HISTORY 300A

The Backpackers Guide

to European History
Why did they
build this
tower, anyway?

I have no idea.
I guess we should
have taken Hstr 300A.

WHEN:
WHERE:

Spring 2015: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 1:30-2:20

Fraser 159

YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
CONTACT INFO:
OFFICE HOURS:

Dr. Jill Walshaw

jwalshaw@uvic.ca | 721-7393 | Clearihue B-224
Tuesdays and Fridays 10-11, or by appointment

-2Course Description
This course is designed to be a light-hearted and accessible introduction to European History. You will
learn the historical context and background to famous monuments, historical sites, architectural styles,
widely-recognized (but ill-understood) paintings and sculptures, and the diverse aspects of life in European
countries today, helping you to plan your trip and to get more out of it once you arrive. From the visible
remains of the extensive Roman Empire to the towering obelisk Napoleon brought back from Egypt in
1798 which now stands at the centre of a giant traffic circle in Paris, from the remains of the Berlin Wall
that once divided Germany to the Church on Spilled Blood, erected in Saint Petersburg on the spot where
Tsar Alexander II was assassinated by socialist revolutionaries in 1881, the themes addressed in this course
will let you explore European history in an exciting, tangible way.
Required Books
1. Brian Pavlac, A Concise Survey of Western Civilization: Supremacies and Diversities throughout
History. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. Hardcopies at the bookstore; $59.50 new, $44.50 used.
Kindle/Kindle for pc version: $17.63. Extra resources: http://www.concisewesternciv.com/
2. Atlas of Western Civilization, revised edition. Rand McNally, 2009. Available online at
http://davidscottgehring.com/his106/Atlas%20Combined.pdf.
Assignments & Grades
Student performance will be assessed through a combination of short written assignments, weekly online
quizzes, and a final exam. Students must complete all assignments and write the final exam to pass the
course. Supplementary exams will not be offered in this course.
The online quizzes encourage students to keep up with lecture material, and allow them to practice the
types of question that they will see on the final exam. Quizzes will focus on one lecture each week,
announced at the end of that lecture only, and may incorporate the relevant textbook readings; therefore,
while the quizzes are by definition open book, engagement with course material is critical. After the
announcement is made, the quiz will be open on CourseSpaces for 48 hours. Each quiz will contain
multiple choice questions and one ID (identification) question; some may also incorporate maps. The
final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar, and will consist of map questions (30%), written ID
questions (20%), and multiple choice questions (50%). The map questions will be drawn from the maps
indicated in boldface in the reading schedule; ID and multiple choice questions will be drawn from both
lecture and textbook material. Study aids will be posted on CourseSpaces indicating particular sections
of the textbook to focus on as well as guidelines for answering ID questions.
Assignments 1 and 3 are short pieces of written work, 500 words each. In one, students will choose a work
of visual European art (usually painting, drawing or sculpture), dating normally from the Renaissance to
the present, and will describe its historical context and significance. In the other, students will choose a
news story relating to Europe, written since January 1, 2015, and provide the historical background to the
issue. Assignment 2 will require students to design and describe a travel itinerary based around a
historical theme, and explain what they would learn from such a trip. This assignment should be 1500
words total: 1200 words for a point-form itinerary with commented descriptions, and 300 words for the
concluding analysis. Guidelines and expectations for each assignment will be posted on CourseSpaces.
Late papers will be penalized 2.5% per day and will not be accepted more than 10 days late.
15%
10%
25%
10%
40%

Weekly quizzes, 1.5% each

Assignment 1: Art in Context
Assignment 2: A History Students Travel Itinerary
Assignment 3: Europe in the News
Final Exam

Weeks 2-11
Due: Friday February 6
Due: Tuesday March 10
Due: Tuesday March 31
Scheduled by the Registrar.

-3Detailed Class Schedule with Readings

This schedule is subject to change, but you can always get the most up-to-date information on the course Moodle site.
Textbook readings are in Brian Pavlac, A Concise Survey of Western Civilization. Art History links (as well as plenty of
other useful material) can be found on the textbooks website, http://www.concisewesternciv.com/. Maps to be studied
are from the Rand McNally Atlas of Western Civilization; those in bold/underlining may appear as a blank map on an
exam. You are responsible for keeping up with the readings: they will give you context for course lectures and help you
prepare for the weekly quizzes and the final exam. Some lecture topics do not lend themselves to textbook readings: use
the extra time to work on your assignments!

