HIST 100 World History, 1900-1945 introduces students to key issues and events in the first half of the twentieth century. The course will ground students’ understanding of those decades as ones of profound change and contestation, the oftentimes global dimensions of which were expressed through multiple imperial, national, local, regional, and indigenous contexts. Topics typically addressed in the course include the evolution of empires and nations; processes of colonization and decolonization; the First and Second World Wars; Capitalism, Communism, and Fascism as competing political and economic ideologies; democratic and authoritarian systems of governance; political revolutions; developments in the arts and sciences; technological change; human interactions with the environment; tensions and developments in areas of human rights, indigenous, racialized, ethnic, and gender identities; and efforts toward the establishment of international networks and institutions. Upon the course’s conclusion, students will be able to identify and understand the significance of key issues and events from this period and to consider their role in shaping the world in the decades that followed.
Prerequisites: English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12 or ENGL 60 with a minimum grade of 60%
Accessibility Services Notice
Students who would like an academic accommodation and who have a documented disability should contact Accessibility Services, if they have not already done so.Course Details| Total number of weeks | 15 |
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| Total Credits | |
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| Total Hours | 60 |
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Typical hours per week breakdown| Lecture | 3 |
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| Seminar | 1 |
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Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
- Assess recent and contemporary issues and events from a historical perspective
- Interpret historical continuity and change within a global context from 1900 to 1945
- Apply critical thinking and analysis to quantitative and qualitative sources, evidence, and interpretations
- Apply discipline-centered research, writing, and communications skills through the use of on-line and print library materials
- Respond respectfully to presentations and discussions
Teaching and Learning Approach
HIST100 unfolds as a combination of lectures, discussion-based seminars, and workshops aimed at developing
academic and discipline-specific skills in reading, analytical thinking, research, and written and oral
communications. Exams, assignments, and in-class exercises enable students to put the knowledge and skills
they are acquiring to work in a variety of contexts while providing some flexibility to pursue areas of specific
interest. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to consider continuities that link the contemporary
world to issues and events of the past while observing the pitfalls of ‘presentism,’ or the evaluation of the past
through the lens of contemporary expectations as to ‘how things should be.’Learning Resources
Required:
th
Brower, Daniel R., and Thomas Sanders. The World in the Twentieth Century: From Empires to Nations. 7 ed.
Toronto: Pearson, 2014. If you are interested in purchasing a digital edition see: https://www.vitalsource.com/en-
ca/products/world-in-the-twentieth-century-from-empires-to-daniel-r-brower-thomas-v9780133769159?
srsltid=AfmBOoprKnN39WCNUG1KTNsQ_cECjvpUL8xAJoRznJ0GzlX0xVr9vC26
Additional readings will be distributed online via Learn and in class.Detailed Course Content, Topics, and Sequence Covered
1. Course Introduction
2. The World in 1900
3. The First World War
4. The First World War
5. Revolutions and Civil Wars in the Early Twentieth Century
6. Revolutions and Civil Wars in the Early Twentieth Century
7. Empires and Nations in the 1920s and 1930s
8. Empires and Nations in the 1920s and 1930s
9. Power, Politics, and Political Ideologies: Europe and Asia in the 1930s
10. Power, Politics, and Political Ideologies: Europe and Asia in the 1930s
11. The Second World War
12. The Second World War
13. The World in 1945
14. Course Conclusion
15. Final Exam PeriodAssessment
| Title | Learning Outcomes | Value |
|---|
| Primary Source Assignment | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | 15% |
| Research Paper Proposal Assignment | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | 10% |
| Research Paper Assignment | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | 30% |
| Exercises (Quizzes, Reading Reviews) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | 20% |
| Final Exam | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | 25% |
| Total | 100% |
Grading Table
Standard Academic and Career Programs Grading Table
| Percentage |
Letter Grade |
GPA |
| 90-100 |
A+ |
4.33 |
| 85-89 |
A |
4.00 |
| 80-84 |
A- |
3.67 |
| 76-79 |
B+ |
3.33 |
| 72-75 |
B |
3.00 |
| 68-71 |
B- |
2.67 |
| 64-67 |
C+ |
2.33 |
| 60-63 |
C |
2.00 |
| 55-59 |
C- |
1.67 |
| 50-54 |
P |
1.00 |
| 0-49 |
F |
0.00 |
| |
DNW |
0.00 |
See the Academic Calendar for General Information including how to withdraw from course(s) and other regulations.
Disclaimer
Information contained in this course outline is correct at the time of publication. Content of the course is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational, employment and market needs. The instructor will endeavor to provide notice of changes to students as soon as possible. The instructor reserves the right to add or delete material from courses.