Syllabus: Conflict and Reconstruction (aka CAR)

Syllabus

Course:	Conflict & Reconstruction (aka 20th century history)
Code:	PH2009
Semester:	January-May 2018
Professor:	Francisco García González
E-mail:	fgarciagonzalez@itesm.mx
Website:	http://fgg23.blogspot.com (Go to the tag for the class)

A. General Objectives

Upon completing this course, students should have a firm grasp on:

1.     Evaluating historical sources through the OPCVL (Origin, Purpose, Content, Value, Limitations) format.

2.     The discussions surrounding the concepts of liberalism, imperialism, socialism, and nationalism, and their significance in the conflicts that happened in the 20^th Century.

3.     Regional dynamics and international relations as viewpoints from which to study history and understand contemporary issues.

4.     The use of literature and fiction in historical research.

C. Work Methodology

-       The class will be based around discussions and teamwork. Homework will be rare, but not entirely absent.

-       Content will be made available to students before each session through the professor’s blog (fgg23.blogspot.com) in the class’s tag. Reading or watching the content is not necessary, but is highly recommended before each session, as it will make each class quicker and allow for more time to be dedicated to activities outside of listening to lectures or reading sources.

-       Assignments will be turned in exclusively via Blackboad. Any assignments sent to the teacher via e-mail will be ignored and have a 1 as a grade.

-       Novel Activities will involve reading fiction from specific national contexts and historical figures to experience concepts and themes from the class. Each student will have three in total, which will be averaged together into the Novel Activities grade at the end of the semester. These activities will happen as follows:

o   Book Presentations (January 19-February 23): The group will be divided into teams with an assigned novel from the 20th century. On the assigned date, they should make a 30-minute presentation that includes the plot of the book and the historical themes it touches upon.

o   Question Your Book (March 2-March 16): The group will be divided into larger teams. Each team will present a 10-minute description of the book’s plot and author, and each member will come up with a question about the historical context and themes of the book. Each question should be answered using one slide during each team presentation, using sources and the proper structure for each type of question.

o   Book Debates (April 6-April 27): The group will again be divided into teams that will give 10-minute presentations about their book’s plot and author, followed by a debate about the themes. This time, the teacher will give each team an advance list of the themes that will be debated. At the end, the group will vote on which side won the debate and explain why.

D. Class Instructions

In order for the class to flow smoothly, some specific rules will apply:

1.     Be honest. Using information without a proper citation in written assignments, presentations, projects, or exams will be penalized as Academic Dishonesty (I.A.) according to Articles 9.1 and 9.2 of Tecnológico de Monterrey’s General Rules and Regulations for Students.

2.     Be responsible. The professor reserves the right to reschedule due dates, quizzes, and exams. While it is true that certain unexpected situations make deadline extensions acceptable and necessary, this is generally not the case, and deadlines are scheduled for specific reasons. Please respect the professor’s time and your own by planning accordingly when possible, and speaking up when necessary. Regarding absences, the class policy is that SAPPA will be taken after the 5-minute mark, and no one may enter the class afterwards. Absences are non-negotiable, and any kind of request for them to be justified should be taken directly to the department.

3.     Be respectful. While cellphones and electronic tablets are a staple of contemporary life, texting and taking calls while someone else is speaking in a discussion and teamwork-oriented class is impolite and counterproductive. Please raise your hand and wait for your turn to talk during class discussions, debates and lectures. If a student is unable to pay attention or participate respectfully, they will be asked to leave the class.

4.     Be present. As each class is only 1-hour long and activities are fast-paced, any absence (even to go to the bathroom) is distracting and probably unnecessary. This also applies for the usage of computers, tablets and phones for things that are unrelated to the class. You already made it to class, so you might as well make the most of it.

5.     Be cool. While it is true that the teacher is not your parent and holds significantly less authority than any parental figure in your life, the class hour is not a democracy. It is a benevolent dictatorship. The teacher will do their best to help you learn and take advantage of the material, so you might as well not antagonize them for it.

