Syllabus – Late Twentieth Century to the Present

Course Syllabus – Fall 2014
Late Century to the Present

The College at Southwestern
HIS 4203-A   T/Th   7:00-8:15 a.m. Room S-119

Instructor: Kevin Stilley
Office Hours: By Appointment

(I keep office hours a few blocks from the college at Stadium Drive Baptist Church: 4717 Stadium Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76133)

Email: kstilley@swbts.edu
Website: http://kevinstilley.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kevinstilley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kevin.stilley

Catalog Description

A study of social/political trends and philosophies from 1964 to the present.

Course Objectives

• To gain knowledge of the main events, ideas and persons that shaped western civilization during the late twentieth century to the present.

• Exploration of twentieth century trends, politics, and culture will help students place their experiences, interests, and information from other history courses into context.

Required Texts

• The Penguin History of the 20^th Century, by J.M. Roberts (isbn. 9780140276312)

• Great Speeches of the Twentieth Century, by Bob Blaisdell (isbn. 0486474674)

• The Unlearned Lessons of the Twentieth Century, by Chantal Delsol (isbn. 1932236473)

• Postmodern Times, by Gene Edward Veith, Jr. (isbn. 0891077685)

(Please bring a Bible to class with you.)

Blackboard

Blackboard and SWBTS student email will be used for class communications. Students should check both Blackboard and student email dailyfor possible communications from the instructor.

Assignments

Grades will be determined based upon completion of two exams, a student presentation, an editorial exercise, and class participation.

• Midterm Exam (30%) – This exam will be conducted via Blackboard so please be sure to have a good internet connection available on the day of the exam. Mac users, I encourage you to NOT use the Safari web browser when taking this test or navigating the Blackboard interface.

• Final Exam: (20%) – The final exam will be a single essay question, asking you to distinguish between the concepts of “late modernity” (Chantal Delsol) & “postmodernity” (Gene Edward Veith), and to make an argument for the one that you think best describes the world in which we live.

• Student Presentation (20%): Each student will select one speech from the book Great Speeches of the Twentieth Century, explain the historical context of the speech, and share how and why it is culturally significant. All students will be reading the speeches in advance so group discussion will follow the presentation.

• Editorial Exercise (25%): Assume the role of an editorial assistant who has been tasked with revising the book Great Speeches of the 20^th Century. Your assignment is to find one speech from the late 20^th century that should be added to the book. In addition to the text of the speech, you need to present a point paper with adequate argumentation for its rhetorical qualities and its historical significance. Further, in order to add this speech to the text, you must select one speech to remove from the book and explain why you selected it. This assignment is to be submitted via Turnitin and is due no later than midnight on October 31. Late papers will receive a 50% reduction in grade.

• Participation (5%): All students are expected to attend class, be punctual, and participate appropriately in classroom discussion. To engage in classroom discussion of the assigned reading it is imperative that all reading assignments be conducted in a timely fashion.
  • Attendance will be recorded at the beginning of all class sessions. Absences or tardiness will adversely affect your grade.       Absences in excess of 25% result in an automatic failure of the class.
  • Students are free to record the class.
  • Guests are welcome, but please notify the instructor in advance.
  • Laptops, iPhones, and similar devices may NOT be used during class as their usefulness is far outweighed by their ability to create a distraction and contribute to the cultural habit of inattentiveness.
  • If you become drowsy you may stand at the back or the side of the room until you can resume your seat without falling asleep.

Grades

Grades will be determined by the following scale: 100-98 (A+); 97-93 = A; 92-90 (A-); 89-88(B+); 87-83 (B); 82-80 (B-); 79-78 (C+); 77-73 (C); 72-70 (C-); 69-68 (D+); 67-63 (D); 62-60 (D-); Below 60 = F.