week

Pavlac text

date

01/06
01/07
01/09

01/14
01/16

The Middle Ages, 1000 years in 50 minutes

01/20
3

01/21
01/23

01/27
4

Introduction; Understanding Europe Today

Stone Circles and Cave Paintings: Visiting Prehistoric Europe
Ancient Greece from Democracy to Tragedy
The Remains of Ancient Rome
(Guest: Dr. Greg Rowe, GRS)
Seville: Meeting Place of Islam and Christianity

01/13
2

topic

01/28

An Age of Faith and Chivalry, Castles and Churches: Life in

the Middle Ages
The Art of Love in Renaissance Italy (Guest: Dr. Erin
Campbell, HA)
Dead Europeans: Cemeteries, Catacombs, Where Famous
People Died, Where Others were Murdered, and the Best Places
to See Ghosts
Venice: Heart of the Renaissance Economy
The Protestant Reformation, or, Why You Should Bother
Going into Churches

01/30

More than Vikings: A Short History of Scandinavia

02/03

How to Get By in Six European Languages

(Guests: Rosa Stewart, SPAN; Daniela Lorenzi, ITAL;
Catherine Leger, FRAN; Matt Pollard, GMST; Julia
Rochtchina, SLST; Janelle Jenstad, ENGL)

02/04

Europe and Beyond: Empires Near and Far

02/06

London and the Great Fire of 1666 (Guest: Dr. Andrea

McKenzie, HSTR) Due date for Assignment 1 (Art in
Context)

Happy Reading Week: No classes February 9-13

Atlas

specific
readings

Art
(web)

maps to
study

1
2
4

1-12
13-37
49-69

2A-C
4

4-5
6-7

71-90, 95-97,
100-104
104-8
109-21, 12744, 152-62,
(do not panic)

10-11, 1213, 14-15

16-19

7-8

16-19

20-21

121-26,
145-51, 167-8
163-4, 171-6

6
(catacombs)

163-4, 171-2

20-21

177-88

24, 71

optional: see
index

48-49, 70
129, 169-71,
189-98, 21213
219-22

18-9, 22-3,
25, 26-7,
44-5, 47

-4-

week

Pavlac text
date

topic

th-

02/17
6

02/18
02/20

02/24

On the Tracks of the French Revolution & Napoleon

02/25

Romantic Europe: The Era of Nationalism

02/27

Ireland: from Gaelic heritage to the IRA via the Potato Famine

03/03
8
03/04
03/06

10

Istanbul: Where East Meets West (Guest: Dr. Martin Bunton,

HSTR) Due date for Assignment 2 (Itinerary)

03/11

Versailles, Rise of Fascism, Spanish Civil War

03/13

From Pointillism to Picasso: What Modern Art tells us about

the European Experience

03/20

03/24
11

03/25
03/27

12

Geographic Enigmas: Micro-States, Enclaves and Other

Oddities of Modern Europe
(Guest: Dr. Ben Isitt, HSTR/LAW)
Pride and Superiority in the 19th Century: Industrial
Revolution and Empire
How Did This Happen? World War I

03/10

03/17
03/18

03/31
04/01

specific
readings

Art
(web)

maps to
study

209-13

10
A-B

28-29

10
A-B

28-29

th

From Versailles to Peterhof: Absolutism in 17 and 18 century Europe

Podcast Lectures I: [a] The Origins of Amsterdams drug
culture [b] Football and the history of European sport
Triumphal Arches and Baroque masterpieces: Statebuilding in
18th-century Prussia and Austria

185-6, 218-9
10

Behind the Euro: The Formation of the European Union

Putins Russia (Guest: Dr. Megan Swift, SLST) Due date for
Assignment 3 (Europe in the News)
Course Wrap-Up

213-19

223-35
11

247-53, 280-6

10
C-D
11
A-B

30-31, 38
39, 42-43

optional: see
index

12

13

237-46, 26776
287-95

11
C-E
12

40, 41, 5051, 54-55

52, 53, 64

297-313, 31624

13

58-59

12-15

Paris, Old and New: Exploring a City on Foot

The Second World War: A Travellers View
Podcast Lectures II: [a] A Short History of Backpacking;
[b] Topic TBA, chosen by the class
The Holocaust (Guests: Dr. Kristin Semmens, HSTR; Dr.
Charlotte Schalli, GMST; Director, IWitness Field School)
The Berlin Wall and Europe Divided
(Guest: Dr. Tom Saunders, HSTR)

