week's primary sources, I want to remind you that you should be reading the first half of The River Between this week. Professor McDow has put a study guide up on Carmen, so you should take a look at that before class. You'll have a chance to ask questions at the beginning of section.

This week, we'll be discussing both LAST WEEK'S and THIS WEEK'S primary sources, which I actually think go together rather well. We'll try to get an idea of what the ideological transformations in the nineteenth century meant for the process of colonization.

The new readings for this week are Cecil Rhodes (p. 227), Edmund Morel (p. 232), and Jomo Kenyatta (p. 735 in the WTWA textbook).

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) After reading Rhodes, what image do you get of British nationalism? What is it based in? Why does Rhodes think it is so important for the British Empire to expand?

2) According to Morel, why is economic domination in Africa so dangerous? Why doesn't European capitalism work in Africa?

3) Why, specifically, does Kenyatta think the European presence in Africa is damaging? How does he describe the Africans? What do you think of this description?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm, Wednesday 10/10, if you choose this week's activity

I'm using the same activity as last week: Pick a quote (1-2 sentences) from any of the readings. YOU MAY CHOOSE ANY READING FROM THIS WEEK OR LAST WEEK (make sure to specify which one you are using). Give us the quote, tell us what you found interesting, surprising, confusing, etc about it, and then tell us one question that it raised for you. Please put your response in the comments section, and remember it only needs to be about 5-6 sentences total.

See you all on Thursday,
Kirsten

Readings for October 4th

Hello, all.

Just a reminder that I have the following review sessions scheduled - MAKE SURE YOU COME WITH SPECIFIC QUESTIONS!

Tuesday, October 2nd, 10am-12pm, Dulles 250
Tuesday, October 2nd, 3pm-5pm, Dulles 020
Wednesday, October 3rd, 9am-11am, Dulles 250

Since it's now October, we're on a new cycle of blog posts, so all of you are required to complete one activity in the next four weeks. If I suggested to you that more frequent posts would compensate for absences or infrequent in-class participation, you might want to consider doing more.

This week's readings are all about social change in the 19th century. You have three primary sources for this week: George Valentia (p. 186), Testimony for the Factory Act (p. 190), and Temple Wage (p. 225). The Temple Wage is a chart that we'll discuss, so please make sure to bring your book to section.

We'll also be reviewing a bit for the midterm. Remember, it's on Friday.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) According to Valentia, how do the Brits keep control over the population in India? What does British society in India look like?

2) In Testimony for the Factory Act, what are the main arguments for limiting the workday? What are the arguments against it?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 10/3 if you chose to complete this week's activity

Pick a quote (1-2 sentences) from either of the readings. Give us the quote, tell us what you found interesting, surprising, confusing, etc about it, and then tell us one question that it raised for you. Please put your response in the comments section, and remember it only needs to be about 5-6 sentences total.

Good luck with your studying!

Readings for September 27th

Onto the Enlightenment & mercantilism!

Your readings this week are Adam Smith (p.165), Declaration of the Rights of Man (p. 170), and Olaudah Equiano (p.182). These readings are a little bit denser than the past two weeks, so read carefully, and make sure to ask me any questions you might have.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) Adam Smith starts out by describing a feudalist society. What were the characteristics of feudalism? What does he think changed the system? What were the characteristics of the new system?

2) In the Declaration of the Rights of Man, where does the government get its powers from? What type of rights does it say man has? What limits do those rights have?

3) According to Olaudah Equiano, why should the British take up the cause of abolition? How will it benefit Britain and Africa economically? How about morally?

ACTIVITY - if you have not done one so far, you MUST do this one by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 9/26

Pick one of the three questions above and answer all three parts. Then, tell me one question you have about one thing that was unclear to you after doing the reading.

See you all on Thursday!

Reading for September 20th

Thanks for bearing with me last week when I wasn't feeling well. You guys have been participating well consistently, and I really appreciate that.

This is a really light week for readings for you guys - you have LITERALLY only four pages of primary sources, so it shouldn't be hard to prep for section. The readings are Captain William Dampier (p. 141) and Jahangir (p. 158). We'll also discuss your papers & my general feedback.

Also, I've had to revise paper pick-up times for Wednesday because I have a meeting with a professor. You can pick up your paper from me in my office, Dulles 009, between 8am and 9:55am or between 1pm and 2:45pm, or you can just wait until section on Thursday.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) According to Damphier, what was slavery like for slaves in Achin? What was the relationship like between master and slave? How does it compare to Atlantic slavery?

