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How to Stage a Revolution >> Content Detail



Syllabus



Syllabus


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Syllabus Archive


The following syllabi come from a variety of different terms. They illustrate the evolution of this course over time, and are intended to provide alternate views into the instruction of this course.

Fall 2008, William Broadhead, Jeffrey Ravel, and Elizabeth Wood (PDF)



Introduction


21H.001, a HASS-D, CI course, explores fundamental questions about the causes and nature of revolutions. How do people overthrow their rulers? How do they establish new governments? Do radical upheavals require bloodshed, violence, or even terror? How have revolutionaries attempted to establish their ideals and realize their goals? We will look at a set of major political transformations throughout the world and across centuries to understand the meaning of revolution and evaluate its impact. By the end of the course, students will be able to offer reasons why some revolutions succeed and others fail. Materials for the course include the writings of revolutionaries, declarations and constitutions, music, films, art, memoirs, and newspapers.

This class is a hybrid of lectures and seminars. Each week students will attend lectures as a whole group and also attend sections, which will all be led by faculty members. All lectures and recitations are mandatory as is regular participation.



Grading


Final grades will be calculated on the following basis:


ACTIVITIESPERCENTAGES
Three papers (15% each)45%
Quizzes15%
Final exam20%
Class participation20%

In keeping with the HASS-D, CI requirements, students will write at least twenty pages, revise at least one paper, and give oral presentations.

The readings for the class are from a combination of books and shorter documents. The books are available at the MIT Server and the documents are available in the readings section.

Aristotle. Athenian Constitution.

Amazon logo Fitzpatrick, Sheila. The Russian Revolution. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780199237678.

Amazon logo Spence, Jonathan D. Mao Zedong, A Life. New York, NY: Viking, 1999. ISBN: 9780670886692.

Amazon logo Harrison, Henrietta. The Man Awakened From Dreams: One Man's Life in a North China Village, 1857-1942. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780804750691.

Amazon logo Cheek, Timothy. Mao Zedong and China's Revolutions: A Brief History with Documents. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002. ISBN: 9780312256265.

Amazon logo Reagan, Ronald, et al. Reagan In His Own Hand. New York, NY: The Free Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780743219389.

In addition to the required books above, you may also like to consult the following books:

Amazon logo Wood, Gordon S. The American Revolution, A History. New York, NY: Modern Library, 2002. ISBN: 9780679640578.

Amazon logo Popkin, Jeremy D. A Short History of the French Revolution. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005. ISBN: 9780131930377.

Amazon logo Ehrrman, John. The Eighties: America in the Age of Reagan. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780300106626.


 








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