Atlas

325-32

61

review 321-4,
336
14

335-42, 350-1

14

62-63, 64

15

342-8, 361-2,
370-79

15

65

365-9


UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA - HISTORY
Policy on Academic Integrity
The following information details UVics policy on plagiarism and other violations of academic
integrity, the procedures for dealing with these offences and the penalties for these offences. For
a full listing of the UVic Policy on Academic Integrity, please refer to the 2014/15
Undergraduate Calendar entry.
Principles of Academic Integrity
Academic integrity requires commitment to the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and
responsibility. It is expected that students, faculty members and staff at the University of
Victoria, as members of an intellectual community, will adhere to these ethical values in all
activities related to learning, teaching, research and service. Any action that contravenes this
standard, including misrepresentation, falsification or deception, undermines the intention and
worth of scholarly work and violates the fundamental academic rights of members of our
community. This policy is designed to ensure that the universitys standards are upheld in a fair
and transparent fashion.
Nothing in this policy is intended to prohibit students from developing their academic skills
through the exchange of ideas and the utilization of resources available at the university to
support learning (e.g., The Writing Centre). Students who are in doubt as to what constitutes a
violation of academic integrity in a particular instance should consult their course instructor.
Academic Integrity Violations
Academic integrity violations covered by this policy can take a number of forms, including the
following:
Plagiarism
A student commits plagiarism when he or she:
submits the work of another person in whole or in part as original work
gives inadequate attribution to an author or creator whose work is incorporated into the
students work, including failing to indicate clearly (through accepted practices within
the discipline, such as footnotes, internal references and the crediting of all verbatim
passages through indentations of longer passages or the use of quotation marks) the
inclusion of another individuals work
paraphrases material from a source without sufficient acknowledgement as described
above
The university reserves the right to use plagiarism detection software programs to detect
plagiarism in essays, term papers and other work.
Multiple Submission
Multiple submission is the resubmission of work by a student that has been used in identical or
similar form to fulfill any academic requirement at UVic or another institution. Students who do
so without prior permission from their instructor are subject to penalty.
Falsifying Materials Subject to Academic Evaluation
Falsifying materials subject to academic evaluation includes, but is not limited to:
fraudulently manipulating laboratory processes, electronic data or research data in
order to achieve desired results
using work prepared in whole or in part by someone else (e.g., commercially prepared
essays) and submitting it as ones own
citing a source from which material was not obtained

using a quoted reference from a non-original source while implying reference to the
original source
submitting false records, information or data, in writing or orally

Cheating on Work, Tests and Examinations

Cheating includes, but is not limited to:
copying the answers or other work of another person
sharing information or answers when doing take-home assignments, tests or
examinations except where the instructor has authorized collaborative work
having in an examination or test any materials or equipment other than those
authorized by the examiners
accessing unauthorized information when doing take-home assignments, tests or
examinations
impersonating a student on an examination or test, or being assigned the results of
such impersonation
accessing or attempting to access examinations or tests before it is permitted to do so
Students found communicating with one another in any way or having unauthorized books,
papers, notes or electronic devices in their possession during a test or examination will be
considered to be in violation of this policy.
Aiding Others to Cheat
It is a violation to help others or attempt to help others to engage in any of the conduct described
above.
Procedures for Dealing with Violations of Academic Integrity
Procedures for determining the nature of alleged violations involve primarily the course
instructor and the Chair - or in the Department of History, the Chairs designate, the Undergrad
Co-ordinator. Procedures for determining an appropriate penalty also involve Deans, the VicePresident Academic and Provost and, in the most serious cases, the President.
Allegations
Alleged violations must be documented by the instructor, who must inform the Undergrad Coordinator. The Undergrad Co-ordinator shall then inform the student in writing of the nature of
the allegation and give the student a reasonable opportunity to respond to the allegation.
Normally, this shall involve a meeting between the instructor, the Undergrad Co-ordinator, the
student and, if the student requests in advance, another party chosen by the student to act as the
students adviser. If the student refuses to provide a response to the allegation or to participate in
the process, the Undergrad Co-ordinator may proceed to make a determination.
Determining the Nature of the Violation
The Undergrad Co-ordinator shall make a determination as to whether compelling information
exists to support the allegation.
Determining Appropriate Penalties
If there is compelling information to support the allegation, the Undergrad Co-ordinator shall
contact the Office of the Registrar to determine if the students record contains any other
confirmed academic integrity violations.
If there is no record of prior violations, the Undergrad Co-ordinator shall make a determination
with respect to the appropriate penalty, in accordance with this policy.

