THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY WORLD

HSS 213

Professor Burt Kimmelman


TEXT REQUIREMENTS
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994.
Adas et al. Turbulent Passage: A Global History of the Twentieth Century. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.
Mishima, Yukio. Runaway Horses. Tr. Michael Gallagher. New York: Vintage, 1972.
Mishima, Yukio. Spring Snow. Tr. Michael Gallagher. New York: Vintage, 1972.
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o. Devil on the Cross. Portsmouth, NH and Oxford: Heinemann, 1982.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
* Oral reports based on class readings and on the end of term research project (see below).
* Quizzes, unannounced.
* Midterm and Final examinations (both essay in format).
* One brief end-of-term paper topic announcement consisting of: working title, thesis statement, descriptive paragraph, and bibliography of at least three secondary sources other than textbooks, dictionaries and encyclopedias.
* One 1000 word end-of-term paper prospectus consisting of: working title, thesis statement, précis, section descriptions, and annotated bibliography.
* One 2000 word end of term research paper that will be both analytical and interpretive in nature.  The research paper topic must be approved ahead of time by the instructor.
* All out-of-class writing, when submitted, must have been word processed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper, double-spaced with one-inch margins, spell checked, and to the best of one's ability grammar checked.  If on occasion use is made of the ideas or words of someone else in one's writing, then the source(s) of those ideas and/or words must be cited; that is, when appropriate, papers must be fully documented (you must cite sources--using footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical documentation, which include specific page numbers keyed to particular passages in one's text, and complete bibliographical information).  Of course, the final research paper must also be fully documented.  For this paper, a minimum of three secondary research sources must be cited.  PAPERS NOT MEETING ALL OF THESE REQUIREMENTS WILL NOT BE READ AND WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT.
* Class participation. N.B.: More than three unexcused absences will result in automatic failure of the course; excessive unexcused lateness will be considered as an absence.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is a cultural history course; while the course aims to analyze and interpret the basic forces that have shaped the modern era, it also, more importantly, aims to understand, particularly, cultural phenomena, to examine these phenomena in and of themselves, as well as within a historical context.  The course is interdisciplinary.  Selected artistic, literary and philosophical movements will be discussed--analyzed and interpreted--in relation to the modern era's major social, political, economic and military developments.

COURSE SCHEDULE
9/2: Introduction to the course.  Film: Lord Jim.
9/9: Turbulent Passage, Part One (Chapters 1-4).  Film: Freud.
9/16: Turbulent Passage, Part Two (Chapters 5-8).  Film: The Good Fight.
9/23: Turbulent Passage, Part Three (Chapters 9-13).  Film: The Battle of Algiers.
9/30: MIDTERM EXAMINATION.
10/7: Spring Snow, pp. 1-199.  RESEARCH TOPIC ANNOUNCEMENT DUE.
10/14: Spring Snow, pp. 199-389. Film: The Sun's Burial.
10/21: Runaway Horses, pp. 1-219. .  Film: A Geisha.
10/28: Runaway Horses, pp. 219-421.
11/4: Things Fall Apart, Chapters 1-12. Film: Finzan.
11/11: Things Fall Apart, Chapters 13 to conclusion.
11/18: Devil on the Cross, pp. 7- 127. Film: Chocolat.  RESEARCH PAPER PROSPECTUS DUE
12/2: Devil on the Cross, pp. 128-254
12/9: Course Review and Oral Reports on Research Projects.
12/16 FINAL EXAMINATION.  RESEARCH PAPER DUE.
 

COURSE GRADE
End of Term Research Paper          20%
Final Examination                            30%
Midterm Examination                      10%
Oral Reports                                   20%
Prospectus                                      15%
Research Topic Announcement          5%

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES:
 

Term Paper Announcement:
Consists of 1) a descriptive paper title, 2) a one-sentence thesis statement that includes the point of your argument, the
breadth of that argument, and the argument’s significant concepts and details, 3) a one-paragraph description of the writing strategy to be employed in your paper, 4) a bibliography in MLA format and alphabetized. For the purposes of this assignment, use must be made of at least three secondary research sources (including at least one non-Internet source) excluding textbooks, encyclopedias and dictionaries.

