You may return to the course main page or to the syllabus.

Class Sessions and Reading Assignments

This is a page that lists the class sessions and assignments for J. B. Owens's summer 1998 course Topics in World History, 1350-1800. The information provided on this page is TENTATIVE and may be updated throughout the course. You may return to the course syllabus.

Assignments

All reading assignments are to be completed by the date indicated. See the books page for the full description of the following assignments. The list which follows is *only* for the real time interactions. Asynchronous interactions are in addition to the contacts indicated here.

The PURPOSE of these reading assignments is to help you to identify key concepts in the field of world history and to bring to your attention specific material that could be used as the basis for the design of class modules to teach these concepts. Such class modules are the focus of course projects.

30 May, Saturday morning, 9:00-11:30 am: Training
At this meeting, we will practice using the MOO environment for real time interaction. Come with patience to work through any problems that develop and questions about the course. You should have read all of the pages of the course web site.

8 June, Monday: optional conferences
Students may clarify aspects of the course with the instructor.

11 June, Thursday: ReORIENTing World History
Read Around the World in Eighty Days by Andre Gunder Frank. This is the text of the Wertheim Lecture, Center for Asian Studies (CASA), University of Amsterdam, 24 June 1998.

Publication delays made it impossible to use for this course Andre Gunder Frank, ReORIENT: Global Economy in the Asian Age (University of California Press, 1998). paper, $19.95, 0-520-21474-9

15 June, Monday: Connecting Biota
Read Crosby, chapters 4-6. You may also wish to read chapter 2.

18 June, Thursday: no real time session.
Start of the annual meeting of the World History Association on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

19 June, Friday: "Non-bovine MOOs"
If you wish, you may check into the ISU MOO and participate in my demonstration of the instructional possibilities of the facility. More details later.

22 June, Monday: Biological Invasion of the Americas
Read Crosby, chapters 7-9.

25 June, Thursday: Military Revolution
Read Parker, chapters 2 and 3. You may also wish to read quickly through chapter 1.

29 June, Monday: Military Revolution and World History
Read Parker, chapters 4 and 6.

2 July, Thursday: Mythical Geographies
Read Lewis and Wigen, introduction and chapters 1-2, 6, and conclusion.

6 July, Monday: Mythical "Cultures"
Read Lewis and Wigen, chapters 3-5.

9 July, Thursday: Atlantic: From Barrier to World
Read Thornton, introduction and chapters 1-3. You may also wish to examine the map section, pp. x-xxxvi.

The Thornton book is assigned reading for my course THE SPANISH EMPIRE. For each section of the book, I have provided discovery questions which may help you understand better what you read. These questions are available on pages linked to the main reading assignment page.

13 July, Monday: Atlantic Slave Trade and Labor
Read Thornton, chapters 4-6 and 10.

16 July, Thursday: Africans in the Making of Atlantic Social and Cultural Environments
Read Thornton, chapters 7-9. Those teaching U.S. History may also wish to read chapter 11.

20 July, Monday: conference day.
contact me to set up a time.

23 July, Thursday: project presentation.
contact me if you will need a real time conference.

Mail questions now. Please include your name and e-mail address in the body of your message.

You may return to the course main page or to the course syllabus. 

All contents copyright © 1998.
J. B. Owens
All rights reserved.


Revised:  13 June 1998


URL:  http://www.isu.edu/~owenjack/cmdl/reading.html