Autumn 2003

SIS 200 States and Capitalism:  The Origins of the Modern Global System

http://courses.washington.edu/sis200

 

Professor Reşat Kasaba                    Office Hours: Tuesday:  1:30-3:20 p.m. & by appointment

email: kasaba@u.washington.edu                                                    322 Thomson Hall (543-6890)

 

 

Important Links: Guidelines for Short Papers:

 

TEACHING ASSISTANTS:

Elif Akçetin,      (eakcetin@u.washington.edu),              office hours:  M:  1:30-3:30

Elif Andaç        (elifa@u.washington.edu),                     office hours:  T, Th: 10:30-11:30

Jacqueline Meijer-Irons, (jmeijer@u.washington.edu),   office hours:  T. Th: 12:30-1:30

Yüksel Sezgin   (ysezgin@u.washington.edu)                 office hours:  W: 9:30-11:30                 (http://students.washington.edu/ysezgin)

Lily Yuan,         (lilyyuan@u.washington.edu),                office hours:  M, W: 10:30-11:30

 

TA Office: 503 Thomson Hall  (543-7196)

 

Writing Course Instructors: Norman Wacker

Foreign Language Trailer:  Marwa Maziad (French)

 

Be sure to visit the web site for this course ( http://courses.washington.edu/sis200 ) regularly. The site will have up-to-date announcements, links to resource readings, a link to a tutorial de­signed to help you with your papers, a place to post questions, and a link to submit for posting the first draft of your papers (see below).

 

DESCRIPTION

            This course addresses two questions that are related to the contemporary struc­ture of the global system.  One, what are the historical processes that have created a world economy with integrated systems of production and trade that now cover the entire globe?  Two, how is it that this eco­nomically united world has become so divided and fragmented along ethnic, national, political, and cultural lines?  The course examines these questions from a historical perspective by focus­ing on selected times, places, and events.

 

            Some scholars argue that an economic system that covered a large part of the globe was formed for the first time in the thirteenth century.  This system was centered in Asia and existed for about one-hundred years.  In the first part of SIS 200, we will study the rise and the fall of this early world system and explain why it was eclipsed in the fifteenth century by a new system that was centered in Europe.  The rest of the course is devoted to the study of the growth, expansion, and various economic and political set­backs in the modern world system between the fifteenth century and the early twentieth century.  One of our pur­poses will be to uncover the features of this world system that gave it unprecedented dynamism and longevity.

 

            This course does not study the history of the world.  It uses history to explain economic, political, sociological, and cultural realities of the modern world system.  During the course, par­ticular events, dates, and places will enter into our discussions only to the extent that they have had an impact on the structure of the global system.  Throughout, our focus will always be both on the connections that linked places and people over long periods of time and on the forces that pitted them against one another.

 

CLASS FORMAT

            This class will have two major components: lectures, which will be held four times a week (M,T,Th,F), and discussion sections, which will be led by Teaching Assistants on Wednes­days and Fridays.  My lectures will touch on the readings and provide background and clari­fication of difficult points.  In the discussion sections, the TAs will be reviewing material from the lectures and the readings and provide the direction you will need to complete the written as­signments.  In addition, the TAs will be available during their office hours to respond to your questions.  I am also available to discuss the course material during my office hours. Our office hours are listed at the top of this syllabus. You will also be able to use the class website to post questions to your section or to the whole class.

 

FOREIGN language TRAILER

            There is one foreign language trailer linked to this class.  It is listed in the time schedule as SIS 490 G (French).  If you have some command of the French language, you may sign up for SIS 490G for three additional credits.  If you do, you will need to make sure that you are also attending a regular quiz section and fulfilling the requirements of both sections.

 

READINGS

            We will read parts of the following books during the quarter.  They are available for pur­chase at the University Bookstore and are on reserve at the Odegaard Undergraduate Library. All the readings that are assigned for this class come from sources that are considered to be out­standing analyses of the modern world system.  As you will realize, however, not all of these scholars agree with each other, and I will be disagreeing with some of the argu­ments raised in their books.  This does not relieve you of your duty to understand and master the argu­ments and analyses presented by these authors and in my lectures. 

 

Janet Abu-Lughod, Before European Hegemony

David Landes, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations

Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Empire

Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution

Karl Marx and Frederich Engels, The Communist Manifesto

R.Tignor, J. Adelman, S. Aron, S. Kotkin, S. Marchand, G. Prakash, M. Tsin, Worlds Together,
Worlds Apart

 

REQUIREMENTS

            Reading, Attendance, Participation, Study Groups, Study Questions: 

            1.  You must keep up with the weekly reading assignments.  This is important because the course’s aim of presenting a persuasive explanation and analysis can be achieved only if you are developing some historical awareness and encountering alternative explanations.  My lectures will parallel the readings, and the readings will also be discussed specifically in weekly sections.

