Course Syllabus

• Instructor: David M. Perry
• Class Times: MWF 2:20-3:20
• Location: MAIN 002
• Office: Old Main 308
• Office Phone : (507) 646-6668
• Office Hours : MW 11:00-12:00
• Email: perry@macalester.edu
• Course URL: http://www.macalester.edu/courses/hist294venice/

Course Description

The city, republic, and empire of Venice stood at the nexus of the Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Turkish worlds. In the early modern era, it stood as both a chief trading partner and principle maritime rival to the expansion of Ottoman hegemony over the eastern Mediterranean. This course will explore the development of both the Venetian and Ottoman empires, examining how the two states and socieites came into both contact and conflict, what they thought about the other, and how they constructed their own identity. We will look at the fading Byzantine commonwealth and the powers that replaced it. We will study literature, history, art, economic documents, laws, modern scholarship, and many other sources of information. The history of these two states and societies will serve as our lens into the Mediterranean World.

Along with this study of content, we will also work on the fundamental skills of historical analysis. We will discuss how to use many different types of sources, and analyzes their significance in formal prose, informal prose, and verbal discussion. The course will culminate in a significant research project based on a collection of Venetian documents that I have provided.

Required Texts

The following books have been made available for you at the Macalester bookstore. Please buy them.

• F. Lane. Venice: A Maritime Republic
• T. Madden. Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice
• S. Runciman. The Fall of Constantinople - 1453
• D. Goffman. The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe
• Venice: A Documentary History

There will be numerous other readings either posted online or given out in class. You are required to bring all readings due on any given day to class to aid in discussion. For online materials, this means you must print them out.

Course Requirements and Assignments

• Take-Home Exams - 20% each
  • Each of these three exams will test you on a major subject of the course with a series of essay questions that you will have several days to work on. They will also serve as an opportunity for you to work on your composition skills, especially those pertaining to the constructing and supporting of thesis statements.
• Final Paper - 25%
  • This will be a research paper of approximately 2000 words (10 pages). You will be able to use outside material as you see fit, but the bulk of the primary material will come from the collection of documents that I have provided for you in Venice: A Documentary History. You will use these are your archive, construct a project, and write a paper. Due on the day scheduled for our final exam.
• Participation and Attendance - 15%
  • Participation is more than just showing up, but it starts with just showing up. You cannot participate if you are not here. I will take attendance every day. Unexcused absences will weigh heavily against your participation grade.
    • Excused absences - severe illness with doctor's note, death in the family, acts of God, or legitimate Macalester activities (i.e. official sporting or musical events) will obviously not incur any direct penalty. You need to let me know ahead of time (for events) and you are responsible for catching up on material missed by consulting both me and your peers.
  • But participation is about more than just showing up. It's about doing the reading, being prepared to talk about it, volunteering your input, being involved in group work, preparing for discussions, and generally being an asset to the class as a whole. We will have a variety of ways in which you can participate, but none matter more than being an active member in our small-group and full-class discussions.
  • Part of the participation grade will be drawn from many informal activities assigned throughout the semester. These will be graded pass/fail, if at all, but will be taken as a sign of your preparedness and out-of-class effort.
  • If I suspect that the class is not doing the reading, I may assign additional writing assignments, pop-quizzes, or other modes of examination as necessary. Let's all hope it isn't!
  • Your participation is a large percent of your grade. You will need to earn it. Take initiative. Do not expect to speak only when directly called upon and ace this section of the class.
  • Finally, being late consistently may be counted as being absent. It will certainly lower your participation grade.

The Grade

• Take-Home Exam #1 - 20%
• Take-Home Exam #2 - 20%
• Take-Home Exam #3 - 20%
• Final Paper - 25%
• Participation and Attendance - 15%

Course Policies

1. Follow the policies in the Macalester College Student Handbook . If you are unsure about whether something is plagiarism or cheating, ask first.
2. No assignment, under any circumstances, will be accepted by fax or email.
3. Students must bring readings to class on the day they are assigned. Print out online materials. If we don't talk about something in class, you need to bring it to the next class too unless told otherwise.
4. Writing assignments and examinations are due at the beginning of class. DO NOT EVER SKIP CLASS TO TRY AND FINISH YOUR PAPER. Printing errors and lost data are a fact of the computer age. If you wait until the last minute and encounter technical difficulties, your paper may still be counted as late.
5. For every day a paper or project is late, you lose one full grade per day (A to B, B to C, etc.). Do not test this system. Turn your work in on time. Stapled. With your name on every page. Typed. Double-spaced. In a 12-point font. With room on the margins for comments. Printed on only one side of the paper (for ease of comments). Please! I know this seems like a hassle, but it makes grading them and reading them easier. Be merciful to my eyesight.