Eastern Illinois University, Fall 2021

HIS 1525G World History: Empires in Global History

Course Schedule & Format: Aug 23 - Dec 10 online
Professor: Jinhee J. Lee, Ph.D. (More about me, see http://castle.eiu.edu/jlee)
Contact: jlee@eiu.edu (Note: I do not use d2l email but read this EIU email multiple times per day.)
Graduate Assistant: Henry Muhlena (hmuhlena@eiu.edu)
Course Attributes: 3 credits for General Education Cultural Diversity, Humanities [EWP optional]

Course Description and Objectives

This course examines the history of empires that shaped and influenced global politics, economy, and culture.
How did different empires rise and fall in human history? What similarities and differences are there in their
characteristic features? What impact and overall legacies did the empires have on human life and their (and
our) living environment? In our collective effort to find answers to these questions, we will begin by reflecting
on our perception of and previous exposure to world cultures and global exchanges in our everyday life, and
then explore various ways to conceptualize empire through the examination of characteristic features of various
empires across the continents and oceans such as the Mali, Mongol, Ottoman, Aztec, Incan, Spanish, British,
Russian, Japanese, and American Empires. While we take the concepts of “empire” in a broad sense to examine
its examples from a global and comparative perspective, due to the limited time and scope we have in one
semester, our main case studies will focus mostly on the historical periods from the 11th century to the present.
As we gather and analyze some key literary, artistic, and historical records that the men and women who lived
through various empires left behind, you will be able to enjoy learning about diverse world cultures and dynamic
human experiences in and beyond the empires as you actively participate in our class activities such as positional
debate, film discussion, “one-minute essay” writing, presentation, mutual critique, role play, and interview
exercises. Besides that I want you to LOVE studying through the course materials as much as I do, my goals for
this semester include: 1) you will ENJOY discussing and debating about the content of ours study materials;
2) you will DEEPEN understanding of humanity through empathetic listening and reading of “empire” stories;
3) you will ENHANCE your critical reading, clear writing, and qualitative/quantitative reasoning skills through
the analysis of literary, film, visual, web, and statistical information; and, 4) you will DEVELOPE a better sense of
self-awareness and practical wisdom to THRIVE in our rapidly globalizing and frequently challenging living
environment as a responsible world-class citizen. Finally, this course fulfills 3 credit hours for General Education,
Cultural Diversity, and Humanities requirement (requiring 7-8 hours of student work per week on average
throughout the semester). [Note: For Electronic Writing Portfolio endorsement, see p.2.] Welcome aboard!

Office Hours & Help Centers

The primary means of the course will be online, and I will communicate with you mostly through d2l and my EIU
email (jlee@eiu.edu). In that sense, my office hours are 24-7! Although we will be in various places and time
zones during the next several months, remember we are only keyboard-away! Also, virtual office hours are
available to get help with your class projects, etc. Prof. Lee’s office hours will be 12:00-1:00PM on Mon & Tues
and also 1:00-3:00PM on Wed (Click on “Office Hours” at the bottom of d2l “Content” to see the details). Our
Graduate Assistant and Tutor Henry Muhlena will be also available to assist you for your course work (hmuhlena
@eiu.edu). If this is your first EIU course (or first online course) and you have never used d2l before, no need to
panic. If I, who grew up without a computer can figure out how to use it, you certainly can! For this class, most
of you will not need additional d2l training; If any of you want to master all d2l functions, visit “tutorial” on d2l.
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In case you encounter any difficulties in using d2l, you can simply contact our IT office at itshelp@eiu.edu or
217-581-4357 (http://www.eiu.edu/its/helpdesk). If you require appropriate accommodation for documented
disabilities, just let me know as soon as possible so we can arrange appropriate educational accommodation
services for you (If you need documentation from EIU, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services at
studentdisability@eiu.edu or 217-581-6583, https://www.eiu.edu/disability). Students who are having difficulty
achieving their academic goals are encouraged to contact the Student Success Center at 217-581-6696 for
assistance with time management, test taking, avoiding procrastination, setting goals, and other skills to support
your academic achievement endeavor (https://www.eiu.edu/~success). For all other course-related questions,
simply email me at jlee@eiu.edu so I can assist you to make as best progress as possible in your academic and
professional training through this class!

