Faculty Retreat Program (Wednesday, May 22)

Faculty Retreat

Department of History, Government and Economics

Math and Science Building, Room 119 (Lecture Hall)

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

9:00-9:30 am

Continental Breakfast (provided by the department-- Old Cafeteria, Math

and Science Building)

9:30-10:15 am

Moonsu Han and the Economics Club, “Mock FOMC Meeting”

10:30-11:45 am

Keynote Address

Professor Cyrus Veeser (Bentley University), “Bricks and mortar, flesh

and blood: Why real humans in real classrooms are still better than online

learning”

11:45 am-1:00 pm

Lunch (provided by the department—Old Cafeteria, Math and Science

Building)

1:00 pm-2:00 pm

Kara Kaufman and the Debate Club: “Make me an argument I can’t refute:

Incorporating debate into the classroom”

If you plan to attend the retreat, please RSVP to Larry Davis @

LDAVIS@northshore.edu by Wednesday, May 15.

Racism: A History

Hi everyone. I thought I'd share a documentary that I show in my World History II courses. It's called "Racism: A History". http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/racism-history/ There are three parts to it, and I show the second part called "Fatal Impact". This hour-long episode traces the history of the British Empire from the early 1800s to the middle 1900s. The film shows how the ideology of race went from White Man's Burden, to Social Darwinism, to scientific racism (phrenology and Eugenics). Students like it very much because it gets into events that are usually not covered in high school, such as: colonization of Tasmania and the subsequent annihilation of the indigenous peoples there; famines in British India that were made worse by colonization, and the British justification of allowing millions of Indians to starve to death; the German execution of Namibian people on Shark Island; the forced sterilization or "race hygiene" committed by Americans and Europeans during the Eugenics movement; etc. The first unit in my course deals with the debate among world historians regarding the nature of the West--was the rise of the West inevitable, should we even label it the 'rise of the West', why does our modern world look so Western, is there something better about Western culture over others, etc.? We discuss Eurocentrism and how it is used as a perspective to tell the story of the modern world. This documentary fits in well because it shows how the West developed Eurocentric attitudes and the consequences of the same. Kara Kaufman

New Descriptions Approved!

At the Curriculum Committee meeting held on May 8, the proposed course descriptions for World History I and II were passed.  They will go into effect in the Spring of 2013.  I would like to commend all faculty who participated in the year-long discussion that produced these descriptions.  Please bear in mind that the old course descriptions will remain in effect until the Spring 2013 semester.   

Here are the new descriptions:

 

World History I

An examination of the major themes and their legacies in world history from its origins until the era of global interaction.  Attention will be focused on a comparative analysis of various world societies.  Fulfills open, liberal arts, social science, and with HIS132, history sequence electives. 

 World History II

An examination of the major themes and their legacies in world history since the era of global interaction.  Attention will be focused on a comparative analysis of various world societies.  Fulfills open, liberal arts, social science, and with HIS131, history sequence electives.    


I hope everyone has a restful summer.  I will blog again as we get closer to the fall semester.

New World History I and II Course Descriptions

On March 6, the department voted to approve the following descriptions for the new World History I and World History II courses.  The descriptions took into consideration the feedback that was provided by faculty on the ANGEL Discipline Review Discussion Board, through emails to my attention, or through casual conversations in the hallways on campus. Many thanks to faculty who took the time to participate in this process.  I will bring the descriptions to the March Liberal Studies Division meeting for approval, and will inform the department of any changes should they be necessary.

World History I

An examination of the major themes and their legacies in world history from its origins until the era of global interaction.  Attention will be focused on a comparative analysis of various world societies.  Fulfills open, liberal arts, social science, and with HIS132, history sequence electives. 

 World History II

An examination of the major themes and their legacies in world history since the era of global interaction.  Attention will be focused on a comparative analysis of various world societies.  Fulfills open, liberal arts, social science, and with HIS131, history sequence electives.    

Western Civilization Update/Title Changes to World Civilization

At the December 6 department meeting two important proposals were passed.  After intense deliberation that has taken place since September, and after consulting adjunct faculty through the ANGEL Discipline Review Discussion Board and polling data collected on this blog, the department voted to discontinue offering the History of Western Civilization I and II.  In addition, it was voted that the History of World Civilization I and the History of World Civilization II now be called World History I and World History II.

Please bear in mind that these changes will take time to implement.  In the case of Western Civilization, students who are taking this sequence will be informed that the department is phasing it out and that they will need to complete it within a set amount of time (I will consider the timeline in consultation with Liberal Studies Division Dean Maureen O'Neill).   I will need to present the title changes to the Liberal Studies Division and then to the Curriculum Committee.  I do not know when this particular change will appear in the college catalog and in the schedule.  I will keep everyone posted.

Many thanks to the full-time and adjunct faculty members who have assisted the Discipline Review team in making these two important decisions that will impact the department significantly.  

In regards to the Discipline Review Survey, I will email the results once the Discipline Review team has had the time to digest them, most likely after the beginning of the spring semester.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions @ LDAVIS@northshore.edu.

Discipline Review Polls

Hello colleagues,

As part of the Discipline Review process, department faculty recently completed a survey regarding how World Civilization is delivered to our students. Survey questions asked faculty to consider how they approach teaching and assessment. I am pleased to report that 71% of faculty responded. I will disseminate the results of the survey once I am able to review them.

Another part of the Discipline Review process has to do with two issues: first, should the the department discontinue the Western Civilization sequence in favor of a strictly World Civilization sequence?  The second has to do with whether the department wishes to continue offering "World Civilization" or to change to title to "World History."

The department and Discipline Review team has discussed these two issues and the minutes from the October and November meetings reflect these conversations.

Please take a moment to complete the polls below. Results will be taken into consideration by the Discipline Review team at the December meeting.  You may answer the polls even if you do not teach World or Western Civilization.

Thank you very much for your participation in this process.

Larry Davis

Poll: Should "World Civilization" be Changed to "World History?"