Referral to the Dean

Where there have been one or more prior violations and the Undergrad Co-ordinator has
determined that compelling information exists to support the allegation, the Undergrad Coordinator shall forward the case to the Dean (or the Deans designate. In the Faculties of
Humanities, Science and Social Sciences, the designate may be the Associate Dean Academic
Advising). In situations where the student is registered in more than one faculty, the case with be
forwarded to the Dean responsible for the course. The Undergrad Co-ordinator may submit a
recommendation to the Dean with respect to a proposed penalty.
Letters of Reprimand
Any penalty will be accompanied by a letter of reprimand which will be written by the authority
(Undergrad Co-ordinator, Dean, President) responsible for imposing the penalty. The letter of
reprimand will be sent to the student and a copy shall be included in the record maintained by
the Office of the Registrar.
Rights of Appeal
Students must be given the right to be heard at each stage, and have the right to appeal decisions
in accordance with university policy, procedures and regulations. A student may:
appeal a decision made by the Undergrad Co-ordinator to the Dean of the faculty in
which the student is registered within 21 business days of the date of the Undergrad
Co-ordinator decision.
appeal a decision made by the President under the provisions of section 61 of the
University Act to the Senate Committee on Appeals in accordance with the Senate
Committee on Appeals Terms of Reference and Procedural Guidelines.
Deans who receive an appeal of the decision of a Undergrad Co-ordinator should attempt to
make a finding with respect to the appeal within 21 business days. In the case of a successful
appeal, any penalty will be rescinded.
Penalties for First Academic Integrity Violation
Plagiarism
Single or multiple instances of inadequate attribution of sources should result in a failing grade
for the work. A largely or fully plagiarized piece of work should result in a grade of F for the
course.
Multiple Submission Without Prior Permission
If a substantial part of a piece of work submitted for one course is essentially the same as part or
all of a piece of work submitted for another course, this should result in a failing grade for the
assignment in one of the courses. If the same piece of work is submitted for two courses, this
should result in a grade of F for one of the courses. The penalty normally will be imposed in the
second (i.e., later) course in which the work was submitted.
Falsifying Materials
If a substantial part of a piece of work is based on false materials, this should result in a failing
grade for the work. If an entire piece of work is based on false materials (e.g., submitting a
commercially prepared essay as ones own work), this should result in a grade of F for the
course.
Cheating on Exams
Any instance of impersonation of a student during an exam should result in a grade of F for the
course for the student being impersonated, and disciplinary probation for the impersonator (if he
or she is a student). Isolated instances of copying the work of another student during an exam
should result in a grade of zero for the exam. Systematic copying of the work of another student
(or any other person with access to the exam questions) should result in a grade of F for the

course. Any instance of bringing unauthorized equipment or material into an exam should result
in a grade of zero for the exam. Sharing information or answers for take-home assignments and
tests when this is clearly prohibited in written instructions should result in a grade of zero for the
assignment when such sharing covers a minor part of the work, and a grade of F for the course
when such sharing covers a substantial part of the work.
Collaborative Work
In cases in which an instructor has provided clear written instructions prohibiting certain kinds
of collaboration on group projects (e.g., students may share research but must write up the
results individually), instances of prohibited collaboration on a substantial part of the work
should result in a failing grade for the work, while instances of prohibited collaboration on the
bulk of the work should result in a grade of F for the course.
In situations where collaborative work is allowed, only the student or students who commit the
violation are subject to penalty.
Particularly Unusual or Serious Violations
In the case of a first-time violation that is particularly unusual or serious (e.g. falsification of
research results), the Undergrad Co-ordinator may refer the case to the Dean, with a
recommendation for a penalty more severe than those normally imposed for a first violation.
Repeat Violations
Any instance of any of the violations described above committed by a student who has already
committed one violation, especially if either of the violations merited a grade of F for the course,
should result in the student being placed on disciplinary probation. Disciplinary probation will
be recorded on the students transcript. The decision to place a student on disciplinary probation
with a notation on the students transcript that is removed upon graduation can only be made by
the Dean.
In situations where a student commits two or more major academic integrity violations, the
student may be placed on disciplinary probation with a permanent notation on the students
transcript. The decision to place a student on disciplinary probation with a permanent notation
can only be made by the Vice-President Academic and Provost (or delegate), upon
recommendation of the Dean. In making this decision, the Vice-President Academic and Provost
will consider factors such as the nature of the major violations, and whether there has been an
interval between violations such that learning could have taken place.
If a student on disciplinary probation commits another violation, this should result in the
students permanent suspension. This decision can only be taken by the President, on the
recommendation of the Dean.

HISTORY GRADES
% Mark

Letter Grade

Point Average

90-100
85-89
80-84
77-79
73-76
70-72
65-69
60-64
50-59
0-49

A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D
F

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0