Course Materials
EIU Textbook Rental Service (TRS) has mailed you the following textbooks to your reported mailing address
already. If you have not received them yet, please contact TRS at textbks@eiu.edu immediately (https://www.
eiu.edu/textbook). All additional course materials will be available on d2l:

 Robert Tignor, et. al., Worlds Together, Worlds Apart Vol. 2 (2nd edition), W.W. Norton, 2008.
 Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (any edition), originally published in 1958 [a novel].
 Nora Okja Keller, Comfort Woman, Penguin Books, 1997 [a novel].

Course Requirements
Your grade will be determined based on the points you earn throughout the semester as you accomplish the
following course requirements [Grading scale: 900-1000 A; 800-899 B; 700-799 C; 600-699 D; 0-599 F]:

1. Mini-Writing Assignments (Discussion/Reading Questions & One-Minute Essays; 300 points or 30% of grade)
You will get Discussion/Reading Questions on the topics of our weekly study module. Post your succinct but
thoughtful one-paragraph reaction to those questions in the designated weekly discussion board on d2l by the
specific deadline. One-Minute Essay (OME) is your brief response to the following two questions based on the
assigned reading/film material of the week that others can read within 60 seconds or so: 1) what you found
most interesting, and 2) what you found most difficult to understand (or want to learn more about) in the
assigned material. All your mini-writing postings need to have concrete and substantial points related to our
study based on our course materials, and must cite the source materials and the specific page numbers in the
reading whenever appropriate. Most of these short writing posting will be due by 11:59 pm each Saturday (while
some might have an earlier midweek deadline to ensure your timely input during the week).

2. Quiz (200 points or 20% of your term grade) and Final Exam (200 points or 20% of your term grade)
All quizzes, including Syllabus Quiz, Map Quiz, and biweekly Review Quizzes, and the final exam will be accessible
under “Assessment (Quiz)” on d2l. Review Quiz will be up every other Friday or so (and be closed before the
following Monday). The cumulative final exam on Monday, December 13 (to remain open until Wed Dec 15) will
assess your understanding of all course materials (readings, films, discussion, lecture, class members’
presentation, and any other course content in class). There is no separate review material/session or make-up
quiz/exam unless with documented and approved official accommodation excuses (such as medical emergency,
jury or military duty, etc.). Make the most of each week’s course assignment and Q&A discussion for your review
purpose. Detailed final exam guidelines will be provided in class in November.
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3. Film Response (50 points or 5% of your term grade)
One short (300 words) film response is required by the end of September. During the month of August pick one
film among the movie titles that you have an easy access to in the list that I will post on d2l under “Film Reviews.”
Summarize the main historical issues in the film, present YOUR reaction in connection to our course topic, and
substantiate your points with effective examples and evidences from the film while relating it to the content of
the relevant section(s) in our main textbook Worlds Together, Worlds Apart (Feel free to use “index” for the key
words at the end of the book), class discussion, lecture, or any other relevant course material. Separate film
review guidelines will be announced on d2l before the end of August.

4. Mini-Presentation & Mutual Critique (150 points or 10% presentation + 5% feedback; i.e. 15% of your grade)
You will get a chance to sign up for a mini-research topic of your interest for a short 5-minute presentation
which will take place during the week of November 8. Gather relevant evidence based on the primary and
secondary source materials, and present a coherent and persuasive argument about a particular aspect of an
empire. Your presentation should address a clearly defined research question, evidence-based analysis, and a
clear conclusion along with a bibliography. Your question must deal with an important aspect of an empire that
existed since the year of 1000, and it must not take more than 5 minutes for our class members to go through
and understand your main points (Your topic must be approved by the instructor in advance). [Note: Only if you
need Electronic Writing Portfolio from this class, you will put your presentation research findings in a form of a
750 words academic paper after your presentation; See https://www.eiu.edu/assess/ewpmain.php]. Separate
guidelines concerning the form, content, and grading criteria for this exciting mini-presentation assignment will
be announced under “Research Projects” on d2l in September.

5. Reflection Project (100 points or 10% of your grade)

During the last week of class, you will answer to the following several questions concerning world history
education in American colleges. The format of your reflection can be as creative as you want ranging from a
video-production, ppt presentation (with or without voice narration), artistic presentation such as a song or
painting, or even a series of poetry or a letter to your grandma! This content will include in one way or another:
1) what made you HAPPY to learn about world history in this course; 2) how the course has changed/reinforced
your view on different empires or regions/countries of the globe; 3) how you benefited from discussions with
your class members, and ; 4) what you think is necessary to teach about the world in American undergraduate
education. Due by Wed Dec 8. NO late submission will be accepted (unless you have an officially documented
and approved excuse approved by Dr. Lee).