            2.  Everyone is expected to attend lectures, films, and weekly sections regularly and be prepared to ask questions and participate in discussions in class and in sections.  Attendance will be taken regularly in weekly sections and through pop quizzes in lectures. 

3.  Each student will participate in a Study Group of 4-6 students, all attending the same section.  Students may form these groups on their own or be assigned to them by TAs.  In either case, your TA should have a complete list of all the study groups by the second meeting of your section (Oct. 8 or 10).  These groups will play an important role in the completion of your research paper (see below).  The Study Groups should also meet outside the class to dis­cuss and analyze readings and other course-related issues.

4.  Every other week I will post study questions on the class web site. These will help you in reviewing the readings and the lectures in preparation for the final examination.

 

            Written Assignments: 

1.         Weekly papers:  Each student must write six weekly essays of no more than one dou­ble-spaced typewritten page each (12 pt type, one-inch margins). These papers will be based on the reading assignments of the second half of the preceding week and the first half of the week in which they are written.  You may choose the six weeks in which you will write as­signments, but you must make sure you complete all six.  On top of each weekly paper you turn in, in addition to your name and section, indicate the readings on which the report is based and provide the date on which you are turning in the assignment. 

            The papers should elaborate the author’s argument by considering the following ques­tions: What is s/he trying to explain? What is the explanation s/he offers? What kinds of evi­dence does the author use to persuade the readers of her/his explana­tions?  Papers should also offer an evaluation of the work in ques­tion.  Whenever relevant, papers should re­fer to the argu­ments and methods of authors from pre­vious weeks.

The weekly essay is to be handed in at the beginning of the Section meeting.  No papers may be turned in during the first week (Oct. 1, Oct. 3); you will be receiving instructions from your TAs on those days.  No late papers will be accepted and no papers will be accepted from students who do not attend the full section.

2.                              Term Paper:  Each student will write a research paper of about 7-8 pages.  In this paper you will choose a geographical area (not necessarily a country), identify a puzzle or an anomaly that developed in this area sometime between 1250 and 1914. In most cases, the puzzle or anomaly will be related to an economic, political, or social change in your chosen area and should be stated in terms of a “why” question. You then will address the following points.

1.  Develop a possible explanation (hypothesis) of your puzzle or anomaly by reading about your period, region, and problem.

2.  Collect and present data and information to support your hypothesis. 

3.  Show how your data supports your hypothesis and, together, they provide an explana­tion for the puzzle you are trying to solve in the paper.

The selection of the economic, political, or social changes to be explained and the selection of the geographical area and time interval are very important for this assignment.  You should con­sult with your TA before you make your final selection.  Keep in mind that some of the countries that exist today did not exist in earlier times, and some that existed earlier have changed or disap­peared since then.  In the spirit of the course, your paper should go beyond a simple description of events and explain things.

You will write and be evaluated on two drafts of this re­search paper.  The due dates and requirements for these drafts are listed below.  Late drafts will not be accepted without a valid excuse. 

            2.a:  First draft will be about 4-6 pages.  It should in­clude an introduction where you state your analytical (“why”) question (your puzzle), the thesis you are planning to use (your tentative answer to your “why” question), the beginnings of an ar­gument where you provide evi­dence in support of your argument, and a preliminary bib­liography of sources you plan to use. Part of this first draft may be in outline form. You will post the first draft of your paper electroni­cally for the re­view and comments of the members of your study group. The due date for post­ing of these papers is Nov. 5. The members of your study group will read your draft and enter their comments and suggestions by Nov. 10. You will not be graded on these drafts, but submit­ting them by the due date and reading and commenting on your friends’ papers are mandatory. After receiving comments from your study group, you should also consult with your TA about ways to improve your draft and complete the assignment.

            2.b:  Second draft (approximately 7-8 pages) will have been revised on the basis of the suggestions and criticisms of your Study Group and your TA as well as additional research, when necessary.  This draft is due in class on Nov. 26.  You will submit this in hard copy clearly marked “second draft,” along with a printed copy of the “first draft” and the com­ments by your Study Group. 

            Please note that hand-written drafts or papers will not be accepted.  Everything you turn in should be typed (double-spaced, 12 pt type, with one-inch margins).  Please keep extra copies of all the written assignments you turn in for grading.  In case of loss or other similar problems, it is your responsibility to provide us with additional copies of your work.  In terms of format and presentation your paper should comply with academic conventions as described in Strunk and White's Elements of Style, which will be on the website for this course. You also may con­sult Kate Turabian’s Manual for Writers or another similar guide available from the Univer­sity Libraries’ web site.  If you have any doubts about these, your TA, the JSIS Writing Center (Smith 220B), ref­erence librarians at Odegaard Undergraduate Library, or I can help you.

