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GEOPOLITICS OF EUROPE, PSIA 273

Number of credits: 3

Instructor, Donald E Fuller, Ph.D.

Email address, dfuller@aua.am

Ofice Location, PAB 137W

Office Hours: 10:00-12:00 or by appointment; we will also have office hours in the library to be
announced.

Term/year: Fall 2017

Classs Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 12:30-13:20, room 414W

Upper Division Course; prerequisite: none; co-requisites: none

Course description:

Explores Europe: its contributions, its torments, its communities, its races and ethnicities, its laws, its
theories, its geo-political importance to the world; we investigate its many roles: colonizer,
imperialist, arbiter of theology and reason, scientist, artist, musician, author, philosopher, warrior,
technologist, diversifier of migration, politician, democrat, nationalist, populist, institutionalist,
protectionist.

Contents include; renaissance and reformation, enlightenment and absolutism; turmoil, power,
capital, revolution, collectivism vs. individualism, division and recovery, modernization and post-
modernization, statism , populism cosmopolitanism, communitarianism.

Required Materials:

Portions of the following books (all readings posted on Moodle);

Norman Davis, 1996, Europe: A History, Oxford University Press; Renaissance and Reformations: 464-
575; Enlightenment and Absolutism : 577-674; Europe Divided and Undivided: 1057-1136;

E.J. Hobsbawm, 1962, The Age of Revolution: 1789-1848, Mentor Books, New York: Part I,
Developments: 22-177;

E.J. Hobsbawm, 2001, The Age of Capital: 1848-1875; London: Little, Brown and Company, Abacus:
Part Two, Developments: 43-202;

E.J. Hobsbawm, 2003, The Age of Empire: 1875-1914; London: Abacus: 13-191;

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Robert L Heilbroner, 1989, The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives and Times and Ideas of the Great
Economic Thinkers, New York: Adam Smith, Malthus and David Ricardo, Karl Marx, Keynes, John
Stuart Mill;

Will Durant,1961,The Story of Philosophy: the Lives and Opinions of the Great Philosophers of the
Western World, New York: Simon and Schuster: Voltaire and Rousseau, Kant and German Idealism,
Comte and Darwin, Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell;

Robert B. Asprey, 2000, The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, New York: Basic Books:

Tomothy Garton Ash, 2000, History of the Present: Essays, Sketches and Despatches from Europe in
the 1990s, London: Penguin Books: 5-104.

Timothy Garton Ash, 1999, We the People: The Revolution of 89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest,
Berlin and Prague, 1999, London: Penguin Books: 11-130.

Robert Asprey, 2000, The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, New York: Basic Books: 7-20; 218-229; 431-442;
535-545.

Other Sources:

Hannah Arendt, 1976, The Origins of Totalitarianism, Orlando, Florida: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publishing Company.

Cary Nelson, 2001, The Spanish Civil War: An Overview, Cary Nelson.

Joseph A. Schumpeter, 1950, Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, New York: Harper and Row
Publishers Inc.

Karl Polanyi, 2001. The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, 2nd ed.,
Boston: Beacon Press.

Serhii Plokhy, 2015, The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, New York: Basic Books.

Mike Rapport, 2008, 1848: Year of Revolution, London: Little, Brown.

Andrew Schlesinger and Stephen Schlesinger (eds), The Letters of Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., New York:
Random House.

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Schedule 1: Readings and Topics:

Week Topic Reading Home Tasks


1 Renaissance and Davies, 469-575 Questions from
Reformations readings*
2 Enlightenment and Davies, 577-674 Questions from
Absolutism readings
3 Europe Divided and Davies, 1057-1136 Questions from
Undivided readings
4 Age of Revolution Hobsbawm, 22-177 Questions from
readings
5 Age of Cap[ital Hobsbawm, 43-202 Questions from
readings
6 Age of Empire Hobsbawm, 13-191 Questions from,
readings
7 Economic Thinkers Heilbroner, 42-74; 75- Questions from
104; 136-170; 249-287 readings
8 Philosophers Durant, 184-191; 192- Questions from
220-; 265-300 readings
9 Napoleon Asprey, 7-21; 22-33; Questions from
525-534; 535-545 readings
10 1990s Ash, 5-104 Questions from
readings
11 Revolution, 1989 Ash, 11-130 Questions from
readings
12 Totalitarianism Arendt Questions from
readings
13 Spanish Civil War Nelson Questions from
readings
14 Crisis of Europe Ash, 1-22 Questions from
readings
*Questions will be included in Moodle prior to class. Students must be prepared to respond to these
questions in class.

