Spring 2026

HIST 10500-001: Survey of Global History (239939)

 Survey of Global History

 

We live in a globalized world. But what does that mean? How does our experience of an interlinked and interdependent world compare to that of other people from other places and times? The term globalization – that we live in one integrated, interdependent world – is a recent one. Yet the concept of increasing interconnection is not. How has that experience changed over time?

This course investigates tensions between unity and difference in our world from the year 1000 to the present. By the end of this course, you will have gained a deeper understanding of the patterns and processes which have shaped the world as we know it today. You will have thought historically and critically about the reordering of power relationships, of production, and of culture from 1000 to the present, with special attention to globalizing processes from the 19th century onward. You will have considered how changing forms of contact – especially through trade, technology, migration – have affected political, economic, and cultural developments in regions of the territories we call Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas today. We cannot cover everything, but we will create a map which will help you navigate the world in which we live.

 

Required Texts:

 

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will have:

  • Gained a deeper understanding of the patterns and processes, ruptures and continuities in the

global history narrative which have shaped today’s world, its politics, ideas, and ambitions;

  • Explored how historical study connects us to other people, places, and times;
  • Used primary source evidence to analyze fundamental problems in global history;

  • Engaged in an environment of open inquiry to exchange ideas and interpretation of concepts, with the understanding that scholarly inquiry is a multidimensional conversation.
  • Become better prepared to situate historical thinking and analysis in today’s globalized

Course Requirements and Grade Evaluation

This is an overview of the assignments you will complete over the course of the semester by assignment type. Grades will be calculated by assignment type, whose relative weights are listed below. You will receive more detailed instructions in class and on Brightspace.

 

1)      Reading Questions (RQs): 20%

You will engage thoughtfully with many of the readings through a google doc set of questions. You will answer one of the questions listed on the document. Reading questions are due before the class session for which the reading is listed. Each answer receives one point. Points will be updated weekly on Brightspace. You are expected to reach a minimum of 12 points. A maximum of 15 points is possible.

2)      Short written assignments and class activities: 20%

You will complete short written in-class exercises through the quiz tool on Brightspace. These writing exercises and activities are due in class. Each answer receives one point. Points will be calculated based on the number of in-class writing exercises and activities we complete over the course of the semester.

3)      Three Short Essays: 45%

You will write three short (2-3 double-spaced pages, or 500-750 words) essays in class which provide a thoughtful response to a prompt based on one third of the course. You may use your handwritten notes from your readings and a handwritten outline. The essays shall adhere to the following format: double-spaced, one-inch margins, in 12-point Times New Roman font,

paginated.

  • A Backpack, A Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka Memoir Project: 15%

A Backpack, A Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka is the by turns irreverent, vivacious, and deeply human memoir of Lev Golinkin, tracing his improbable journey from the collapsing Soviet Union to seriously close to where you are sitting right now with many harrowing stops in between. It is a story including narrow escapes, refugee camps, Bosnian encounters, a bomber jacket, culture shock, and learning that the United States has 36 cities named Lafayette. The memoir project is the grand finale of the course, taking us into the transitions of the Post-Cold War World,

featuring objects that illuminate episodes in Golinkin’s story. More information to follow.

Grade scale:

A = 94-100; A- = 90-93; B+ = 88-89; B = 83-87; B- = 80-82; C+ = 78-79; C = 73-77; C- = 70-72; D+ = 68-69;

D = 63-67; D- = 60-62; F = 0-59

 

Attendance/Participation

  • This course follows Purdue’s academic regulations regarding attendance, which states that students are expected to be present for every meeting of the classes in which they are enrolled. Evidence suggests that regular class attendance improves your learning, academic performance, and social and emotional well-being. Per Purdue policy, “ultimately students are responsible for all required coursework and bear responsibility for any academic consequences that may result due to absence.”
  • Active participation and regular attendance in this course are expected. You will not receive participation credit for the days you are At times, missing class is unavoidable. Some

alternative assignments are possible, but only if I am contacted on the day of class (except in case of emergency.) Abuse of this grace policy will result in a point deduction. If you have a special case or concern, please contact me, in advance, if possible, to discuss alternatives.