Films:

We will show several short documentaries in class. These are indicated in the schedule below. In addition, we will discuss the following feature-length films during the quarter: The Return of Martin Guerre should be viewed by October 15, Elizabeth should be viewed by Octo­ber 29, Amistad should be viewed by November 12, Gallipoli should be viewed by December 3. Stu­dents are responsi­ble for viewing these films on their own time, preferably with members of their Study Group. Films can be rented at local video stores for private viewing. Each required film will also be shown on campus once in advance of the scheduled discussion dates (viewing times TBA).

            Final Examination: 

            The final examination is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, 2:30-4:20 p.m.   The exam will cover the entire course material (including the films) and will be a combination of essay, short-answer, and map questions. You should use the study questions that will be posted on the course web page as guides in keeping up with your reading and pre­paring for the exam.

            Other:

1.  You must familiarize yourself with the University of Washington Libraries.  You will make extensive use of their resources in researching and writing your paper.

            2.  You may consult with tutors in the Jackson School/Political Science Writing Center in preparing your written assignments. The Center is located in Smith 220B (phone 616-3895); email (pswrite@u.washington.edu) or check the web (http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/) for more information  Please note that the tutors in the Writing Center can help you with problems of composition and gram­mar only; they are not equipped to comment on the contents of your paper.

3.  You must read the New York Times daily.  You can subscribe to this news­paper at a special student rate at the HUB. The daily contents of the paper will be discussed in quiz sections and will be included in your quizzes.

4.  You must learn the basic map of the world during each of the major historical peri­ods we will be covering in class (the geographic location of major states, cities, waterways, oceans, and mountain ranges). You should consult atlases regularly as you read about different places and hear about them in the Section. The following are good historical at­lases that can be useful in this regard. You can find them in the reference section of the Ode­gaard Undergraduate Library:  Hammond Historical Atlas of the World, Times Atlas of World His­tory, Penguin Atlas of Modern History, Penguin Atlas of Recent History. There will be a map question in the final exam.

 

 

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT DATES

            First Draft                     November 5

            Second Draft                November 26

            Final exam                    December 16 (2:30-4:20 PM)

 

DISTRIBUTION OF GRADE

            Six weekly papers                                            20%

            Second draft of paper                                                                                                                           35%

            Final exam                                                        35%

            Attendance, participation                                  10%

(includes peer review, participation, pop quizzes)

 

READING SCHEDULE:

 

PART I:  Three Zones, Links, and Asia as the Center

 

Week One (Sept. 29-Oct. 3):

            Janet Abu-Lughod, Before European Hegemony, pp. 41-134.

            Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, ch. 1.

 

Week Two (Oct. 6-10)

            Janet Abu-Lughod, Before European Hegemony, pp. 137-211, 251-263.

            Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, ch. 1, continued.

 

PART II:  The Rise of the Capitalist Market and the Origins of the Modern State

 

Week Three (Oct 13-17):

            Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, ch. 2.

Janet Abu-Lughod, Before European Hegemony, pp. 316-373.

            David Landes, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, chs. 3, 4.

 

PART III:  Widening of the Capitalist World into the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and the

Industrial Revolution

 

Week Four (Oct 20-24):

            Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, ch. 3,4,5.

            David Landes, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, chs. 5,6,7, 8, 9.

            Film: Conflict of the Gods

 

PART IV:  The Industrial and French Revolutions and Their Global Significance

 

Week Five (Oct 27-31):

            Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, ch. 6.

            David Landes, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, chs. 13-16.

 

Week Six (Nov 3-7):

            Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, ch. 6, continued.

            Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution, pp. 53-145

            Film: The French Revolution

 

PART V:  A New Phase of Expansion

 

Week Seven (Nov 10-14):

            Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, ch. 7.

            David Landes, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, chs. 17,18,22,23.

            Film: Napoleon

 

November 11 (Tuesday), Holiday, No Class

 

PART VI:  Changing Gears, Growing Uncertainties: Crisis, War, and Revolution

 

Week Eight (Nov 17-21):

            Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, ch. 8.

            Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Empire, pp. 1-83, 142-164.

            Film: Explosion

 

Week Nine (Nov 24-26):

            Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, ch. 9.

            Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Empire, pp. 243-340.

 

November 27-28, Thanksgiving Holiday

 

PART VII:  Three Ways of Making Sense of States and Markets

 

Week Ten (Dec 1-5):

            Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, pp. 8-27, 191-196, 203-206, 276-285, 288-301,
            338-343, 352-358 (electronic reserve).

            Karl Marx, Frederich Engels, The Communist Manifesto, all.

            Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, pp. 12-50 (electronic
            reserve).

 

Week Eleven (Dec 8-10):

            Review and Conclusions.

 

K

 

 

If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for this class.

 

 

If you have any concerns about the course or about your TA, please see the TA as soon as possi­ble. If you are not comfortable talking with your TA or are not satisfied with the response you receive, you may contact me. My office location and e-mail are at the head of this syllabus.

If you continue to be dissatisfied with the response you receive, you may contact the Anand Yang, director of the Jackson School (406 Thomson Hall, ph: 685-3877), or the Graduate School (200 Gerberding Hall, ph: 543-5900).