2) Jahangir and his father were Islamic rulers of the Mughal Empire. How did they view the place of other religions in the empire? What made religious practices acceptable or unacceptable?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 9/19 if you chose to complete this week's activity

This week's readings describe religion and slavery in East Asia & India, while the past two weeks' readings discussed the same things in the Americas. How did the practice of religion or slavery (pick one) differ between the two regions? Make specific references to the readings. Then, give me a one sentence explanation of why YOU think the practices developed differently.

See you all on Thursday!

Readings for September 13th

Last week, everyone did a really fantastic job with the posts in the comments - keep it up this week! If you did last week's activi, you don't have to do any more until October; however, any extra posts will help your participation grade, so if you're quiet in class this is your chance to boost that grade.

For this week, you also had three readings from the course reader: Nzinga Mbemba, Richard Ligon, and Thomas Phillips.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) What is Mbemba asking for in the letter he is writing to the King of Portugal? How do you think Mbemba sees the Europeans?

2) How does Ligon describe the practice of slavery in the Americas? In your opinion, does he consider slavery moral, immoral, or something different?

3) Phillips describes the process of acquiring slaves in Africa. How were slaves found? Who was involved in the Atlantic slave trade in Africa?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, September 12th (if you choose this week's activity)

Think about what you know about the institution of slavery in the Americas and the Atlantic slave trade. Hopefully, reading these primary source will help give you a more global view of slavery & its impact. Pick something from the readings that you found surprising, or that challenged something you knew about slavery or the slave trade. State which reading it was from, what it was that was new to you, and how it creates a more complicated picture of the slave trade or slavery.

NOTE: if you've noticed, I've used two separate terms - slavery and the slave trade. Why do you think I make distinction between the two? We'll talk about this more in class.

Readings for September 6th

For this week, you were assigned three readings from the course reader: Christopher Columbus (p. 66), The Broken Spears (p. 68), and Arana Xajilá (p. 74).

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

For Columbus, what was the relationship between science/exploration and his faith?

The Broken Spears is a translation from a native-language (Nahuatl) document. What types of information does this source prioritize? What problems might the translation cause?

What impact did the disease brought by the Spanish have on native peoples? What changes in their society resulted?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59 pm on Wednesday (if you chose to do this week's)

Pick a quote (1-2 sentences) from any one of the readings. Give us the quote, tell us what you found interesting, surprising, confusing, etc about it, and then tell us one question that it raised for you. Please put your response in the comments section, and remember it only needs to be about 5-6 sentences total.

See you guys on Thursday!

-Kirsten

Welcome to World History!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the class blog!

This blog will be used by all three of Kirsten's discussion sections in order to help you analyze your readings and prepare for discussion section. Why a blog and not email? There are several reasons. First, this won't clog up your inbox. Second, if each of you sends me comments and questions through email, the rest of the class won't benefit from your insights, but if you use the comment section, you will all benefit from each other. Third, this will help me see where you all are in terms of understanding the readings before section. Under semesters we meet less frequently than under quarters, so I'm hoping this will allow me to better help you succeed in the course. Fourth, I can post pictures, videos, and links here far more easily than on Carmen.

Below, I've posted the guidelines for using this blog that I handed out in class. I look forward to interacting with you both in class and online!

-Kirsten

GUIDELINES FOR THE CLASS BLOG:

1) Please approach this with the same academic seriousness that you give to a paper or an exam. Use proper spelling and grammar, and please refrain from offensive content or trolling. I am moderating posts and all comments that I deem unacceptable will be immediately deleted.

2) I will be using this blog to post thoughts on the primary source readings and activities. I will post these by MONDAY at 8pm. You are required to complete an activity on here ONCE A MONTH in September, October, and November. Please enter your response in the comments section for the applicable post. In order for you to get credit, you need to post before 11:59pm on Wednesday night. This gives me time to prepare for section. Your responses should be brief, about 5-6 sentences - enough to show me that you've done and thought about the reading, but nothing that takes you more than half an hour to put together.

3) Please identify yourself in your posts by (at minimum) your first name, your last initial and the class time (10:20, 11:30, or 12:30). If you feel uncomfortable putting even that information on the internet, please see me - we can come up with a pseudonym that you can use for the semester.

4) Please feel free to use these posts to communicate with each other (and me) about questions you might have about material presented in lecture or readings. I encourage respectful debate! In addition, you can post links in the comments to websites, articles, etc that you might think are relevant to the material that we're learning in class.

5) For anything time-sensitive, I will still use email. Please do the same for anything private or time-sensitive (reporting absences, questions on grading, etc).