Schedule 2: to develop the components for the final essay ; essay, homework assignments with
points allocated for each assignment:

Data (submit electronically) Assignment Explanation


Week 5 (five points) Select essay topic stated in form Select topic from list located in
of research question Moodle
Week 6 (five points) Literature review Select five references relevant
to your research topic
Week 7 (five points) Issues What are the critical sub-issues

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affecting your research
question?
Week 8 (five points) Theory What theory is relevant to your
research question?
Week 9 (five points) Methodology Case study? Comparative?
Deductive? Inductive?
Week 10 (five points) Evidence/data What evidence/data supports
your argument?
Week 11 (five points) Analysis How does your theory fit the
evidence/data?
Week 12 (five points) Conclusion What can you conclude?

Schedule 3. Combined Table of Readings and Essay Home Tasks.

Week Topic Reading Home Tasks


1 Renaissance and Davies
Reformations
2 Enlightenment and Davies Essay topic
Absolutism
3 Europe Divided and Davies References
Undivided
4 Ageof Revolution Hobsbawm Issues
5 Age of Capital Hobsbawm Theory
6 Age of Empire Hobsbawm Methodology
7 Economic Thinkers Heilbroner Evidence/data
8 Philosophers Durant Analysis
9 Napoleon Asprey Conclusion
10 1990s Ash Revise essay
11 Revolution 1989 Ash Revise essay
12 Totalitarianism Arendt Revise essay
13 Spanish Civil War Nelson Final ize essay
14 Crisis of Europe Ash
15 Instructor Revise essay; finalize ESSAY: turn in to
essay TURNITIN

DECEMBER 14, 2017: deadline for submitting final essay with REFERENCES and correct citations to
Turnitin BY 23:59, December 14, 2017. You should submit your paper earlier than this, about 23:00, or
earlier (since everyone will be doing the same thing) to avoid technical problems! Turnitin will not
accept your paper one second after 23:59. The paper is worth 45 points. Dont lose all of these
points.

Non-class days: November 23 and November 24 (Thanksgiving Holiday).

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Program goals Student learning outcomes Course learning outcomes
Common to all programs Common to all programs To be filled in by course
instructor based on
assignments/assessment

Goal 1. Internalize and Goal 1.3. Draw conclusion from 1.3 Search for evidence in
contextualize concept and evidence. Europe based upon theory and
theories (abstract and empiricism.
empirical).
Goal 2.1. Organize, filter and 2.1. Search for evidence
Goal 2. Learn how to conduct synthesize a large part of bolstered by historical reliability
analysis. information. pertaining to Europe.

Goal 3. Master subject matter 3.2. Recognize subjects studied 3.2. Examine the multi-
(course topics and materials. and relationship among courses. disciplinary or co-linearity of
variables affecting Europe.

Goal 4. Develop (a) research, 4.a.1. Apply library acuity. 4.a.1. Search library resources
(b) problem solving,(c) writing, particularly electronic
(d) communication, and (e) 4.a.2. Construct and use resources.
argumentation skills. appropriate research
techniques. 4.a.2. Explore concepts relating
to Europe particularly those
that are contradictory.

4.b.1. Recognize and formulate 4.b.1. Search for similarities


political problems. and differences occurring in
Europe.
4.b.2. Choose appropriate tools
in analysis. 4.b.2. Establish coherent design
for exploring Europe.
4.c.1. Clearly organize and
prepare papers, report and 4.c.1. Search for triangulation or
research findings. multiple measures of correlative
evidence.

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4.c.2. Work in groups. 4.c.2. Utilize the advantage of
the group to construct diversity
in the analysis.

4.c.3. Properly cite sources. 4.c.3. Use Kate Turabian.

4.d.2. Present to groups. 4.d.2. Utilize audio-visual


materials that can be clearly
seen and understood.

4.e.1. Distinguish different 4.e.1. Explore reliability of


supporting arguments. differing concepts regarding
Europe.