  • Class success also depends on: (1) respect for each other (students, professor); (2) collegiality and civility of discourse; (3) being fully present, meaning: your attendance, your professional courtesy of arriving on-time, silencing your phones and other devices; (4) your commitment to the hard work of learning largely new, different, and complex material with many unfamiliar names of people and places and terms.

 

Late Assignment Policy

All assignments are expected to be turned in on time. Rare exceptions will be made, as determined by the instructor or in special circumstances. Assignments are generally tied to in-class discussions, where your preparation is tied to the learning of your fellow students. Please alert me to any problems as far in advance as possible. Leaving assignments to the last minute and encountering unexpected problems does not constitute an emergency. Late assignments will be treated as uncompleted and receive no points.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES

DISCLAIMER

In the event of a major campus emergency, the above requirements, deadlines and grading policies are subject to changes that may be required by a revised semester calendar. Any such changes in this course will be posted on Brightspace once the course resumes or can be obtained by contacting the professor via email.

 

EMAIL ETIQUETTE

Outside of class or office hours, communicate with your professor by email. Emails are generally read between 8am to 5pm. I will usually respond to your emails within 24 hours, except for weekends. Begin your subject line with “HIST 33805,” and state the reason for your email (ex: Question about essay”).

Include a full salutation (ex: “Dear Professor”) and closing with your full name (ex: “Sincerely, Eleanor Roosevelt”). Use full sentences, correct grammar, and punctuation. If you fail to follow this etiquette, I will not respond to your email.

Cheating / Plagiarism/Academic integrity

Plagiarism refers to the reproduction of another's words or ideas without proper attribution. University Regulations contain further information on dishonesty. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are serious offenses and will be treated as such in this class. You are expected to produce your own work and to accurately cite all necessary materials. Cheating, plagiarism, and other dishonest practices will be punished as harshly as Purdue University policies allow. Any instances of academic dishonesty will likely result in a grade of F for the course and notification of the Dean of Students Office. Please make sure that you are familiar with Purdue’s academic integrity policies: https://www.purdue.edu/odos/osrr/academic-integrity/undergraduate.html

Using an AI-content generator such as ChatGPT to complete assignments without proper attribution violates academic integrity. By submitting assignments in this class, you pledge to affirm that they are your own work, and you attribute use of any tools and sources.

 

AI/LLM POLICY

  • Submitting AI/LLM generated writing or research as your own is academic dishonesty and carries the same penalties as If any portion of your assignment was generated by a

chatbot/AI/LLM application without expressed permission from the instructor, you are in violation of the academic integrity expectations of this course and the university. It may result in failure or rewrite of the assignment. Serious cases may result in failure of the course and will be reported to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for further review of your status at this University.

  • The purpose of this policy is not to be punitive, but to make clear that in this class, your own reading, analysis, and writing are more valuable than You are serving as your own historian, a task that AI cannot replace. If I want to know what Chat GPT thinks, I can feed it prompts and read its responses. In this class, I am evaluating YOUR analysis and the maturing of your knowledge, ethics, values, and wisdom.
  • If you have concerns or questions about the AI/LLM policy, please come speak to This technology is quickly evolving.

Freedom of expression policy

  • In this class, I encourage you to exercise your rights to free inquiry and expression. You are welcome to discuss and express any view relevant to subject matter introduced by me (the instructor) or other class members, at appropriate times and places within the structure of the course. (Of course, we cannot lose sight of our course progress, so sometimes discussions will need to continue informally after class or in office hours.) You will be held responsible for learning the content of this course, but you remain free to take reasoned exception to the views presented and to reserve judgment about matters of conscience, controversy, or As we examine a range of competing ideas over the course of the semester, you are each encouraged to engage vigorously with the material, while being respectful of each other and the instructor. I urge you to speak your mind, listen attentively to others, explore ideas and arguments, play

devil’s advocate, and engage in civil but robust discussions. When you encounter ideas that you find offensive, unwise, immoral or wrong-headed, I encourage you to engage them with the proper currency of intellectual discourse – reasons, evidence, and arguments. No relevant ideas or positions are out of bounds. Your course grade will be based upon your academic performance, and not upon opinions or conduct in matters unrelated to academic standards.

  • While our commitment to freedom of expression means that no relevant ideas or positions are out of bounds in our discussions and assignments, disruptive or disorderly behavior (including threats or harassment) is strictly Such behavior will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students, in accordance with Purdue University policy.