F. Grading and Important Dates

Partials
Exam	33%
Homework, activities, and quizzes	50%
Partial Project	17%

Final Evaluation
First two partials	60%
Third partial activities	6%
3 Novel Activities	4%
Final Exam	20%
Final Project	10%

Exams	Date
Partial 1	February 6
Partial 2	March 20
Final Exam	To be determined

G. Course Topics

Review of the 19th Century	08-ene	Introduction
	09-ene	Horizontal history & Generations
	10-ene	OPCVL Format Practice
	11-ene	Congress of Vienna & Concert of Europe
	12-ene	Colonialism & Imperialism
	15-ene	Liberalism & Socialism
	16-ene	Nationalism & Industrialization
	17-ene	Porfiriato in Mexico
	18-ene	INTEGRATION
	19-ene	"Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus"
Imperialism in crisis	22-ene	Mexican Revolution
	23-ene	Mexican Revolution
	24-ene	Mexican Revolution
	25-ene	Mexican Revolution
	26-ene	"Cartucho"
	29-ene	World War 1
	30-ene	World War 1
	31-ene	World War 1
	01-feb	INTEGRATION
	02-feb	"The Bridge on the Drina"
	05-feb
	06-feb	PARTIAL EXAM
	07-feb	EXAM REVIEW
	08-feb	Russian Revolution
	09-feb	Russian Revolution
	12-feb	Russian Revolution
	13-feb	Russian Revolution
	14-feb	League of Nations
	15-feb	INTEGRATION
	16-feb	"The Master and Margarita"
Liberalism in crisis	19-feb	Gilded Age
	20-feb	Crazy 1920s
	21-feb	Great Depression
	22-feb	INTEGRATION
	23-feb	"The Age of Innocence"
	26-feb	Maximato
	27-feb	Cárdenas & PRI
	28-feb	Fascism: Germany
	01-mar	Fascism: Italy
	02-mar	"The Berlin Stories"
	05-mar	World War 2
	06-mar	World War 2
	07-mar	World War 2
	08-mar	World War 2
	09-mar	"The Heat of the Day"
	12-feb	World War 2 in Mexico
	13-mar	Totalitarianism: Hitler
	14-mar	Totalitarianism: Stalin
	15-mar	INTEGRATION
	16-mar	"The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia"
	19-mar
	20-mar	PARTIAL EXAM
	21-mar	EXAM REVIEW
	22-mar	Desarrollo Estabilizador in Mexico
	23-mar	Postwar period in Europe & Asia
	26-mar
	27-mar
	28-mar
	29-mar
	30-mar
	02-abr	Cold War introduction
	03-abr	Cold War: US perspective
	04-abr	Cold War: US perspective
	05-abr	Cold War: US perspective
	06-abr	"The Manchurian Candidate" & "Our Man in Havana"
	09-abr	Cold War: USSR perspective
	10-abr	Cold War: USSR perspective
	11-abr	Cold War: USSR perspective
	12-abr	INTEGRATION
	13-abr	"How the Steel Was Tempered" & "Cassandra"
20th Century Nationalism in Crisis	16-abr	Cold War in Latin America: Cuba
	17-abr	Cold War in Latin America: Mexico & South America
	18-abr	Cold War in Asia: Vietnam and Korea
	19-abr	Cold War in the Middle East: Iran and Israel
	20-abr	"Antes que anochezca" & "The Price of Salt"
	23-abr	Civil Rights Movement
	24-abr	Counterculture & Antiwar Movements
	25-abr	Capitalism in Crisis
	26-abr	Communism in Crisis
	27-abr	"Freshwater Road" & "To Kill a Mockingbird"
	30-abr
	01-may
	02-may	INTEGRATION
	03-may	Feedback session

H. Professor’s Profile

Francisco García González holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Ciudad de México, and a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Public Policy from Tecnológico de Monterrey’s School of Government and Public Transformation. His areas of specialization have included corruption, conflicts of interest, security, and globalization.

He has also studied at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies in the International Relations and Conflict Resolution track of their “Semester in Washington” program, as well as Universidad Católica del Uruguay’s Winter School of Research Methods and Data Analysis.  He has worked for the Mexican federal government, the National Defense University’s William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington, DC, and Yale University’s Center for the Study of Globalization.