4.e.2. Make reasoned 4.e.2. Explain why


arguments with logical dissimilarities exist regarding
conclusions. Europe and reliability of
external factors.

Course Structure:

Instructor-led class will meet three times per week; home tasks will include readings. To assist in
understanding key reading points, questions will be included on moodle. Students will be asked to
respond to these questions during class sessions.

Method of Evaluation:

Evaluation will include relevance and content of homework; substance and process(es) illustrated in
the final essay; in-class contributions to class discussions.

Learning will be evaluated on the following weights:

Honework assignments 40 points (five points for eight essay components)

Final essay, 45 points

In-class discussion contributions, including responses to reading questions, 15 points.

Grading criteria:

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For the homework assignments and final essay, we evaluate the relevance of your answer and your
persuasiveness in explaining the various components. For the class contributions we evaluate your
originality, relevance, understanding and substance of points raised.

Comment regarding Turnitin:

Students will submit their final essays to the Turnitin on December 14, 2017. Turnitin will not accept
grades after 23:59 on that date; accordingly you should submit prior to this time, such as 23:00. The
essay is worth 45 points; ou do not want to lose these points.

Similarity Index : Turnitin will identify any words that have appeared verbatim (word for word) from
sources used in the essay texts. It will also include your REFERENCES, but this will have a minimal
impact on your index rating. Turnitin has a voluminous data base. It will also include papers
submitted to AUIA. You do not want a high similarity index. While this index is not the only factor
being considered it can reduce your grade if substantially high If you are using verbatim words they
must be enclosed in quotation marks. However, if your entire essay is filled with quotes, this will
reduce your grade. We want your words not only those already published. Use quotations sparingly.
You need to consult with the instructor or teaching assistant to strike a balance between quotes and
your own wording.

Citations and REFERENCES: in writing your own paper, you must give a citation source for the points
you are making. All citations must be aggregated in a final page labeled REFERENCES, IN
ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY AUTHOR. Use Turabian style:
http://citationmacinenet/indes2.php?reqstyleid=28newstyle=28stylebox =2. Make certain that any
citation in the text is shown in the references page and vice versa; your REFERENCES must appear in
the text. Your grade can be affected by incorrect citations and references.

Moodle Grading System

Highest Lowest Letter

100.0% 97.00% A+

96.99 94.00 A

93.99 90.00 A-

89.99 87.00 B+

86.99 84.00 B

83.99 80.00 B-

79.99 77.00 C+

76.99 74.00 C

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73.99 70.00 C-

69.99 67.00 D+

66.00 64.00 D

63.99 60.00 D-

00.00 59.00 F

Class attendance is mandatory. You cannot participate in class discussions, if absent.

Final Essay: The final essay will consist of 3-5 pages. The topic should be selected from the various
topics shown on Moodle as constructed by the professor. However, a student may propose a topic
relevant to the course though all topics must be approved by the instructor. In 3-5 pages it is not
possible to cover a broad topic (what explains social conflict in the world?). A better question
considering the length of the paper, might be to what extent has Max Weber influenced understanding
of conflict in organizations.

Library Use. For the rest of your life you need to be on time. Future employers and supervisors will
expect you to meet deadlines. For the moment, this is your most important job. Do not miss a deadline.
Your grade can be reduced and your grades should concern you. Emergencies in the family can, of
course, conflict with your performance. Discuss these with your instructor.

Make up procedures. Do not request a makeup assignment unless there is a family emergency. In such
a case, discuss with your instructor. Other reasons such as I didnt have enough time will result in a
grade reduction.

Policy on Grade Appeal: Students are entitled to appeal grades in accordance with the universitys
grade appeal policy which is available online at http://policies.aua.am/policy/11.

Standards for Academic Integrity: Students are required to conduct themselves in an academically
responsible and ethical manner in line with the Code of Academic Ethics. Acts of academic dishonest
impairthe academic integrity of AUA and create an unfair academic advantage for the student involved
and other members of the academic community. These acts are subje to disciplinary measures as
prescribed in the AUA Student Cole of Conduct: http://policiesaua.am/101.

Special needs: Students requiring special accommodations for learning should contact the instructor or
Dean by the end of Drop/Add period with such requests

http;//student.aua.am/files/2013/12Disability-Self-Identification-Form-Fillable.pdf).

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