Term Paper Prospectus:
Consists of 1) a descriptive paper title, 2) a one-sentence thesis statement that includes the point of your argument, the
breadth of that argument, and the argument’s significant concepts and details, 3) an abstract—that is, a one-paragraph summary of your term paper as you think it will turn out to be, 4) a a précis—that is, a small version of the essay you are projecting for your term paper, about one fourth of the final length, and fully documented, 5) paragraph-length descriptions of the writing strategy involved in each section of the essay you are projecting for your term paper, 6) a bibliography in MLA format and alphabetized. For the purposes of this assignment, use must be made of at least three secondary research sources (including at least one non-Internet source) excluding textbooks, encyclopedias and dictionaries.

Term Paper:
Consists of: 1) a descriptive paper title, 2) a full-length, fully documented essay, 3) a bibliography in MLA format and
alphabetized. For the purposes of this assignment, use must be made of at least three secondary research sources
(including at least one non-Internet source) excluding textbooks, encyclopedias and dictionaries.
 

COURSE PORTFOLIO

At the end of the term an organized and otherwise neatly arranged portfolio must be submitted, consisting of ALL your work,
including all drafts of essays as well as materials used in preparing for and delivering oral reports.

1. Punch holes in your papers to coincide with the holes in, and bind the papers within, the HSS Department portfolio cover
(you can buy the cover at the NJIT bookstore) with posts.

2. Place a gummed label (or equivalent) on outside with:

Your Name

HSS 213
Fall, 1999
Dr. Kimmelman

3. All papers should be arranged with the latest revised version of a paper on top earlier versions, followed by the previous
version, and so on (i.e., in “descending” order). The Portfolio should be arranged in sections (in “ascending” order), with the
first section comprised of the first paper assignment, the second section the second paper assignment, and so on.

4. At the front of the portfolio place your course syllabus followed by a Table of Contents that lists each assignment, the date it was submitted, and the grade (if any) it received.
 
 

RELEVANT INTERNET RESEARCH SOURCES

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City
http://www.dadabase.com/

The Guggenheim Museum of Art
http://www.guggenheim.org/

The Whitney Museum
http://www.echonyc.com/~whitney/

The Tate Gallery
http://www.echonyc.com/~whitney/

Centre Georges Pompidou
http://www.cnac-gp.fr/sommaire.html
 

Virtual Library Museums Pages
http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/archive/other/museums.html

Morgan Pitelka - your Mining Co. Guide to:  Japanese Culture
http://japaneseculture.miningco.com/index.htm?COB=looksmart

Neo-tokyo magazine
http://www.neo-tokyo.com/

Photo Japan
http://photojapan.com/index.htm/

Osaka Cyber Museum
http://www.kpn.nishi.osaka.jp/iwamiya/2.html

Japan Infoweb
http://point.lycos.com/reviews/Countries_9361.html

Japan-Related Weblinks
http://www.panix.com/~tn/j-cultur.html

Japanese History
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e641.html

National Museum of Japanese History
http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/

Major Events in Japanese History
http://www.io.com/~nishio/japan/history.html

Japanese Art History
http://www.euronet.nl/users/artnv/Japart.index.html

Japan Information Network
http://jin.jcic.or.jp/

Japan File
http://www.kto.co.jp/
 

Japanese Literature
http://www.daiwa-foundation.org.uk/literature.html

Mishima Gallery
http://www.bea.hi-ho.ne.jp/nbst/life/life1.html

Reviews of Some Works of Yukio Mishima
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~chri0454/reviews-7.html