*Academic Integrity Requirement [up to minus 1000 points, if violated]

ANY instance of plagiarism or cheating (including inappropriate cut-and-paste from Wikipedia, or any careless
or lazy copying from someone else’s work without proper citation, etc.) may result in a permanent record, failure
in the course, and expulsion from the university. The History Department adheres to Eastern Illinois University’s
policy on academic integrity (See http://www.eiu.edu/~judicial/conductcode.pdf for further information).

Weekly Topics and Schedule

Under d2l “content” you will find detailed weekly reading/writing assignments and class activities as we move
along during the next 16 weeks. However, here are the major assignment and textbook reading schedule so
you can put large task items in your calendar in advance. Unless otherwise specified, all writing assignments
are due by 11:59 pm on Saturdays, and all review quizzes on Sundays except for the first and last few weeks.
Detailed schedules are subject to change by the instructor when necessary.
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WEEK 1 Getting Started: Introduction to “Empires in Global History”
(8/23-) Syllabus Quiz by Wed 8/25 (10 multiple choice questions; All quizzes are under “Assessment.”)
Map Quiz on Fri 8/27 (to remain open until Sun 8/29; study items under “Week 1” content)
Start reading Marks, “Intro” (pdf) & ch. 10 in Worlds Together, Worlds Apart (WTWA hereafter)

WEEK 2 Afro-Eurasian Dis/connection & the Mongol Empire, 1000-1300 (WTWA ch. 10; Marks, “Intro”)
(8/30-) Start working on your film review (due any time before the end of September)
Review Quiz I on Fri 9/3 (to remain open until Sun 9/5)
[Early birds only: Start reading Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart]

WEEK 3 Black Death Crisis and the Rise of Afro-Eurasian Empires, 1300-1500 (WTWA ch. 11)
(9/6-) Start exploring potential mini-research topic (presentation during the week of November 8)

WEEK 4 Exploration and the Trans-Atlantic Connection, 1450-1600 (WTWA ch. 12)
(9/13-) Review Quiz II on Fri 9/17

WEEKS 5-6 Slavery, Global Commerce, and Empires’ Politics of Culture, 1500-1780 (WTWA chs. 13-14)
(9/20-) Review Quiz III on Fri 10/1

WEEK 7 Political Revolutions and the Industrial Revolution, 1750-1850 (WTWA ch. 15)
(10/4-) Read and prepare reading question answers on Things Fall Apart (discussion next week)

WEEK 8 Empire-Building and Resistance in the Nineteenth Century (WTWA ch. 16; Achebe)
(10/11-) Review Quiz IV on Fri 10/15 [Early birds only: Start reading Keller’s novel Comfort Woman]

WEEK 9 Modern Nation-State Building and Anticolonial Nationalism, 1850-1914 (WTWA ch. 17)
(10/18-) Work on your presentation project (Post your 5-minute research presentation by Sat 11/13)

WEEK 10 Discontent with Imperialism and Question of Race, 1890-1914 (WTWA ch. 18)
(10/25-) Review Quiz V on Fri 10/29

WEEK 11 Empires in WWI and the Interwar Era, 1910s-1930s (WTWA ch. 19 & Presentation by 11/13)
(11/1-) Read and prepare reading question answers on Comfort Woman

WEEK 12 Empires in WWII (WTWA ch. 20)

(11/8-) Review Quiz VI on Fri 11/12

WEEKS 13-14 Empires after WWII (WTWA ch. 20; Keller)

(11/15-) Work on presentation mutual critique and enjoy Thanksgiving holiday festivities!

WEEK 15 The Cold War and the Legacies of Empires (ch. 21)
(11/29-) Review Quiz VII on Fri 12/3 and start working on Reflection Project (due by Thurs 12/9)

WEEK 16 Synthesis and Course Summation: Empires in the Era of Globalization (Epilogue)
(12/6-) Post Reflection by Thurs 12/9 and Take Final Exam on Mon 12/13 (open until Wed 12/15)
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