CHST 504

CHST 504

FROM WAR TO WAR: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1900-1945

Course Outline – Spring 2008

WEBSITE: http://www.petervronsky.com/intrelations.htm OR www.russianbooks.org/intrelations.htm

The two World Wars between 1900 and 1945 have transformed our world. In 1900 Europe dominated international relations; since then we have seen the rise of the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union, and a shift in power to the non-European world of Asia, Africa and Latin America. This course examines the causes and significance of these changes. Topics include political, economic and military factors, war-making and peace-keeping. (Upper-level liberal studies elective)

An International History of The World 1914-1945, Sally Marks,
New York: Arnold Publishers, 2002

SEMINARS: Four one-hour seminars will be held in the semester based on lecture material and assigned readings: May 28; Jun 4; Jun 11. Attendance is mandatory. Seminar mark is 15% of the final grade and based on attendance and quality of participation.

Essay: A topic of your choice pertaining to the International Relations 1900-1945. Suggested topics are posted on the website. Contact me if you need further help or advise in choosing your topic. The essay should be based on at least six sources, not including the course text book (but seminar readings are acceptable.)

· Prior to writing your essay, you will submit a one page outline that clearly defines your approach and a proposed annotated bibliography that describes your sources and their relevance to your essay. You will be marked on the basis of originality and specificity of your subject matter and the depth and currency of your sources. Due date for your proposal is May 21. This is worth 10% of your grade.

· Write an essay of 2,500 words based on a topic of your choice pertaining to this course. This is due June 9, by end of class and is mandatory for all students. It is worth 30% of your final grade. Only those essays, which are handed in on the due date in lecture, will be guaranteed to be returned marked on the day of your final exam.

Essays must be typed. If this is a problem, please speak to me. Students should hand essays in directly to the instructor. Late essays may be e-mailed in to secure a submission date and a hard copy dropped off at the essay submission box at the History Department on the 5^th floor of JOR or submitted to me in lecture. Students are responsible for ensuring that their essays have been received. Please keep copies of your work.

Deadlines and Penalties

Late work will be penalized by the deduction of 2% per day, including weekends. Extensions may be granted on medical or compassionate grounds. Students requesting an extension should submit a written request to me before the deadline. If this is not possible, students should be prepared to provide appropriate documentation relating to the extension request (i.e. doctor’s note). No late work will be accepted after the last day of classes in the term.

Essays MUST contain properly formatted references, in the form of Chicago style footnotes at the bottom of each essay page (as in the McPherson text book), which include in the first citation the author, place, and date of publication of the work cited, as well as the correct and exact page number, and for every subsequent citation, author and page number. Essays with no specific page reference for every citation will be failed. As a general rule, references should be given for direct quotations, summaries or paraphrases of other people's work or points of view, and for material that is controversial or obscure. WHEN IN DOUBT, IT IS BETTER TO PROVIDE A REFERENCE.

See: http://www.aresearchguide.com/7footnot.html for a guide to this style of citations.

1 Jane Doe, The ABC's of History (Toronto: Ontario Publishers, 1997), pp. 20-21.

Essays MUST provide bibliographies of all works consulted, whether or not they have been quoted directly. An inadequate bibliography (for assignments as long as those above) is one which contains less than four books or articles related to the topic, or books which are entirely general work or texts. Dictionaries, atlases and/or encyclopedias DO NOT count towards this minimum number of sources, and their inclusion should NOT be considered as constituting research. An example of a bibliographic citation is as follows:

The evaluation of your research, content, and argumentation is of primary concern in marking. Equally important is the syntax or structure of your work. Marks will be deducted from work containing excessive grammar/spelling mistakes, which is excessively long or inadequately short, or which fails to provide proper footnoting/bibliography. Be sure to edit and check your work carefully. Do not simply rely on your computer’s spelling or grammar check

Essays which do not supply proper and adequate references and bibliographies will be failed. Any essay with citations without individual, specific page references for each citation, will be failed with no opportunity to resubmit. Any written work that quotes directly from other material without attribution, or which paraphrases extensive tracts from the works of others, is plagiarized. It will receive no marks and there will be no chance to resubmit. Please consult the Ryerson academic calendar for further information on plagiarism. If you have any questions or doubts about how to cite material, please feel free to contact me. No essays will be accepted after the last lecture day (December 3.)

For additional help, Ryerson now offers the Academic Integrity Website at www.ryerson.ca/academicintegrity. This offers students a variety of resources to assist in their research, writing, and presentation of all kinds of assignments. It also details all dimensions of Academic Misconduct and how to avoid it. It was put together by a team representing the Vice President Academic, faculty, the library, Digital Media Projects, and Student Services.

NOTE: Every effort will be made to manage the course as stated. However, adjustments may be necessary at the discretion of the instructor. If so, students will be advised and alterations discussed in the class prior to implementation.

Exemption or deferral of a term test or final examination is not permitted except for a medical or personal emergency. The instructor must be notified by e-mail prior to the test and appropriate documentation submitted. For absence on medical grounds an official student medical certificate must be provided. This may be downloaded from the Ryerson website at www.ryerson.ca/rr or picked up from The Chang School Office, Room JOR100.

§ Depending on course policy, the instructor may arrange a makeup or re-weigh the course requirements

§ Documentation must be presented at The Chang School Office, Room JOR100, within three working days.

§ If the majority of the course work has been completed with a passing performance, and the documentation is acceptable, an INC grade will be entered by the instructor. An INC grade will not be granted if term work was missed or failed.

§ The final examination must be written within four months after the submission of the incomplete grade. Failure to do this will result in an F grade.

§ It is the student’s responsibility to contact The Chang School Office at least two weeks prior to the end of the following academic term to arrange to write the final exam.