Yukio Mishima 1925-1970
http://impact.civil.columbia.edu/~fawaz/mishima.html

The Mishima Yukio Cyber Museum
http://www.vill.yamanakako.yamanashi.jp/bungaku/mishima/index-e.html

Bookpoodah Looks at Mishima
http://www.nonstop.net/mishima.html

Japanese Authors
http://authors.about.com/msub11jp.htm?rf=dp&COB=home&TMog=65916366023531&Mint=65916366023531
 

Japanese Art Gateway
http://www.japaneseart.org/

Japanese Art and Architecture (Encarta)
http://encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/67/06728000.htm?z=1&pg=2&br=1

Web Museum: Japanese Art and Architecture
http://www.rrze.uni-erlangen.de/wm/paint/tl/japan/

Japanese Art (Encyclopedia.com)
http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/06586.html

Japanese Art in the Asia Society Collection
http://www.asiasociety.org/arts/japan/

History of Japanese Art
http://www.isei.or.jp/books/63/isei_63_7.html

WWW Virtual Library Museums Page
http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/archive/other/museums.html

National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
http://www.momak.go.jp/
 
 

African Independence and Before
http://kali.murdoch.edu.au/cntinuum/litserv/Webb/ch1.html

Pages of or about African/a Philosophers
http://www.augustana.ab.ca/~janzb/afphilosophers.htm

Cultures of Africa Past and Present
http://www.africana.com/index_19991024.htm (this is the web component of H. L. Gates's book and PBS television show)
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/indiv/area/Africa/cult.html
http://www.yahoo.co.uk/Regional/Regions/Africa/Society_and_Culture
http://www.vtourist.com/Africa/culture/
http://www.namesite.com/
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~africa/
http://www.ih.k12.oh.us/ms/TAFTWEB/AFRICA/Aflink.htm
http://www.penncharter.com/Student/africa/daily/index.html

African Art
http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~wahlman/african.html

Bibliography: Africa
http://www.ibike.org/bibliography/africa-books.htm
 

Africa's Emerging Literatures
http://authors.about.com/library/weekly/aa021799.htm?rf=dp&COB=home&TMog=12287004285825&Mint=12287004285825

African Writers and Their Literature
http://www.ualberta.ca/~omollel/afwrithome.html
http://authors.about.com/msub23af.htm?rf=dp&COB=home&TMog=12287004285825&Mint=12287004285825
 

Chinua Achebe: , Biographies, Overviews etc.:
http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/achebe/achebeov.html
http://www.looksmart.com/eus1/eus52213/eus54535/eus166639/eus278530/eus166668/eus535962/eus535800/r?comefrom=dogpile-eus535800
http://www.ets.uidaho.edu/levine/achebe.htm
http://kirjasto.sci.fi/achebe.htm
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/hss/africana/voices.html#achebe
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/achebe.htm
http://athena.english.vt.edu/~carlisle/Postcolonial/Chinua_Achebe/ChinuaAchebe.html
http://encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/0A/00A17000.htm?z=1&pg=2&br=1
http://educeth.ethz.ch/english/readinglist/achebe,chinua.html

Narrative and Structure in Achebe’s Work
http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/achebe/achebestruct.html

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/mtfa/index.html

Women in Achebe’s World
http://www.uga.edu/~womanist/1995/mezu.html

Political and Social Contexts of Achebe’s Work
http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/achebe/achebepolov.html
 

Ngugi Wa Thiong’o Encyclopedia Entries
http://encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/AE/0AEBC000.htm?z=1&pg=2&br=1
http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/09221.html

Ngugi wa Thiong'o: Overviews
http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/poldiscourse/ngugiov.html
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~prettig/ngugi.html
http://www1.cc.emory.edu/ENGLISH/Bahri/Ngugi.html
http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/Postcolonial/Ngugi.html
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~prettig/ngugi.html
http://ultrix.ramapo.edu/global/thiongo.html

Ngugi wa Thiong'o on the Language Question
http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/poldiscourse/behrent.html