Lacey Baldwin Smith, English History Made Brief, Irreverent, and Pleasurable
Karen Lindsey, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived
Arthur Herman, How the Scots Invented the Modern World
Niall Ferguson, Empire
George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier

Goals and Objectives

Traditionally, when Americans study nations in Europe, the nation they study first is Britain. There are obvious reasons for this, even after Britain has lost its world role and most of its empire. The United States began as a group of English colonies. Much of our culture today reflects that origin, even in Texas. More specifically, those studying political science and law look to Britain for the roots of the American legal system; and English literature makes a lot more sense when Shakespeare or Wordsworth can be put in their historical context. Studying the history of Britain is thus an endeavor with obvious rewards.
This course will briefly look at the history of modern Britain, emphasizing the major trends and personalities of the last 500 years and how they contributed to the state that is Britain today. You will expected to understand

1. The basic geography and demography of the British isles.
2. The rise of Parliament and the development of constitutional monarchy.
3. The rise and decline of the British Empire.
4. The Industrial Revolution and the advent of industrial society.
5. The evolution of the 20th century welfare state.

Reading Assignments

The reading assignments should be completed on the week assigned to make possible full comprehension of the lectures or participation in class discussion.

Attendance

While this course involves no specific policy for missing class in terms of points taken from your grade for unexcused absences, there is generally a direct correlation between regularlity of class attendance and comprehension of the material. You’re responsible for the information covered in class whether you’re physically present to hear it or not. In the case of excessive absences, the instructor has the option of administratively dropping you from the course.

Tests

There will be a total of three tests during the semester. The final exam will simply be the third test; it will be non-comprehensive.

Paper

The high standards of literacy expected of students in history classes at McMurry subsume written expression as well as reading ability. Thus you will be expected to compose a 5-page typed, double-spaced paper based on Lindsey’s Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. The specifics will be explained later in the semester.

Grade

The final grade will be computed as follows: 25% for each of the two midterms, 25% for the paper, and 25% for the final exam. The grade scale will be A: 90 to 100, B: 80 to 89, C: 70 to 79, D: 60 to 69, F: 59 and below. Within those parameters, plus and minus grades will be given: A: 93-100, A-: 90-92, B+: 87-89, B: 83-86, B-: 80-82, etc. There will be no A+ grades and no plus or minus grades for an F. Borderline cases (e.g., 89.6 or 79.8) will be decided on the basis of improvement in the course, class participation, and regularity of attendance.

Students with Disabilities

McMurry University abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stipulates that no otherwise qualified student shall be denied the benefits of an education “solely by reason of a handicap.” If you have a documented disability that may impact your performance in this class and for which you may be requesting accommodation, you must be registered with and provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office, located in Old Main Room 102. Arrangements will be made for students needing special accommodations.